So a D3 coach will support your application

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FYI, Swarthmore is known to be very stingy in making exceptions, even for athletes. It's just a very tough school to get into.

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FYI, Swarthmore is known to be very stingy in making exceptions, even for athletes. It's just a very tough school to get into.

Yes some schools won't budge on their requirements no matter how badly a coach wants someone. And at some schools the coaches just don't hold much sway in the admissions offices or have to chose who they push carefully to not tick them off. The school doesn't want kids struggling or possibly even dropping out, and frankly neither should the coach OR THE PARENTS. Pick programs where your student is a good academic fit first, then overlay the soccer fit on top of that.

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Just looking for info, and not a ruckus.
I understand different schools have different policies, but is there some degree of comfort that a D3 coach's supporting a recruit's application means the player has a better or perhaos even strong chance of being accepted by the school?

Thanks in advance.

I have limited experience in this but, in my son’s case, the coaches who recruited him asked for his transcripts and had Admissions do a pre-read on July 1st. If the coach gets a positive reply from Admissions, they will let you know and expect you to apply ED.
If you have the coach’s support and a positive response from the pre- read, I would have thought you were OK! (As long as nothing terrible happens to his or her grades).
In our case, one of the schools rejected him at that stage which was disappointing but good to know.
If you’re looking for. A place in 2021, I’d accept the first offer you get as long as the school fits with the academic profile you are looking for. The deferring freshmen and seniors mean there are far fewer spots available than normal.

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(It was Swarthmore, so in retrospect, bullet dodged, I would have been miserable there.)
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Too many people assume getting to play sports at a top academic school is the goal. But I never understood people why anyone would want to go to a small liberal arts school for high achievers if this type of student culture wasn't your thing. Seems like a disaster in the making. Sounds like you absolutely dodged a bullet.

Sidenote: My mom really pushed Pomona on me. I remember visiting thinking, not a chance. Definitely not my vibe. I wanted to go to our state school with big time sports and a Greek system. Was happy when I wasn't accepted to Pomona.

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Too many people assume getting to play sports at a top academic school is the goal. But I never understood people why anyone would want to go to a small liberal arts school for high achievers if this type of student culture wasn't your thing. Seems like a disaster in the making. Sounds like you absolutely dodged a bullet.

Sidenote: My mom really pushed Pomona on me. I remember visiting thinking, not a chance. Definitely not my vibe. I wanted to go to our state school with big time sports and a Greek system. Was happy when I wasn't accepted to Pomona.

Best advice I ever got was to take our kids to see a few different types of schools before they even got serious about the process - small v big, urban v rural. There's many schools in the area to be able to do a few tours with little effort. Three kids, three very different preferences.

Second best piece of advice? Your student has to drive the bus. You can advise and guide, but they have to be happy with their choice. When they find it, you'll know deep down that's the one.

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Just looking for info, and not a ruckus.
I understand different schools have different policies, but is there some degree of comfort that a D3 coach's supporting a recruit's application means the player has a better or perhaos even strong chance of being accepted by the school?

Thanks in advance.

If your kid has the academic stats to be in the middle of the school’s admission pool and the soccer talent to put them on the field their freshman year you can probably relax. If not consider other options because the coach will likely string your child along telling both of you what you want to hear until it’s too late for you to find other suitors and then they will drop the recruiting spiel and make all sorts of excuses.

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If a coach says "go ahead and apply and we'll see what happens" they're either not that into you or they doubt your chances.

Applying EA is critical - they need to know for certain who is accepted and if they've got any vacancies still out there. They probably won't wait around for you to get in regular admit if they have someone else who is already in.

Every parent should know whether they’re in the buyer or seller position. Half of the anxiety you read on this site about recruiting is from parents in the buyer position who really are just praying something works out.