What would you advise your kid (recruited athlete or roll the dice)

[Anonymous]

I have a high stats kid (jr) who is being recruited. An offer just came pending a pre read approval. Kid will pass the pre read and then a second one after junior year, which kid should also pass. Counselor said kid could likely get into many top schools bc kid has a great profile: arts, national awards, sport, rigor, good gpa and sat, leadership, excellent ECs, and recs should be good. Counselor at school is very experienced and knowledgeable.

Would you encourage a jr to accept a spot at a #20 school but give up trying for a better one? Kid wants school first and sport second but kid likely won’t be recruitable at a school ranked less than #20.

Kid likes the school (and is actively recruited by other good schools) but loved an ivy we visited.

Bird in the hand? Kid is asking what we think.

[Anonymous]

You should go somewhere he's going to be happy if he gets injured and can no longer play his sport.

[Anonymous]

Looking at the schools around 20 that aren't academic powerhouses, I see Rice, Carnegie Mellon, WashUStL, Emory. Those are great choices. My kid would probably take any of those as a bird in hand, with a chance to play a sport my kid loved, over a shot at an Ivy where they wouldn't get to play the sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the schools around 20 that aren't academic powerhouses, I see Rice, Carnegie Mellon, WashUStL, Emory. Those are great choices. My kid would probably take any of those as a bird in hand, with a chance to play a sport my kid loved, over a shot at an Ivy where they wouldn't get to play the sport.

Sorry, I meant aren't athletic powerhouses.

[Anonymous]

PP here, but to clarify, does kid want to play? Is the sport just a means to an end or would the kid enjoy playing in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the schools around 20 that aren't academic powerhouses, I see Rice, Carnegie Mellon, WashUStL, Emory. Those are great choices. My kid would probably take any of those as a bird in hand, with a chance to play a sport my kid loved, over a shot at an Ivy where they wouldn't get to play the sport.

+1

[Anonymous]

If it’s swimming or tennis, Emory has great Division III programs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s swimming or tennis, Emory has great Division III programs

True but Emory is lower than 20.

[Anonymous]

Roll the dice. I don't want my kid having regrets and what ifs later.

[Anonymous]

Need more info…is this a D1 offer? Obviously, schools like Duke and Stanford are usually ranked very high in sports…but I gather it’s not those schools.

[Anonymous]

Take the offer, save the money, pay for a top graduate school.

The alumni support in D 1 in sports is worth it.

[Anonymous]

You pretty much answered your own question

"Kid wants school first and sport second"

Also if there's any hesitation at all, don't do it - the pre-read etc and offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take the offer, save the money, pay for a top graduate school.

The alumni support in D 1 in sports is worth it.

Save what money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You pretty much answered your own question

"Kid wants school first and sport second"

Also if there's any hesitation at all, don't do it - the pre-read etc and offer.

But the chances that this kid will get into the Ivy are slight, so kid will likely end up at a school they like less, given that they like this one.

If the choices were between an Ivy without playing, and say Rice with playing, then that's one thing. But it's between a 5% chance of the Ivy without playing and a close to 100% chance of Rice with playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You pretty much answered your own question

"Kid wants school first and sport second"

Also if there's any hesitation at all, don't do it - the pre-read etc and offer.

But the chances that this kid will get into the Ivy are slight, so kid will likely end up at a school they like less, given that they like this one.

If the choices were between an Ivy without playing, and say Rice with playing, then that's one thing. But it's between a 5% chance of the Ivy without playing and a close to 100% chance of Rice with playing.

No this sounds like a kid who could apply to all the Ivy colleges and get one or two offers. Go for it.