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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Sure, tons of recruited athletes with that profile at MIT. [/quote]

That's not true I was on one of the championship teams and my coach frequently and openly said he had very little influence on the admissions process.[/quote]

The 25th percentile at MIT is a 1510. When I say athletes can get in with a 1520, I’m saying that a 1520 is plainly good enough, it’s in profile, but standing out with a 1520 is hard without a hook. Being recruited by a coach is a hook. No, MIT is not like other schools where athletes get in with 1300s and are then steered into the softest possible majors. If 1/2 recruited athletes get in at MIT, I can certainly see why a coach would grouse that he had very little impact on admissions. But at the same time that’s a huge boost over the general public where the admissions rate is 1/25. And if you went to MIT, I know you can do the math on that, even if your ego doesn’t want to. [/quote]

I agree that being recruited gives kids an advantage.  But I think it's also important to note that MIT coaches are very careful to only offer their support to athletes that they think they can get by admissions.  The coaches have already looked at test scores, and GPA's before they talk to students and coaches and families.  In those initial conversations they ask questions about rigor, and EC's.  Many kids don't make it past those hurdles, including many excellent athletes.  So, while they almost certainly do get in at a higher rate than their matched peers, it's not fair to compare their admissions rates to the population at a whole.  The bump that they receive is significant, but it's not the 2% to 50% increase that people imply.

I'll also say that MIT seems to value passion, and grit, and determination in their process.  They will accept a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW while learning English, dealing with a Title 1 school that doesn't offer extras,  and working 20 hours a week to support their family, over a kid who gets a 1520 and a 3.9 UW from a well resourced school, while living an upper middle class life.  Because they realize that one of those things is objectively harder, and shows the characteristics they value.  Similarly if they have 2 kids with similar socio-economic status, similar transcripts, similar test scores, similar role on the robotics team, and one kid did all of that while also spending 25 hours a week on sports and achieving at a high level, they might choose to take the latter kid, even if that kid doesn't plan to continue to compete at MIT.  [/quote]

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