<p>I just found the following information. Is there any truth to this???</p>
<p>If you're a male athlete, you're four times more likely to be admitted to an Ivy League school than a non-athletic male.</p>
<p>If you're a legacy applicantthat is, if one or more of your close relatives attended the elite private college you're applying toyou're more than twice as likely to be accepted as a non-legacy applicant.</p>
<p>Just wondering because I have 8 letters in three different sports and varsity club, Im a team captain & there is legacy in the family. The legacy was quite the athlete at Yale.</p>
<p>I'm certain with my SAT in the 1800 area I still wont stand a chance but if this actually helps then the odds increase. My academic resume is also strong but that SAT score is going to be the show stopper.</p>
<p>I can’t say one way or another about legacies, but I do believe that the higher chances of acceptance for athletes only apply to recruited athletes. If you are not being recruited in any sport, I don’t think your athletics will give you much of an advantage.</p>
<p>Trying to apply statistics about a general pool of people to a single individual in that pool doesn’t work. All else being equal, will a legacy get in before a non-legacy? Sure. All else being equal, will someone who plays a sport get in before someone who doesn’t? Sure. But “all else being equal” is a huge caveat.</p>
<p>I am considering on playing and I know the coach. I even wrote about my interaction with the sport in an essay. I have to keep going back to my 1800’s SAT, as great as this would be I still think the SAT is going to be my show stopper. </p>
<p>Thank you all for the feedback.</p>
<p>YaleAlumnus, I’ll take a step back and go a little deeper into your warning, thank you! I want to be successful in college and avoid pit falls.</p>
<p>Ok, you’re probably 4 times more likely than a non athlete with an 1800 SAT to get in. But 4 times zero is still zero. Ditto the legacy thing. I hope you have applied to other schools that you love.</p>
<p>Sorry to correct you quill but your math is inaccurate. I have some resources that I researched before sending my app. If I had a zero chance then I would not have applied. At the time I applied I had a 2% chance. Low indeed; however, it was a chance. Taking the 4 you just gave me I’m now at an…4 * 2 = 8% chance.</p>
<p>Regarding my apps to other school, well yes. I’m very smart. I applied to 11 schools currently I am 5 for 5. 11 - 5 = 6 left. This gives me a 54% chance at getting into the other I applied to. </p>
<p>Let me humor you on what I know about stats:
There are lies
There are damm lies
& There are stats
That being said I have a chance like anybody else. I love being confident, its a wonderful feeling.</p>
<p>You do seem to be smart. And you well may get into some of your remaining schools. But you’re incorrect in your analysis. 54% chance is incorrect. If a person with a 1% chance of being accepted at each of the eight Ivies applies to each, he then does not have an 8% chance of being accepted to one out of eight. Accept decisions are independent events and you just can’t stack them on top of each other.</p>
<p>Also, your assumption that because you fit in four categories with 2% each and therfore have an 8% chance is incorrect because they are statistical aggregates which don’t include overlaps.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, a 1800 SAT is a serious deficiency at the most selective schools, period. Nonetheless, best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Thank you for the feedback, I will stand corrected! My failure will not be my end all it’s just another lesson so it all helps in the long run. </p>
<p>The discussion is so welcome from all levels, this will truly help me with my reality no matter where it is that I go. </p>
<p>As I have said from the start this is more than a reach; however, I wil never be driven to think there is no chance because as long as I try something then I have the chance. Everybody that have made a comment have been great, this is the stuff that give motovation. Tell me it can’t be done and I have to give it a go and play the odds.</p>
<p>RU: i appreciate your reply. Reading back, I think I was too blunt. Frankly, it looks as if you’ll have a very successful college career, wherever you attend. Your sports and academic achievements will serve you well. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Not true. Yale Adcoms understand that playing a sport requires ALOT of time. More so than really any other extra curricular. They will therefore probably cut you some slack in the EC department.</p>
<p>@mathking I think you are misinterpreting what many of us are saying about the effect of playing sports on the application of a non-recruited athlete. Obviously, any EC shows commitment, dedication, well-roundedness, etc. and will be viewed in a positive light. What we are saying is that playing a sport is not a hook unless you are being recruited for it. Playing a varsity sport that you are not being recruited for is kind of like having a very high SAT score. It is definitely a positive, but there are many other applicants who also have that very same attribute, so it won’t give you much of a leg up on the other applicants.</p>
<p>I think a varsity sport is probably underrated on this forum. Yes, it’s nothing like being a recruit; but at the same time, a lot of applicants aren’t particularly athletic. It won’t make up for a complete lack of academic honors, but I think it can prove a strong complement, if only in terms of distinguishing an applicant from the rest of the pool.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that some schools have a non-cut policy so some kids make a varsity sport without a shred of athletic ability. We have outstanding teams, but some kids are benchwarmers.</p>