<p>Say I intend to participate in a sport for a college. Pretty good in my sport, and the coach would be pretty happy to have me on the team. However, the school is a reach for me. Does intending to play a college sport (and being good at it), help admissions chances? Please explain.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Depends on the college. To D1 schools that actively recruit, if you’re really good at it that could be a plus. Other schools see this as a sign of being well roundedness, being good at athletics and academics, if that is the case. And even other schools look at it as just another extracurricular. It all depends on how much emphasis the school puts on its sports and whether it actively recruits for it.</p>
<p>It certainly can’t hurt your chances by any means, so any considerable achievements on the athletics field will definitely help you in the long run.</p>
<p>If you are a recruited athlete, it helps. If not, it probably counts more as a strong EC activity. Contact the coach at the school if you haven’t done so’ already.</p>
<p>It depends upon the school. For Division 1 or 2 athletics (that would be any college on these lists: <a href=“List of NCAA Division I institutions - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_institutions</a> and <a href=“List of NCAA Division II institutions - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_II_institutions</a>), unless you are a recruited athlete, it doesn’t matter and won’t help your chances – writing down that you’ve played a high school varsity sport or recreational sport on your EC list will be no different than another student writing down that they’ve played in the orchestra, or been on the debate team, student council, newspaper, yearbook club, drama club etc. </p>
<p>On the other hand, for Division 3 athletics (that would be any college on this list: <a href=“List of NCAA Division III institutions - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_III_institutions</a>) it may help your chances as those schools do not recruit athletes in the same manner, but draw their athletes from the overall student body to play sports.</p>
<p>FWIW: <a href=“What's The Difference Between The Three Division Of The NCAA?”>http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/ncaa-divisions-differences.htm</a> and <a href=“http://www.varsityedge.com/nei/varsity.nsf/main/myths+and+realities+of+college+athletics+and+recruiting”>http://www.varsityedge.com/nei/varsity.nsf/main/myths+and+realities+of+college+athletics+and+recruiting</a></p>
<p>If a coach wants you, that can tip a reach school in your direction, even if no scholarship is involved. But without that tip, it’s just another EC. </p>
<p>The tip can be pretty big, if they really want you - schools you stand no chance at without the athletic tip suddenly come within reach. You’ll only know the answer by talking directly with the coaches, not admissions.</p>
<p>
Not exactly. Many Div 3 colleges actively recruit athletes. They just don’t give athletic scholarships. Note too that not all recruited Div 1 athletes are on scholarship. For example, the Ivy League is Div 1 and by league agreement offers NO athletic scholarships.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Division 1 recruited athletes get an edge if they receive an offer to be on the team.</p>
<p>Don’t know about DII but I believe that same principle holds true.</p>
<p>DIII schools put the “student” in “student athlete” first, not the other way around. They cannot offer athletic scholarships, for example. However, to say that the coaches cannot influence admissions in any way may be overstating things. But it’s not much in any case. It may be that if there are two equally qualified kids, the edge would go to the athlete–maybe. Most DIII coaches will take your transcript and other application metrics to the Admissions Office fairly early in the recruiting process to get an informal read on your admissibility, which they will pass on to you in non-guaranteed terms. If it’s not gonna work, they usually will tell you so. The potential surprise with DIII is that you had better be prepared to be asked to apply Early Decision if the coach offers you a roster spot in your sport. If you decline, they may offer the roster spot to another candidate.</p>
<p>You are vastly understating the advantage tipped athletes have in D III - specifically NESCAC, where a lot has been written on CC exactly how it works. If the coach wants to tip you, you can be pretty low and still make the school. They have a quota on how many times they can do that, but if you ever look at a Naviance scattergram, they stick out like sore thumbs.</p>
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That is true for basketball, MAYBE some of the non-revenue sports. Definitely not for football.</p>
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That’s understating it immensely. If you are a recruited D1 athlete, you are nearly guaranteed admission, since they have already done the vetting on your academics to see if you meet NCAA minimums. Some schools hold students to a higher standard than that, but virtually all of them lower their standards substantially for top and even mid-level recruits.</p>
<p>I think you also significantly underplay the edge it gives a DIII athlete, especially if they are very good. I agree that athlete needs to be academically in the range they normally use to accept students, but given that if an athlete is high level there is no question they are getting in over an otherwise equally or even slightly more academically qualified student.</p>
<p>There are not Ivy league football scholarships because if there were, it would be a head count sport (football and basketball in D-1 schools) and the school would have to give 100% to each player and follow other recruiting rules. There are no athletic scholarships with money awarded by the athletic department under NCAA rules. </p>
<p>Football is not a big revenue sport at the Ivies - lacrosse and hockey probably bring in more money.</p>
<p>@twoinanddone - I am sure you are right about lacrosse and hockey, I meant what are traditionally called the revenue sports. I doubt if lacrosse and hockey make money for the non-DIII schools, and might make a little for the others because they don’t give scholarships (although I think one would be a bit naive to think they don’t stretch the need-based financial aid for these athletes at times). Although even then, after taking into account coaches salaries, equipment, travel, and other expenses it might still be doubtful that the DIII schools make money on these sports either. BTW, you are incorrect about the 100%. Schools give half-scholarships in many cases, and I think even quarter athletic scholarships are not unknown at the D1 and DII schools.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 - That is right about being allowed to recruit so many that are 1 standard deviation from the norm, 2 SD’s, and 3 SD’s I think it is. Someone recently posted the exact formula in another thread. If I find it I will post it here.</p>
<p>Found what I was looking for.</p>
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</p>
<p>He misstated it a little but, although his meaning is clear. He should have said a minimum of 8 of the 30 recruits have to be Band 4, and a minimum of 21 of the 30 must be Band 3 or higher. Of course it would be OK if 10 were Band 4 and 11 were band 3, or for example if 24 total were Band 3 and Band 4.</p>
<p>@sherpa wrote:
For example, the Ivy League is Div 1 and by league agreement offers NO athletic scholarships.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist wrote:
That is true for basketball, MAYBE some of the non-revenue sports. Definitely not for football.</p>
<p>I’m not sure which I of my assertions you dispute. I am absolutely certain that the Ivy League does NOT offer athletic scholarships.</p>
<p>If it’s the Div 1 thing, you’re right, Ivy League football is Div 1AA.</p>
<p>@sherpa - Yes, just the Div. 1 assertion. You are correct that no Ivy League school offers athletic scholarships.</p>
<p>Actually I am surprised the football is D1AA. I would have thought DIII. Learn something new every day.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist</p>
<p>If you sponsor a D1 athletic programs all of your sports have to be D1. There is an exception that DIII or DII schools who were grandfathered in can move up one women’s and one’s men sport to D1. That’s why you see schools like Union sponsor hockey at D1 or Hopkins with D1 Lax. Another exception is when the division, not the conference, doesn’t sponsor the sport (why DII schools play D1 hockey.)</p>
<p>Lastly, Ivy League schools don’t participate in the D1AA playoff so that’s why they are often forgotten as playing D1AA football.</p>
<p>I think sports are a very underrated part of admissions. I would think that playing a sport or multiple sports in high school shows determination and commitment. If you’ve played a varsity sport in high school you know they are not single season sports but year round commitments, and are probably more time consuming than any club or other EC.</p>
<p>what is the effect of not playing a sport on admissions</p>
<p>I don’t think it will hurt. It will only help your cause especially with a reference letter from the coach.</p>
<p>Fallenchemist, almost all non-head count sports in D-1 and all of D-2 athletic scholarship are split among several athletes. If the coach can attract an athlete that can also get a Pell grant or a merit scholarship, that leaves more ‘athletic’ money for other players.</p>
<p>My daughter plays lacrosse and I don’t know of any player who has a 100% athletic scholarship, even at the biggest schools. It makes for hard feelings if a few players get all the scholarship money and many get nothing.</p>