How important are grades, SATs/ACTs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is just begining to think about playing in college - D3. I know there are GPA/SAT/ACT standards that athletes must meet for acceptance to the university, but do they tend to be lower than for non-athletes?

I don't think the GPA standards are lower than for non-athletes. Every student still has to go through admissions before being accepted.

Most D3 schools are private and many of the kids in the teams come from other private/good high schools.

Make sure your kid keeps a 3.3 minimum GPA and they'll have better chances.

Signed,
Mom of a travel player who after a long "career" in soccer (U9-U18 1st team) decided not to do soccer in college at all.

[Anonymous]

there are Ivy Leagues that are D1 for soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is just begining to think about playing in college - D3. I know there are GPA/SAT/ACT standards that athletes must meet for acceptance to the university, but do they tend to be lower than for non-athletes?

At D1 in general - yes. At ivy leagues - yes, but limited. At D3 not quite so much. The main benefit at D3 is surety of your offer. In other words let's say the average GPA/SAT at your school of choice is 4.3/1430 - without soccer you might only have a 25% chance of getting in with those grades, but with soccer offer you will have 100% chance.

My DS currently has an offer from a D3 school. They asked him to name his major, and told him that for one major (one this school is ranked very highly for) he would still need a 1570 SAT even with the soccer offer. He's retaking his SAT .

For D1, in general, it may/can be lower, but some of the top programs (eg ACC) do look for kids who can help boost the team/program GPA.

In my experience it was really only the Ivies that worry about the team average do this. The Ivies have a required team average academic score for their recrutiing class which varies from school to school (Yale was the highest, and I think Cornell the lowest) - this didn't seem to be the case anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there are Ivy Leagues that are D1 for soccer.

The Ivy league is D1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there are Ivy Leagues that are D1 for soccer.

All Ivies are D1 for the sports they have, and all Ivies have soccer. However unlike other D1 schools Ivies do not give athletic aid.

[Anonymous]

Soccer can turn a reach into a target for sure if coach is interested. You have to pass a minimum floor though that is school dependent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Soccer can turn a reach into a target for sure if coach is interested. You have to pass a minimum floor though that is school dependent

OP again. Thanks. This is really what we are wondering.

[Anonymous]

However unlike other D1 schools Ivies do not give athletic aid.

This is correct. Same with no academic merit scholarships.

When people say they got a "full ride" or "scholarship" for an IVY --it is purely financial aid based 100% on the (lower) income of parents, and comes either in the form of grants or even loans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure anyone reguires sats anymore.

No-one requires them but very hard to get a soccer offer from an Ivy League without one because of the way their academic requirements for athletes system works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer can turn a reach into a target for sure if coach is interested. You have to pass a minimum floor though that is school dependent

OP again. Thanks. This is really what we are wondering.

It’s just not really possible to do that unless you are at the very very top of the re tuition g class— nationally known or coming as an international player.

They really can barely bend the athletic requirements at all for your typical high level player. Since Varsity blues it’s even tougher. Do not count on soccer lifting u to reach. This isn’t football or basketball. It’s incredibly rare for that to happen. I know so many who failed pre-reads or even passed and in the 11th hour admissions said no- came back with more requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer can turn a reach into a target for sure if coach is interested. You have to pass a minimum floor though that is school dependent

OP again. Thanks. This is really what we are wondering.

Make sure your kid attends Soccer camps sponsored by the target school as well. Unless your kid is extremely talented and will stand out, don't waste your money/time on the local camps that bring in a "representative" from a college.

Just don't put all your eggs in one basket for College.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is just begining to think about playing in college - D3. I know there are GPA/SAT/ACT standards that athletes must meet for acceptance to the university, but do they tend to be lower than for non-athletes?

At D1 in general - yes. At ivy leagues - yes, but limited. At D3 not quite so much. The main benefit at D3 is surety of your offer. In other words let's say the average GPA/SAT at your school of choice is 4.3/1430 - without soccer you might only have a 25% chance of getting in with those grades, but with soccer offer you will have 100% chance.

My DS currently has an offer from a D3 school. They asked him to name his major, and told him that for one major (one this school is ranked very highly for) he would still need a 1570 SAT even with the soccer offer. He's retaking his SAT .

For D1, in general, it may/can be lower, but some of the top programs (eg ACC) do look for kids who can help boost the team/program GPA.

In my experience it was really only the Ivies that worry about the team average do this. The Ivies have a required team average academic score for their recrutiing class which varies from school to school (Yale was the highest, and I think Cornell the lowest) - this didn't seem to be the case anywhere else.

Yes - that is the Ivy “Academic Index” - but I’m not referring to that. At some non-Ivy schools, coaches are expected to hit targets for team grad rate and GPA, so some coaches will look to have some players who are GPA boosters to counterbalance talented players who are not academically focused.

[Anonymous]

Athletes can be given a boost with admissions, provided they meet certain standards.

As a result of the Harvard case, a ton of information has been released as to the recruitment of athletes. Harvard rates kids 1-6, with kids who get an athletic 1 having about a 80% admit rate. An Athletic 1 is a 'recruited by coaches' or a player of 'national, international or Olympic caliber' player. An athletic 2 is a strong player on a club or school side of regional accomplishment, often a team leader, and this gives a boost as well. An athletic 3 is an active sports participant and has no real impact on your application. Most kids, even academy level players, are athletic 3s.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/5/28/athlete-advantage-commencement-2019/

https://www.collegeadvisor.com/resources/ivy-league-application/

[Anonymous]

Grades at the top of importance when trying to get into a good school. If your kid has the grades and test to get into a school, the fact that the coach wants to recruit him adds to his chances of getting in, but not Vice Versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is just begining to think about playing in college - D3. I know there are GPA/SAT/ACT standards that athletes must meet for acceptance to the university, but do they tend to be lower than for non-athletes?

At D1 in general - yes. At ivy leagues - yes, but limited. At D3 not quite so much. The main benefit at D3 is surety of your offer. In other words let's say the average GPA/SAT at your school of choice is 4.3/1430 - without soccer you might only have a 25% chance of getting in with those grades, but with soccer offer you will have 100% chance.

My DS currently has an offer from a D3 school. They asked him to name his major, and told him that for one major (one this school is ranked very highly for) he would still need a 1570 SAT even with the soccer offer. He's retaking his SAT .

For D1, in general, it may/can be lower, but some of the top programs (eg ACC) do look for kids who can help boost the team/program GPA.

In my experience it was really only the Ivies that worry about the team average do this. The Ivies have a required team average academic score for their recrutiing class which varies from school to school (Yale was the highest, and I think Cornell the lowest) - this didn't seem to be the case anywhere else.

Yes - that is the Ivy “Academic Index” - but I’m not referring to that. At some non-Ivy schools, coaches are expected to hit targets for team grad rate and GPA, so some coaches will look to have some players who are GPA boosters to counterbalance talented players who are not academically focused.

Well maybe theoretically. But - as the parent of a kid with a very high SAT (for a soccer player at least ) - our experience has been that this really only seems to have mattered to Ivy league schools.