NESCAC

[Falconer]

Should he just throw his resume at everyone in NESCAC and see what happens? Lots of work and money to visit all these schools when you have to fly halfway across the country, so I'm trying to narrow it at least somewhat. The GPA is there, the rigor for the most part too, but I doubt my son will do much better than a 1250.

Also, as far as fitting in somewhere, I worry if he'll get overwhelmed in super competitive school. He works hard in school, but I wouldn't call him a "brain." I don't want him to feel like literally everyone around him is smarter than him.

Obviously your son has much to think about, but if you live halfway across the country, why be so focused on NESCAC schools? Nothing against them--great academics and great D3 soccer (depending on the school), but one can also find schools closer to home that aren't "super competitive" while still having excellent traditions in soccer. That way, it's much easier for you to see him play, and maybe the overall fit for him will be better. Someone already mentioned Kenyon, but that could also be a stretch for your son if you think 1250 is his ceiling. The good news is that OWU is right on his academic level, and in soccer they are far above most NESCAC schools. That conference (Kenyon, OWU, etc) is full of good schools and good soccer. And, apparently much closer to home for you. Plenty of places further west are also very good, though pickings do get much slimmer once you get very far past the Mississippi. Most of the colleges and universities in that part of the country are D1 or D2 publics, since those states were settled too late in our history to be speckled with private colleges. Mostly you have to get to the West Coast before you get a sizeable number of D3s again.

Perhaps even F&M or Dickinson would be a stretch for your son. Those campuses are very into liberal arts, just like many of the NESCACs, and perhaps your son isn't. Messiah wouldn't be an academic stretch (and they are actually considered a "comprehensive" college, not a liberal arts college, so they have a much wider ranges of majors), and he sounds good enough to play there--but perhaps it wouldn't be a match for him religiously. It's a totally different atmosphere than any of the other schools that have been mentioned. Whether that's good or bad depends on the individual student. If the match is good, then IMO you'd have to be crazy not to schedule a visit.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Should he just throw his resume at everyone in NESCAC and see what happens? Lots of work and money to visit all these schools when you have to fly halfway across the country, so I'm trying to narrow it at least somewhat. The GPA is there, the rigor for the most part too, but I doubt my son will do much better than a 1250.

Also, as far as fitting in somewhere, I worry if he'll get overwhelmed in super competitive school. He works hard in school, but I wouldn't call him a "brain." I don't want him to feel like literally everyone around him is smarter than him.

Here's some info on Colby.  Application numbers are way up in the last three years, so the acceptance rate is now down to about 14-15%.  If you contact Coach Seabrook and express interest, he can run your son's info (usually transcript, standardized test score, and high school profile (which you can get from Guidance Department as HS)) by admissions and give you a realistic read on your son's admissions prospects.  He will want to see your son play too (either in person or via video).

Colby's program has been on the rise, although not yet where it wants to be.  In the fall of 2017, they were 5th (of 11) in the conference with 3 games to play and challenging for a home field Q-final, but lost their last 3 games (including 1-0 to Bates with 20 seconds to play in 2d OT), and finished tied for 8th, missing the playoffs on tie-breaker.  They will have a very large senior class in 2018, so it is likely that the next recruiting class will be fairly large.

[midwest]

A couple of thoughts about test scores and money -- @mom1234 mentioned needing lots of financial aid.  Please run the Net Price Calculator to see what the Expected Family Contribution is likely to be, and whether that is affordable for your family.  If the EFC is not do-able, then that affects the process. 

Some of the NESCACs and others are test optional -- including Conn, Bates, St Lawrence and Dickinson.  For a kid whose scores are a mismatch with grades, that can relieve the pressure on testing. Though some schools which are test optional may require it for merit aid (St Lawrence) or for the higher merit awards (Dickinson).

[1970s NESCAC Player]

With regard to financial aid, several (if not all) NESCACs have a generous financial aid policy to meet 100% of an admitted student's financial need, meaning that 100% of the difference between EFC and total cost of attendance will be met by grants (without loans).

[blooter442]

For what it's worth, Brandeis is test optional as well. It has a more generous acceptance rate than some of the NESCACs (34% vs. 10-20%) which is likely due in part to the larger student body (entering classes average around 800 vs. 400 at small LACs) but the rigor is similar in terms of "middle 50%" test scores (29-33 ACT, 1300-1440 SAT). That being said, I would imagine excellent grades would outweigh any test score shortcoming were you to submit them.

To echo 1970s NESCAC Player, I know Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin meet 100% of demonstrated need, but I can't say beyond those three. Tufts aside, all of the NESCACs are relatively small, which -- all things equal -- means smaller alumni networks, and this is perhaps reflected in schools like Bates with (comparatively) small endowments. That being said, I would imagine that the NESCACs with endowments in excess of $1 billion (Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, etc.) may be likely to meet 100% demonstrated need, though I can't say for sure. Obviously endowments are not directly corollary to financial aid generosity (ahem, NYU), but schools with large endowments usually have more aid to give out.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

For what it's worth, Brandeis is test optional as well. It has a more generous acceptance rate than some of the NESCACs (34% vs. 10-20%) which is likely due in part to the larger student body (entering classes average around 800 vs. 400 at small LACs) but the rigor is similar in terms of "middle 50%" test scores (29-33 ACT, 1300-1440 SAT). That being said, I would imagine excellent grades would outweigh any test score shortcoming were you to submit them.

To echo 1970s NESCAC Player, I know Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin meet 100% of demonstrated need, but I can't say beyond those three. Tufts aside, all of the NESCACs are relatively small, which -- all things equal -- means smaller alumni networks, and this is perhaps reflected in schools like Bates with (comparatively) small endowments. That being said, I would imagine that the NESCACs with endowments in excess of $1 billion (Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, etc.) may be likely to meet 100% demonstrated need, though I can't say for sure. Obviously endowments are not directly corollary to financial aid generosity (ahem, NYU), but schools with large endowments usually have more aid to give out.

Colby, too, meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.

And yes, anyone considering NESCACs should consider taking a look at Brandeis, both for excellent academics, and because it has been a recent regular participant in the D-3 Final Four.

[midwest]

For families going through financial aid for the first time -- "meets full need" is fabulous, but schools define the "need," not the family. Some families who don't feel "wealthy" discover they are full pay or nearly full pay after running the Net Price Calculator.  So things like "average family pays X amount" or " meets full need" sound great in the abstract, but a family still has to sit down with bank/asset and tax info and run the NPC to see where they in particular stand.

(Lessons learned -- fortunately early enough in the process -- from a "full pay" family without "full pay" resources).

[Falconer]

Obviously endowments are not directly corollary to financial aid generosity (ahem, NYU), but schools with large endowments usually have more aid to give out.

According to a friend who teaches at NYU, the institution is heavily driven by net tuition (the difference between list price and what is actually charged to a student). Well over 80% driven by net tuition. This means that the endowment is not all that high, in effect, per student. It's an enormous university in terms of enrollment, and I assume big parts of the endowment are spoken for in various ways, so the bottom line is that students can't expect the kind of generosity the wealthier NESCACs display.

[blooter442]

Colby, too, meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.

Not surprised that Colby does, as well. I have many friends (middle-class, but certainly not upper middle-class) who went there and told me they received great aid packages.

According to a friend who teaches at NYU, the institution is heavily driven by net tuition (the difference between list price and what is actually charged to a student). Well over 80% driven by net tuition. This means that the endowment is not all that high, in effect, per student. It's an enormous university in terms of enrollment, and I assume big parts of the endowment are spoken for in various ways, so the bottom line is that students can't expect the kind of generosity the wealthier NESCACs display.

Interesting, did not know that. You would think that a school with an almost-$4 billion endowment would be generous with aid; then again, it does have a student body (both undergraduate and graduate) that is virtually an order of magnitude larger than its fellow UAA schools. That being said, that information from your friend explains a lot.

From what I understood Brandeis had the opposite problem: it was taking way too much out of its endowment to fund certain expenses to the point that the endowment was not outgrowing inflation. This being before Liebowitz, who was formerly president of Middlebury, became president in 2016, and -- in addition to showing active interest in fixing these long-term issues -- I am optimistic that he is a better fundraiser than Lawrence was.

[Ommadawn]

Wow, super input and a lot to think about. Definitely positives on F&M, but from a style point of view, on our visit what bothered me was that the coaches talk about "building from the front" not the back. They boot the ball to the opponent's half then possess/pressure there. To me that sounds like a strategy you use to win when you don't have technically sound midfielders who can keep possession or weak defense, but I'm definitely no soccer expert. My kid's a holding mid, so to me that sounds like he wouldn't have much of a job with that style.

I know a player who balked at F&M for that very reason. As you may have noticed last Fall, though, F&M has one of the best streams in D3, so your son can see for himself how he would fit into their style of play. 

Ommadawn, what is the "message" from Murphy that kids do or don't buy into?

I didn't mean to imply that there was any singular "message." I meant it more in terms of whatever message Coach Murphy is voicing at the time.  Midwest's description of Coach Murphy's style of interaction is more to the heart of the matter.

Also, if I understand you right, a minimum of 1550 on the old SAT would be like a 550 math/ 550 verbal on the new one. Which coach told you he took players like that? Maybe I am underestimating what the higher ranking NESCAC schools are willing to take for a good athlete. I haven't had my son reach out to Tufts, Williams, Hopkins, Amherst, and the other schools with super intimidating admittance rates and rankings because I figured that wouldn't be realistic. Given the info I provided, anyone think maybe that is the wrong strategy? Should he just throw his resume at everyone in NESCAC and see what happens? Lots of work and money to visit all these schools when you have to fly halfway across the country, so I'm trying to narrow it at least somewhat. The GPA is there, the rigor for the most part too, but I doubt my son will do much better than a 1250.

Coach Wheeler of Wesleyan gave the approximate RANGE of SAT scores on the team, but not the mean and the median.  TyWebb's post provides a context in which to view that range.  Maybe it's only one player with a low SAT.

[TyWebb]

Coach Wheeler of Wesleyan gave the approximate RANGE of SAT scores on the team, but not the mean and the median.  TyWebb's post provides a context in which to view that range.  Maybe it's only one player with a low SAT.

Ommadawn, it sounds like you recall that meeting better than I did or a similar one you attended at Wesleyan. I appreciate the clarification.

[amh63]

Been reading the posts here which discusses, admissions, financial aid, Endownments, etc., etc....all to help a mom poster with a talented student athlete.  Well done all!
Will caution all that the Admission game to the Nescac and similar conferences is not easy, especially wrt student athletes...period.  I have been involved to various degrees with Amherst's admissions for decades in the 80's up to late 90's and have kept in touch with Amherst's financials, etc up to about 2015.  Having stated that, can state that if you can get into Amherst...tip or otherwise, your financial needs without loans will be met, accordingly.  Believe the other heavily endowed Nescac schools have silliatiar financial arrangements...to various degrees regarding loans. 
Bottom line for mom123 and her son is to do  their homework like checking the websites, etc.etc.
Most Nescac schools recruit everywhere...Amherst around the World even.  Check the rosters of years' past.  Bottom line....if school coaches have not made an initial contact yet, chances are slim.  However proactive advice posted here may be good if there is still time.  Guess doing a post grad year in a prep school is not a choice?

[Buck O.]

Bottom line....if school coaches have not made an initial contact yet, chances are slim. 

While that would be correct for D1, I do not think it is correct for D3.   

[mom1234]

Obviously your son has much to think about, but if you live halfway across the country, why be so focused on NESCAC schools? Nothing against them--great academics and great D3 soccer (depending on the school), but one can also find schools closer to home that aren't "super competitive" while still having excellent traditions in soccer. That way, it's much easier for you to see him play, and maybe the overall fit for him will be better. Someone already mentioned Kenyon, but that could also be a stretch for your son if you think 1250 is his ceiling. The good news is that OWU is right on his academic level, and in soccer they are far above most NESCAC schools. That conference (Kenyon, OWU, etc) is full of good schools and good soccer. And, apparently much closer to home for you.

Because we do have extended family in the Northeast he can lean on... I am from there originally and went to a NESCAC school. Because he's a humanities type and interested in law, I figured we couldn't go wrong. But interesting that the Ohio schools are better for soccer. I didn't know that.

[mom1234]

Bottom line....if school coaches have not made an initial contact yet, chances are slim.  However proactive advice posted here may be good if there is still time.  Guess doing a post grad year in a prep school is not a choice?

Well, it's encouraging that just about all the NESCACs he actually contacted have responded with interest. But I did make the mistake of ruling out a few that we should not have; i.e. Trinity, Wesleyan, ... playing a little catch-up now. Interesting you mention this option of a post-grad year at a prep school. We have one in our area in which the directors are NESCAC alum and therefore it's a big feeder school. Someone who knows my son through extra-curric said he could very well receive a scholarship to attend if he plays for their soccer team. It never occurred to me that a prep high school would act like a college in that sense - scholarship for athletic talent. The friend knows the director and was going to try pulling strings to get him in for senior year. I wonder if him taking a whole extra year and doing two years there would be the ticket. Is that what you meant by a post-grad prep school year?