I GOT ACCEPTED TO STANFORD OMG!!!!!!!!!! Now if only I could run there....

Seriously though, for ANYONE OUT THERE interested in walking onto a college team, regardless of your race times, EVEN IF THE COLLEGE COACH GIVES YOU THE OKAY TO WALK-ON...

I would consider whether or not you can AT LEAST keep up with the daily training pace (e.g. maybe 6:20-6:30/mile for mens teams; maybe 7:00/mile (and maybe a tad slower) for womens teams...just a rough guess...

I say this because if you are so much slower that you can't even go on everyday training paced runs with teammates, then you probably should consider a different running program at a less competitive school.

I had a roommate who walked onto the D1 Providence College team. He was a low 2min 800m guy in HS and was so exhausted from the training that he slept 14-15 hours a day and his roommates thought he was sick all the time. He also then ran like crap in his races - 2:08+ 800m races in the PC Friars uniform is performing a little below expectations

That is the the coach's fault

OH MY GOD!!!! wrote:

I got accepted to Stanford early admission today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This has given me incentive to work REALLY hard to MAYBE get a chance to walk on to the team...

Go and walk on. Maybe you can become like Stephanie Wilson of Santa Clara. A 5:34 miler in high school. Now she a D1 Cross Country All-American. You only lose if you do not try.

Good luck.

male here. my first race ever in high school as an age 16 sophomore, i ran 2:47 for 800m - last place for guys in the race and i lost to some girls too in that time trial...embarrasing...

for my PRs by the end of high school, improved to 5:14 1600m and 11:02 3200m... thought id have ZERO chance of running in college

then, i ran for a solid D3 program, and now that ive just finished college, i just ran 27:56 for 8K, not that great by most peoples competitive running standpoint but considering where ive been im surprised at the progress

still improving to this day, it's a lot of fun

revenge of the nerds BABY

What if you run your training days slower? 7:00/mile for women?

You do know that Jordan Hasay runs her easy runs 7:15-30/mile? I guess she shouldn't run at these teams because they go too fast...

hmmmmmm? wrote:

What if you run your training days slower? 7:00/mile for women?

You do know that Jordan Hasay runs her easy runs 7:15-30/mile? I guess she shouldn't run at these teams because they go too fast...

man i couldnt agree more that all the college kiddies go way too fast some days. you're right, maybe for women it's more like 7:15-7:30 and for men it's 6:45 to 7:00'ish.

i have no clue i just pulled these nos out of my behind. i just am trying to make a point that it's usually[/] not fun (for most people) to run for a school if you can't even keep up on an easy day with the slowest person on the team....so this is something to definitely consider if it's one of those teams (like a D3 team) that takes everyone

Say you're a 28+ min 8k xc walk-on guy and most of the guys who are your teammates are 25-26 min 8k'ers and are running 6:20-6:45 pace frequently with ease. now i agree that most of these guys in college, even the super fast ones, should probably be running slower to begin with (we know Wejo did 7min pace in Flagstaff),

but some 29min 8k kids strain to do this, and if it would be a too much of a strain, then perhaps the XC/Track program at such a school is NOT a GOOD FIT and therefore should consider elsewhere (e.g. a D3 program with a greater range of abilities of athletes on the team)

OH MY GOD!!!! wrote:

I am a girl, I know the team is good (though underperformed a bit this year).. it would be crazy to be on it haha. But can't hurt in trying to walk on.. :)

ok. if you are serious, you have to have the best, high mileage summer of your life, run some road races to keep your speed and leg turnover up and show up in August for workouts in the best shape of your life. You show the coach that you are in shape and can keep up (to a degree) and you will be welcomed. if you just 'show up' after not doing much all summer....forget it.

No one has been accepted into Stanford for next year. Acceptences don't START getting sent till April. You have all been duped.

that's ok. my advice would apply to anyone thinking of walking on to a team. it might help someone.

I applied but I'm Asian. Stanford alums tell me I have 1/3rd the chance of a getting in as a White person.

You want the Internet, miracle medicines, miracle vaccines, space station, hypersonic aircraft, 3-D TV, supercomputers, etc. Then you need the best people at Stanford, UCSB, Cal Tech, Cal, USC, UCLA, UCSD, and other world class institutions.

Steven Chu wrote:

You want the Internet, miracle medicines, miracle vaccines, space station, hypersonic aircraft, 3-D TV, supercomputers, etc. Then you need the best people at Stanford, UCSB, Cal Tech, Cal, USC, UCLA, UCSD, and other world class institutions.

UC Santa Barbara? are you kidding? just a big party school. Jim Rome even went there and talks about it all the time. I know a handful of kids who went there. They were certainly nothing special; just hard partying frat rats.

UCSB for sure. Plus add UCR, UCSC, UCD to the list of world class institutions. The UC Campus System is the primary source U.S DOE, DOD, NASA, etc. scientists and researchers.

I haven't read through the entire thread so maybe something like this has already been said:

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Colorado. I was a mediocre runner in high school. With Personal bests of 4:35 in the mile and 16:44 in the 5k. I came here because 1)I liked the campus and the town and 2) I wanted to run here.

Don't listen to the people who say you are wasting your time. I've tried out for the team three times this year and haven't made it yet (I didn't try out my freshman year). But I have improved immensely since high school and feel that at the next try out in January i am going to make the team.

I don't care if I am just a mediocre DI runner, at least i accomplished one of the goals on my list, and became a better person because of it.

Do what you want. F*** the rest.

OH MY GOD!!!! wrote:

You used one of their top runners... running under 10:20 in the 3200 would make you one of the best in the nation and a recruit anywhere.

For the record, I have a 5:08 1600 PR.

Yes, running is important but... let's just say that after you get into a school like Stanford it's a tough decision to make. It's one thing to talk of others being in that position and what you would do/wouldn't do, and a totally different thing to actually be in that position and have to weigh your options.

5:08 as a junior is totally in the reasonable ballpark. Like I said, train your ass off and focus on this track season. If you get under 5:00 and really want to run at the next level, I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't let you walk on. If you stick with it, it will probably be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Mee three wrote:

I applied but I'm Asian. Stanford alums tell me I have 1/3rd the chance of a getting in as a White person.

as a proud "ching chang chong" myself we must bust our balls to get in everywhere

Uh, again. I think I can safely speak for nearly everyone on this board over the age of 19 that we all have been in that position. The option of going to Stanford may have not been there. But in every way that matters we have all had to make these kind of decisions.

I don't think you get it. The difference between Stanford (and not running) and some random school and running is FAR GREATER than some slightly better academic school and not running and some random school and running.

I was in the position of Duke and not running or a local state school and running.

Most people CANNOT say they have been in such a tough decision because frankly speaking, most people do not get into Stanford or other comparable schools.