<p>I am entering my senior year and need to decide pretty soon on a college, as I will be playing soccer wherever I go and that's just how the recruting season works. Having that said, I have already been offered a spot to play at Penn State (#1 Div. 1 seed last year) and am also considering Boston U and Penn.
The only problem is that I no longer think that I can get into Penn, even with the advantage of being recruted for soccer. </p>
<p>Up until junior year, my GPA was around 3.75, but two car accidents, several months out of soccer due to another injury, and them mono soon after I began to play again left me in quite an unmotivated and depressed state. (which could turn out to be a good essay topic..?) My junior year was awful and left me with a 3.2 GPA. I received an 1870 on my SATs but I know I can do much better if i take them again (I only got a 600 in math and that's normally my best test section :/ .) I've taken three APs so far, don't have my test results yet, and am planning on taking 3 more next year. I know I can pull around a 4.0 senior year which will pull me up some. </p>
<p>Given these stats, I know I have no chance at Penn without soccer. However, if their coach wants me for sure, how much of an impact will that make on my chances of getting in? </p>
<p>The person to ask is the COACH who will take it to ADMISSIONS. </p>
<p>If Penn is your first choice, you tell the coach you are ready to commit. See what he says. If he waffles you have a problem. If he says let's go for it, he'll take your file (and in my experience it can be unofficial transcripts and score reports but they better be legit when the official stuff comes in) to admissions and get thumbs up or thumbs down.</p>
<p>Be really upfront with the coach about your issues. He doesn't want to support a candidate who cannot be admitted. In my experience, they will let you know.</p>
<p>crip55 gives good advice, but let me throw in just a few caveats. First, if you are good enough to play for Penn State, the coach at Penn will really, really want you. He will try very hard to get you in. Should admissions be a little iffy, he will probably find a way not to discourage you while also making it clear that it's not a done deal (if he's an honest person). You'll need to listen hard between the lines.</p>
<p>The second thing you need to know is that a single bad year when you have been ill, injured, involved in auto accidents and the like may not hurt you as badly as you thought it would. You appear to have a VERY strong hook, and admissions is likely to (in Shakespeare's words) "look to like."</p>
<p>Have you considered other strong soccer programs at schools that are not quite as selective as Penn? Virginia comes to mind. I'm sure there are others.</p>
<p>The message here is that asking a bunch of college aspirants on a public message board is not going to get you the info you want! </p>
<p>The only person that can tell you if you have a shot at a particular school is the coach -- and he has the inside track with admissions. He can tell you if it's a possible. Or not. And most of them (emphasis=most) are pretty honest with kids about their chances. Most of them will tell you where you rank on <em>their</em> list. </p>
<p>And it's all about fit. Do you fit with with coach, the team, the <em>needs</em> of the coach and the team, the academic courses of study, and the academic qualifications. </p>
<p>It's a scary sort of summer with wild rumors flying around about who is committing where and when and which coach is on the phone and just how hot a property are you. And there are no agents fielding those calls like the pros ... it's just you and the coach and maybe your high school coach and your parental units.</p>
<p>But I will agree with Tarhunt. If you are good enough to be recruited by PennState ... and have the academics for Penn ... the Penn coach WILL want to talk with you and make a case for you with admissions.</p>
<p>Your scores should be fine if you're that good. If you do want to go to Penn though, you gotta apply ED. That way the coach knows you want to go so he/she will fight for you a lot harder. If you hold off and go RD if could hurt you a lot.</p>
<p>Having seen how this process works for D-IAA and D-III football, I agree with all the sentiments above, especially the ED part. Just make sure Penn actually is your first choice. There have been a bunch of NYT articles about how this process works that you might want to check out.</p>
<p>you need to talk to the coach. You NEED him to be rooting for you. Next, You HAVE TO explain your 3.2 junior year GPA on an essay. Talk to your GC to see if he can include the mitigating circumstances on his rec.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses. I've know that I should simply ask the coach, but the reason that I haven't yet is because I was worried that he would just say "no, I can't get you in, why have you wasted my time?" or something of the sort. </p>
<p>I just wanted some other opinions before I begin to really talk to him about a spot. I was also deciding whether of not to go out there next month for their camp, where final decisions will most likely be made.</p>
<p>Are you going to need finanical help? Talk with the coach. Their are a couple of concerns both atheletic and acedemics, first are your injuries going to restrict your soccer abilities? Can you handle the school load and the soccer load at any D1?</p>
<p>College soccer is going to be a bigger commitment than you might think. 20+ hours /6 days a week. Travel and training are going to put a real strain on your schoolwork. Are you up to it? </p>
<p>Talk to your coach, if the result is no we can't take you, then you have time to look elsewhere and find your fit. The longer you procrastinate the fewer options you'll have.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if I'm going to need financial help or not..
and no, my injuries are no longer a restrication. </p>
<p>As far as balancing the work load goes, that is why one of my other main options is Penn State- though it may be more remanding soccer wise, the school work load won't be nearly as difficult as at Penn. </p>
<p>The fact that I have to decide on what type of school I want, while keeping strongly in mind their soccer program, is pretty much the reason that I haven't already commited anywhere yet.</p>
<p>alannancp: who do you play for in tucson? I played for Sereno '86 Golden Eagles before coming to Penn...btw recruiting-wise talk to Coach Fuller he can definitely help you out with admissions I know a few guys who got offers from penn that had worse academics than you.</p>
<p>btw I don't play for penn as I had a really bad knee injury senior year that pretty much ended my soccer career.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice/info, but I am a girl and thus am talking to Coach Ambrose. It's assuring to know (whether it's unfair or not) that you know guys with worse academics who had offers from Penn. </p>
<p>And I'm sorry about your knee, during my last, most serious injury, just the possibility of it affecting my soccer career was awful.</p>
<p>In another week or so, (july 1st) you'll know who really wants you. You have 5 visits and I would suggest you take them, even if your mind is made up, just to be sure. Stay with the girls overnight, see if you like them. Can you get along with them? Chemistry? </p>
<p>Look closely at the school, this is an opportunity to get a good education at the end of the day. Coaching staffs change, coaches change as well. Remember recruiting is like dating, the letter of intent is the marriage certificate... 50% in up in divorce. The coach's personality and promises while recruiting you may not be the same after you get there, so really like the school the school you choose. </p>
<p>I don't know if I'd choose PSU over Penn for the reason you state. Think about it, what will you be doing 6 years from now? EDUCATION!
Ask about who pays for a fifth year or summer school? Ask. </p>
<p>alannancp: btw there is a girl on Penn women's team from Tucson you should talk to her she went to Catalina Foothills...you might know her.</p>
<p>dstark: I'm not sure how low but if the coach wants you badly enough he can really push for athletes with really low academics (probably 1100/1150 old SAT, etc.)...or a mediocre academic student could get a push into wharton.</p>
<p>OpiefromMayberry: July 1st is when coaches can call, the first day of my senior year is when I can make an official visit.
I know that getting to know the team is very important, and that is a reason why I am slightly favoring Penn State right now. I have met with their coach on an unofficial visit, I attended the PSU camp last year where I was able to meet some of the players and coaches, I trained with their assistant coach one summer several years ago, and I've planned another unofficial visit in July so that I can meet more of the team and get a feel for the program as soon as possible. </p>
<p>As for Penn, while I have been emailing their coach for quite a while now, I have not been able to meet with him or the team. And unfortunately, I am no longer able to attend their camp this summer due to schedule conflicts. There are also conflicts in finding a tournament that both of us will be at. </p>
<p>I'm sure that the soccer program won't be the sole reason for my eventual decision, but it is the factor most clear to me right now.
I need to figure out what I'm really looking for out of my college education. I'm pretty sure that I want to go to graduate school in whatever I decide to study (yes, even my major is quite undecided) in which case a degree from Penn would give me more gradute school options sheerly due to prestige. However, playing soccer there could take away from my learning leaving me extremely stressed out the whole time, maybe even transfering or dropping soccer-neither of which I would want to do. </p>
<p>At Penn State, the difficulty of my school work load would not be as great, but I could always decide to enter the honors program if I found I could handle it. And while the education at Penn State is obviously not as good as at Penn, it's still not half bad. </p>
<p>oh and, I'm a goalkeeper. </p>
<p>bern700: Thanks, I think I remember seeing that there was someone from Tucson on their roster. I'm pretty sure she graduated the year before my freshman year though. Even though I don't go to Catalina Foothills, almost half my team does and their coach coaches our club team, so I probably know someone who knows her.</p>