<p>Here’s my understanding, as explained by a track coach from a different ivy when my son was applying a few years ago.</p>
<p>Most of the Ivy coaches have a set number of pushes for their team, say 10. The coach is given overall academic guidelines that cover minimum standards for individual athletes as well as an average academic standard that the sum of the recruits must meet. As long as the 10 recruits that the coach wants fit the academic guidelines, they are essentially in, pushed past or through the admissions process. Examples are Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia. Princeton is like this too I think, but occasionally the admissions office throws a curve ball, a few well known examples of recruited ed candidates were rejected in recent years. (Pure speculation – maybe the kid blew off his application essay or something)</p>
<p>The Harvard coaches (except in some exceptional cases) don’t have these absolute pushes, the adcoms still want to closely look at all the recruits, in the same way all candidates are looked at. But, if you are one of the Harvard coach’s recruits you will get a big boost. How big? I think he has a ranked list, but it may be more fluid than that. He is definitely still working within some strict academic guidelines. So if you are a strong candidate for admission without the boost, and at the top of the recruit list, your chances of admission are very, very high. Same candidate at the bottom of the list, may help distinguish you from other strong candidates. Weak candidate at the top of the list, probably a tough negotiation for the coach, he will go to bat for you, try to convince his admissions liaison that you are right for Harvard. etc, etc. Weak academic candidates probably not found towards the bottom of Harvard coach’s list. What I say here is informed conjecture based on my recent experience with a Harvard coach. The coach has recently given strong indication that my daughter will be accepted, but no guaranty until the admissions decision on December 15. (Daughter is very strong academically, at or above the median Harvard AI).</p>
<p>Talk to the coach, good communication will help through this pressure packed time. But you should have a good feel by now how strong the coach’s support is.</p>