I am a high school junior who is looking into Ivy League colleges. I fence epee and am currently an A14. I will be top 50 in Junior rolling points once those who age out are removed from the standings. I have gotten top 32’s in Junior and a top 64 in Div I in national tournaments. I got 3rd in Cadets at Summer Nationals and was top 20 in the Cadet standings. I’ve gotten top 16 at a European Cadet Circuit. My AI is 233 and my GPA is 4.5+ weighted. What are my chances at getting recruited by schools like Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford etc.
Sounds like you have the academic and athletic fortitude to be a contributing member of any of the teams that you list. Register with NCAA, fill out the team recruiting forms, send an email with your GPA, SAT scores and fencing bio to the coach and follow up with a phone call. Understand the NCAA rules of engagement as they relate to recruiting. Ivies are Div1 but don’t provide athletic scholarships. Make sure you have an academic and personal connection to why you chose a college. Keep your options open as until there is an offer of admission there is no guarantee. Fencing recruiting works in mysterious ways. Mostly, you need to drive the process and pursue this.
@tyghmigldah: I think the best person to ask about all of this is your coach…who hopefully has some existing lines of communication with the coaches at the colleges you are targeting.
FWIW, I think Columbia is STACKED with strong WEs for the next few years, but you never know. Find the (somewhat controversial) thread on Fencing.net that has a list of known senior (HS Class of 2015) commits to date…I think it’s helpful with assessing your options/fit.
BTW, if I interpreted your clues correctly, I think you may have fenced my daughter in pools last SN.
@SevenDad
I’m ME
Right, sorry about that…I guess I conflated you and the previous poster.
Here’s the link to that thread on fencing.net I mentioned:
http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread78799.html
You’ll want to go to one of the last few pages to find the link to most updated doc. Pretty sure it’s updated by someone connected with NYAC (the Athletic Club).
@ShanFerg3 asked “Sherpa, does being ranked in the top 20 Nationally in the WE 14 put one on the radar of college coaches/recruiters?”
Being ranked in the top 20 of one’s age group is definitely a good sign and is an indication of future recruiting likelihood if she can hold this rank as she ages. But I don’t expect college coaches spend too much time watching Y14s unless they’re ranked in the top few.
@tyghmigldah - The schools you’ve listed are the toughest for being recruited. Your academics are clearly fine. A cadet bronze at SN surely was noticed by the college coaches. Unfortunately, the fencers coaches at the top schools pursue are typically ranked higher than where you are. For example, I just checked the current rank of ME fencer who will be a freshman at Princeton next year and he’s ranked in the top 10 in Junior. That doesn’t mean you won’t reach HYP, etc. aren’t in your future, but your odds of being recruited will be higher at Penn, Brown, Duke, JHU. etc. Good luck!
Sage advice from @saskatchewan.
What if said fencer has been beating those ranked in the top 3-5 in many recent tournaments, fences in higher age tourneys, better results in the JO than anyone in the age group and has a higher rating than those in the top 5?
When seniors on college teams graduate, do the schools recruit to fill up every spot that just opened?
Those are all good things. In general, though, coaches are watching Cadet, Junior, and Senior results and point lists more than they follow Y14. For example, if a 14 year old medals in Junior or Div 1, that will surely be noticed.
Interesting. Without getting too specific, this 14yr old fences more Junior and Senior tournaments than 14’s and medals, finishing 3rd in a recent Div 1.
Interesting question, with a complicated answer. Coaches need to be constantly looking forward beyond just the next year or two and are typically limited in the number of recruiting slots they’re given. So they’ll reserve their recruiting slots for incoming freshmen who’ll be able to make a strong impact from year one, but they’ll need to balance this against their projected four year strength in all weapons. In the end, there won’t be direct correlation between graduating seniors and recruited freshmen.
This fencers is probably being watched by a lot of college coaches.
@ShanFerg3: I’ve followed your posts with curiosity as Y14WE is a very, very small world, especially near/at the top.
I know the top 5 girls (and their parents…and pretty much all the families in the top 20) in Y14 pretty darn well, and three of them are Bs, one is an A14 and the other is a A15. So I don’t know how one could claim that they have a higher rating than an A15. Additionally, the youngest WE to get a bronze in a Div1 NAC this season has been Barbara Van B. and she’s a Cadet…unless you’re deliberately changing dates/event-types to protect identity (which I wouldn’t blame you for, btw). Perhaps you are referring to a DIV 1A ROC (which, IMO, are generally not as tough as a true DIV 1 event) or other A4-level WE tournament (of which there are very few)?
@SevenDad: I’m not sure how much I want to reveal, I was trying to be vague about the weapon and gender, I guess my inexperience in fencing terminology betrayed me. I’m taking it that WE is the gender and weapon. That being said I should’ve said my 13 yr old is rated as high or higher than anyone in the top 5. That would be more accurate. As a matter of fact, said fencer beat the #1 ranked fencer in pools in a recent tournament, the #2 ranked in Junior Olympics, and #3 the last 3 or 4 times they’ve fenced. The tournament I’m referring to was an A rated senior tournament, I feel I remember it being labeled div 1. I’ll double check that.
Seven Dad, if I say the tournament it would be so easy to figure out the identity of my progeny. But, after checking it was a Div 1A Seniors tournament. If you do know whom I’m referring to since you said you know all the families, I would appreciate it if you keep the identity to yourself. Thanks.
@tyghmigldah: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Penn look for higher ranked fencers. With your excellent academics, Stanford, Yale, and Brown are definitely possible.
I went through the recruiting process recently. Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Penn compete for ivy league title and are all ranked top 10 nationally. For men’s fencing, you really have to be in top 20 Junior point wise for the coaches to be actively recruiting for these schools. There can be exceptions if they need many fencers for specific weapon, but generally speaking, that is the reality. These schools have definite full supports where they almost guarantee admission with likely letters as long as you pass the pre-read. These schools also have more ‘academic flexibility’ if you are truly a top fencer. Stanford and Yale have less full supports and require a very high academic standard.
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The 2015 NCAA Finalists (those who qualified out of the recent regional events) have been posted. Should give prospects some glimpse into what schools are strong in your gender/weapon type: