We're talking Ivy here not Big 10 sports which is a whole other game. That likely letter is a commitment for a ticket to an elite education at a school with a great deal of resources per student. The statement above is just finding excuses. If the kid chooses to renege without giving it a real try, that's his and the family's choice but call it what it is and be prepared to handle any fallout. |
LOL you are completely full of sh*t. |
| It is a long thread but thought I would offer my two cents. Athletes at Ivies are definitely accepted with lower stats than non-athletes, certainly not all of the athletes and maybe not even all of the schools. The athletes will generally have to have very good stats but often not the same as non-athletes. Kids quit their sports all the time in college, particularly back ups. If you are a scholarship athlete, you would almost certainly have to forfeit your scholarship, but most college athletes are not, and none in the Ivies are (often times aid can be arranged). So quitting one's sport at an Ivy is not likely to lead to any school sanction. Your son may struggle given the lower admit scores and will not have the excuse that his sport hurt his grades but most people will accept that given the quality of the school and general grade inflation. The one thing I would say is that accepting the offer with no intent to play a sport is kind of a definition of fraud, not the best way to start college and not the best thing for a parent to encourage. |
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OP -
I think you and your child needs to think about what it means to be one of the weaker students in the school. For some, that's fine given other interests and talents. For others, it may be intimidating and a recipe for disaster. Here's my example: My son chose an engineering school where he's at the 75th percentile. He didn't want to be closed out of majors and other opportunities that only went to more competitive students. He doesn't want to be struggling all the time just to be middling. He wanted that little edge. If your kid has a personality like his, using the sport to open the door would be a terrible idea. (my kid does have a serious athletic interest/talent, but it is not connected with school) |
| Dc. At top 10 SLAC has seen a few kids do this. They do get some mild hazing on campus by the team. The sports kids all hang together so the thing is he will he branded a quitter by the athletes and a “sporty” by the others. DS said most who quit eventually transfer out as the school was never a good fit. Probably true if you have to use athletics to get in. |
| This is an excellent example of white privilege. Thanks for enlightening us! |
Alabama is its own animal. Schools like Wisconsin will find other money to honor a scholarship if someone is injured and can no longer play. |
I went to an Ivy and this was true. At least it was 20 years ago. I’m sure it’s still true today. |
There were no hockey players at your Ivy who scored 850 on the SATs, sorry. |