<p>I run track and field and my projected junior year times for outdoor track should be good enough to compete at an ivy league level. Future success MAY include high places at the stateand national level (my relay team has a good shot at atleast reaching all-american status) it also probably helps that my coach personally knows a sprint coach at brown, one of the schools at the top of my list</p>
<p>Now I like to think I'm a pretty good student but probably not good enough for a regular ivy league applicant. I took the october SAT's and ended up with a 1940, ( I believe i can reach 2100+ with some work) and i'm in the top 11% (right now i just missed top 10% :( ) of my class</p>
<p>If every thing pans out the way I hope and all the pieces come together I really want to look into some great academic schools like the ivies, maybe some top LAC's too, but where do i need to be academically to even be considered? </p>
<p>Also any other advice/info on the recruiting process, talking to coaches, and those pesky "likely letters" is greatly appreciated! thanks</p>
<p>I was recruited to an Ivy with less then a 2100 SAT, so I think you will be fine of you retake it and score a little higher! As far as my experience went, it really depends on your athletic ability as to how much they are willing to sacrifice as far as your academics.</p>
<p>what events? There is a little more elasticity with scores with some events, like say short sprints or weights, than long distance runners, where plentiful applicants with Ivy league academic credentials are on the market.</p>
<p>ryan9931:
thanks for the advice man wish me luck!</p>
<p>beenthere2:
I take 4 AP’s this year and plan to take 5 my senior year</p>
<p>trackpop:
I run the 400 hurdles, 55/110m hurdles, and will probably be able to run a competitive 4 and 8… I also high jump pretty good maybe not good enough but its a good second event that would make me a little more useful</p>
<p>I think 400 hurdlers have lower standards for times because I see so few of them running for these academic-first schools. Hopefully thats a good hook for me</p>
<p>fogfog is absolutely right in advising you to research the Academic Index (AI). Ivy League coaches are required to meet a certain threshold in the average AI of their team - that is why grades and scores are as important as athletic ability. The key word here is average. Not every athlete needs to meet it, but the team as a whole must meet it. The implications of that are that if your academics are below the coaches’ AI expectation, but your athletic ability is above their expectation, you can be balanced out by a smarter recruit. Coaches look for highly academically qualified athletes (even if they are slightly slower) to balance out athletes with lower scores and grades. If you’re worried that you won’t be able to hit the right scores and grades, then make sure you are a good enough athlete.</p>
<p>thanks historian i looked it up and i think i can qualify pretty well if i work on my sat scores a little bit but thats a lot of good information man.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if all coaches can guarantee likely letters if I can meet the academic standards and the coach wants to recruit me?</p>
<p>^ NO
Coaches cannot guarantee likely letters…
LLs are an ivy tool
Whether you are recruited will depend on where you are on the list of other prospective students.</p>
<p>What year are you now?
How do your stats stand up athletcially to other top athletes nationally?</p>
<p>I’m a junior and my projected time for this year would put me in the top 100 for my best event the 400m hurdles… </p>
<p>the 400m hurdles is not exactly extremely competitive in the ivy leagues which i believe could help my cause.
i’ve checked many ivy mets too, including the heps, and with that time i could already be fairly competitive without even considering improvement through my senior year which is when most high school track athletes reach their full potential (as a high school athlete of course)</p>
<p>and fogfog can a coach still attempt to get me an LL if not guarantee one?</p>
<p>To repeat what fogfog wrote, coaches cannot issue likely letters. Only the adcomm can issue them, and to the best of my knowledge, only after you have formally applied to the Ivy. A coach may be able to get a pre-read based for a recruited athlete’s transcript and standardized test scores to ensure he is using a “slot” wisely BUT the final admissions decision is up to the adcomm.</p>
<p>well i knew they couldn’t issue them 3kidz2college, i was just wondering if they could request one or attempt to get me one or have a good shot at talking to those friendly admissions people sorry if i didn’t make that clear.</p>
<p>and MDmom1314, I ran 57 in the 400 hurdles as a sophomore, but i got hurt the second half of the season. im hoping to break that and get close to 54 this year but i may have to settle with a 55. I can run 7.9 in the 55h and our shuttle hurdle team has a chance in to place at indoor nationals and get all american status. I may also be able to put up a decent pentathalon score.
My projected times/jumps for this year include
400: 51
800: 2:00
110h: 15.5
high jump: 6’4"
long jump: 21
triple: 42 or 43</p>
<p>i know they are only projected but they are reasonable and completely within my reach. its just i dont have many good PRs cause of my injured sophomore year</p>
<p>A coach won’t even “attempt” to ask for a LL for you unless you are a top athlete that they really want for the team. Your athletics have to be the top in the nation for your sport. </p>
<p>That means not “projected” times – but actually verified times/stats.</p>
<p>Then your academic stats need to be like all other admits—meaning 700s across the board, and strong GPA etc. whatever the avg is for the freshman admist. You can look at that infor on the web at each schools web site., Look for “common datat set”. Sometimes it is called “freshman profile”.</p>
<p>So–let’s say your tops in your events and have best times in the top nationally…
and you have been in contact with the coaches with your academic stuff…your athletic stats etc since Jr yr…(meaning you need to be in the recruitable range by end of Jr yr)…
Summer after Jr yr–you send your unoffical copy of your hs transcript (ask the registrar at your school) and test scores to the coaches along with your athletic stats.</p>
<p>During the summer the coaches are getting pre-reads of the athletes who make the cut for the teams standards (recruiting) and the coaches are asking the admissions people if the kids are admissable academically. (GPA and test scores)</p>
<p>Fall of that yr if the students are both potentially wanted by the coaches AND admissable by admission, the students may get an OV invite.
Coaches bring in more students for OVs than they have slots.</p>
<p>From the OVs, the coaches then decide who is at the top of their list etc and offer to ask the admissions for that student to get a LL. The student must provide a fully completed (essays, test scores, LOR ) app to admissions. Admissions will review the app and typicaly issue the LL. Though there have been cases where kids do not get them for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>The reason for the pre-read is to not waste the coaches time and money flying someone in who in the end will be denied. </p>
<p>So you need to be on top of your game so to speak–both athletically and academically…This yr as a Jr is very important.</p>
<p>coaches will and do issue LLs with less than 700’s on the Sat and iffy GPA if the athletics are stellar - we see this even on this board all the time, so that’s not the issue here. It’s whether his projected times will translate into reality and if they are competitive with other athletes.</p>
<p>Fogfog’s post #14 is an excellent summary of the LL process. This timetable isn’t set in stone, though, and can vary among sports, schools, and applicants.</p>
<p>As examples:
S had unofficially visited his top choices junior year and narrowed his list to three schools by summer before senior year. Support for LLs was offered with no need for OVs. He applied to his #1 choice in September and had a LL in October. He took an OV only as an afterthought to confirm his decision.</p>
<p>D did unofficials junior year and picked a D1 non Ivy T 10. Applied and accepted ED, no official visit.</p>
<p>Coaches absolutely do NOT issue likely letters. The best they can do is push for you with their liason in the admissions office and they can usually be trusted when/if they tell you that you will receive LL from admissions BUT my DS did not relax until the admissions office called to say LL would come and it did. Even so, still nervous and waiting for admit letter. We have indeed heard of coaches being innocently or intentionally misleading to prospects. Also, a coach should say he is “committed” to you and let you know that you have “coach’s support” with admissions before you go any further. Good luck to all.</p>
<p>depends on sport - our son’s official visits were all in fall of sr. yr. spring of jr yr he was invited to recruiting days and he was pursued by phone over summer. visits all completed before ED/EA deadlines so app could be submitted and LL received before deadline. This leaves time to apply elsewhere if LL does not come through.</p>