We are just wondering how NLIs are handled if your son will play baseball at an Ivy league school. Is there a gaurentee from the coach or is it more like being a recruited walk on?
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Ivy does not give out athletic money so there is not a NLI to sign.
Mark B,
Sorry! I know that I did not ask the right question. With no NLI, is there any signed agreement between coach and player, or is everything just verbally agreed upon between coach and player?
Sorry! I know that I did not ask the right question. With no NLI, is there any signed agreement between coach and player, or is everything just verbally agreed upon between coach and player?
In the Ivies it is called a Likely Letter. I don't know much about it I am sure that some one will give you a good answer.
In the meantime you can find out more, by using the Find, to search for some very good posts.
I believe Fenwaysouth could be very helpful. You may want to send him a PM.
In the meantime you can find out more, by using the Find, to search for some very good posts.
I believe Fenwaysouth could be very helpful. You may want to send him a PM.
There are a couple of parents of Ivy League players active on this site. I'm sure they will respond.
2014Prospect,
As BLD and Mark B stated there are no NLIs for Ivy as there is no athletic $ scholarship. There are three ways that come to mind if you want to play Ivy baseball. First is a Likely Letter (from Admissions recommended by Baseball Coach), second is Early Decision or Action (verbal agreement between Coach and Recruit), and third is Regular Decision - Walk On. The LL and ED/EA scenarios will always include a pre-read by Admissions which will determine the likelyhood of the prospects admission. LL recipients will almost always apply ED/EA just like the ED/EA rcruits. Coaches will want you to apply ED/EA to know you are committed, and officially accepted. ED/EA has a smaller pool of candidates and a higher acceptance rate for schools that generally have 7-18% RD acceptance rates.
I highly recommend that the recruit have a Financial Aid pre-read at the same time as the Admissions pre-read to determine what their need based financial aid package looks like. This will include FAFSA and CSS profile documents.
If you think about it, Ivy baseball is a hybrid. They play a D1 schedule but the process more closely resembles D3 with verbal agreements from the Coaches. For the 2013 class, the Likely Letters have arrived or are currently in transit. Oct through mid-December is the sit and wait time for Ivy recruits which is no fun.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. There are subtleties to the process, but the most important thing is communication with the coach, and understanding what you bring to the table with something called the Ivy Academic Index.
Good luck!
As BLD and Mark B stated there are no NLIs for Ivy as there is no athletic $ scholarship. There are three ways that come to mind if you want to play Ivy baseball. First is a Likely Letter (from Admissions recommended by Baseball Coach), second is Early Decision or Action (verbal agreement between Coach and Recruit), and third is Regular Decision - Walk On. The LL and ED/EA scenarios will always include a pre-read by Admissions which will determine the likelyhood of the prospects admission. LL recipients will almost always apply ED/EA just like the ED/EA rcruits. Coaches will want you to apply ED/EA to know you are committed, and officially accepted. ED/EA has a smaller pool of candidates and a higher acceptance rate for schools that generally have 7-18% RD acceptance rates.
I highly recommend that the recruit have a Financial Aid pre-read at the same time as the Admissions pre-read to determine what their need based financial aid package looks like. This will include FAFSA and CSS profile documents.
If you think about it, Ivy baseball is a hybrid. They play a D1 schedule but the process more closely resembles D3 with verbal agreements from the Coaches. For the 2013 class, the Likely Letters have arrived or are currently in transit. Oct through mid-December is the sit and wait time for Ivy recruits which is no fun.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. There are subtleties to the process, but the most important thing is communication with the coach, and understanding what you bring to the table with something called the Ivy Academic Index.
Good luck!
Thanks to everybody for the responses!
2014Prospect
2014Prospect
I would have responded earlier but Hurricane Sandy has thrown us North-Easterners for a loop.
As proven regularly, Fenway is a great resource regarding all things Ivy. As he mentioned above, the Ivys send out the Likely Letters starting around October 1st. They come from admissions and go something like this:
Dear XYZ,
I am writing to inform you that your application to [Ivy school] has been evaluated and you have been designated as a likely candidate for admission. Ivy policy prohibits us from issuing a formal letter of acceptance, but if you maintain your academic performance and good standing in high school and your community, you can expect to receive favorable word in December.
The Admissions Department was impressed with ABC, XYZ, etc. You have good cause to be proud of your success to date. We cannot emphasize enough, however, the importance of continued strong standing--academically and civically--in your senior year. Unfortunately we have discovered that students who do not continue to work hard now have difficulty in their first year of college.
Congratulations on your success to date.
As proven regularly, Fenway is a great resource regarding all things Ivy. As he mentioned above, the Ivys send out the Likely Letters starting around October 1st. They come from admissions and go something like this:
Dear XYZ,
I am writing to inform you that your application to [Ivy school] has been evaluated and you have been designated as a likely candidate for admission. Ivy policy prohibits us from issuing a formal letter of acceptance, but if you maintain your academic performance and good standing in high school and your community, you can expect to receive favorable word in December.
The Admissions Department was impressed with ABC, XYZ, etc. You have good cause to be proud of your success to date. We cannot emphasize enough, however, the importance of continued strong standing--academically and civically--in your senior year. Unfortunately we have discovered that students who do not continue to work hard now have difficulty in their first year of college.
Congratulations on your success to date.
Ivy coach recently saw my son play and told him he wants him on his team, but said he needs to get his ACT or SAT score up a bit. Son is high academic but test scores are not high enough to get into Ivies without athletics. We are trying to determine if the coach really wants him, and if so, what can he do to help with admissions?
We know about the Ivy admissions formula, etc., and son is too late for early action - deadline already passed. Should son ask for something more specific from the coach before taking the test again and submitting an application? If applying "regular decision," can coach still support the application with the admissions office? Would appreciate advice from anyone familiar with the Ivies.
We know about the Ivy admissions formula, etc., and son is too late for early action - deadline already passed. Should son ask for something more specific from the coach before taking the test again and submitting an application? If applying "regular decision," can coach still support the application with the admissions office? Would appreciate advice from anyone familiar with the Ivies.
go for it
It sounds like a good opportunity for your son to contact the coach. Does he mean he wants him to take the tests again and apply to get in without his support? Or will he still support him, in RD, if the scores hit a certatin bar?
If it helps, my son had a similar suggestion from one Ivy coach who had been very supportive and helpful along the way, but the bottom line for that particular college was that they had all the recruits they could take. If my son applied and got in on his own, he was told he would have a very strong opportunity to try out in the fall, because they always need a certain # of walk ons. (This one has a low limit on the slots for baseball.) He is not opting to do so, and wouldn't get in on his own.
On the other hand, another Ivy is still 'acting like' they are actively interested in him, even though it is past the Likely Later and ED date. Not sure what that is about but he is not pursuing it so I don't have any more info on that front.
(BTW,given where I live, those ED deadlines have all been extended post-Sandy but that is not the case for you in FL.)
Have your son give a call, it can't hurt to ask!
If it helps, my son had a similar suggestion from one Ivy coach who had been very supportive and helpful along the way, but the bottom line for that particular college was that they had all the recruits they could take. If my son applied and got in on his own, he was told he would have a very strong opportunity to try out in the fall, because they always need a certain # of walk ons. (This one has a low limit on the slots for baseball.) He is not opting to do so, and wouldn't get in on his own.
On the other hand, another Ivy is still 'acting like' they are actively interested in him, even though it is past the Likely Later and ED date. Not sure what that is about but he is not pursuing it so I don't have any more info on that front.
(BTW,given where I live, those ED deadlines have all been extended post-Sandy but that is not the case for you in FL.)
Have your son give a call, it can't hurt to ask!
Son should ask the coach what score he thinks it will take on the SAT or ACT in order to have a chance. If it is realistic, your son will probably want to take the test which he has the best chance on ASAP. Of course, he needs to study -- especially if he has taken it a few times as it is.
If a bit is a good bit, he might not realistically make it, but he needs to know either way.
If a bit is a good bit, he might not realistically make it, but he needs to know either way.
bbfl, I believe the coaches ability to influence admissions decisions varies by Ivy league school. Our sons coach writes a letter of recommendation and then the application is routed in a different manner. While I don't believe there is any "quota" of recruits the coach is given, this process allows him to support the recruits and stay in communication with the admissions department.
I recommend you find out from the coach what the process is like at the school your son is being recruited by. Good luck.
I recommend you find out from the coach what the process is like at the school your son is being recruited by. Good luck.
bbfl,
My two cents....your biggest challenge is time. Call the coach now. As others have suggested, you need to get clarification from the coach what the next step is, who needs to do what and when. Ivy admissions is difficult enough, but now you are working against time.
LL and ED are the typical tools the coaches use to get their chosen recruits through the Admission process. Most of these recruits will have already had an academic pre-read and financial pre-read. My point is that the coach is going to have to guide you (quickly) & help you to have a fighting chance. From the coaches perpective, I'm not sure why he would make those statements to you right now (very, very late on the Ivy recruiting timeline) unless he is looking at your son as a stud/academic sure shot or an insurance policy as a walk-on. I would absolutely follow up with him, but I would also continue moving forward with your son's other opportunities.
Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want to take this off line.
My two cents....your biggest challenge is time. Call the coach now. As others have suggested, you need to get clarification from the coach what the next step is, who needs to do what and when. Ivy admissions is difficult enough, but now you are working against time.
LL and ED are the typical tools the coaches use to get their chosen recruits through the Admission process. Most of these recruits will have already had an academic pre-read and financial pre-read. My point is that the coach is going to have to guide you (quickly) & help you to have a fighting chance. From the coaches perpective, I'm not sure why he would make those statements to you right now (very, very late on the Ivy recruiting timeline) unless he is looking at your son as a stud/academic sure shot or an insurance policy as a walk-on. I would absolutely follow up with him, but I would also continue moving forward with your son's other opportunities.
Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want to take this off line.
bbfl-If you think your son's test scores will be higher on the re-take, I would have him retake it regardless of what happens with the Ivy. High test scores can attract lots of academic $$ from many other schools.