<p>Does anyone know if Wash U in St. Louis offers athletic slots? I know they actively recruit, but I'm curious if they can protect a player through admissions if they have the grades/stats, etc. For example, University of Chicago can protect players with a set # of slots per sport. Other schools (ex. MIT) can only boost (or tip) a player's chance for admission. </p>
<p>Does WUSTL operate more like the University of Chicago or MIT? Thanks.</p>
<p>At WashU the coach can provide admissions support and it definitely makes a difference, but there is also no guarantee that if the coach supports you, you’re in. (Track and XC)</p>
<p>I don’t really know the answer to this in terms of the “tip” “slot” language but it’s a very legitimate question to be able to ask a coach if they are recruiting heavily. Your position is that if your kid is being recruited by another school - say a nescac - you have a right to know what chances you are taking with a commitment. Most coaches will be up front with you - if you know the right questions to ask.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I was hoping to find some anecdotal evidence from the CC community that they do in fact protect players once they have obtained certain test scores/grades. My son is no longer being recruited by Wash U since he let the coach know he accepted a verbal offer elsewhere (an ivy and his clear favorite). However, we know it is wise to have a back-up plan and after visiting many schools, Wash U is definitely his #2, so he is trying to find out the policy without directly asking the coach. </p>
<p>Varska and ChicagoMama…I’m relatively new to this forum, but I very much appreciate the advice you have both provided on these boards! Thank you.</p>
<p>From an interview posted online with Jeff Stiles (XC coach at Wash U) <a href=“The Coach's View Archives - Tier One Athletics”>http://www.tier1athletics.org/category/the-coachs-view/</a></p>
<p>Question: Obviously, WashU is very academically competitive, are you able to support recruits through the admissions process and how does that all work?</p>
<p>Answer: We definitely can support students. Now, ours is different than my understanding of some schools where they can have guaranteed admission spots. At some schools, they’ll crunch numbers and if you hit minimum numbers, they can get you in. And that’s not how it is at WashU. Here, they’ll absolutely take the coach’s input, and there are times when that probably is the difference. But it’s not one of those things where upfront we’re going to know who that is. So there’s definitely the opportunity for support, it definitely makes a difference, but there are also no guarantees that if you hit this number and the coach supports you, you’re in.</p>
<p>slk1022:</p>
<p>Where did you obtain the information that University of Chicago can protect a certain number of players with slots? I ask because that is a question that my junior S has in trying to compare prospective opportunities at excellent academic schools. I was under the (hopefully incorrect) impression that the coach at U of C merely had “input” into the admission process but that no formal mechanism exists like the likely letter relating to bands at the Ivies or the pre-read relating to slots at the NESCAC schools. Thanks. </p>
<p>Experience I have witnessed, albeit one data point, is consistent with zenator’s understanding.</p>
<p>Our experience with UChicago has been the same. Coach’s support can help a bit, but there are no slots or tips as far as we can tell. Even though the Coach was very interested and my D is in the academic range, we were not able to get a formal pre-read from admissions either. </p>
<p>UChicago is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I spoke with a wrestling recruit who had some coach support during the EA round but, much to his disappointment, was deferred. He did, however, receive a LL for RD and was admitted. A LL at UChi? I was pretty surprised at that, too.
(@slk1022 - thanks for the blog link)</p>
<p>Varska: Thanks for the insight. My junior son (football) is receiving a lot of attention from U of C following last summer’s camps even after disclosing his 3.2 gpa as of end of sophomore year. We have been puzzled since it suggests that head coach either forgot or may have a lot more pull than conventional wisdom suggests. Know for a fact that some head coaches at non-slot top D3 schools have the pull to get certain recruits admitted. </p>
<p>Depends on the coach/sport/player talent at U of C. Let’s just say I have multiple data points that suggest protection is available for a few players . Over the years, many strong athletes are told they have cleared admissions before the 11/1 EA deadline. In each of these cases, this “protection” seemed reserved for the strong D1 caliber athlete with a 28+ ACT, 3.4+ gpa, and good recs from hs counselor and coaches. For the D3 caliber athlete, the player is told to shoot for 31+, 3.7 gpa and the coach will lend support, but the outcome is not guaranteed. </p>
<p>slk1022: Thanks. Your analysis explains much. It appears that U of C is basically using the same criteria with the same result as a top NESCAC uses in granting a slot. </p>
Well U. Chicago basically told us during our October visit, let’s wait to see if you’re admitted. Wash U. didn’t even give us that courtesy, so when the acceptance to Dartmouth came it was a wrap.
Congrats @schoolhouse! In some ways, the process for getting into an ivy school is a bit more straightforward than the UAA or NESCAC schools.
For the benefit of future applicants…I know two athletes that applied early to U of C and were told they were “protected” through admissions. Keep in mind, these two players were D1 caliber players with gpas > 3.7 (unweighted) and ACT scores 30+. They were both given an informal pre-read in the fall and eventually admitted in December. Another three players that were recruited by the coach but given the “love to have you on the team…let’s see if you’re admitted” speech were all deferred despite their academic credentials. Two of these players had an ACT score of 34.
The “I would love to have you on the team…” unfortunately means the player is not protected. Hopefully these kids will get in during the regular round. I will post an update.
The irony my son wanted to go to a UAA school. Wash Chicago Rochester or Case and we chose those school just because of location and the whole Ivy thing but I thought some of those coaches were full of themselves
And the power they held anyway, if we do get a chance to correspond with them I will be sure to note that a D1 spoke first.
Just as a follow-up to post #13, only one of the three deferred students (and athletic recruits) was eventually admitted to U of C. This student athlete has exceptional stats, but was probably not a highly recruited athlete.