the athletic boost

<p>Is there one? This mom of a jock wants to know. He's also a triple legacy and a strong but not #1 student...(top 10%, 2000 in scores so far)...Williams is so hard to get into these days. But he's a superstar athlete...</p>

<p>If he’s a “superstar,” then he’ll be recruited, and that will be a tremendous help. If he can get his scores up and he’s really wanted by one of the coaches, he should be admitted ED.</p>

<p>There is one. He’ll probably get in.</p>

<p>with driscol. There is not an athletic boost unless you are a RECRUITED athlete (in other words, good enough to definitely play on a varsity team). You can be a star athlete in high school and yet be nowhere near good enough to play at Williams. Being a star athlete (but not a recruit) is a nice dot on the resume, but no different from anything else (playing an instrument, doing community service, etc.). Only if you are good enough that a coach will want to push for you with admissions will athletics be a boost. And if that is the case, the coach will likely be able to give you a pretty good idea whether you’ll be admitted. I’d reach out to the coach of your son’s sport directly … if he is good enough to be an impact player in a varsity sport at Williams, with triple legacy and over 2000, his odds are certainly very, very good. </p>

<p>Absent being recruited for a sport, being a triple legacy will help too, but less than it used to … more of a tiebreaker these days. But, it does allow you to schedule a meeting with admissions at which you would get more insight than the average applicant regarding your odds of admission.</p>

<p>I would be a bit leery of the admissions interview. I know of several cases with negative results.</p>

<p>One young man had stellar stats and was a double legacy. I guess admissions considered him a bit boring in that the had the standard science orientation toward medicine. Still, on paper he was a great candidate.</p>

<p>He was told that he would probably not be admitted to Williams and should aim for Colgate.</p>

<p>The mother was very distraught. Looking at his vita I thought this was a harsh assessment. He was deferred ED. At this point I told the mom he would probably be admitted RD, which he was. However, by then the bloom was off the rose for Williams and he went to Dartmouth, not Colgate.</p>

<p>This colored their alum experience for the parents.</p>

<p>My D had a very positive experience with the legacy interview. It was very candid (D was told the major weakness in her app thus far was slightly low scores, i.e. not 34 or above ACT and subject scores that weren’t in the mid to high 700s) and she was told not to apply ED as many of the spots are reserved for athletic recruits. But she was also told straight up that she would be a good candidate and that her arts supplement (she is interested in theatre) could give her a big boost. The interviewer also gave her good feedback on the rest of her list and his perception of her chances with those schools. Even though she felt she will probably not get in, she decided to apply anyway and we will see what happens in a few weeks. Not sure that Williams is her absolute first choice anyway so while she will be disappointed with a rejection or wait list it won’t be the end of the world.</p>