In your situation I would lead in with athletic achievement (make sure to put name/class/personal best on subject line) and wait until transcript comes up. It will early on, but you don’t want coaches to not respond based on that off the bat.
SAT: IMO 1500+ at a very minimum 1450. You have to prep and go the best you can. Again, this will vary by school, by athlete AND by sport. The majority of Ivy athletes seem to go in TO these days, but my impression is that GPA is rarely too far off the mark.
1 Like
You are probably doing this already or will be, or may have a sibling that went thru this, though I would recommend thinking about what type of school you would like to go to and what types of schools would be a good fit, such as large university, small liberal arts, something in between, city urban or is it ok if the school is remote, do you know what you would like to study or major in, if not-what are some areas that interest you, etc., all Without T&F being a factor.
For our family, the cost was a factor so it makes it a little easier that it is not a factor for you. It may take a while to figure this all out but that is part of the process, and in the end it usually works out, if the best school fit is chosen for reasons other than playing the sport (just my honest opinion).
From my experience after going thru it, you may start off thinking you want a small liberal arts high academic school but in the end choose a large university with a solid academic reputation for what it has to offer, or vice versa.
If you are interested in the more selective higher end academic schools which may be a reach for acceptance, if any of those schools are of interest and on your list, reach out to the T&F coaches as that could be an avenue to help with acceptance.
Good luck! Keep up the good work!
1 Like
How off would you say my GPA is from the mark? It would be a 3.57 my junior year if they’re only looking at that. How low would you consider my chances to be say I get a 1500+ SAT?
I don’t think any one other than the coaches/schools can answer that. At the end of the day, it’s a combination of factors.
Listen to @recruitparent advice and find schools you love - safeties to reaches. Ask your college counselor for recommendations of schools they think might be a good fit.
Cross reference those with ones that have T&F programs for which you may be a competitive recruit, and reach out to the coaches. Ask them what they need to see from you, both athletically and academically.
It doesn’t matter what grades or scores. You should be doing the best you can regardless. Be smart about which classes you pick for Jr year and how they will impact your selection for Sr year. Think of yourself as a student first.
5 Likes
Thank you so much I appreciate it.
Great advice from others above.
I’d see where you are after this season and reach out to coaches the way @LurkerJoe suggests.
Definitely agree with others that you should cast a wide net, not focus on just one conference.
As far as what schools to add to the list, that’s a longer conversation that depends on your preferences and PRs. Maybe come back here after the season for more advice.
You don’t mention whether you’re a boy or girl. That probably matters a bit in figuring out athletic fit. Progression with girls tends to be a bit more predictable, whereas boys can make huge leaps between sophomore and junior years, especially in speed/power events.
As far as GPA thresholds, I really don’t know at what point coaches get concerned about that. Most of the Ivy athletes I know personally had really good stats and Track and Field in general is a high stat sport. But as others have said, I’d leave it to the coaches to tell you.
One thing to consider though is what kind of experience you want. Ivy and D3 athletics are often praised for the balance between athletics and academics. That’s true, but recruits need to consider if that’s the balance they want. There’s no virtue in suffering through thesis work or legit final exams during your competitive season if it’s not what you want. The balance is different at Texas or Duke or Notre Dame and those schools still offer a pretty decent education to athletes. So think about what you really want as you go through the recruiting process.
2 Likes
Perhaps this will come off as harsh, but here goes…
I’m not sure a student that has a B average in high school(so far) is a good fit for an Ivy League school. The academic rigor at these schools and other academically selective schools is well known. Add in the demands of being a D1 athlete. It is a lot.
I would think an Ivy League track coach would have hesitation about adding a low GPA student athlete unless maybe they are a “can’t pass up” athletic talent. Like NCAA national qualifying talent.
While I’m not saying to give up on what may be an Ivy League dream, you should cast a wide net for track recruiting.
2 Likes
There are plenty of high school B average athletes in the Ivy League, but they don’t tend to be track and field athletes (I’m sure there are exceptions). The B average athletes that I know in the IL do just fine in college.
I do agree (and said this in one of my above posts) that OP should cast a wide net, and if they are recruitable for the Ivy League, they will be desirable at many schools.
1 Like
Thank you for the honesty, I think I may have needed to hear this the most.
When applying would my junior year final GPA be the one displayed or my Senior year first semester GPA?
1 Like
Recruiting decisions will (likely) happen based on your end of junior year transcript/GPA. I say likely because some recruiting does go into spring semester senior year but not typically at the highly rejective schools.
1 Like
Your first semester Senior year GPA won’t be included in the grades you would apply with. Most Ivy coaches will want you to apply early, which means your application is done by early November. At best, any half year classes might be done by late December, but your GPA doesn’t get updated until classes are done. First quarter grades might inform your application, but wont really affect your GPA. There might be an Ivy coach that happens to have a slot open after early admissions, but this is fairly rare and arbitrary.
1 Like
While there are plenty of B students in the Ivy League, OP needs to think very clearly about what they want out of college.
Do you want to be going to school where you trend towards the bottom of the academic pile? If simply having the Ivy diploma is all you care about it might work out. If you want to go on to some sort of masters or PhD program it may be a rough road. If you want to take only the easiest classes in college maybe it’s fine. If you want to take challenging classes, be a math major, or physics major it may not work. What is your GPA blip due to? Is it the stress of highschool, or a one time life event - because college plus a D1 sport can be a lot to manage.
These are just things you need to ask yourself - Ivy league is great for lots of kids. But it is very important that you choose a school where you can thrive academically.
3 Likes