The CalTech swim coach has shown a lot of interest in me. I don’t think my chances of getting into cal tech are all that great but I’m wondering in swimming might help. I am also much faster than many of the swimmers so I would be a good addition to the team but I’m wondering if I should bother trying to get in.
Did you ask the coach if he/she has any pull in admissions?
And do you feel CalTech would be a good college choice for you?
CalTech coaches are nearly powerless with admissions.
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=706 indicate that extracurriculars are “important”.
So you’re saying there’s a chance. :D/
The students who go there prioritize their studies.
The school is VERY SMALL and I emphasize SMALL. Yes, they have teams, but its more for enjoyment rather than a team sport.
Forgot to add:
If you feel that Caltech fits you, then apply. If you think that your swimming will be an advantage for admission, no that won’t happen. It will be for your personal growth.
@sushiritto - I’m saying that the coach probably can’t help you. We have a friend who was recruited by a caltech coach but the coach admitted that he had almost no pull with admissions. Our friend was qualified but he was rejected. He attended JHU.
Swimming would presumably be a type of extracurricular that is considered. It just would not be a big “hook”.
Caltech does not give preference, boosts, slots, tips, or other goodies to athletes. At all. It is not a sports school.
But just ASK the coach what he wants from you (commitment, ED) and what he’s offering (probably nothing). ASK. Recruiting is the time to ask questions, to figure out if school is right for you.
Cal Tech keeps sports in their proper perspective.
@sherpa my bad, sorry it was a quote from a Jim Carrey movie called Dumb and Dumber. Just my bad humor. 
Caltech students (and staff) spend a lot of time at the gym and in the pool. I have never seen a more fit bunch of nerds. The mathematicians especially are pretty ripped.
No one’s chances at getting into CalTech are all that great.
But contrary to what has been posted, I do know more than one athlete very well at Cal Tech where the sport certainly helped them. But they also had the academic stats and cred to back it up, as do many people that apply. So what you need is to be seen somehow, and their sport helped them be noticed, which is more than some people ever get. Their applications were certainly given a nudge and they were given personal time with the right people - invited to a school visit and personal interviews with admin and department folks. That does make a difference.
You need to be straight up with the coach about your academics, and if you are super interested, then tell him and ask if applying is worthwhile. The coach knows, not a bunch of people on the internet.
But don’t go there because it is the best at something, you choose a school because it is the best for you. Is it? Cause CalTech is its own kind of place. One of a kind.
I agree that Caltech doesn’t “put a thumb on the scale” for athletes. But IME it could help somewhat with admissions, if you have the academic credentials to go with your swimming prowess. (My kid was also a recruited athlete, was admitted, but isn’t attending Caltech.)
You also should ponder whether, if admitted, you will actually have the time to commit to swimming. Caltech is arguably the most challenging academic experience in the US. A significant percentage of students “flame out” due to the intense coursework.
The reason why CalTech has occupied the number 1 position for years in the colleges ranked by SAT scores is because it’s one college that doesn’t play the “hook” games - no legacy, development, celebrity, etc. - and recruited athlete is no exception. CalTech doesn’t compromise its admissions standards, period; it admits students purely on academic merits. Of course, it likes to see extracurricular activities in the applicants, but they must meet the academic standards first and foremost. So, yes, swimming or any other sports could help as long as the academic numbers are there.
Coach Hughes has already chosen his mens and womens swim team for this year. Sorry to say that theres no more spots. Basically if youre not good enough to get in academically, swim won’t help. At academic schools like caltech and mit academics come first
“At academic schools like caltech and mit academics come first.” Yes, but especially at CalTech.
MIT has been known to accept students with lower test scores than Caltech, if said student plays football and commits to four years of college playing up front with the coach.
MIT offers a service and a website for entering stats for college athletics hopefuls , and offers evaluation sports camps, in the summers for many sports, including women’a volleyball. Sports is a factor at MIT for admissions. Caltech, it sounds like its less important. MIT is about four times the size of Caltech
and offers division 1 competition in one sport: Crew. So for crew, division 1 rules, are applied, which
is a completely different admissions process, entirely based on making the division 1 team.
All other MIT sports recruits are division 3,with a few being pretty strong and serious teams, but using the regular application process, with grades, test scores, recommendations, optional interview counting the same for everyone.
@Coloradomama Crew has a different admissions process than other MIT sports? I thought that, even though they’re D1, crew recruits still had to go through the same process and aren’t guaranteed admission.