If I ran a 4:16 1600m and a 1:55 800m with a 9:30 3200m, and had a 94 Gpa and a 1400 Sat, would an Ivy league school like Dartmouth want me? I don't know where I stand in the recruiting process
If I ran a 4:16 1600m and a 1:55 800m with a 9:30 3200m, and had a 94 Gpa and a 1400 Sat, would an Ivy league school like Dartmouth want me? I don't know where I stand in the recruiting process
94 gpa? Didn’t know they went that high nowadays. I must be slacking offbig time.
Not fast enough or smart enough. A coach won't use one of their freebies unkess you run 4:12. Do you realize that an Ivy education now costs $300k if your parents are doing well?
If you don't know, ask.
Daniel8873 wrote:
94 gpa? Didn’t know they went that high nowadays. I must be slacking offbig time.
I got into an Ivy, and OP's GPA is ~24 times mine, so he should have no problem.
The following remarks are based on the assumption that you'll be going into your senior year of high school this fall.
1. Email the coaches of your potential college(s) and *briefly* list your stats.
1a. Or fill out the online recruiting questionnaire.
2. Take the SAT again--really prep seriously for it--and knock yourself out academically this fall (and in your finals this spring, if you haven't had them yet). The less of an academic "stretch" that you are, the easier it is for a coach to push you in to his/her college.
3. There seems to be a dropoff from your 1600 to your 3200, which would suggest you're not a particularly strong cross-country prospect. If that's incorrect--if you did fine in xc but your coach(es) mostly put you in for the 1600 during track, and you only ran the 3200 a few times and/or always ran it as a double after the 1600--then make sure the coach(es) you're contacting know that you did well in cross, esp. if you placed high in regional qualifying races for national meets (NB, NXN).
4. Your 800 and esp. 1600 times should at least get you a look by most, if not all, of the Ivies. Demonstrating your interest e.g. by visiting this summer and stopping to talk with the coaches could help--and summer visits might make it easier for you to decide whether you have a strong first choice or not.
5. If you're very sure of your first choice, then apply early action/early decision. An Ivy coach has a limited number of "pushes" to assist students' applications, and s/he would love to spend those on kids who are pretty definitely attending.
Please bump this thread occasionally and keep us posted during the coming months about your experiences in the recruiting process. That would be helpful to others.
Good luck!
Your running times are good enough to get some attention from an Ivy Coach. Probably not good enough for the coach to move heaven and earth to recruit you through the Admissions Dept. You should contact the coaches and ask them:
- Am I a good candidate?
- What would it take to make me a good candidate?
- "I don't want to waste your time and my time, but I really want to go to your school. Can this reasonably happen?"
Coaches don't want to jerk kids around, so they will level with you. Be completely honest with the coach and don't try to prop yourself up more than is reasonable. You deal with them in an efficient, straightforward way... they will do the same with you.
I’m going to post this every time we get one of these post asking for advice about recruiting. I’ll add grades for the ivies and other elite schools. Every post should start like this: I am a boy/girl in grade x (rising to x if it’s summer), I run these times and my grades are such..........
Look at Cornell and Brown.
Yes, you’re a good candidate at most of the schools.
Ivy recruiting is a balancing act of “academic index” across the recruiting class (and, to a lesser extent, across all the athletes at the school). AI is a mixture of SAT/ACT, GPA, and SATII. Goal is to have the strongest running class you can, while also averaging the AI that you need across the recruiting class. Everyone is the class needs to be above a certain bar, but aside from that, coaches can balance the class. You get some “fast, not so smart kids” and some “smart, not so fast kids”. You get kids who are okay at both. Best case is to get kids who are really good at both.
You seem like a “pretty fast, pretty smart kid”. So, you could be a good pickup depending on the makeup of the other recruits.
A big variable for you will be selling your potential. If you ran those times off moderate training, you have good upside and will keep improving as you get to college. You’ll want to highlight that, if true. The coaches will probably ask.
Next steps for you are to keep doing well in school. Take the SAT again...only your highest score is factored into AI. As athletes none of the stuff for normal people applies (like your non-top scores, extra curriculars, etc). Just AI and your running ability. You’ll also need to email the coaches now to start the conversations and get invited on visits. Coaches will tell you if there’s anything else you need to do.
Good luck!
Everyone on this site blows right past the topic of money. I don't like advising people to take on significant debt. Our society is one of entitlement thinking that choices don't come with consequences.
Money matters wrote:
Everyone on this site blows right past the topic of money. I don't like advising people to take on significant debt. Our society is one of entitlement thinking that choices don't come with consequences.
The Ivies are not the problem. If the OP can get into Dartmouth, they cover tuition providing his parents make less than 100k a year. All the other Ivies have similar financial aid packages.
Students who go into crazy debt are the second tier students who go to second tier schools when they should be going to (in state) public universities.
You are a very good runner, and your GPA (assuming it's out of 100; then normalized to a 4.0 as 3.76) is good. Dartmouth is an amazing place, and sometimes their admissions standards can be unpredictable. I think you may have a shot, as long as you reach out to the coaches beforehand with concise and humble e-mails, write a great set of essays (esp. Why Dartmouth-very important), at least try to re-take the SAT, and do well on your interview. If possible, get in touch with some alums that can help guide you. Although admission may be unpredictable, I'd reiterate the point that for Dartmouth, more than most colleges, the essays matter and can really give you a push forward if compelling. Lastly, applying early is a MUST, again, for Dartmouth more than most other colleges. I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
My sister and husband make about $200k per year but are always broke. My nephew went off to Harvard and got his degree in sociology. He is still $150k in debt 4 years after graduating. Most of his friends from college are in the same boat. They think the Government should pay off their debt bevause it is somehow not their failt that they chose not to attend a state school.
Ha ha Ivy wrote:
My sister and husband make about $200k per year but are always broke. My nephew went off to Harvard and got his degree in sociology. He is still $150k in debt 4 years after graduating. Most of his friends from college are in the same boat. They think the Government should pay off their debt bevause it is somehow not their failt that they chose not to attend a state school.
The parents making $200k and are broke are the problem, not Harvard. Harvard charges no tuition for parental incomes less than $65,000. Up to $150,000, the family is expected to contribute 10% of their income towards tuition. That’s not a bad deal. Over $150,000 and they should have been smarter with their money. I’m sure they enjoy driving their expensive cars that they can’t afford and taking expensive vacations that they can’t afford.
This is overly simplistic, and I think you know that. You make too many (false) assumptions about people based solely on income bracket. Those making above 150, or above 200, are essentially bumped down to a much lower income bracket by sending their kids to such colleges. People with such incomes tend to be more responsible with their money than those with much less, but that, too, is a general, statistically-based statement.
Yea that is exactly what they do. The ivies are certainly at least part of the problem. I saw tge stats that showed that the Ivies could make it free for every student and their endowment would still increase in value. Why should a kid whose parents worked hard pay more to go to college than a kid who had deadbeat parents? My painter and my mechanic don't charge my kids less than my nephew because I make less than my sister.
I disagree. It’s not like your child turns 18 and you’re suddenly hit with a $50,000 a year bill. My five year old has a 529. It likely won’t fund 4 years at a private university when she’s ready, but if I can’t cash flow the rest, I’ll have been doing something really wrong for the next 14 years. And the day I can’t live on $150k a year (after my income has been “bumped down”) will be the day i cant look in the mirror.
Ha ha Ivy wrote:
My sister and husband make about $200k per year but are always broke. My nephew went off to Harvard and got his degree in sociology. He is still $150k in debt 4 years after graduating. Most of his friends from college are in the same boat. They think the Government should pay off their debt bevause it is somehow not their failt that they chose not to attend a state school.
I take it most of his friends are also in sociology or something . The lesson here is that if you are going to spend a quarter of a million dollars on your education, don't get a sociology degree. Get a degree that creates an income that can pay off that debt and much more. Otherwise, go somewhere else.
Dartmouth cost of attendance for next year is estimated at $75k, increasing 4% year over year. If costs continue to balloon at only 3% per year, your child is looking at $110k per year by the time they go to college. Do you think your income will keep up with that? I consider myself lucky that I don't have student loan debt, but I think the increasing cost of college is a travesty.