<p>hey guys, i wasn't sure if i should put this in the athletic recruits forum but i figure since all the w&m insiders post here, i might as well post here.</p>
<p>sooo i've heard two things about admissions for athletes... one person has told me they do blind admissions (adcom doesn't know about recruitment) but a thread about a year ago says that coaches can put a word in. anybody have any info?</p>
<p>btw, i play golf, and am in the early stages of talking to the coach. maybe the sport has something to do with it?</p>
<p>I’m not an athlete, but I’m almost positive that being a recruit will help you be admitted. I’d be shocked if coaches didn’t contact the admissions office about certain recruits.</p>
<p>Maybe the sport does have something to do with how much of a boost you gain in admissions, I don’t know.</p>
<p>But I’m pretty sure that just being an athlete and the coach putting in a word for you means you get in automatically. You still have to have a good high school record that shows you will be able to succeed academically at W&M. </p>
<p>If you go through the athlete profiles on [<link href=“/index.css” title=“base styles” rel=“stylesheet” type=“text/css”> <table class=“framework” cellpadding=“0” cellspacing=“0” width=“1019”> <tbody><tr class=“framework” valign=“top”> <td class=“framework” colspan=“2”> <im](<a href=“http://www.tribeathletics.com”>http://www.tribeathletics.com</a>), you’ll notice that a lot of them were actually members of the National Honor Society. I’m also pretty sure that we have one of the highest graduation rates for student athletes among Division I schools.<p></p>
<p>So, what I’m trying to say is that being a recruit will probably help a lot as long as your academic transcript is up to par.</p>
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<p>Probably the best way to approach the recruiting process is to remember that nothing is guaranteed. There are lots of stories out there (including on CC) about prospective student-athletes being given the impression by coaches that they’re a sure thing, and then get left holding the bag. Even an athletic scholarship doesn’t guarantee admission. </p>
<p>W&M does have slots for athletes. These are “reserved for academically qualified athletes in the admissions process.” I’ve never seen what those academic qualifications are, but I’d hazard that they are generally lower than the student body as a whole, as the average SAT for scholarship athletes is about 200 points lower. What that means to me is that if you’re in the ballpark academically (and you still have to fill out an application, by the way), the coach can use one of these slots for you, and more or less get you into school. But that of course depends on a combination of your academic record, your athletic ability, how many slots the coach has (for golf, probably not many, given the size of the team and the fact that most golfers aren’t rockheads and don’t need help getting into school), and the other recruits he’s chasing. </p>
<p>Coaches can also appeal to a special Faculty Athletic Review Committee for “students whose home backgrounds, personal circumstances, or exceptional athletic promise warranted closer examination,” but this is rarely used at W&M.</p>
<p>Whether or not this counts as coaches “putting a word in,” know that there are mechanisms for coaches to help recruits gain admission. If you want to know more, or are confused about the process, ask the coach. A responsible coach should have no problem laying this out for you, especially if you couch it in terms of how it works and not how you can get a slot.</p>
<p>Oh, and be sure to fill out those NCAA clearinghouse forms. Good luck with it all.</p>
<p>Thanks guys - very informative. I just set up a telephone conversation with the coach for Thursday, so hopefully he’ll be able to confirm everything said here.</p>
<p>there are definitely spots for athletes. And obviously the coach will know all the information. Just because there are spots for athletes, does not mean that they let anyone in. It doesn’t do the student, the school, or the athletic team any good to recruit someone who isn’t going to be able to hack it on the academic side.</p>
<p>here are some documents you might be interested in:</p>
<p>W&M has an admission dean who serves as a liaison with athletics so he helps the Athletics Department and its coaches in the admission of athletes. There are a variety of ways in which student athletes can be admitted and that depends on the individual student athlete, the overall applicant pool, and sometimes the sport. The admission liaison to athletics is tasked with keeping the Admission Committee informed about which athletes are being recruited so that the Committee knows which students are likely to add their talents to W&M athletics. Certainly one’s status as a recruited athlete is a plus factor in the review process.</p>