<p>I've never posted in this forum before but I'm just curious so hopefully no one will be offended...
Since recruited athletes have much easier admissions standards (at least in terms of test scores etc.), do they usually have a hard time with the classes at the university they play at? Or do the schools somehow "make it easier" for them? Specifically, someone from my class was recruited for football at Dartmouth, and his grades, SATs, etc. were such that there was no way that he could have gotten in normally. So, compared with everyone else, wouldn't he just flunk out or something?</p>
<p>You’re correct, the admission standards for recruited Ivy athletes are not as high as for the general student body. However, there is a formula that takes into account SAT scores and class rank and the athlete must meet a certain level before he can be accepted. You aren’t going to find any dummies playing sports in the Ivy league. Also, athletes aren’t given any preferential treatment in the classroom. They manage to graduate at nearly the same percentage as their non-athletic peers while devoting 20+ hours per week to their sport in addition to the demanding Ivy curriculum.</p>
<p>I for one have great concern for athletes admitted anywhere who are below average academically in their entering class. Given the demands on their time, I see those student/athletes as being set up for disaster if they either don’t come in with a certain level of academic skills or they don’t develop them pretty quickly once they get in. I think there are published stats on graduation rates of some of the athletes in various sports. If anyone has access to stats for sports other than football/basketball re graduation rates, that would be interesting to see. Oh, and it would also be interesting to see what these people major in who manage to graduate.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that being an athlete itself tends to develop a good work ethic and good time management skills. And there’s an old saying that the hardest thing about the Ivy League is simply getting in (essentially, a lot more people than just those who get in are capable of doing the work). But yes, athletes might on average struggle a little more or be enrolled in less demanding majors.</p>
<p>^ I can tell you the GPAs of cross country and track teams at IVY league schools tends to be higher than the school average … I believe this is true of most “minor” sports also … a lot of the athletes get a minor break on admissions (they are within one standard deviation of a typical admit); which puts them in the same admissions group with 15-20% of the non-recruit admits … and a level quite able to handle the work. There are limited slots for recruits with lower stats which tend to go to high impact recruits in major sports (QB for football for example)</p>
<p>I feel like these posters are clueless. I won’t bother finding the links, but I assure them that the NCAA keeps massively detailed stats on recruited athletes, grades and graduation rates.
As for the Ivies, most athletes DO NOT have lower stats than the average student. They get no scholarship or preferential treatment.It is a desirable activity, and more like a “hook” for the applicant, not a “free pass”</p>
<p>^ That’s true and I thought about that after making my post. However, I think the thread, from the gist of it, was geared towards hard-sport athletics anyhow.</p>
<p>■■■■■=fail</p>
<p>Athletes aren’t given a break. If your friend’s grades in high school were B’s, he’ll really struggle to make B’s in college, just like the A high school students struggle to make A’s in the Ivies.</p>
<p>football and basketball have lower standards at many colleges. higher TV contracts higher revenue and generally lower academic stats for those sports. b-ball and f-ball have huge impacts on colleges, money and enrollment.</p>
<p>I don’t know many students in our college prep community that have stats as high as the girls on my D’s team. D’s SAT was 2300. a few of her teammates were higher. All were recruited to Ivy, etc. who wouldn’t want a top athlete who can work at their sport 30 hours a week and still score 2300 or higher.</p>
<p>KaeKae, there’s a whole world of very smart and high performing athletes out there.</p>
<p>Even Ivy football and basketball have top academic performers. One friend D has who scored a perfect ACT 36 is a football player (big, athletic, and smart.)</p>