Lacrosse has been a big passion of mine and I would really love to play in college. I have recently been thinking about transferring to either Choate Rosemary Hall or Phillips Andover Academy because my current school has a very small and not very dedicated lacrosse team. I’m really interested in joining a school with a larger program, however I’m really worried about what this transition could do to me academically. I’m currently going into my sophomore year oh high school and would be transferring for junior/senior year at a new school. I’m worried that if lacrosse does not work out and one of these schools ends up being too difficult I would end up at a university I wouldn’t be happy with. Also my current school has no APs, no honors, no awards and no rankings, would this have a large impact on my transcript at a new school? I’m really conflicted and I’m not sure what to do!! My current school had strong academics but very poor athletics and I want a school with both, but in worried going into junior year at Andover for example would destroy me! (I also have redone a year so I am not looking to redo again) thank you!! Please help!!
First of all…one does not just “transfer” into either of these schools, which are among the most selective in the country (even if you are coming from a school like Concord…reading into your avatar). Second, the number of available spots available for Junior or Senior year goes down precipitously from Frosh/Soph years (so do the number of applicants, but still not great odds).
Regarding lacrosse…here’s the $64,000 question: How good are you? Are you Div1 recruit material? Has any scholastic or club coach told you as much?
I ask because if you are thinking about playing in college, I don’t think either school you mention is any sort of Div I “feeder”. I quickly reviewed the most recent posted rosters of UNC and Maryland (I assumed you were a male), the teams that played in the national final last season…and not one player is from Choate or Andover. If you are serious about lacrosse, my scan of those two rosters says you should be looking at Salisbury, Governors, Hill, or Avon Old Farms.
FWIW, many of the BS mentioned on this forum do not have AP classes…they simply don’t believe in teaching to a test. Of course, many of their students do take AP exams and do just fine on them.
Note that since you are a sophomore and considering applying for your junior year…there is really nothing “urgent” about your situation.
@sgopal2 I have to disagree about the commitment. While many kids do commit early these days, an equal number commit in their junior and senior years. I know many of both. In fact many early commits never attend the school because they didnt get in or because the school discreetly told them, we are no longer interested. The best way to get exposure in Lacrosse is to 1)play on a competitive team that will have exposure to NCAA coaches and 2) attend some camps at the schools you are interested in attending. These coaches cant be everywhere… In team sports, It is not as simple as if you are great they will find you…
In fact @Bullatt might be better off going to a good public school with a good lacrosse team.
@Center@sgopal2@SevenDad Thank you for your reply! I am in close contact with coaches from the schools I mentioned and I understand nothing is ever certain in the admissions process. My overall question is if offered admissions would you (in my situation) attend the school with a risk of falling behind academically but a lacrosse program you’re happy with or stay at a school with a good academic fit but very unhappy athletic program? I also am only looking at these schools because I have gotten interest from staff and parents are pushing. I also play for #1 program in my area. In regards to commitment I have gotten interest from college coaches.
This is a very difficult question to answer. Going to a top boarding school will definitely be more difficult academically than staying at your current school (not to say that Concord Academy is a bad school by any means).
But many student athletes are able to handle the extra academic load without adversely impacting their sports. I know of many lax players who are already committed by 10th grade. This doesn’t mean you can’t get the attention of college coaches though.
If you play for the #1 club team in your area then it seems like you should be good to get some more college coach exposure. Are you sure you want to risk all of this to attend a more academically challenging boarding school?
What type of college are you looking for? (NESCAC, Ivy, Div 3, etc)??
Isn’t it enough to play for the club team and go to camps? And can’t CA be as difficult as Choate or Andover, depending on the classes you choose? I have no experience with lacrosse but am just curious!
If you haven’t already, I would advise you to look into MA club lacrosse programs such as the clams, laxachusetts, 3d or primetime. The club you play for is often more important than the school you attend in terms of exposure. If you don’t think you could make the teams listed above, transferring because of lacrosse is most likely unnecessary.
I respectfully disagree with @SevenDad’s point about PA not being a major feeder to top programs. If you look at the recent 2017-2020 D1 especially Ivy league commits, a large number do come from PA. This doesn’t mean that I think that you should apply to PA, especially if you are concerned about keeping up academically.
If you are truly committed to pursuing a new school, my suggestions are Deerfield, Belmont Hill, Gov or MX. There are also very elite feeder programs at schools that aren’t mentioned much on CC such as Seten Hall Prep, Boys Latin, Chaminade and Darien. You may want to consider doing a PG year instead of transferring. (*= strongly recommend for your circumstances)
I totally defer to LaxPrep on this…my interest in lacrosse is only peripheral (a kid I know was on Tewaaraton Watch List this season so I watched a lot of NCAA playoffs). He is correct in that if you scan the Princeton and Brown rosters (I didn’t look into commits), there are a number of PA grads. But as he mentions, no more than say, Chaminade.
Currently play for one of the clubs you named actually and from your username I think we speak the same language ;)! As I said above I only said Andover and Choate because I have been in contact with coaches and admissions. I’ll definitley take a look at MX, I did apply to govs and was accepted, but did not choose to attend, so not sure if I’ll rekindle that flame. (Can’t do Bel Hill because boarding reasons) I’ll definitley consider the PG option but only if I make a verbal commitment with a school within next three years. I’ve got a lot to think about in the coming months… Thank you!