<p>I am a Wellesley alum with an entering 10th grade daughter (I know...helicoptering, too early, tiger mom, etc!) but I about fell over with happiness when my she told me she'd like to apply to Wellesley. She's a basketball player so I'd like to hear from anyone who has been part of the athletic recruiting process at Wellesley and also a legacy. She gets good playing time for an AAU team that has several D2 recruits and her high school team has 3 D1 recruits so she looks as if she's playing currently at a competitive level that might make her a fit for Wellesley's team. We're from California and I haven't seen Wellesley coaches at any of her viewing tournaments on the West Coast. Her high school team may play in an East Coast tournament this year but as yet, we've only been traveling on the West Coast.</p>
<p>Recently, top student leaders at her magnet tech high school were not accepted at Wellesley but they had GPAs that were slightly below 4.0. My daughter is trending at a 4 but it is awfully early to tell where her GPA will end up and she hasn't yet taken any standardized testing. </p>
<p>That said, how do sports and legacy status affect admissions decisions? Any advice? I am trying to be lowkey with my daughter so as not to discourage her from applying but as any alum will tell you, I would be thrilled to see my daughter at Wellesley where I was so happy!</p>
<p>Annebeau - didn’t realize your D’s age - cannot remember the rules about contact (exact dates and such) so she may not be able to answer an email if your D sends one (as I suggested on other thread), but do the online form and I would ask her HS coach to get involved and maybe contact the W coach and invite her to come watch the team at the East Coast tourney - or any other tournaments.</p>
<p>And maidenMom is right–until September 1st of her junior year, your D can call the coach but the coach can’t initiate a call, or even return a voice mail message from your D. She can only talk in-person to the coach during an on-campus visit, so if you D’s team play on the East Coast this year, the coach could watch her but couldn’t communicate with her (or you) at the tournament. But I believe she can email the coach and send links to games videos, but again, the coach can’t respond in any way until after September 1st of her junior year.</p>
<p>Good luck! Our D is a varsity athlete at Wellesley and it has been a wonderful experience for her.</p>
<p>Wellesley’s Common Data Set indicates that legacy status is “considered” in admissions, along with factors such as state of residency and first gen status, but it is not in the “important” or “very important” category:</p>
<p>I think Wellesley really cares about yield and wants to admit students who are likely to come if admitted. They don’t want to be used as a safety for Ivy-caliber applicants. Conveying a specific and focused interest in Wellesley’s particular campus culture is important.</p>
<p>When I worked at Wellesley, application numbers rose dramatically because Hillary FLOTUS. As a result, a number of legacy applicants, whose moms were also donors, were either waitlisted or not admitted.</p>