My S is a rising junior and has finished the following 2 SAT subject test scores from this June test:
Math 2C : 770
Chem: 710
Would it be good enough for Ivy recruiting athletes (swimming) for 2 SAT subject tests or does he need to raise Scores up (specially chemistry)?
Your good with those scores as a recruited athlete.
How strong of a swimmer is he? What is his best stroke & what are the specialities of graduating seniors? This may make a difference. If he can take another subject test and get over 750, it would be helpful, especially if he wants to major in science/engineering
@bluesky999 if being recruited is a sure thing, yes, the 710 Chem is good enough unless going for engineering (at least it was for a recent Princeton recruit admit with a 720 chem). To be safe, you’d want the magic 750, if going into engineering.
Any chance for ~730 humanities score? Having a history / English / language mid-700 SAT II to pair with the sweet 770 Math II score would show good balance.
Good luck!
It also depends on what his Academic Index will be that will make him a contender for Ivy recruitment. So if he has strong GPA and SAT scores and his AI meets the minimum for a particular Ivy, then his SATII scores may be good enough. It’s best to ask the Ivy coach, and they will be able to tell you what their mandated AI score is and if your son’s AI meets the requirement. Obviously since he is a rising junior it will not be possible to calculate the AI now, but you can use various AI calculators online (although not accurate) to get a general idea of what he might have.
Thank you all tremendously for all your responses!
He is definitely NOT for any engineering major - maybe in education-psychology-economics field, but currently “undecided”.
He is in extremely competitive public magnet high school in Northeast with Uw3.75 GPA/4.0 as of the end of sophomore year. He has a few other EC (swimming and non-swimming related) and work experiences (nothing impressive but something he learns a lot about real life out of the pool).
Here is his swim stats:
50 free 22.50 scy
100 free 48.20 scy
200 free 1:45.20 scy
100 breast 1:01.30
200 breast 2:12.50
He probably will drop some time in his junior year (as he’s been consistently dropping) - but currently it is what it is as listed.
Can he even think about any Ivy recruiting with that kind of stats?
One more thing…
How about Boston college, Georgetown and Tufts with those stats above?
That SAT subject test scores are good for 74 points, 3.75 GPA is good for 77. The third leg is SAT or ACT, but more than likely he is sitting in good shape. Every coach will want higher, because you can bring up their average. But you should be good enough to be above the average, not below it.
No reason to take another in a humanity unless you think you might get a higher score. If you are an athletic recruit, the score is all that matters, they will average your 2 highest. They won’t care what subjects, it is strictly a numbers game.
I have nothing of value to add about swimming specifically. Since it is an “against the clock” sport, I assume you can look up how those times fare against their current athletes. I have heard that sprinters are more valuable than distance swimmers, because they end up competing in more events, therefore more opportunities to score points for the team. But that isn’t my area.
The academic index is a recruitment tool used only by the Ivy league. Some non-Ivy schools may use something similiar, but it is my understanding that those schools may be a little lax when it comes to grades and/or scores. But the best person to ask would be the coach of the school your son’s interested. I believe you can start emailing the coaches starting from Sept 1 of his junior year. But unofficial school visits and meeting with the coaches on campus can be done anytime, whatever grade the student may be. This year, while we were waiting to meet with an Ivy coach on campus, he had just finished having a meeting with a sophomore, who was supposedly one of the top ranked athlete in her sport.
@Bluesky999 – we just went through the process with oldest son – Brown and Dartmouth and top LACs (Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Pomona, etc.). As others have suggested, 700s (subject tests) are solid for recruited athletes.
But the swim times you identify are not nearly fast enough. Sample of times that are probably sufficient (still borderline) for Ivies:
50 free 20.9 scy
100 free 45.0 scy
200 free 1:40.00 scy
100 breast 57.0
200 breast 2:03
As a junior in high school with top academic scores, my son was top 250 (nationally) swimmer with multiple NCSA and USA Swimming Winter and Summer Junior National Cuts, and he drew only modest interest from Ivies except for Dartmouth and Brown. I would encourage you to consider top academic D3s where your son’s times would be more competitive. Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Wesleyan come to mind. My son landed at Williams.
Thank you, all, for taking your time to write and share your knowlege and experience!
This is extremely helpful!!!
@SwimDad99 - congratulations! Williams is the best. He will grow tremndously as an adult and as an athlete in next 4 years. So happy for him and so proud of him!
I will keep your suggested schools in my mind. Thank you for the very specific school names which I desperately need to gage the weight of our search at this point.
As this recruiting journey is about to embark, I tend to be more nervous… All your piece of wisdom and experience will sure help me to continue this journey with confidence and excitement. I don’t think there is “the one best” school out there for my son but rather there are “many good” schools for him out there - he would be the one that schooll -whatever it would be- makes “the very best” for him. He is in control!
Thanks for the nice note, @Bluesky999. You’ve got absolutely right attitude. The process can be great fun. Swimming is a terrific vehicle, and your son is quickly moving into that range where he can leverage up his college opportunities. My son would not have gotten into Williams without swimming.
If you like the NESCAC, again I’d encourage you to reach out to Bob Rueppel at Middlebury – he is a wonderful coach – as well as other NESCAC programs. At his current speed, your son should draw interest from Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Bates, Colby, Conn College, and others. Also, consider Grinnell, Swarthmore, etc. We also had a great experience with the new coach at Swarthmore, Karin Colby, and it’s a fabulous college – among the very best.
And I honestly believe that a young swimmer would likely get as good or better an education at any of the above schools than at just about any other college in the country (including Ivies). The LACs are just marvelous.
@SwimDad99, absolutely agree on pursuing NESCAC schools. While not a swimmer, our XC/track DD will be running in the NESCAC this Fall as the focus for her/us was on academics first and athletics second with the NESCAC being one of best conferences one could choose!