U Chicago and Sports Recruiting

[Anonymous]

Hi all. At the risk of inciting the usual brawl any time The College That Shall Not Be Named is named, does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of the recruiting process at U. Voldemort? Specifically, do coaches have any pull? My kid is dancing with the coach of a “lesser” sport. She’s a straight-A student so it wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the coach, but I’m wondering if the coach has any sway with adcom. MIT basically says “hey, if you get in come on down and join us”. Is it like that? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all. At the risk of inciting the usual brawl any time The College That Shall Not Be Named is named, does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of the recruiting process at U. Voldemort? Specifically, do coaches have any pull? My kid is dancing with the coach of a “lesser” sport. She’s a straight-A student so it wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the coach, but I’m wondering if the coach has any sway with adcom. MIT basically says “hey, if you get in come on down and join us”. Is it like that? Thanks!

You can't generalize; the answer depends on the sport and the athlete's potential -- as it always does at any school. I say this as the parent of 3 athletic recruits, including 1 at Chicago. If this is a "lesser" sport, the coach will certainly have less influence. OTOH, if your kid is well-qualified, the coach won't need as much influence to help. Keep in mind that the coach only has so many chits to play with -- s/he needs to be savvy in using them. So, if your kid is the #1 recruit on a small team (e.g., tennis), coach might be willing to make a big push with admissions, even if not needed. But, if your kid is #4 recruit on a big team (e.g., track and XC) and is well-qualified for admission based on grades and scores, coach might reasonably decide to indicate as much to the admissions office -- e.g., "This other student would make a major difference for us, and if you can also give some consideration to (your kid), I'd appreciate it."

[Anonymous]

The lack of transparency is a huge problem.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for that excellent answer. Much obliged. Of course it’s hard to know how valued she is by the coach. Or are we being too deferential? Maybe we should just ask?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The lack of transparency is a huge problem.

Specifically here? It’s kind of a problem plenty of places.

[Anonymous]

What is “a lesser sport” at UC?

[Anonymous]

One that likely doesn’t get a lot of fan interest or attention from administration. Typically football and basketball at many schools, or a sport for which the school is known like swimming at Kenyon or women’s lacrosse at Middlebury.

[Anonymous]

They seem to be pushing hard on reviving interest in their football team. Last time we were on campus there were quite a few flyers about the upcoming football game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all. At the risk of inciting the usual brawl any time The College That Shall Not Be Named is named, does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of the recruiting process at U. Voldemort? Specifically, do coaches have any pull? My kid is dancing with the coach of a “lesser” sport. She’s a straight-A student so it wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the coach, but I’m wondering if the coach has any sway with adcom. MIT basically says “hey, if you get in come on down and join us”. Is it like that? Thanks!

Your kid is "dancing" or you're emailing the coach using your kid's email address?

[Anonymous]

But MIT does recruit including for lesser sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi all. At the risk of inciting the usual brawl any time The College That Shall Not Be Named is named, does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of the recruiting process at U. Voldemort? Specifically, do coaches have any pull? My kid is dancing with the coach of a “lesser” sport. She’s a straight-A student so it wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the coach, but I’m wondering if the coach has any sway with adcom. MIT basically says “hey, if you get in come on down and join us”. Is it like that? Thanks!

Your kid is "dancing" or you're emailing the coach using your kid's email address?

Attending camps. Did some unofficial visits. Feel the burn yet, dummy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But MIT does recruit including for lesser sports.

MIT essentially told my kid ‘love to have you, best of luck’. Maybe she just wasn’t interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi all. At the risk of inciting the usual brawl any time The College That Shall Not Be Named is named, does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of the recruiting process at U. Voldemort? Specifically, do coaches have any pull? My kid is dancing with the coach of a “lesser” sport. She’s a straight-A student so it wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the coach, but I’m wondering if the coach has any sway with adcom. MIT basically says “hey, if you get in come on down and join us”. Is it like that? Thanks!

Your kid is "dancing" or you're emailing the coach using your kid's email address?

Attending camps. Did some unofficial visits. Feel the burn yet, dummy?

The question was obnoxious, but why stoop to that level? This is what makes DCUM less inviting and useful as a platform for discussion.

[Anonymous]

Just ask. Good coaches will be honest. Not so good ones, well there's a factor you should consider before pursuing further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just ask. Good coaches will be honest. Not so good ones, well there's a factor you should consider before pursuing further.

Thanks. I’m sure that’s good advice.