<p>I have been looking at liberal arts colleges, which are mostly Division III NCAA schools. As a Track and Field sprinter, and after doing some research, I realized i could be competitive in the DIII league. For example at Swarthmore, the fastest 400 meter sprinter ran around 49 seconds. Last year in my Junior year I ran a 50.8 seconds on the 400 meters, and I am very hopeful to go under 50 seconds.
Swarthmore is just an example, however most other Liberal arts colleges have their fastest 400 meter sprinter at around 49 seconds. Swarthmore is a college that I am interested in, but my scores and grades may not be good enough.
I have a 3.75 unweighted GPA (Full IB, IB Diploma Candidate) and a 2240 SAT. i also have my share of EC's, not super impressive but I think they're adequate.
I also know that DIII schools rarely or never give out athletic scholarships, however my question is if my athletic achievements will help me get into a college where my GPA may be a bit below the standard. Will my talent in Track and Field balance out my grades or are athletics not even considered when admitting students?</p>
<p>The adcom’s primary decision at highly selective colleges is whether they believe an applicant has a proven academic record that will allow them to succeed if admitted. I believe that your statistics are in the range that fit this description even if they are slightly below the “typical” admitted student.</p>
<p>Based on this assumption, your athletic abilities can be a huge boost to your application. Talk to the coach directly- if he is willing to go to bat for you in admissions, your chances should increase dramatically. However, if he is not interested in you then you will not gain any real advantage at all.</p>
<p>rmldad nailed it. E-mail or call the coach and express interest (or have your HS coach recommend you to him). If the coach wants you on the team you are golden.</p>
<p>You should post this in the Athletic Recruits section. There are many very knowledgeable, helpful posters there.</p>
<p>I agree, post this in Athletic Recruits (it’s under the Specialty College Admissions Topics section). But since you’re here: D3 coaches and programs vary a lot as to whether they have any pull with Admissions. I remember reading on CC that the MIT coach, for example, had no pull with them. We also had a long dialogue with the NYU coach who had some sway but wasn’t a miracle worker and was basically begging my son to re-take the SAT. In your case your stats are really good already, so the athletics should give you an additional edge. Also although D3 NEVER gives athletic scholarships (repeat <strong><em>NEVER</em></strong> thats verboten in D3), schools with a coach that wants you will often find academic money for you.</p>