Goosegg posted:Great advice and knowledge.
I'd add that a pre-read is only as reliable as the underlying information. So, having all testing done (and the requisite score reached) is important (assuming the school needs testing). Also, no academic slowdown - especially for kids who were on the academic borderline.
Good point that Goosegg makes here. I know of a couple of recruits from HA schools where an offer was pulled back. It is rare, but you don't want it to happen to your son. But with some of the HA D1s now making offers earlier (not during summer as rising senior which is usually the case), I suppose that makes the likelihood of this happening more common. I guess it may be cool to tell your friends you committed early. The point above goes to show you have to keep exercising your mental muscles to the finish, just as you want to avoid getting athletically complacent as well.
Son's "pre-reads" were basically transcript/SAT score/high level senior classes taken oriented. Not all of them lead to offers. But the pre-reads generally meant sincere interest from the school and meant you were somewhere on "their board."
One other point, because the HA schools are looking at the dual-prong (academics/athletics), update the school(s) of interest of anything meritorious academically along the way (just as you would on an award on the diamond). Some of the recognition (honors) may come during a down time (winter) for baseball.
Great thread. To the OP, a "pre-read" is a good start which may bear fruit.