Could someone explain exactly how Early Decision works? Is it for Ivies? All D3s or just more academically selective ones? And what does it cover? Does applying and being accepted ED prevent you from going to another Ivy if that's where you apply? Or D3 if that's where you apply? What about going to a different level- such as how being accepted ED at a D3 affects applying at a D2? Sorry, I've tried to search this and can't quite find all the info I'm looking for.
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If you apply ED, then "theoretically" you've "made your choice". Once accepted the only "only" way out of it is if the financial aid doesn't work. When my oldest son decided ED at Tufts - he contacted the other schools he already applied at and inform them he'd decided ED (whether that was a requirement or not, I forget).
If you are not sure where you want to go or would like the option to work out your best financial aid package, then perhaps ED isn't for you.
Coaches push ED for a couple of reasons - if you're academically gifted, then it's almost a no brainer (pardon the pun) for them to request you go ED. If you're on the bubble to get in through admissions to the College, then "some" have "pull" in admissions (or higher) to assist through the process. Since ED time is usually early in the process of admissions there are less candidates and admissions has the time for a coach looking over their shoulder. Come February, March, April - they don't want the coach hounding them (does that make sense?). BTW The academically gifted going ED at a school where he/she'd be in the "top" of the class anyway is more likely to get a good academic aid package. This holds true for my middle son (who went ED) where we get about 10K/year for a presidential scholly which may not have been so much if we went traditional admissions - that amounts to about 18% of the overall cost (you do the math).
Consider ED the equivalent of a National Letter of Intent.
I *know* the information you seek has been stated multiple times in the HSBBW - fairly recently too. This site is a treasure trove. Or as Forrest Gump may have said - like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to pull out.
Are all D3 schools part of Early Decision though? What about those that have rolling admissions- where do they fit in? Maybe this has been answered but I did search and this is one of the specific things I can't find when I search. Also, I don't understand how it relates to other levels. Are you saying that applying ED at a D3 would preclude someone from looking at a D2 school?
You have to look at colleges individually, as each college sets its own policies.
ED is essentially a contract. By applying ED the student promises to go there if accepted. If you look at stats on college sites you'll see that only about 1% of students accepted ED do not matriculate.
So you could look at a D2 school or any other school, but that would be as plan B should ED not work out.
Decent summary here: http://professionals.collegebo...e/applications/early
Early Decision is not just for D3s. It can be for any college. For D3 baseball recruiting it's the best indication the player is a top recruit if asked to apply ED. ED applicants are committed if accepted. Rolling Admissions is a longer, open window to apply. Like ED it's a way to find out earlier in senior year if accepted. The student isn't committing to the college upon acceptance.
OK, so if I understand correctly, no one is going to come arrest you if you don't honor an ED, but it would be considered unethical. Correct?
What's driving me crazy trying to figure out is this: If a D3 doesn't specifically say the application is an ED application, if the school actually only has rolling admissions, but a student applies within the time frame that would traditionally be ED, is this then treated just like any other application and not ED?
And as an extension of that, does any college consider an application an intention of attending if accepted? Because every coach we talk to says they want you to apply immediately. If this was solely about academics my kid would be applying for more than one school and then choosing which fit him best, so I don't understand how this works.
We are not in this situation, I just don't want to get us into it, so I wanted to figure this out.
Thank you RJM. I was writing my reply while you posted.
Each school at all levels (D1, D2, D3) may have it's own admission policies. Schools with some form of Early Decision (or Early Action) usually offer one of theree types.
ED exists at many schools. The applicant applies early to just one school and gets a decision early. If accepted, the student will withdraw all other applications and agrees to attend the school (no changing your mind or waiting for the best financial aid offer).
Another option at some schools is Early Action (EA). EA is not binding, you apply early and get a decision early, but can still apply to other schools. A third option available at many schools is Single Choice Early Action (SCEA). Like EA, it is not binding, however you may only apply to one school early. If accepted, you may still apply to other schools.
DIII and the ivies often use ED or SCEA as a substitute for the NLI. Both parties commit early, though there is no scholarship contract.
Momof3,
In the context of college baseball recruiting, ff a Coach is asking your son to apply ED typically there is a reason. The coach wants a committed athlete and the athlete is getting help with Admissions that he wouldn't ordinarily get and a spot on the team. I would verify your understanding with the coach.
Each situation and school is different with their academic requirements and the number of ED slots available for athletes. In addition, ED is a time when the applicant pool has some flexibility with regards to athletes and non-athletes. I know in my oldest son's case the overall acceptance rate was 30% for ED and about half that for Regular Decision for the University overall. Caveat: each college (architecture, engineereing, etc...) within the University can make their own admission decisions and the acceptance % can be much lower than the overall University. In my middle son's case (non-athlete) he was a borderline candidate for the school he most wanted to attend. He applied ED also, and he's doing extremely well in the college of engineering. ED acceptance can lock you if accepted, but it can give you an academic boost as well into a very competitive school..
Yes. Why not look into a juco if you're not satisfied with the D3 options? Making a switch that late in the process (especially after signing a binding ED letter) would likely not result in a positive long-term situation. The D3's likely "love" the player while the D1 is finding room for him.
He can always play a year at the D3 and transfer
I think it's been said, but ED is not a recruiting thing, or a D3 thing, or a Ivy thing, it's a college application thing. Applies to all schools that accept Early Decision and is a binding contract to go to school there if accepted (financial aid issues not withstanding)... It supposedly shows your commitment and desire to go to that school above all others, and can play into the decision making process of admissions, if you meet their criteria.
I think coaches like it because if they go to bat for you with admissions, they don't want to get screwed over by you deciding to go somewhere else.
It is not something to take lightly, especially if Financial aid is an issue, as you are supposed to let other schools know and pull your applications plus you have no idea how that will affect Financial Aid, I mean do they have to give you a lot if you are committed,,, now that said they all claim it plays no role in that decision but it creeps into your mind. You've essentially taken the decision of which school based on best package offered out of the equation. But also, there is the issue of acceptance as well, going Ed does not guarantee acceptance, and then where are you left.
So I again say, you should only do it if that is your, without a doubt number one choice, your, that school or no school type level of choice. And hopefully early enough that if it doesn't work out, don't get accepted or can't make the money work you have time to apply elsewhere.
I remember hitting this board hard after my son, with the urging of the coach, went ED, to hopefully get some reassurance that it was the right decision and how much a coach could help, etc.... but those two months before he was accepted were the most nerve racking I've ever had especially since it was late (school had ED2 time period, and he switched from Regular Decision to Early Decision).
Well, you can't have it all. The choice any player has is:
- apply ED to a D3 school that you would not get into without coach support with admissions (usually given only if you apply ED). Then you are locked in, yes.
- apply Regular Decision (RD) to a D3 school you would get into even without coach support (i.e. grades are good enough), then you are not bound if you choose to go elsewhere later
There are plenty of schools of both kinds. If you need coach support for admission, then yes, usually you are required to apply ED. If you're worried about the binding commitment, pick a different school.
If your velo goes up and you are of interest to D1s, you'll be a top pitcher at your D3. Or, in the current environment, maybe not.
As a note, when you submit the ED application you are asked to sign confirming that you will attend if accepted. I vaguely remember reading that if you back out of that commitment, it will reflect badly on your high school, among other things. And the coach will not be happy.
For my kid, he could have opted out of ED at his HA D3 if there was insufficient FA. He stayed, I didn't sell of a kidney so alls well.
I've read a number of negative things that come of trying to back out of an ED contract. One, your school counselor and principle/head of school are usually required to sign and will not want to run the risk of damaging the school reputation with admissions because a player suddenly feels he has a better opportunity. Some cases I read where the school counselor refused to write a recommendation and instructed other faculty members to do the same when a kid backed out. Also, it is common for admissions folks to communicate about an applicant, especially when they back out of ED. Wonder if they have a CollegeAdmissionsEarlyDecisionWeb forum where they can post this stuff.
Is he R or L? TBH, I'd question the quality of the D1 program where 85 can get you on the roster. Just running through the top 50 academic D1 schools I can't see any of those baseball programs taking an RHP at 85. Is it really worth it to pass up an education at a HA D3 just to say you're D1 for a lesser quality education? Based on this velo the player's career is likely over the day he graduates college. 40 year plan should be the focus here, IMO.
As an addendum to my last post, the HA school's $@^ing net cost calculator shorted me by a few K. I went in hoping that the net cost calculator was like a pre-pandemic new car sticker price and my cost would be closer to the average cost of attendance...wth was I thinking.
If your son can't attend the HA D3 without the parents seeing the FA package, then you should beg off ED, although it is not unreasonable to ask for an early FA estimate; admission should be easily able to accommodate that. But if you don't apply ED because you want to see a firm FA offer, coach should understand.
A 2023 LHP topping 85mph holding out for a D1 scholarship is risky. Great if he gets to and sustains 87/88, but if he doesn't he's at high risk of throwing BP until he decides to transfer.
What did you decide?
@SpeedDemon posted:If your son can't attend the HA D3 without the parents seeing the FA package, then you should beg off ED, although it is not unreasonable to ask for an early FA estimate; admission should be easily able to accommodate that. But if you don't apply ED because you want to see a firm FA offer, coach should understand.
A 2023 LHP topping 85mph holding out for a D1 scholarship is risky. Great if he gets to and sustains 87/88, but if he doesn't he's at high risk of throwing BP until he decides to transfer.
What did you decide?
Time's ticking! 8 hours to go!
@Osh1001 posted:HA d3 it is. If a miracle happens then we will deal with it.
Excellent!!!
Pls let us know if he enrolls. Congratulations.
Good luck to all still in this process.
My kid graduated HS last year (2022). He was a victim of the covid crap his sophomore year and due to some circumstances beyond his control he was injured nearly his entire junior school and summer season. The strategy that made the most sense to us was to apply regular decision to ~ 12 schools. These schools ranged from a JUCO, a HA D3, a HA D2, and a smattering of selective to HA D1's that he was interested in as both a student, a baseball player and others he had conversations with along the way (schools like Richmond, Miami of Ohio, Davidson, and others). He was accepted to most but not all while receiving both really nice and disappointing academic aid from schools. The school he ended up at he did not apply to until he was offered in late April.
He was healthy for his HS season, started hitting bombs and all over the field and then things warmed up with a few schools off of his radar. A D1 school in the Missouri Valley Conference that started following him prior to his junior asked him to visit and the rest is short history.
Has had a great fall and now getting bigger and stronger in the weight room. He is on the roster for the spring, loves his teammates and coaches and is excited for an opportunity to be a contributor this spring.
Advice to all if you are unsure is to be broad in your applications and believe that there is a great place out there for your kid! Good luck!
Poster who revived this thread has taken his ball and gone home. For those who wonder about the point of the 2022 responses, the question was, should a player apply to a HA D3 early decision, which commits him to attending, if he might gain significant velo (pitcher) in his senior spring and get a D1 offer?
@anotherparent posted:Poster who revived this thread has taken his ball and gone home. For those who wonder about the point of the 2022 responses, the question was, should a player apply to a HA D3 early decision, which commits him to attending, if he might gain significant velo (pitcher) in his senior spring and get a D1 offer?
Well that was weird. Did he delete his entire account or just his posts?
The poster deleted his post. When posters do this they didn’t come here looking for perspective. They came looking for confirmation of their locked in view.
@RJM posted:The poster deleted his post. When posters do this they come here looking for perspective. They came looking for confirmation of their locked in view.
This also happens when people think they've revealed too much information. I've done this myself. As I type this there are 90 visitors, only 11 of them are members and the rest guests.
Looks like he deleted his account. Crazy there there are 145+ visitors right now and only 15 or so posters. Come on in and join the fun!
Maybe the son found out and disapproved.
Could be. My son saw my screenname a few weeks ago and laughed hysterically. Then gave me a fist bump and said good one.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Could be. My son saw my screenname a few weeks ago and laughed hysterically. Then gave me a fist bump and said good one.
My daughter is 34 now. About twenty years ago she asked if I was on the eTeamz softball board. She said she saw a, "It's ultimately up to you what you want. It not just about softball. It's about everything in life" post. Then she commented, "Oh my God! I know that speech in my sleep I've heard it so many times."
Bummer, I missed out on all the activity. Been busy at work and haven't had the time to keep up with the discussion.
@2022NYC posted:For my kid, he could have opted out of ED at his HA D3 if there was insufficient FA. He stayed, I didn't sell of a kidney so alls well.
I guess this is the problem with ED isn't it. The fact that you are committing yourself to a school without having a firm understanding of what the financial aid and academic/leadership award is going to be.
I was first familiar with ED when I went to dental school. However, with Dental or Medical school you go where you can get accepted regardless of the cost. So, when someone applied for ED and were accepted, no one backed out. With undergrad I can see this being more of an issue. If you apply to a D3 school with ED, get accepted and then later find out you received little financial aid, then that could be a problem.
@anotherparent posted:Poster who revived this thread has taken his ball and gone home. For those who wonder about the point of the 2022 responses, the question was, should a player apply to a HA D3 early decision, which commits him to attending, if he might gain significant velo (pitcher) in his senior spring and get a D1 offer?
How often does that happen? I have admitted on this board that we are novice with this baseball recruiting thing, (son is a 2024 RHP). The impression that I have gathered is that the D1 school finish all of their recruiting for a specific class by the fall of the recruits Jr. year. Am I wrong about that?
Most schools that have ED have net price calculators that do a reasonably good job of estimating what the financial aid office will come up with. If you're being recruited for a sport, the coach may well be able to link you up with someone in the financial aid office who can help with that; we had at least one school that did that without our asking. I found both the estimates, and the ultimate financial aid offers (saying how much we could afford) to be fairly accurate. At schools that promise need-based aid, that's sufficient.
I agree that at schools with merit/"leadership" scholarships, you do have to wait and see, and it's harder to gauge. Even so, you'll get a sense of how much a coach wants you by how much he's willing to help with financial questions, I think. D3 rules state that any scholarship given to an athlete has to be available to all students with the same qualifications. So if they say "anyone with a 3.8 gpa will get xxx scholarship", that should help.
Just make sure your son keeps his grades up between submitting the ED application and graduation.
@Ster posted:How often does that happen? I have admitted on this board that we are novice with this baseball recruiting thing, (son is a 2024 RHP). The impression that I have gathered is that the D1 school finish all of their recruiting for a specific class by the fall of the recruits Jr. year. Am I wrong about that?
Depends on the D1 school. And I'd also say it is almost never over for pitchers. My son is a 2023 RHP/C and had several D1's engage this summer as a PO and had a couple offers. For position players I'd say fall of junior year for most D1's. Some Patriot League schools and some other schools from the northeast were still heavily recruiting 2023's in August.
@Ster posted:How often does that happen? I have admitted on this board that we are novice with this baseball recruiting thing, (son is a 2024 RHP). The impression that I have gathered is that the D1 school finish all of their recruiting for a specific class by the fall of the recruits Jr. year. Am I wrong about that?
You know, no-one addressed the part of the question about whether a player might, with velo gains, get recruited to a D1 in the spring of HS senior year. And that is related to Ster's question here.
Before the pandemic, there were D1 schools still recruiting in summer after junior year - Ivies, but also other lower-level D1s. Used2Lurk gave an example of this, perhaps others with recent experience can comment - or perhaps this needs a new thread?
Edited: typing at the same time as TerribleBP
@anotherparent posted:You know, no-one addressed the part of the question about whether a player might, with velo gains, get recruited to a D1 in the spring of HS senior year. And that is related to Ster's question here.
Before the pandemic, there were D1 schools still recruiting in summer after junior year - Ivies, but also other lower-level D1s. Used2Lurk gave an example of this, perhaps others with recent experience can comment - or perhaps this needs a new thread?
Edited: typing at the same time as TerribleBP
Well, my son is a 2024 RHP. He was really hoping to go to a HA D1 school that my oldest son currently attends. He went to several of their camps, and was even told by their pitching coach that "we can't offer you right now because we have offered some other players already, but you are next on our list." My sons high school coach told him that the schools baseball coaches called him to get background info on my son etc.... We were very excited at how everything was going. They would call and text my son etc... but last week they received two 2024 RHP commitments and they coaches have completely ghosted my son. Won't return phone calls and respond to text messages. We have assumed that the door is now closed and have moved on to looking at other schools including a couple of D3 schools that are very excited about the prospect of having my son in their program.
Here is the issue. My son is a young 2024. His velo is 88 and the two kids that school X committed have very similar velocities (88, and 89). But, both of those kids are almost a year older than my son. My son is 6'5" and shaves about once a month. He just started with a new pitching coach (never had one in the past) and the pitching coach feels certain that my son will be in 90-92 by mid spring simply because he isn't close to finished growing. So, back to the issue at hand. What happens if my son accomplishes this? Does school X try to get back into the picture? If they do, do you even consider them at this point given that they passed on him earlier (ego)?
Are we too early to give up on D1 programs is really what I'm asking?
@Ster posted:Well, my son is a 2024 RHP. He was really hoping to go to a HA D1 school that my oldest son currently attends. He went to several of their camps, and was even told by their pitching coach that "we can't offer you right now because we have offered some other players already, but you are next on our list." My sons high school coach told him that the schools baseball coaches called him to get background info on my son etc.... We were very excited at how everything was going. They would call and text my son etc... but last week they received two 2024 RHP commitments and they coaches have completely ghosted my son. Won't return phone calls and respond to text messages. We have assumed that the door is now closed and have moved on to looking at other schools including a couple of D3 schools that are very excited about the prospect of having my son in their program.
Here is the issue. My son is a young 2024. His velo is 88 and the two kids that school X committed have very similar velocities (88, and 89). But, both of those kids are almost a year older than my son. My son is 6'5" and shaves about once a month. He just started with a new pitching coach (never had one in the past) and the pitching coach feels certain that my son will be in 90-92 by mid spring simply because he isn't close to finished growing. So, back to the issue at hand. What happens if my son accomplishes this? Does school X try to get back into the picture? If they do, do you even consider them at this point given that they passed on him earlier (ego)?
Are we too early to give up on D1 programs is really what I'm asking?
I think D1 recruiting trends are regional. I personally think it would be too early to give up on D1 as a pitcher, but I wouldn't hold out for it expecting something to happen. I would be hesitant to keep school X in the picture though if they've ghosted him. Has he directly asked them to confirm they are no longer interested?
@Momball11 posted:I think D1 recruiting trends are regional. I personally think it would be too early to give up on D1 as a pitcher, but I wouldn't hold out for it expecting something to happen. I would be hesitant to keep school X in the picture though if they've ghosted him. Has he directly asked them to confirm they are no longer interested?
They have not told him yet. But, they haven't responded to any calls or text messages. The head coach did respond to an email that my son sent, and all he said was the the pitching coach will be in contact with him going forward. The impression that we have is that they were very impressed with my son, but had already offered a couple of other players. I guess is that they told those players that they had to have an answer or they were moving on to offer my son, but both players committed. I am under the assumption that they don't want to tell him that the game is over in case something happens, but for the most part I think that their silence is sending the message.
@Ster posted:They have not told him yet. But, they haven't responded to any calls or text messages. The head coach did respond to an email that my son sent, and all he said was the the pitching coach will be in contact with him going forward. The impression that we have is that they were very impressed with my son, but had already offered a couple of other players. I guess is that they told those players that they had to have an answer or they were moving on to offer my son, but both players committed. I am under the assumption that they don't want to tell him that the game is over in case something happens, but for the most part I think that their silence is sending the message.
If this was my kid I would strongly advise him to go were they love him. If he is being ghosted they never really loved him, just kind of liked him... I know I'm beating a dead horse, but try not to get all caught up in the D1 or bust mentally. You'll be better off in the long run.
6'5" peach fuss with 88 and more in the tank to come..... if his grades are decent he has options
- you could ask your travel coach or pitching instructor or whoever is helping your son with recruiting to ask them. He might get a straighter answer.
- those other two kids may be older, but they are still growing and getting stronger too.
- on metrics and rejection, see: https://community.hsbaseballwe...31#75079491169300331
- advice is always, go to a school that loves you. When they love you, you'll know. If school X comes back with love, you'll know, but right now they clearly love other players more.
