<p>I'm currently a junior and I have pretty competitive stats for my dream school (MIT) - weighted GPA 4.31, ACT 36. Although I haven't really been swimming a lot lately, I'm wondering how far a coach's interest - particularly at elite D3 schools, like MIT, Amherst, Williams, Chicago, etc. - will help someone along in the admissions process. I filled out those online questionnaires with my times and such; I'm thinking that I won't be a major standout, but could possibly be an asset to a D3 team.</p>
<p>Hi - We just went through recruitment at some of those schools, so I might be able to provide some insight. For background - Are you male or female? And can you give some representative times in your best events?</p>
<p>I’m a female… my times are decent, but not anything special, even for a d3 school. 1:01 100 fly and a 2:15 200 back, and those are probably my best events.</p>
<p>I have to say I was surprised at how competitive swimming is, even at the D3 level. Not that it wouldn’t help you, but swimmers tend to be an extremely studious bunch, so unlike some other sports where they have a harder time finding great athletes that also have great scores and GPA’s, swimming seems to have a plethora. Good luck to you and SWIM FAST!</p>
<p>Sorry for the delay in responding…
The bottom line is that yes (at least based on our experience with 3 kids), swimming recruiting can help boost your admission chances at top d3 schools, if you have the basic academic qualifications… which you seem to have. Coach support can make you stand out in the admission process. I am not as familiar with NESCAC, which we didn’t pursue broadly, but you can read about their “tips” (and something else?) elsewhere in CC.</p>
<p>However, as above poster mentions, times have gotten VERY fast in d3 in the last few years. All four of the schools you mention (Chicago to a lesser degree) have very fast swimmers - many of whom could have gone to d1. I am not sure your times would get coach interest in those schools. Some other good options where a 1:01 in 100Fly might be of interest: Wellesley (I love that school!), Swarthmore (or other Centennial League schools), WPI (also getting fast and I understand they are building a fantastic pool), URoch, Case Western… probably others in UAA. (CMU is great, too, but not sure your times would be competitive there.) Brandeis just restarted its program. Wesleyan? (We never considered.) Bowdoin? All have great academics! </p>
<p>Our rule of thumb (which was spot on for my kids) was - check the conference champs for the schools you are interested in. If you could make the A final - definitely of interest. If you could make the B final - probably of interest at most schools. Some of the most competitive schools (MIT men, lesser so for women; probably Williams and Amherst and Middlebury) are looking for people who already have NCAA qualifying cuts (which are strong B cuts).</p>
<p>If you really want to swim, you can definitely find a fit at a great D3 school with strong science and engineering programs.</p>
<p>OnAndDone2012 (love the name, btw!) is right. I just came back from DIII NCAAs and the times are blazing-the time for example–in the 100 fr winner a few years ago may not even get you very high in the consolation finals, The other events are the same. More and more D1 swimmers are discovering DIII and that is changing everything. </p>
<p>MIT women have some good sprinters but their distances aren’t strong-- if you had distance numbers they would get attention there. I also agree-- look at some of the other schools–Harvey Mudd swims with Pomona and aside from the great education there, your times may be of real interest–however, Pomona isn’t very interested in helping its athletes-- not sure about Mudd.</p>
<p>A quiet revolution is taking place, in real time, in D3 swimming. Results from last week’s NCAA meet, particularly the top-end times, make palpably clear that D3 swimming is getting stunningly fast. And these results will have consequences for those contemplating college-level swimming as D3 coaches will have to adjust their “recruitable times” thresholds. A growing migration of swimmers transferring from elite D1 programs to D3 schools is also making things quite faster.</p>
<p>Prospective swim recruits need to be aware that traditional “rules-of-thumbs” for recruitable times likely no longer apply, certainly at the elite D3 swim programs. And this implicates schools like Kenyon, Denison, Williams, Amherst, MIT, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, etc.</p>
<p>^^ I think that this revolution isn’t so quiet any longer, h2ocows. It was all the talk in the stands at the NCAAs-- many teams’ parents spoke about how their D or S had to make a decision between D1 and DIII and decided to go DIII both bc of the chance to compete at the NCAAs and for lifestyle reasons (they actually want to be students…).</p>
<p>Obviously I am not speaking about the kids who will go to Stanford or Cal or Texas and the like, but kids who would be at academically strong but second tier D1 programs. It also means more work for DIII coaches who have to look for those usually Di kids who fit their school’s academic profile and can be enticed to consider a DIII experience.</p>
<p>So far the Ivies (at least Harvard and P’Ton for sure and many of the others too) are also raising their game-- I wonder if some of the “also rans” such as Brown or Cornell might become strong DIII schools some year in the not-too-distant future. NCAA isn’t merely liberal arts colleges–Wash U, Emory, JHU, Chicago and MIT are large research universities. (Denison is a university technically but is really a college in feel and size).</p>
<p>Some of these DIII schools-- such as Emory, make it clear to potential recruits that they will train as if they are in a D1 program (of course as there is no scholarship money, the desire to train that way must ultimately lie with the student as they can quit whenever they choose to do so). </p>
<p>Will other schools–such as NESCACs-- start following suit or will they basically concede the championship to Emory and the others? Interesting question.</p>
<p>As strong as the NESCAC swimmers might be (and they are amazingly strong – e.g., Williams’ Wilson), as a conference NESCAC swimmers are at a structural disadvantage when it comes to the NCAA meet. The Nov. 1 “start-date” for the NESCAC swim season means that NESCAC swimmers get one – and only one – taper swim meet per season, and almost all taper for the NESCAC meet. Those that qual for the NCAA meet have to try to hold their taper or try a difficult “double-taper” for the NCAAs.</p>
<p>In contrast, the real D3 swim powers (e.g., Emory, Kenyon, Denison, Johns Hopkins, MIT, etc.) officially train and compete for most of the school year and, as a consequence, benefit from one “mini-taper” meet prior to winter break. For those who get A- or safe B-cuts before winter break, they can focus their training (and full taper) on the NCAA meet (and ignore their respective conference meets). This was quite clear this year during many of the prelim swims at the NCAA meet. Given the restrictions NESCAC self-impose (aside from academic selectivity), I do not foresee any NESCAC team ever posing a sustained, serious threat for a team title at NCAAs. Just my $0.02.</p>
<p>I agree-- that is why the question will come if NESCAC will amend its rules-- I doubt it but one never knows…</p>
<p>However, one of the nice memories was watching all of the NESCAC swimmers do the joint conference cheer on the last night before finals. It was great that these kids–who as you put it, have both academic prowess and conference imposed restrictions that make them unique, even within DIII, come together and cheer each other on…</p>
<p>WPI has built a beautiful pool - we attended a swim meet there recently. Definitely look at RPI, Brandeis and Vassar. I also agree with the Swarthmore and Rochester suggestions. I think you need to decide which size and type of school LAC vs university etc. you are interested in. Continue to visit schools, teams and coaches and you will know where you will thrive…</p>