This fall, like every other, could be stressful for seniors applying to college. However, as most seniors polish essays, construct extracurricular lists and submit applications, a handful of athletes have already committed to colleges. While recruited students know they’re accepted earlier, the process doesn’t mean they skip the college stress.

 Dartmouth College recruited Kate Rice ’25 to row. Kate entered the recruitment process in the fall of her junior year and committed in May.

 “It was a big decision, and I wanted to make sure I was thinking it through and making the best choice,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to make this decision so early on, and recruitment wasn’t something I had planned on doing.”

 The recruitment process is unique for each athlete.

 “Something really cool about this process is that it looks so different for everyone,” Kate said. “It is based on your sport and your division, and there are many different things that factor into how this process looks.”

 Jaime Vega Espinosa ’26 transferred to the Upper School (US) last year and committed to Middlebury College for soccer in July. He began receiving stronger recruitment offers during his junior year. Although the US doesn’t officially calculate GPAs, the recruitment process requires athletes to do so.

 “I started my sophomore year, sending emails, but I didn’t start receiving emails from big colleges until junior year,” he said. “Because BB&N is a harder school, my GPA dropped to a 3.7 or 3.8. It was stressful getting recruited, and I just wanted to commit.”

 It was hard for Jaime to get on coaches’ radars. He said his club team doesn’t get as much exposure as other programs.

 “Grabbing the attention of coaches was challenging because they receive so many emails,” he said. “A lot of coaches want players from MLS NEXT, and I play for FC Stars.”

 Gus Inada ’26 became serious about playing baseball in college after his freshman season. Colleges contacted him junior year. Over the summer, Gus participated in a national tournament in Georgia and drew interest from Division I programs. When the opportunity came to pitch in front of coaches, things didn’t go as planned.

 “When I got my chance to pitch in front of all the Division I schools, like Brown and Dartmouth, I just didn’t play my best,” Gus said. “So, I decided to shift my focus back to Division III schools.”

 Gus found the unpredictability of recruitment stressful. He committed to Amherst College in August.

 “You never know what a coach is thinking, and there is a lot of stress in the unknown,” he said. “You’re being judged and assessed all the time. … Coaches will say they’re interested in you and text and call you, but then maybe they come to your games and think, ‘This kid isn’t that great.’”

 US College Counselor Co-Director Julia Kobus Patil ’05 said recruitment is based on more than just athletic abilities.

 “I like to think about it as two parallel processes. It’s the athletic piece of, ‘Does this student fit what we are looking for on a team?’ And then there is the parallel of, ‘Is this student admissible academically?’”

 One of the factors shaping the recruitment process is when colleges can reach out to student-athletes. Generally, for Division I and II, schools can contact athletes starting June 15 after their sophomore year. Division III schools have no formal restrictions, though recruitment typically begins during junior year.

 “A student might be getting looked at by a coach and want to commit during sophomore year,” Ms. Kobus Patil said. “They can meet with a member of the College Counseling team, and we can talk them through it, but we don’t assign students to a counselor until junior year. The athletes are not getting a ‘head start’: they just have a different timeline. Their stress happens earlier.”

 A potential downside is selecting a college too early, Ms. Kobus Patil said.

 “Students can be forced to make decisions sooner than they may be ready. But the benefit is that you know where you are likely going earlier.”

 Amelia Shaywitz ’25 does not play a sport and was admitted to Boston College.

 “At first, I felt a little jealous, and it was really easy to fall into the pattern of ‘Wow, they are so lucky.’ It was also confusing because I didn’t know how that was possible.”

 Amelia had a unique insight into recruited students.

 “One of my close friends was a recruited athlete, and I had the chance to see it from her perspective. It gave me a lot of respect. I realized that it wasn’t luck, and it actually took different skills.”

 Annie Zhu ’26 has learned not to compare trajectories during the college process.

 “It feels like I’ve fallen a little behind, except I’m still happy for them,” Annie said. “It’s amazing how these people in our grades are committing to great schools. Overall, both processes are hard in different ways. It’s nice that sports recruits can get their results sooner, but their stress is earlier. Regardless, the most fulfilling part will be getting your results and hopefully feeling proud and accomplished.”