Is St. John's Becoming an IMG?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

What school do you plan to attend instead?

A school can be good at many things at the same time. It is also not new that SJC is a sporty school culture, so I am not certain this reflects a change at all.

There are many much stronger schools that are more balanced. Gonzaga comes to mind. Very strong athletics while supporting a strong Jesuit academic culture. Able to provide students at all levels academic options. Very strong athletics while the high level. Many strong college outcomes without the athletic recruit hook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

Ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

What school do you plan to attend instead?

A school can be good at many things at the same time. It is also not new that SJC is a sporty school culture, so I am not certain this reflects a change at all.

There are many much stronger schools that are more balanced. Gonzaga comes to mind. Very strong athletics while supporting a strong Jesuit academic culture. Able to provide students at all levels academic options. Very strong athletics while the high level. Many strong college outcomes without the athletic recruit hook.

Ah, ok. This weird thread makes sense now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

What school do you plan to attend instead?

A school can be good at many things at the same time. It is also not new that SJC is a sporty school culture, so I am not certain this reflects a change at all.

There are many much stronger schools that are more balanced. Gonzaga comes to mind. Very strong athletics while supporting a strong Jesuit academic culture. Able to provide students at all levels academic options. Very strong athletics while the high level. Many strong college outcomes without the athletic recruit hook.

Ah, ok. This weird thread makes sense now.

Admissions season brings out the oddballs!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

I mean, everyone can probably guess the two—but the reality is most schools known for sports does this.

I know boys who were aggressively recruited. All the usual suspect schools threw money at them despite the fact that the families were objectively affluent.

I also know of an athlete from another state currently attending an area private. Full ride for the athlete, and free tuition for the family hosting him.

And I know another family at a different school that hosted an international student athlete. Same deal: free ride for the athlete and the host family’s student.

As a full-pay family, I cannot for the life of me understand why athletics are prioritized to the extent they are. They must bring in significant money for the schools, but I can’t understand how exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

I mean, everyone can probably guess the two—but the reality is most schools known for sports does this.

I know boys who were aggressively recruited. All the usual suspect schools threw money at them despite the fact that the families were objectively affluent.

I also know of an athlete from another state currently attending an area private. Full ride for the athlete, and free tuition for the family hosting him.

And I know another family at a different school that hosted an international student athlete. Same deal: free ride for the athlete and the host family’s student.

As a full-pay family, I cannot for the life of me understand why athletics are prioritized to the extent they are. They must bring in significant money for the schools, but I can’t understand how exactly.

Maybe this will help you understand.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/under-armour-founder-gives-16m-to-dc-hs-alma-mater/109734/?amp=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

I mean, everyone can probably guess the two—but the reality is most schools known for sports does this.

I know boys who were aggressively recruited. All the usual suspect schools threw money at them despite the fact that the families were objectively affluent.

I also know of an athlete from another state currently attending an area private. Full ride for the athlete, and free tuition for the family hosting him.

And I know another family at a different school that hosted an international student athlete. Same deal: free ride for the athlete and the host family’s student.

As a full-pay family, I cannot for the life of me understand why athletics are prioritized to the extent they are. They must bring in significant money for the schools, but I can’t understand how exactly.

Maybe this will help you understand.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/under-armour-founder-gives-16m-to-dc-hs-alma-mater/109734/?amp=1

Yawn! Article is from 2015. None of this is new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

I mean, everyone can probably guess the two—but the reality is most schools known for sports does this.

I know boys who were aggressively recruited. All the usual suspect schools threw money at them despite the fact that the families were objectively affluent.

I also know of an athlete from another state currently attending an area private. Full ride for the athlete, and free tuition for the family hosting him.

And I know another family at a different school that hosted an international student athlete. Same deal: free ride for the athlete and the host family’s student.

As a full-pay family, I cannot for the life of me understand why athletics are prioritized to the extent they are. They must bring in significant money for the schools, but I can’t understand how exactly.

Maybe this will help you understand.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/under-armour-founder-gives-16m-to-dc-hs-alma-mater/109734/?amp=1

Kevin would have given SJC millions regardless of whether the football team was playing well. After all, SJC took him in when he was kicked out of Gtown Prep.

He similarly gave $ to HR (where he attended k-8), and HR has never been a sports powerhouse.

Lots of alums who get lucky and strike it rich make gifts to their former schools, but that doesn’t explain why schools over-emphasize certain athletic programs by giving free rides to athletes who otherwise wouldn’t set foot in the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

Did you attend the open house? Did you talk to the Robotics teacher leads? Computer Science? Entrepreneurship Program? The leads of the numerous STEM based clubs? E-sports? There are tons of places for purely academic focused kids. And just because an academic focused student wants to also try crew or join the sound/lighting crew for the spring musical, doesn’t mean they don’t care about academics.

+1

- a parent of a recent SJC graduate who is currently at a T20 university (non athlete, no hooks).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last few posts, it feels like there isn't a place at SJC for the non-athlete, non-artsy, mainly an academic focus kid. I think based on the direction this school is moving, we will pass. Academics seems to be taking a back seat to other interests.

Did you attend the open house? Did you talk to the Robotics teacher leads? Computer Science? Entrepreneurship Program? The leads of the numerous STEM based clubs? E-sports? There are tons of places for purely academic focused kids. And just because an academic focused student wants to also try crew or join the sound/lighting crew for the spring musical, doesn’t mean they don’t care about academics.

There is lots of great stuff going on at SJC! That's why I don't understand why they would feel any motivation to say "let's recruit a ton of players for a national-level football team." Assuming it's true, it doesn't do anything to strengthen the program for the community of talented students and athletes it already has. What motivates this besides someone weird obsession with football and a need for attention?

Intense travel is anti-academic, and, yes, tackle football is fundamentally at odds with brain health, which is why participation as a percentage of high school students has gone down markedly.

[Anonymous]

Check out the Donatelli Arts Center, the Black Box Theater, and Center for Performance and Leadership. All big non-sports investments thanks to successful alumni.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out the Donatelli Arts Center, the Black Box Theater, and Center for Performance and Leadership. All big non-sports investments thanks to successful alumni.

DP

Right. Sure.

But are full-pay families essentially paying inflated tuitions to cover full-ride scholarships for those non-athletic programs?

No.

Only superstar athletes for certain sports get full rides. And there must be a reason. The school must derive a financial benefit somehow. Otherwise, why do it?

After all, the top privates in the DC metro area (or anywhere on the planet) aren't known for their athletics at all, right?

So why do some schools (like SJC) aggressively recruit and support certain athletes?

I wonder if it's more of a longterm investment. If a player ultimately makes it to the NFL, do they give multi-million dollar gifts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out the Donatelli Arts Center, the Black Box Theater, and Center for Performance and Leadership. All big non-sports investments thanks to successful alumni.

DP

Right. Sure.

But are full-pay families essentially paying inflated tuitions to cover full-ride scholarships for those non-athletic programs?

No.

Only superstar athletes for certain sports get full rides. And there must be a reason. The school must derive a financial benefit somehow. Otherwise, why do it?

After all, the top privates in the DC metro area (or anywhere on the planet) aren't known for their athletics at all, right?

So why do some schools (like SJC) aggressively recruit and support certain athletes?

I wonder if it's more of a longterm investment. If a player ultimately makes it to the NFL, do they give multi-million dollar gifts?

How do you know any student gets a full ride?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the recruitment works? Does SJC give a lot of aid or only to top athletes that truly need it?

My kid is a football recruit and we did not apply for aid because we will not qualify. We only know three other recruits personally, and I know they would also not qualify for aid. At no time has anyone suggested there is other aid or scholarships for recruits. I hope and expect aid is there only for families who need it.

The aid is obviously for star athletes whether they need it or not.

Note: a star athlete is actively recruited by multiple schools, so the aid (read: full ride) is offered as a carrot.

And it gets better:

Does your school have a star athlete from another country or out of state?

If so, those kids sometimes live with a host family whose own kid gets a tuition discount or full ride. I know two area privates that have done this/are currently doing this.

And your full tuition covers this.

(Not that you’ll answer this, but) which two schools?

I mean, everyone can probably guess the two—but the reality is most schools known for sports does this.

I know boys who were aggressively recruited. All the usual suspect schools threw money at them despite the fact that the families were objectively affluent.

I also know of an athlete from another state currently attending an area private. Full ride for the athlete, and free tuition for the family hosting him.

And I know another family at a different school that hosted an international student athlete. Same deal: free ride for the athlete and the host family’s student.

As a full-pay family, I cannot for the life of me understand why athletics are prioritized to the extent they are. They must bring in significant money for the schools, but I can’t understand how exactly.

So name the schools