<p>I'm just wondering what GPA/SAT scores are needed to be accepted into Harvard as a student-athlete? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It depends on which sport, how highly recruited you are on a national level, and whether the team needs you for your position in that particular year. </p>
<p>If you are, for example, a top running back or quarterback, or recruited nationally in your sport, your SATs could probably go as low as 600s. For other players, 700s in all areas (SAT Is and IIs) have the coaches confident you can make it by admissions. For the sports which have many academically qualified players (cross-country, track, swimming, crew, lacrosse, water polo,tennis, etc., you would want 750s, like the rest of the general applicants.</p>
<p>It is best to ask the coaches directly, they will be happy to tell you what they need on your transcript for consideration.</p>
<p>If you take a look at the College Admissions section here, and go to Specialty Admissions, then Athletic Recruits subforum, you can read many discussions concerning this topic.</p>
<p>Here’s a very good article that may help you calculate your relative standing:</p>
<p>[Calculating</a> the Ivy League Academic Index](<a href=“http://home.comcast.net/~charles517/ivyai.html]Calculating”>http://home.comcast.net/~charles517/ivyai.html)</p>
<p>for ivies, and most colleges. if you talk to the coach will be the only way to lower you admission requirements. without the coach pulling for you, the admissions department wont be making any exceptions.
Sometimes the coach cant pull for you because of different reasons too
This happened to me, so I know how difficult it is.
I was a top prospect for baseball, and was being recruited by an ivy college. I was in contact with the coach repeatedly. But for some reason, they stopped contacting me entirely and I did not get in with just below average admission scores.
Its extremely hard being a student athlete, but I think its easier to at the Ivies. So pursue that method. Because Im at a public university and being the only smart person on the team is frustrating.</p>
<p>Depends. Top athletes can make it with 3.5 and 1800s. I’d say though that if you aren’t an All-American type recruit 3.8 and 2100s sounds more appropriate. A caveat - I did not believe this was true until experiencing it myself and hearing it directly from the coaches themselves - Harvard may ask you to apply and get in on your own, even if you are athletically up to par with their standards, if they feel you are someone with a decent chance of getting in on your own (they want to use those guaranteed slots on people they must use them on). Basically, yes, having an uber high GPA/SAT might hurt you. I’m sure all Ivies practice this to some degree in some of their departments - if you’re one of those kids, part of it is finding the program that will give you a slot even if you could get in on your own based on the numbers.</p>
<p>^^With admit rates around 7%, coaches don’t like to roll the dice with admissions. D had a 4.2 GPA, 2290 SAT and was a state champion athlete. Coach backed her with a likely letter. </p>
<p>Now if the athlete is someone they’d like to have, but don’t HAVE to have, they may tell them to give it a shot on their own or even send a letter of rec on their behalf - but they won’t play that game with a top prospect.</p>
<p>^ You’re right, they won’t play that game with a top prospect. In baseball, a top Ivy prospect probably means throwing low 90s, being legitimate SEC/Pac-10 starter material, and quite possibly losing you to the MLB draft right out of HS. They won’t play games with you then, but this is generally 0-to-1 recruits out of 6/7 for them. </p>
<p>If you’re anything below “top prospect” (still plenty recruitable and desirable; not the one guy they HAVE to get but definitely one of the seven they’ll slot), having really high academics can hurt. Straight from the horse’s mouth: “Now, your scores put you in a…unique situation, and it’s not necessarily a good one. We might talk to admissions and see what they think about your overall prospects of getting in because we only have 7 slots and don’t want to use them on guys we don’t need to use them on” (paraphrasing a little but this was the gist of what he said). A coach at another Ivy (the one I’ll probably go with): “As for your academics, I’m sure that some schools in our league will look at you and say, “Oh great, not only can he play for us but we don’t have to use a slot on him, he’s a freebie”; don’t worry, even though you could probably make it here without athletics we’re still definitely going to slot you and get you through the whole athletic recruiting process.” I’ve definitely gotten the same impression from other recruits I’ve talked to who also had near-perfect AIs, that this is something that happens in the world of Ivy League recruiting. There’s no question it has to do with the desirability of the athlete to some degree, but for most of us who aren’t necessarily professional-caliber as high schoolers, having top academics can ironically backfire.</p>
<p>You might want to talk to NESCAC coaches, where you will probably be a more desirable recruit anyways, because they are D3. They are very similar academically, but since they are D3, they don’t give as much of a boost to athletes. This is where higher scores and GPA’s become more valuable, because the coach can’t get a recruit in as easily. If the recruit already has high test scores/GPA, it become much easier to “tip” the applicant into being admitted. That’s my take at least.</p>
<p>Footballs totally different, you don’t need anything near a 2100 to be safe.</p>
<p>Dont worry about that, ivy baseball players arent top draft picks. More of a possibility in the lower rounds. Like me!</p>
<p>^ aye, hopefully me too. But heck, guys like Ryan Lavarnway and David Hale are making waves going in early rounds too!</p>
<p>College baseball > too long in the minors</p>
<p>You’ll need at least an average of 600 on each SAT test. Real impact players that are close, and are at least serious students and people, can do a little worse, but basically that 1800 overall score will be the minimum.</p>