Call each coach as soon as you receive the results of your application. Though coaches may have already received word from their admissions departments, some schools prohibit coaches from informing recruits of their application fate.

(Of course, you have to call college coaches throughout the whole college recruiting process.)

When you call the coaches, have honest, straightforward discussions. Describe to them in general terms the other offers you have on the table. Ask each coach frankly if and why he believes his school and team are your best option.

If initially you were on the bubble at a particular school, but the top few recruits didn't get in or decided to go elsewhere, you may now find yourself directly in the spotlight. You may have vaulted a few spots higher on the coach's recruiting board.

It's one thing to put together a list of colleges you like. But it's a completely different beast to figure out which among them is the best fit.

How do you objectively look at your list and say, "This is the best college for me?" For the record, we at CaptainU are all UChicago graduates, so we like to think about rational decision making.

Snore, right? Wrong! Actually, it's pretty fascinating stuff. The best example is the riveting sports book Moneyball, which is about how the Oakland A's have spent the least money and had the most consistent success of any team in baseball.

So how on earth does this have anything to do with college recruiting? Pretty simple really. It's hard to make an objective decision about which college is the best for you.

To that end, we've created for you a College Choice Calculator (click to download it.) By judging different attributes, you can give yourself a clearer sense of which college is right for you. While you shouldn't base your decision entirely on what the calculator says, it can provide some great insights.

Applications are flying left and right, the common app is getting more attention than the xbox, and people are wondering how they can get a leg up on the zillion other people who are applying to the same five colleges.

We've heard this question a lot lately: Can college coaches help me get in?

Everyone has heard about the DI basketball players with 1.0 GPAs and 5s on the ACT who have somehow miraculously been accepted at colleges they had no business getting into. While this may sometimes happen in big-time basketball and football, it is far from the way things work for the vast majority of athletes.

The reality is that your grades, test scores, essays, and interviews have to carry you most of the way. But, there is a way that college coaches can help. Coaches typically have close relationships with members of the admissions office. While they typically can't just call an admissions officer and say, "let this person in," they can "support" your application.

When a college coach supports an application it can help get you over the final hurdle. If your grades weren't up to par, there's not much hope. But, if you're on the bubble, a coach supporting your application can provide the extra oomph to get you in.

So, how do you get a coach to support your application? You convince him that you're serious about playing for him and then you ask if there's anything he can do to help push your application through. Of course, you can't ask 25 coaches for this. Instead, you need to hone in on the schools you like most and those that will be the most challenging to get into. Then pick up the phone, convey your enthusiasm for the place, and ask if he's going to support your application.

• Is the balance of athletics and academics right for you?


• Do you like the overall environment: academic, social, athletic, geographic?


• Does the school offer the right major for you?


• Have you had a positive impression of the coach throughout the recruiting process?


• Do you have a positive impression of the team?


• When you visited, did you get along with the players?


• Has the team offered you a sports scholarship?


• Has the university offered you institutional financial aid?


• How soon will you be able to contribute on the field?


• Did you like the facilities?

Admissions letters for standard deadline applications will reach you in mid-spring.

When the time comes to choose between the schools that have accepted you, your first consideration should be academics. Narrow down the field of candidate schools accordingly.

Of the schools that accepted you, which cater best to your academic and social needs? Which will be the best for your intellectual and social growth? That, after all, is what college is all about.

Once you've identified the two, three, or four schools which will best suit you academically and socially, reassess their team. Study the notes you have compiled in your file folders. If you've done a good job taking notes, you will have a lot of information at your fingertips.

If you are torn between a few schools, don't feel that you have to apply Early Decision.

Go with standard, non-binding applications. A coach may pressure you to apply early. If you aren't convinced that his school is exactly what you want, don?t bow to the pressure.

A coach's primary concern is to finalize his recruiting class. Your primary concern is to find the school that best fits your needs. If you prefer to keep your options open, apply under standard, non-binding terms.

If you've played your self-recruiting hand well and a coach asks you to apply early, recognize the seriousness of the decision. Don't let such a request go to your head and make you irrational. Sit down and reason through it.

Think through the pros and cons of the school and its team. Discuss the situation at length with your parents and teachers. If you decide that Early Decision is the right choice, by all means, go for it.

If you choose to apply Early Decision, you and your parents should discuss with the coach what guarantee you have of a place on the team should you be accepted. Consider requesting something in writing that says that if accepted, you will also be offered a place on the team.

Binding Early Decision applications have grown in popularity in recent years. Early Decision candidates apply to only one school during the early fall of their senior year. Acceptance letters are sent out in November or December. If accepted, Early Decision applicants are required to attend. If denied, they still have time to apply elsewhere.

Not only does Early Decision seem to increase the probability of acceptance, it also guarantees that the applicant will enroll. To a coach, this means that once a player is accepted through Early Decision, recruiting of that player is complete. The coach doesn't have to make the argument that his college is superior to the six other schools who accepted the player.

In some circles Early Decision is a controversial topic. Its opponents argue that it puts too much pressure on applicants. Its advocates insist that it simplifies the college selection process for applicants and allows admissions departments to hand-select their students.

Early Decision is a reality whether or not you agree with it philosophically. Its proliferation has not been lost on college coaches, who are always laboring to have their top recruits admitted and signed as quickly as possible. Many coaches now rely heavily on Early Decision to help them handpick their recruiting classes.

If the coach at your favorite college wants you on his team, a potent way to strengthen your application is to let him know that his school is your top choice. He will pass that information on to the admissions department.

The blurb he writes about you for the admissions department might say something to the effect of, "Kyle will definitely come if he is admitted." A phrase like that pleases admissions departments; they?re likely to judge your application favorably.

I've heard that being recruited to play at a college guarantees admission to that school. Will my athletic ability allow me to get around the school's academic standards?

Being a recruited athlete rarely opens the admissions door if you don't measure up academically. If a coach knows that your academic record is sub-par, it's unlikely that he'll make a stand for you with admissions.

Coaches know that standing up for academically unqualified recruits usually fails. It also weakens the coach's credibility with the admissions department. An admissions department will be apprehensive of a coach who brings academically unqualified recruits to the table.

You should always keep coaches updated on your application progress. For example, send the coach an e-mail to tell him that you stayed up until midnight the night before putting the finishing touches on your essay. Tell him that you took the SATs again and scored fifty points higher. Let him know if you're going to apply Early Decision.

When you finally send in your application, e-mail the coach immediately so that he has a written record of it. Also remind him of your conversations regarding admissions, for example, "I know you said that you can't guarantee admission but that you would strongly endorse my application—at this point, what does that exactly consist of? I really appreciate any help you can offer."

If you've self-recruited well, you will be in a position where the coach will support your application.

When college coaches communicate with their admissions departments, they typically categorize each recruit that they want. Here an example of a system that is used by some colleges:

• Blue Chip—An immediate impact player


• Will contribute as a freshman


• Can contribute within a few years


• Likely walk-on


• Long-shot—athletically; unlikely to contribute

Once you've decided to apply to a school, call the coach immediately and let him know your intentions.

Don't be emotionless—show that you are excited. Few college coaches can simply snap their fingers and have a recruit accepted. However, coaches who are effective recruiters have strong ties with admissions departments.

The arrangements are different for each school, but most colleges have a system where coaches identify and prioritize their recruits for the admissions department. The coach might also write a blurb about each recruit and indicate his expectations of the player.

The New York Times Q&A blog featured an interesting back and forth with a handful of college admissions officers. Featured on the panel were the following:

• Jeff Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., which in 2007 had 5,275 undergraduates and 6,083 graduate and professional students.
• Bruce Poch, Vice President and Dean of Admissions at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., which has an enrollment of 1,520 students.


• Steven Syverson, Vice President for Enrollment and the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., which has 1,429 full-time undergraduates.


• Bruce Walker, Vice Provost and Director of Admissions at the University of Texas at Austin, a public university with 11,000 graduate and 39,000 undergraduate students.