<p>Tumbletiger.....my son is in his first year on the swim team and we all thought that his interview with the coach helped in getting admitted. I think when the coach does notify the admissions office to take a "good look" at a candidate then it just has to help even if in a small way. Also the swim coach is extremely proud of the GPA of the team and puts that as the top priority. Exams and such take priority over making a required practice.
Good Luck.........you will love WashU and the swim team!!</p>
<p>I forgot to add that the swim coach was very supportive as far as keeping in contact with my son during the admissions process.........sending him meet results and tidbits about WashU asking my son about his swims and holiday plans etc...He received 7 emails between November and March and once my son was admitted then the coach revealed that he had really pushed for my son to be admitted and thought he would be a good fit.</p>
<p>Any positive support with admissions can only benefit a candidate. That being said, the same type of support can also come from a professor or dean. The final selection can be very close, so any edge that a candidate has is a bonus. </p>
<p>I absolutely agree with buffmom - "GPA of the team and puts that as the top priority. Exams and such take priority over making a required practice." Academics will always outweigh athletics in priority at WashU.</p>
<p>Our experience was consistent with the previous four comments. Very informative, encouraging, etc., but never any promises, winks, or any other kind of inappropriate information.</p>
<p>I am not aware of any extra resources, other than athletic resources, available to athletes. Like being in a Greek organization, there is a support and information network that can help make decisions much easier. You have ready access to older students who can tell you about classes, professors, places to live, internships, work study jobs, etc. But as I said, lots of organizations have that.</p>
<p>Athletes do not, I repeat, DO NOT have more resources than any other student. The only difference is that the coach or assistant coach of the sport is a support system for the applicant. The same can be done with a professor. The coach can talk to admissions and give his or her opinion, but that is all the say they have in the process. Talking with a coach gives somewhat of an interview, but that is just part of being in a sport.</p>
<p>Athletes are also NOT judged separately. They just happen to want to be in school sponsored events.</p>
<p>The UAA does not have slots. They are considered Division III. Division III does not allow scholarships, aka slots. Division II, Division IAA (most,) and Division I all have slots. However, Wash U athletes are athletes that were accepted into the school based on their academic background.</p>
<p>Wow you all are very adamant on these points, and I can say confidently that some of what you're saying is simply not true. About the additional resources: I was just citing it as a possible explanation for athletes doing pretty well at school, you guys are probably right about that, although more strong connections with upper classmen is always a good thing academically. You guys seem pretty defensive about the quality of student Wash U athletes make. My question is why. All that really matters is that Wash U does not recruit as hard as rival schools. So even if athlete are admitted with lesser stats than most students, which I think is absolutely true, Wash U remains in a better position academically than other schools. Finally, slots are NOT equivalent to scholarships and several top D3 schools DO have slots.</p>
<p>thats Wut I said - Once again opinions based on nothing "So even if athlete are admitted with lesser stats than most students, which I think is absolutely true". Obviously you may think what you want - just a shame when you make such inaccurate statements based on a total lack of knowledge - (only if it was possibly true in your case). Based on your last post, it does not even sound like you are an athlete at WashU. </p>
<p>Although I do agree with several of your points. A team is a very strong support group and especially helpfull during freshman year. Also, you are right about "slots" not being the same as scholarships. There may be "slots" at some D3 schools, but to the best of my knowledge there are no slots at UAA schools.</p>
<p>Ok, nice little dig there... not. I actually did have a subpar GPA, a 3.5 and not even top 10% of my class. However, I had a relatively strong SAT with a 2380, so overall, my numbers were pretty average. If you believe that I have made an inaccurate statement, which you say with strong conviction, I would challenge you to refute what I have said with evidence. I, for one, do not have access do admissions numbers, so yes I guess I have "a total lack of knowledge." However, when my coach tells me about the recruiting and admissions process for athletes which I have posted about, I do assume that the point is to allow athletes with below average stats into the school.</p>
<p>Not meant as a dig at all. If you were able to pull it off with "lower than normal" (as per your statement) stats then congrats. At this stage I am curious as to your sport, but I realize that is an unfair question. Your situation and my experience are absolutely opposite, but like I said before - anything is possible in life. If the described situation is common in your sport, then I am very dissapointed, because it is not the norm and I would certainly like to see the situation corrected. By no means is this meant as a personal affront to you and I am sure you are doing well with your studies. Good luck and I am sure that we both agree that WashU is a great school.</p>
<p>Ahhh, I see. And yes, don't let any of these discussions confuse you; Wash U definitely cares about getting top students, and there is no other school out there I'd rather be.</p>
<p>does anyone have knowledge of or experience with the WashU track coaches taking an active interest in applicants who might be potential track team members?</p>
<p>My son is on the team. I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Our son is on the team. The coach was great - very interested during the application process. (No promises but very helpful.) Set him up with a roomate on the team once he was accepted. The kids on the team are all great friends and the whole situation has worked out very well.</p>
<p>When my daughter was thinking about playing sports in college, I called the Wash U. coach for advice. He was amazingly helpful, even though it was clear from the beginning of the conversation that my daughter was not a top player. She was very good in our small part of the world... which is not enough for a college player - D1 or D3. Anyway, the coach said he had a list of hundreds of people he was watching. He said that he did not begin serious recruitment until he was told by the admissions department whether that person met Wash U's criteria. </p>
<p>I called the Northwestern coach too in my fact-finding session. When I asked the Northwestern coach if my daughter's good grades would be a positive factor, he replied that good grades are common! In other words, to get a good player, at least for some sports, there is no need to accept someone who doesn't have the academic background.</p>