Can a letter from a coach be added to file?

DS is a recruited athlete for class of 2017. His file is nearing completion, he has all green checks except for CAR (counselor emailed him that it would be in this week) and DoDMERB. Between the time he spends working and the many hours of practice necessary to become a D1 athlete, his extra-curriculars are not strong. He does not have the hundreds of hours volunteer work which is common on these boards. He does volunteer on a weekly basis but he can only manage 2 hours a week. My question is this...Is it acceptable to have personal coach write a letter to admissions explaining the time needed to hone his skills, and the commitment required to compete at the highest level. Would this letter be added to his file and considered when his file is evaluated?

ACT Comp 31, English 33, Math 28, Science 30, Reading 33, Writing 29
Boys State Attendee
SLS Attendee

Thanks!

If he's a recruited athlete, and his scores are that good, I can't imagine he would have a problem.

Roadking said:

My question is this...Is it acceptable to have personal coach write a letter to admissions explaining the time needed to hone his skills, and the commitment required to compete at the highest level. Would this letter be added to his file and considered when his file is evaluated?

Click to expand...

I was told that beside the applicant portal file, there is another file where additional information are held - such as additional letters of recommendation. And that file is reviewed by the Admissions committee. So, it is acceptable to have personal coach write a letter.

Also, getting a local admissions office liason officer to interview your DS should help as during the interview things you mentioned above can be discussed. As for getting in touch with your local admissions office liasion officer, there is a section in the candidate portal for it. In an extreme case, there might be no liaison officer in the area.

The same thread is also being discussed in the USNA area. Since over 90% of those who attend an academy are varsity athletes, you want to make sure this letter from his coach doesn't appear as making an excuse for why he hasn't also been able to find the time to be involved in other activities. Many other qualified candidates who he is competing against are able to manage their time to be involved in more then just sports during high school.

As noted, this thread exists in the USNA and USAFA forums and, quite honestly, the answer isn't going to change much, if any, from one SA to the next. I'm closing this thread. Those who would like to continue to comment on it can go to the USAFA thread (keeping that one open only because it's alphabetically first).