For any prospective NCAA fencers (especially non-elite fencers) out there, I wanted to share my son’s experience during the 2016-2017 college admissions cycle.
He’s currently a B-rated foilist, but was a C during the college application process.
GPA 95.6
SAT 720V 800M
He started touring colleges and meeting with coaches summer after his sophomore year - often times during SYC and NAC tournaments. Junior year he emailed about 20 coaches with a brief resume. I think as a non-elite fencer you really have to put yourself out there to get any traction with these coaches.
His Results:
Haverford - applied early decision and was accepted, Will attend. Visited campus twice - did an overnight. Met with coach at summer nationals. Coach offered admission support, but no guarantee. It was his first choice because he really felt like he clicked with the coach and the team; and of course, likes the college.
Lawrence University - accepted early action - Lawrence offers non-binding early action, but unlike most early action schools offers results in mid-December. It was appealing to have a non-binding acceptance in hand early… met with coach at a tournament, but did not visit.
UNC Chapel Hill - visited the college and coaches summer after his sophomore year and stayed in contact via emails and at tournaments throughout the process. Applied early action and was accepted. Notified early of his acceptance by the coach, but he had officially withdrawn his application.
Brown - He seemed like a good fit on the roster and was very interested in the school, because his older sister attends, but never really got any traction with the coach. Met with the coach on campus and at tournaments, but the coach never seemed to remember him or take an interest.
Air Force - Coach was interested. Put him on the recruit email list and invited him to a group recruitment dinner. He was also accepted to and attended their week-long summer recruitment camp Was okay with military, but concerned with academics for his area of interest.
JHU - He was interested, and reached out to the coaches multiple times to schedule meetings and visit, but never got a response. Did a regular college tour during a nearby tournament.
Stevens - Visited campus and coach early on during a nearby SYC. Stayed in touch throughout the process.Really liked the coach and what the school has to offer.
Cal Tech - Got really positive emails from the coach, and lots of encouragement from her during a NAC. Never got chance to visit.
Also visited Stanford, Duke and Lafayette, and met with the Vassar coach at a NAC.
Moral of the story: Start early, cast a wide net and keep an open mind…
I’m hoping to stay connected to this thread/group for a while. My youngest daughter is an E-rated Y10 sabre fencer. I really appreciate all the great information here.