<p>DS was the rare one who improved a LOT on the SAT over the PSAT. Thank goodnes! Went from a 196 on the PSAT to a 2220 on the SAT.</p>
<p>I didn’t even know about the SAT subject tests last year! I’ll know for the next two kids, at least.</p>
<p>Thanks
He plans to do the subject tests this spring–as they follow the APs etc. So after all that prep–best to do them right away.
He will also prep some for the SAT, and take that for the first time (since 7th grade TIP program)…</p>
<p>Highly recruited Ivy athletes don’t need to stress so much about SAT scores. Of course you want to do the best you can, but I know in many sports (including my son’s which is not a super high profile like football or ice hockey), an 1800 is the bar they set. My son has a club teammate being recruited by Harvard (he also attends a private school…not one of the elite bs mentioned here, but a Boston area day school), and they told him the minimum for him (soccer) was 1800.</p>
<p>However, an athlete does not know if he is a top recruit until s/he is in the middle of the recruiting “dance”. High SATs will help them with admissions if they are only “supported” and not on the top of the coach’s list. Also for a school like D3 MIT, he’ll need top scores, no matter what sport.</p>
<p>fauve, if a student has scores/grades/transcript that is at least average for a school like MIT, and a coaches strong support, do you think that would be enough to get them accepted?</p>
<p>ihs76- If the scores/GPA are in the 25-75thpercentile for MIT, with strong coach support, then yes, the student’s chances are very good. Assuming, as coaches like to mention, that ‘there are no skeletons in the closet’ (character or recommendation problems, suspensions on record, etc.)</p>
<p>The CC Discussion homepage issued a welcome to the new MIT admissions rep lately. Maybe this would be a good question for him. At least we should welcome him to check on the athletics thread, since MIT comes up from time to time…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/803765-welcome-new-mit-college-rep-mcgmit.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/803765-welcome-new-mit-college-rep-mcgmit.html</a></p>
<p>I read an adcom input on MIT board before about this. They try to keep it vague, saying “coaches don’t have ‘slots’ but having said that, we do consult with the coaches. And of course, we don’t lower our standards.”</p>
<p>One of the HYP coaches told DS that “we can’t get ya in”…
AdComm has to like you, we have to like you, and you have to like us…</p>
<p>Hoping DSs grades and scores will be enough to be in the game and that the sport and ECs help sweeten the deal.</p>
<p>Do only the ivies use the Academic Index?</p>
<p>“coaches don’t have ‘slots’ but having said that, we do consult with the coaches. And of course, we don’t lower our standards.”</p>
<p>The weasel word (or phrase) here is “lower our standards.” The reality is recruited athletes can be admitted with a less spectacular academic profile than those who are not recruited athletes.</p>
<p>The Ivies don’t lower their standards for recruited athletes - it’s just that the majority of non-recruited athlete admits exceed the Ivy standards.</p>
<p>Reading the ED/RD admit/deferred/denied postings…there are many qualified candidates…</p>
<p>Could it be that the athletes are equally qualified but the sport is a hook ONLY if thats what the school needs…</p>
<p>…as opposed to the oboe player…kwim?</p>
<p>Yes, it’s important to find a school in need of your athlete’s talent and specialty. Reading the current team rosters can reveal exactly which positions or events may need to be filled for the following year. (All the pole-vauters are seniors, for instance.)</p>
<p>Fauve, After reading your comment, I checked the rosters of D’s top 3 favorite colleges to see how many seniors graduating - specific positions are not listed (sport is crew) - some rosters reflect a relatively high number of graduating seniors (more than 10) - do you think that is how many “slots” these coaches are given permission to fill?</p>
<p>Seems like a lot - but one can dream!!</p>
<p>My understanding about the way schools can legitimately recruit athletes with less than stellar gpas is that the entire team has to meet a certain index. Therefore, if one or several athletes exceeds the index, another athlete whose stats are lower than the index can be accepted. Don’t know how this matches up with the recruitment standards of the ivies though. Perhaps for them it’s moot.</p>
<p>In the Ivies, every athlete must meet a minimum AI (academic index). This minimum is one standard deviation from the mean AI of the general student body at each particular school. So, Harvard athletes, for example, must hit a higher AI than Cornell, because the student body as a whole has a higher AI. (Not hatin’, just sayin’). Now you can’t just bring in all kids who barely meet the minimum standard. There are different levels or ‘bands’ of AI and coaches have different numbers of openings available at each band.</p>
<p>Mayhew- In regards to the 10 crew slots you mentioned, I suspect some of those were walk-ons. However, if your D is a competitive HS rower, she will certainly have an advantage because there are never enough freshmen rowers to fill the boats. There is a large attrition rate in first year crew, especially when practices move in to the erg machines in winter, so the coaches need experienced, motivated rowers.</p>
<p>Fauve, That is good to remember about walk-ons…D is a competitive HS rower - obsessed with crew very tall, and has real affinity for this sport. Her 3 top schools have been very encouraging in regards to her ability, but still a long, long way to go, from junior fall to senior fall - ! It is so hard to know how legitimate very enthusiastic seeming coach interest is when there are so many potential candidates and such limited spaces on a team.</p>
<p>Mayhew- For now, you can only focus on keeping your D healthy, and on the right track academically. The year will indeed seem like eons, especially if you are already in contact with supportive coaches. My advice is to enjoy the high school years, and your closeness to D (assuming she lives at home). </p>
<p>Since your D has the athletic profile for crew (it’s great that she’s tall–coaches will likely want to recruit for the heavyweight/open team before the lightweights), your energy can be directed to the SAT I and SAT IIs (I assume she is interested in Ivies).</p>
<p>It is indeed impossible to know the true mindset of a coach, his/her neeeds and interest will shift many times before a real commitment. It’s a time to be fatalistic, as the end result is truly out of your hands. </p>
<p>But be comforted, crew really needs qualified rowers, and there are not so many out there. If your daughter has mid-range stats for her target schools, she will be well-positioned.</p>