College Search Process for Student-Athletes – What is an “Early Read” in the College Athletic Recruitment Process?

Written by: Kim Penney and Danielle Dunn, One-on-One College Consulting

A student-athlete should research his/her best match schools academically and socially before he/she begins to “overlay” the athletic fit. If the student-athlete receives positive feedback/interest from the college coaches he/she has contacted, he/she may transition into the next phase of the athletic recruiting process known as the “Early Read.”

An Early Read typically occurs at the end of junior year after final grades are available. This is when a college coach requests the following academic information from a student-athlete:

·         Official High School Transcript (final grades from 9^th, 10^th and 11^th grade)

·         SAT and/or ACT Score Reports

·         High School Profile

·         List of senior year courses (including course level – i.e. College Prep, Honors, AP)

The college coach then takes this information to his/her respective admissions liaison to get an indication of the student-athlete’s chance of acceptance. From there, the coach communicates to the student-athlete whether or not he/she is a good candidate for admission.

NOTE:  The better a student-athlete does academically, the more options he/she will have athletically. Remember, although college coaches may be able to help support a student-athlete’s chance of acceptance, the student-athlete must officially get accepted into the college/university on his/her own merit through admissions.   

Next BSG Blog Topic (Week of April 22, 2019) – Advantages of Early Admissions Policies for the Student-Athlete