<p>hey guys, I posted this message somewhere else but this seems more public. I am a high school football player who is getting recruited by ivy league schools and some patriot league schools. I have an official visit to Dartmouth in January, which I think is a positive... But the thing is, is that my GPA is not so hot (B average) . But I did get a 28 on the ACT. I calculated my class rank and test scores and it shows that I fit into the ivy leagues "band system". But i'm just concerned that my GPA will hold me back from getting into the school itself. Any advice/guidance?</p>
<p>If the coach scheduled your OV, he must’ve seen your transcripts. They wouldn’t be spending the money to bring you out if your GPA was a dealbreaker. Obviously, the better can do on your tests, the higher your band and the easier it will be for him to work with you.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your invite!</p>
<p>I agree with varska. The coach likely knows from admissions what band you’re in and likely has a feeling for whether he wants to use one of his spots in that band for you.</p>
<p>A few somewhat random things:</p>
<p>Be prepared the respond to an offer on the Sunday of your visit and the likelihood that the offer won’t be held open for you for very long. Oftentimes coaches are forced to quickly move on to their next most favorite candidate if they don’t get a near immediate commitment from you so they don’t risk losing that candidate to another school.</p>
<p>Likewise, there is a chance that the coach might offer the place he was thinking of for you to another candidate who visits on an OV before you. Thus, you might be able to get some feel for how much the coach wants you by how early in January your OV is scheduled.</p>
<p>You may get some comfort by computing your Academic Index using either varska’s spreadsheet or the Dec 25 2011 NY Times article. For Dartmouth, the bands and the number of recruited athletes within each band are as follows (if not exact, then very close):</p>
<p>Band 4 (top): AI of 202+, 5 players
Band 3: AI of 192-201, 15 players
Band 2: AI of 184-191, 8 players
Band 1 (lowest): AI of 176-183, 2 players
(Note that my confidence level in the 202+ level of Band 4 and the number of players allowed in each band is high, the ranges of AI bands 1-3 are an approximation)</p>
<p>Very important - be very enthusiastic about Dartmouth to everyone you meet.</p>
<p>Understand that an OV is an entire weekend-long interview and everyone (including the players you meet and stay with) could be evaluating you at all times. This means no drugs, no alcohol, no sex - don’t do anything you wouldn’t want caught on video and shown to the coach or your parents or the police.</p>
<p>You might want to consider whether you want to ask Dartmouth if it is necessary for you to go on the OV to receive an offer. If they are willing to offer you without the OV, there is a risk that they could see something in you that causes them to second guess their offer. (Hat tip - John Reed (“College athletic recruiting lessons learned by a Miramonte Dad”)</p>
<p>Google the title of the John Reed article (above) and read it if you have not already done so. It’s a bit dated (mailing VHS tapes to coaches is no longer advisable, among other things) but contains much useful and relevant information.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding the foregoing, try to have fun and enjoy the process and get a feel for whether you would want to attend Dartmouth if you didn’t play football, and appreciate that you are being actively recruited by one of the best universities in the world.</p>
<p>If I think of anything else, I’ll post.</p>
<p>Feel free to post or PM me with any other questions.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>In addition to the above great advice, I’ll just add a couple thoughts about financial aid.
If college expenses are going to be a concern, I would advise asking the coach to facilitate a financial aid pre-read prior to your OV, In the event that things start happening quickly on your OV and you given a ‘Cinderella’ offer (turns into a pumpkin at midnight), you’ll be able to act confidently, knowing the financial situation.</p>
<p>On varska’s point - if financial aid is a determining in factor, keep in mind that the Patriot league now allows its schools to offer athletic scholarships to players.</p>
<p>I think each school is allowed about 15 football scholarships.</p>
<p>Some particular Patriot league schools, like Georgetown, are not offering athletic scholarships as a school policy.</p>