I really enjoy competing and think I have a good shot at an Ivy just as a regular applicant. My PR's are not recruit-worthy, 5:38, 11:49 1600/3200 as a soph F (but aiming for sub 5:30/11:30 this year). But I see these teams seem to carry like 15 girls each and some just run a few meets. Seems like a good experience and I can always try to work my way up.
Like let's say you get accepted at Brown and you email the coach asking if you can give it a shot. Is there such a path? Or do they generally not waste their time?
I'm also worried about the time commitment of running. Do people run at these schools and get into med school, for example, or is there a big sacrifice with academics? If I can't compete in college I would just do club running. Right now I've received XC letters from some decent academic D-3's but I've always liked the Ivies and I think I can get into one.