I read lots of posts about “everyone passing prereads,” and I want to share our very different experience. Our daughter attends a rigorous independent school that does not weight grades or believe in grade inflation. Her good friend (different sport) attends a different independent school in the area that also is known for rigor (and piling work on the girls). Both girls had decent grades (not as high as 4.0+ of many public school applicants), good/very good test scores, and rigorous course loads.
Both girls failed several pre-reads at T25 D3 schools and smaller and very academic D1 schools. Both girls were very clear about their grades/scores and were told that they were within the range (and, in most cases, were in the range of other kids accepted from their schools. For a couple of schools, my child’s GPA was lower than the school average by a few points (e.g., school average is a 93 and my child’s was a 90), and for a couple of schools, her friend’s test scores were below the 25-75 middle range.
College counselors at both schools said that they are now starting to see more kids fail prereads, particularly at D3 schools. At some schools, you still can be pushed through, but if you are the second recruit, and recruit #1 needed academic support, well…you might be out of luck. That was us in at least one case.
NOTE: both girls passed pre-reads at Ivy League Schools. In the end, both girls are attending good academic schools for their sports, but neither thought that grades vs. athletic talent, would be a barrier to entry.
I don’t think many think “everyone passes prereads” at least in my son’s sport (soccer). You’ve probably heard the truism that for the Ivy League you have to be a great athlete and a good student, whereas for the NESCACs (and equivalent) you have to be a great student and a good athlete. I.e., it is harder to pass a preread at some NESCACs than some Ivies.
Thank you for sharing these experiences. Are you willing to name the schools? NESCACS, MIT, UChicago, Caltech, WashU, and Johns Hopkins are some that come to mind. For example, it’s known that Johns Hopkins wants a minimum 1500 SAT score for athletes.
I recall a recruit a few years ago who did not pass the pre-read at one NESCAC and then did at another generally considered to be similarly selective. The one where he did not pass had more requirements for graduation - FL though a certain level, calculus, etc whereas the other had much more flexibilty and made it far easier for students to dodge areas of weakness and challenge.
While none of us will know for sure what happened, his parents and I guessed that although his grades and scores hit the threshold, the coursework he had done (and the results achieved) suggested that he might struggle with those core requirements.
So no. Not everyone passes the pre-read, and not passing at one institution doesn’t mean you won’t pass at another, perhaps one that is more selective on the face of it.
We looked at MIT (loved the athletic facilities), but the school wasn’t of interest to my child. We heard from teammates and from a friend in a different sport that neither school offers any academic assistance to athletes in recruiting and that the student must be on par with otherwise accepted students.
MIT athletes are given some help with admissions, but yes, they need to be within the range of other MIT admits. I’ve heard the pull with admissions gives athletes there around a 50/50 shot instead of the normal 4-5% rate.
Oops, I misread the original post about which schools and just answered re the named ones. B/w the two girls, failed prereads at two NESCAC schools, two schools in the Patriot League, and one Top 25 SLAC outside of those leagues. Colgate has a process called “in on own.” I can’t put my hands on it now, but if of interest to anyone, I would google it.
Also, if you have your heart set on a particular school, I would talk to the local admissions rep before submitting the preread, and before selecting senior classes. Some schools really want the FL…
Wow, I never would approach an admissions office before a preread! Most coaches are very familiar with the process (ok, maybe not all, esp. if they are new) but most know what they are doing. I doubt going around the coach to speak with admissions would be well received.
It’s a little hard to extrapolate from your daughter’s experience with the facts given, though I totally understand not wanting to share more.
Our D was recruited by Colgate early on in the process. Thankfully it wasn’t her top choice, but they flat out told her (after coach offered her a roster spot) that if she needed financial aid, she wouldn’t pass pre-read. So, that was that. She was also told (by coach) that only 2 athletes per sport (at least for field sports) are given any support to get in. The rest of recruits/commits are not given any financial aid and have to get In on Own (IOO). The whole process there was a major turn off. But again, thankfully, she didn’t love the school/vibe.
I had a 4.0 GPA with lots of APs and 35 ACT, so I felt that I’d only be limited by my athletic, not academic ability when it came to D3 recruiting. I was shocked when I failed a pre-read at a selective LAC (not NESCAC). The only academic reasons I could come up with were that I dropped a class and it showed up on my transcript and that I didn’t submit an “optional” letter of recommendation. However, I passed at schools with lower acceptance rates.
This is good to know about course selections. My junior kiddo was thinking about forgoing a fourth year of social studies in lieu of another math or science class (her HS only requires 3 years), but her counselor persuaded her to add that back in her senior schedule so it wouldn’t be something that would work against her with some schools that she’s talking to.
I think for top schools in most cases you have to have 4yr of all 5 core subjects, this includes history/ss, foreign language, and all 3 hard sciences, no matter the graduation requirements. IMO this is true for these schools even if these requirements are not specifically listed.
Also, at these schools, athletic commitment does not make up for rigor. It’s not just about good grades.
I’m not saying this was necessarily the case here, but I think that sometimes athletes may be told by a coach that they didn’t pass the pre-read, if they’re not a top athletic choice of the coach, or circumstances change and the coach wants someone else. I do NOT think most coaches do this, and thankfully this was not my D’s experience, but I have definitely heard that at least being suspected in some/limited cases.
I was wondering the same thing, and agree that most coaches would not do this. Though I believe one of the athletes that the OP said failed several pre-reads at T25 D3 schools and smaller very academic D1 pre-read, but passed a pre-reads at Ivys was their daughters friend. So the information for one of them was not first hand and may have gotten lost in translation a bit between a pre-read vs being on the coaches short list for recruits. Especially as some sports the coach only has a few slots.
Failing a pre-read is much better than passing a pre-read and then getting rejected or deferred. In the former case, while disappointing, you have not burned your 1 ED. If the AO feels the applicant class will be highly competitive and have tighter standards for non-impact spots, they are doing the kid a favor.
I think at NESCACs it can also be a case of not not passing the pre read but being B banded. From the outside those apps are still very strong but not quite on par with unhooked apps, and the coach only gets to push through one or two of those.
I agree that they use admissions feedback strategically. It’s also a crutch when it’s selective D3 “crunch time” at the end of June & early July. Coaches definitely use “waiting for admissions” when they are waiting to see how the first few offers pan out!
I hear of very few kids who don’t pass the pre-read, but i believe it’s because the coaches we met at D3 single digit admit rate schools aren’t proceeding in the process with kids they know will be questionable. They do their own pre-preread. During Jr year coaches will advise on what courses to have on the senior schedule. Coaches also knew what test scores should be submitted and which shouldn’t. (“Test optional” didn’t really mean it was optional in all cases, anyway, and soon enough everyone, especially athletic recruits, will need scores.)
Here’s one example of a solid candidate not making it to the preread: Nescac coach knew kid’s independent school had a good reputation & he knew the gpa. Had spoken with high school & club coaches and given kid & family positive feedback. Then, he saw actual transcript & ended the process. The A’s weren’t good enough without rigor of more Honors & AP classes. (Kid ended up just fine at a school ranked lower for the sport & lower in rankings. He wouldn’t have gotten in there as a non-athlete but he would have been a viable unhooked applicant at schools below top 20/25)
In our experience, coaches saw most elements of the preread before connecting prospect with the portal used to submit everything directly to admissions. They weren’t making changes or suggestions, but they weren’t going to use up a preread slot on a “regular” athlete who wouldn’t pass.
This advice may belong somewhere else, but if the transcript or test scores are like a bright, shiny object that will get attention, attach the unofficial copies! Add the numbers into subject lines. Flash them first in highlight reels if these are the target schools.
The schools we looked at didn’t need to take a kid to raise the team gpa or increase average test score. More than one coach said that in recent years, almost every recruit needs to be as qualified as non-athletes, with a complete body of work and involvement, beyond the sport. On the other hand, at some very high academic schools we saw teams of kids who seemed entirely disconnected from that academic part of the college. Some coaches get a lot of leeway! Some do in certain years. Some do when a new coach comes and needs incentives.
Prospective athletes should prep in earnest for the tests during the summer after sophomore year and take the test early that fall. It can be extremely helpful to have those numbers in hand, at the start of conversations.
Could not agree with you more! Our youngest (college athlete at a NESCAC) took the ACT for the first time in April of sophomore year (and she was young for her grade, so only 15) after a few weeks of light prep, for a baseline. Coaches asked about a score very early, and were happy she had one. When she communicated with NESCAC coaches (and Patriot League coaches) that spring/early summer, she could share an initial score, which they knew would go up. It definitely increased their interest, as it was a great starting point.
An additional bonus for this is that by starting the process of ACT/SAT testing that early, it (in our experience) relieves a lot of anxiousness/unknowns about the standardized tests early, so that they know what they’re preparing for and it feels less like it’s looming in the distance.
I agree. We first did it for the the reasons I talked but it was so nice to have that wrapped up before the stress of Junior year kick in that we followed the timeline for my non athlete. She was so glad to be finished and be able to focus on other things before her friends had even taken there first test.