<p>I am currently being recruited to Stanford University for track and field. I reached out to the coach at the beginning of my junior year and stayed in touch with him and he apparently liked how I performed that season. I was offered an official visit at the end of my junior year and just went a couple weekends ago. I loved it there. I want it to be my school, but I don't want to get my hopes up yet.</p>
<p>I've applied REA and have all my scores and transcripts and letters of rec and everything in. I put my major as undeclared. The coach said he'd be supporting me through admissions, which I've heard helps a ton, I just don't know if it's enough. I've submitted a financial aid application to the school through my coach. I recently took part in an "optional alumni interview" in my city as well.</p>
<p>Here's some of my academics and extracurriculars so that you can tear me apart (I'm a white male by the way):
GPA: 3.91UW/4.05W
Class Rank: Top 5% in a class of about 385
ACT: 31 on state test, 32 on ACT Plus Writing (8 on writing portion)
AP classes taken before senior year: 3
Honors classes taken: 5
I am currently enrolled in 4 AP classes as a senior in math, science, English, and Spanish
I was in student government as a freshman and sophomore
I am currently in National Honor Society (11-12), Spanish National Honor Society (10-12), and Tri-M Music Honor Society (11-12) and held leadership positions in SNHS my junior and senior year
Marching band - woodwind section leader (11) and drum major (12) (leadership positions in marching band for those unfamiliar)
Track and field - 3 time state place-winner, 2 time national place-winner
I also have a college semester of math that I took one summer at a local community college</p>
<p>What are my odds? I think I'd be a half-decent candidate without the coach supporting me through admissions, but does anyone know how much influence college coaches have on admissions? By the way, my event is high jump, and the university currently has only one high jumper, and he only does high jump as a secondary event. Stanford is currently recruiting one other high jumper besides me. Will this make the coach want me more? Could I qualify for scholarships? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>As you are aware if you were to apply to Stanford with your “academic credentials” alone your application would be considered “just OK”…but because you have the coach’s “backing” for your “non-popular” non-revenue sport in high jump…you have “jumped” from the “just OK” pile to “very competitive” file…</p>
<p>…having said this…if you had the tip-top credentials of Katie Ledecky (multiple world record holder and Olympic medal winner) or the athletic prowess of Andrew Luck they would have offered you a “scholarship” long time ago and you would have already signed the NLI and you would be enjoying the rest of your senior year by now…</p>
<p>…that’s the thing with Stanford…it’s one thing to be “recruited”…but Stanford wannabes don’t realize, it’s another thing for them to actually make an official OFFER of acceptance with or without an athletic scholarship…</p>
<p>…even as an athlete…you get to experience what all the other non-recruited non-athlete REA applicants (Intel winners, world-renowned musicians, computer geniuses, top artists and actors, etc) have to go through…the usual gut-wrenching turmoil that is called college admissions hell…</p>
<p>…nevertheless…hope things work out for you…best wishes!</p>
<p>I think that you have an good chance of being offered admission and at least a partial scholarship.</p>
<p>Without the athletics, your application is below average among those offered admission to Stanford. National place winner in high jump, with only one other male recruit? My impression of the application process for recruited athletes is that your application goes in a special pile in the admissions office. If the coach wants you, they do a review to see if your statistics are “good enough for an athlete,” and the bar is somewhat lower than for non-athletes. (Unintentional high jump reference…) It probably depends on how many athletes the track coach is trying to push through.</p>
<p>Not necessarily in track. Offers frequently are firmed up later than the initial wave of NLIs because coaches want to see performances from the first part of the indoor season. </p>
<p>So, OP, it sounds like you’ve controlled everything you can (and quite well at that), but if you have any early indoor meets, going big this soon in the season and dropping the coach a note about it might help a bit. </p>
<p>@trx1150. Hearty congratulations! I’m glad it all turned out well. You will enjoy your years at Stanford and thrive! Enjoy the holidays…really really enjoy the holidays and the rest of your senior year! =D> </p>
<p>@trx1150, congratulations! I’m sure you’ll love Stanford!</p>
<p>This is the result I’d expect, by the way. At Stanford and other highly selective schools, a coach normally won’t offer an official visit (i.e. a visit the school is paying for) until the admissions office has reviewed the student’s academics and given the coach the go-ahead to recruit that student.</p>
<p>If the coach then decides to use one of their limited number of admissions support slots for that student, the chances of admission are generally high. Admissions makes the final decision of course, and coaches should be clear about this, but if admissions has already cleared the student for recruiting and now the coach is saying the student is a priority for the team. that’s a very good situation for the student.</p>
<p>Of course, coaches are talking to a much larger group of possible recruits than those who ultimately get official visits and offers of admissions support, so being “recruited” in the sense of “I talked to coach a few times” may not mean much for admissions. . .an official visit and subsequent offer of admissions support does mean a lot though.</p>