<p>So a friend of mine is being is at/near the top of the recruiting list for a varsity sport at Harvard and has the following stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 740/740/730
SAT II: 730/760/780
GPA: UW 4.0, first in class
APs: 5, 5, 4, 4, 3 </p>
<p>The only concern he has is writing an essay/talking in the admissions office interview about his sport, which is really his main EC aside from a few school clubs. Would something like that hold him back from a likely letter since he's re-emphasizing a certain aspect of himself?</p>
<p>If he is a recruited athlete, he would be at a level where his time commitment to his sport is extremely high. Adcoms will expect the sport to be his main (or only) EC, so no he won’t be at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>He certainly could receive a likely letter.</p>
<p>Academically, this friend of yours might be one of the strongest athletes Harvard is recruiting. I know people who have gotten likely letters from Harvard with SAT scores a few hundred points lower and sizably lower GPA’s. The rest of the application doesn’t matter nearly as much as it does for the rest of us mortals if the coach really wants the student. Being recruited is about your sport, not your academics. As long as they think you can do decently well at Harvard, you’re in if you’re good enough. Adcoms treat recruits very differently than the rest of the applicant pool, regardless of the flowery dogma they tell you at info sessions and online.</p>