<p>From what I’ve looked up so far, both Haverford and Hamilton do not ever schedule practices from 8 AM to 4 PM, and at Haverford at least, all practices must end by 7 PM. There are no evening or Saturday classes at those schools, and professors are asked not to schedule any classes or activities during “practice time”. Considering 30-40% of all students at those schools are on varsity teams at some point, and academics reign supreme (except in admissions, where athletes can get a huge break), it’s a policy that makes sense.</p>
<p>As for test scores and top schools, different schools have different policies, and it depends on how much they want you. If the coaches want to use one of their slots, they can get just about anybody in over a 25 ACT. Naviance doesn’t lie, I’ve seen kids get into Stanford, Harvard, and Bowdoin with 27s. We had a top recruit get into Michigan with a 21 or 22, but that’s D1. (Yes, I know Stanford is too, but at least they don’t go that low, that I’ve seen.) </p>
<p>The reason they might have told your nephew he needed a 33 was that way they didn’t need to burn one of their slots.</p>