Ivy League school or MIT

[varska]

@bluewater2015 - thank you. It’s an ongoing learning process for all of us.

[okthenyeah]

@fenwaypark “D3 schools, as far as I know, do not issue probabilistic communications (likely letters) to either athletes or non-athletes”

I can definitively tell you that at least 1 D3 school does for athletes (Emory).

And they will issue their Likely Letter over the summer on a “pre-read” even before an application is submitted.

[fenwaypark]

Very interesting, thank you for that, okthenyeah! Does anyone else have examples of D3 likely letters? NESCAC or NEWMAC for example? UChicago?

[twoinanddone]

While most D1 schools will admit the athlete who clears NCAA requirements, at least one (Wisconsin) has higher standards and does turn down athletes it doesn’t think can cut it academically. I imagine there are a lot more too where just squeaking by the NCAA clearinghouse is not good enough.

[CCDD14]

When an Ivy coach calls recruit and tells her that her LL is in the mail this is not a violation of Ivy rules. This is not a probabilistic communication of any sort. The coach just says that the letter is in the mail

[Ohiodad51]

@fenwaypark, as far as D3 schools with systems similar to likely letters, I have heard anecdotally that JHU has something similar, but that is like at third hand - a kid at my son’s high school is getting recruited by them and over the summer told me that he heard that there was a mechanism to “guarantee” admission. How reliable that is, I don’t know. I only know one kid playing there currently, and don’t know the specifics of his recruitment.

[bluewater2015]

I have seen some discussion on the University of Chicago forum on likely letters but I’m not sure how they might be used for athletic recruits.

Actually one of the more interesting stories I’ve heard on recruiting was regarding a football player UChicago was interested in, however he didn’t want to play college football and applied as a regular student. He was a high school star who for whatever reason just didn’t want to continue with football. He got either deferred EA or wait listed RD (can’t recall which), but also got some form of communication from the school saying, if he wanted to reconsider playing they would take another look at his application.

[tonymom]

@varska what is the title of your book? I’d love to read it!

[varska]

PMed you @tonymom

[Swimkidsdad]

For the purposes of athlete recruitment the likely letter is a recruitment tool which appears to be similar to a NLI.

The following is from the Ivy League Manual:

Institutions may issue official “probabilistic” communications only in writing, from the office of admission. Such letters will have the effect of letters of admission, to be confirmed on the common notification date, subject to revocation only on the same terms as letters of admission. (Such communications given by coaches, whether orally or in writing, do not constitute binding institutional commitments.) An applicant who receives one or more such written communications and who has made a decision to matriculate at one institution is encouraged (but not required) to notify all other institutions, and to withdraw all other applications, as promptly as possible.

This is similar to the NLI rule where if one signs a NLI and then changes their mind they cannot play for another school the next year.

In deciding whether or when the admissions office may offer a written probabilistic communication, an institution (through a coach) may inquire about the level of commitment to or interest in the institution of an applicant who is a recruited student-athlete, but an applicant may not be required to withdraw or not make other applications, or to refrain from visiting another institution, as a condition for receiving written likely communication or for a coach’s support in the admissions process, or an estimate of financial aid eligibility. In addition coaches may not request that candidates not share estimates of financial aid eligibility with other schools.

This is also similar to the NLI, a recruit may receive multiple NLI offers but will be expected to sign only one NLI.

Coaches must not communicate or imply to recruits, families, or counselors that favorable admissions outcomes have been decided by an admissions office or will be decided by an admissions office at any point in the future. Coaches must state clearly to recruits, families, and counselors that admissions decisions will be communicated only by official written notification from admissions offices on or after October 1 (i.e., by “likely letters” or by admissions office notification in Early Action, Early Decision or “regular” processes), and that no other indication of a positive admissions result is or should be considered reliable. This requirement applies whether or not an admissions office has reviewed any part of the student’s file and/or whether the athletic department has any reason to believe a favorable admissions decision may be forthcoming.

The first sentence of this rule appears to prohibit communication about favorable admission outcomes between coaches and recruits ( signing an NLI does not guarantee admission). If this was always followed then why would the additional statements such as “ no other indication of a positive admissions result is or should be considered reliable” be necessary? In fact some form of communication does occur between coaches and recruits.

[Ohiodad51]

I think the remainder of the rule is intended to direct a coach to tell a recruit that passing a pre read, or a coach’s expression of how much he wants a particular recruit, should not be considered an indication that the recruit will be admitted. Just as importantly, I think it is intended as a caution to recruits and families to only take the word of admissions, and that coaches, at times, do not have the influence one would assume.

I think it is important to remember the two unique factors that distinguish Ivy recruiting from most other Div 1 recruiting. First, and most importantly, the Ivys have admit rates significantly different than virtually all NLI schools. Second, the Ivy is adamant that it intends to admit athletes who are academically similar to its student body. This may be a point that is unique to the revenue sports, since I do not know how significantly schools will bend for non revenue athletes as compared to football and men’s basketball players. I do know that many high academic schools will bend significantly for football players. I think the Ivy takes pains to make sure there is no hint of that in their league.

[moscott]

Just as a follow up…does anybody know what decision was made by the OP?