Previous comment was very specific that the restriction on walk-ons at Tufts was about the size of the pool facility available for a large men and women’s team.
Roster size IS a problem because they are a big team with a small pool. Would the coach take an impact walk on? Probably, but otherwise they are swimming at capacity am he is unlikely to take any extra kids.
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But, even with a small pool, they still have a larger roster than their NESCAC peers. I just think it’s unlikely that that would carry a larger roster with a larger facility in a few years.
I think that even with their large roster, it’s less likely they would take walk-ons than other places because 1) they have the fastest NESCAC program and even their less-fast swimmers are comparatively fast; and 2) they can get fast grad transfers.
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It is true that Tufts is fast. My d would have been able to swim or easily walk on any team on NESCAC BUT Tufts and William. My d would be 7 on the depth chart at Tufts where other team she will fall some where between 2 and 4.
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7th on the depth chart in her best event at Tufts? What about other events?
When you say she could have “easily walked on” at other NESCACs, is that based on direct coach communication stating that was the case that there would be an available roster spot, or just your assessment of times?
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Breast and IM. My assessment was based on the best times that the school had on swim cloud and talking to other swimmers on the team who used to swim with my d and prior experience that my older d when she was talking to the coaches.
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Based on the language in the original post “can the coach stop from her walking on Tufts swim team?” there seems to be a misunderstanding about what “walking on” actually means.
It doesn’t mean the athlete just signs up and is on the team. It means there wasn’t a standard recruiting offer/process, but the coach agrees to provide a roster spot based on tryouts or time cuts.
An assessment that an athlete could have “easily walked on” doesn’t really mean anything if a particular coach didn’t directly say that they would provide a roster spot. It’s not the athlete’s decision.
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This is true. While these examples are D1, we’ve recently had two conversations. One coach said their recruiting is complete and they do not take walk ons.
The other said walking on is possible IF a swimmer has Summer Jr cuts, which is a higher bar than the recruits (though those are close there is some wiggle room).
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But that doesn’t change the situation at Tufts. If she wants to go there, she has to accept the she will not be able to walk on. If something changes and she does get on the team, great, but it is very unlikely at this point (Aug, with school starting in weeks).
Can she get on the team as a sophomore? We don’t know All she can do is join the club team and work her hardest.
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Tufts is a fantastic school. must have been her absolute dream school…If she had the times and passion for swimming, didn’t your daughter consider the athlete recruit route at a school like Dartmouth?
Have you looked at the ”Power Index” on SwimCloud for the 2023 Dartmouth recruits vs the 2023 Tufts recruits? The former are significantly faster.
And as far as Ivy League vs NESCAC in general, for something like the 100 freestyle, the #16 time in NESCAC last season wasn’t even in the top 50 in Ivy.
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Huh? Can you clarify? I don’t think I understand what you mean.
Why should she have pursued a faster school?
Not to mention the “vibe” at Dartmouth is completely different than Tufts.
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As far as I can tell, the OP did not ask users to second guess their daughter’s decision. She’s attending Tufts which is a great school.
Congratulations. There is zero point in advising what the kid should have done, particularly when none of us knows her. The last thing we need is another 1700 post recruiting thread
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We talked last night. Another option is that swim with Crimson Aquatic and get better than future or close to Jr National while going to Tufts and transfer to Amherst if she does not like Tufts or want to do collegiate swimming.
It’s an option, but I would counsel against getting super-involved with anything not Tufts while she’s trying to incorporate herself into the community. The first two years at Tufts offer the easiest arrangement for meeting people and making friends.
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We also talked about that. Lol. She said that she has been swimming all her life and not to be on the team is a disappointment. But for he broken legs in the summer between her jr and sr yer she would have done very well. She was hoping that the coach will think forward and give her a chance. If not she would work hard while she is at Tufts and do her best. I am sure she will make some friends but she is a determined spitfire and her focus is swim and school. Who knows? May be she will get her chance as a second year student if that exit.
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Amherst was her second choice.
@Poetaung
Good luck to your daughter and congratulations on being accepted to Tufts! From what you have described, I am sure she will be successful with or without swimming. Who knows, she may find that once she gets into college, without the swimming she may pick up other interests.
As I am sure you know, it is a great school, and IMO, has a lot to offer vs. some of the other NESCAC and other LACs typically mentioned. Not casting shade on other schools, I am just a big fan of Tufts particularly as a bit of an outlier from the rest of the NESCAC (i.e. university, larger than the other NESCAC schools, city type campus in the Boston area, plus a great reputation).
Thank you. She picked Tufts for all the reasons you stated. It would have been perfect if she get to swim this year. I told her that you have to do what life dealt you and make things better. Thanks
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If it’s that important to her, is deferring enrollment and taking a gap year an option?
Based on your statement, I am assuming she was accepted at Amherst. Did she talk to the coaches before committing? We have a friend that was in a similar situation last year, and although she ultimately chose the school where she was not quite fast enough to walk on, there were ample discussions with the coaches where she had been accepted. There was also some advocating that happened by the club coach - is that something that can happen?