<p>I always thought sports were EC…:)</p>
<p>I worried about this, too.</p>
<p>S had high+ SAT’s (NMSF) and grades and the sport, but zero time for anything else. It was hard even to fit in the required community service during high school.</p>
<p>He was recruited by all the Ivies and ended up at his first choice. </p>
<p>However, the recruiting process did begin spring of junior year in hs. Many of the Div I schools fill their team during ED. There should still be some opportunities, however, esp at Div III schools.</p>
<p>I would suggest you check out the swim team pages of the schools in which your s is interested. Look at the stats and you’ll be able to see where he will be an asset. He should contact the coach directly and get things rolling asap.</p>
<p>sports are EC’s. Don’t worry, and especially don’t be ashamed. Take pride in what you do and don’t apologize for having a passion for a sport. Look at it this way, would you want your child going to a school that looked down upon what he chose to do for his activity? Is that a place you’d want your kid at… narrow minded U?</p>
<p>We have had many rounds of the “Why Should the Big Bad Athletes Get Preference” arguments.<br>
Congrats on your son’s swimming talent and check out some of the past threads for great information on recruiting. Several of us have been through the whole process with our kids. Any athlete good enough to be recruited most likely is a little light on other ECs, but it is not a problem at all. Your son’s contact with the coaches who are recruiting him should provide a way to get all questions answered.</p>
<p>I remember the college coach stating that early on, D3 coaches will not show much interest…they are waiting for those aspiring D1 athletes who do not actually get into D1 schools to emerge.</p>
<p>woody, that’s an interesting point. I have a senior, and the D1’s were quick on the trigger in July and continued calling until EA/ED November 1st deadline. The calls slowed, except for the sporadic “if your first choice doesn’t work out, give us a call.” Then about mid-November the phone lines heated up with the DIII’s. If you love a DIII, probably good to keep in touch and hear the encouraging words from time to time, because those coaches aren’t particularly aggressive about calling.</p>
<p>It’s a little confusing for the kid, because it sort of feels like waiting for the prom invitation. Best to be proactive and figure out which programs you really love, well before July 1st, and then reorder before Nov 1st, after official visits. What shocked us about the process was that for D1 and Ivies, most student/athletes make their final 1st choice by Nov. 1. What this means for current juniors is that they should make college visits a real priority between now and September. You’ll have to pay for the trips, but we found that squeezing in more than a couple of officials in Sept Oct was really a challenge.</p>
<p>Your son does NOT lack EC’s. He HAS an EC…swimming and he is passionate about that and apparently good at it as well. I know some folks think that kids need to have a laundry list of different ECs but this simply is not true. Your son shows commitment to his EC and that speaks well of him. </p>
<p>On the flip side was one of my kids who did only MUSIC…and nothing else. He spent hours every week doing his music, year round, much like your son does his swimming. My son had no sports on his resume…musicians just can’t risk hurting their hands. He got accepted at all but one of the seven colleges he applied to (as a music major…).</p>
<p>My S does music and 2 competitive team sports – but neither at a high level. He plays the piano but does not do any performances or camps. And he attends a tiny magnet school where everyone can play varsity if they choose. He may do a semester-abroad program as a junior (that is, if his Dad & I think his grades are good enough) – but that will be it. Yes, I am a bit concerned.</p>
<p>The D1s stop calling when they fill their roster.</p>
<p>woody, do you have a feel for what percentage of rosters are filled at D1’s and Ivies by Jan 1st? This may be too big a question as Ivys and D1’s function a bit differently, and each sport may have a different timeline…</p>
<p>rr,</p>
<p>Here are the NLI signing periods for non-Ivy D1 sports: [National</a> Letter of Intent | Signing Dates](<a href=“http://www.national-letter.org/dates/]National”>http://www.national-letter.org/dates/). Once coaches have signed the number of athletes they need, then their rosters will be filled.</p>
<p>Ivies don’t use NLIs. They hope for a verbal commitment by the prospective athlete, hope that the admissions office invites them to attend, and hope the athlete shows up at practice in the fall.</p>
<p>Thanks Bay! That’s a big help!</p>
<p>I don’t want to hijack thread although I guess OP is curious about any and all info…</p>
<p>The coaches at this meeting were D1 basketball - one Ivy, one 2nd tier. Both said they were filled by 1/1 - just as bay’s link indicates.</p>
<p>swpdad–Thanks for asking this question. Our daughter is also a jr and a swimmer. (Probably about the same GPA too.) I’ve also wondered about the admissions question. </p>
<p>When I first came to this forum I was pretty blown away by the long lists of EC’s some of these students have. For a short time I thought my bright kid had wasted her time with a sport she loves, and that she should have been out there saving the world. Then I realized that her sport is her EC. She spends 20 plus hours a week doing this year round. I’m willing to bet that’s as much or more time than some of the kids with the laundry lists of activities spend. I won’t go into all the things she’s learned from this sport. (and this is from a very non athletically inclined mother) She did manage to fit in some volunteering at our church, mostly during the summer. Could your son help coach a younger team? Our D, and some other swimmers, help with the middle school teams since HS season is generally over when the MS season begins. It gives her a bit of a break from swimming after a long HS season and is fun. </p>
<p>Regarding the recruiting: our D is not certain she wants to swim in college. She waivers on this. I do know that D3 schools can’t give athletic scholarships. Your son also needs to sign up at the NCAA Clearinghouse site for eligibility. It’s recommended this be done JR year.</p>
<p>From my experience, recruiting time table has greatly sped up. My youngest D saw coaches at events (outside high school) during her sophomore year. She has now verbally committed to an Ivy in her junior year(by the way, a player can initiate contact with a coach before July 1 following junior year. Most restrictions deal with when coaches can begin contact). Of course she still must be admitted (and I will be nervous until that actually happens). She met with entire coaching staff including asst coach who is the laison with admissions. After he reviewed transcript and test scores,and gave the ok,the head coach offered her a spot on his list of recruits. She was already prepared to say yes. Obviously, the coach now has one fewer spot left.</p>
<p>The asst coach told her she must keep her grades up and then prepare her application by Sept 1. It will be submitted to admissions for review. </p>
<p>I should add that my D and I know these coaches outside of college recruitment(involvement with youth team coaching) so there is a comfort level with our communication. Coaches have also been at same school for over ten years. From all I know, head coach has a great deal of credibility with admissions staff. He stated that admissions knows the type of kids he recruits. Nevertheless I will still be anxious untill all is done. Stated again and again, admissions admits.And its hard to write those emails back to other coaches saying thanks but no thanks knowing there is no going back. </p>
<p>Hope this helps</p>
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</p>
<p>nightsky,</p>
<p>This is not a smart approach and it is also not true! Honesty is always the best policy of course, but your D should be telling other coaches that she has X Ivy as her first choice, but if she is not admitted she would consider their school. (If this is true). There is always a chance of “going back” if things don’t work out with a student’s first choice. Furthermore, your D has NO obligation to commit to that Ivy coach at all! (That is the beauty of no athletic scholarships). If her Ivy has early decision, she need not even respond until the regular decision deadline. Put your child’s best interests first. It really is all about them. Good luck.</p>
<p>Bay: thanks for the advice. Agree to some degree. Notes to other coaches from D are always gracious and complimentary of schools. But, at least from my experience, recruiting is a little more hard edged than you might know. Coaches are NOT going to committ to put you on list if you do not give your committment. And lists get filled. Recruiting coordinator has received hundreds of emails from players asking to be looked at.Coaches make decisions. And , from all I know, there is a dramatic difference in your chance of admission when on a coaches list. Dont get me wrong. My D is thrilled with her decision. Dream school and athletic program. Just always need to remember that admissions does have final say.</p>
<p>Nightsky, the year Dartmouth pulled its swimming program, a number of recruited swimmers were disappointed. And it happened all of a sudden. The year the Brown coach took the JMU job, his recruits were dropped. What do you think will happen if a swimmer should apply to the same school with better times and better academic stats than your D? Not only does the coach have the obligation to put in the best swimmer, admissions is not going to go for that either. THings can change in a heartbeat in recruiting, that is how hardeged this gets. Of course they want your commitment. BUt they CANNOT give their commitment. In some sports there is that subjective piece regarding team karma and such, but with swimming, it is the times. And with your daughter only a junior there is plenty of time for someone better to come on the scene. You don’t need to commit to the team when you apply ED since that is as firm of a commitment as it gets. So when those apps come rolling into the school, the best swimmer wins, just like in a race. I suggest having some other schools lined up as well. I have seen too many disappointed and hurt kids in this process. It’s great that you know the coaches personally, but there is a lot that cannot be said, such as looking at other athletes, perhaps consideration of another job, they can lose their jobs, the program can be cut, etc. I know one swimmer who did not get into a school where she was all but promised a spot. Two breast strokers on the team cut their times to waay below hers, and the need for that stroke was eliminated for a few years. And they graduated their 400IMers without any to take their spots, lost two swimmers that were flyers because they quit the team. Suddenly their recruiting list changed and admissions does not give carte blanche. You don’t always get extras. Many times it is the athletic director and one adcom who sit with the lists for all sports and it’s not always what the coach want that he gets. Bay is right,put your child’s best interests first.</p>
<p>One of our D’s best friends is a runner for Yale. We were shocked when he got in. His grades & scores were not even near the top of the class, but he was ranked in the state in two track events. His parents were also a little shocked and had to bite the bullet with the tuition. He turned down two huge scholarships at other schools. From what they told us, Ivy’s don’t really give athletic scholarships. Is this true?</p>
<p>Yes, it is true. They do not give any true scholarships in that there has to be demonstrated need to get any and they are packaged within financial aid.</p>