Reply to Friend just announced her junior DD has committed to play lax at a top school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. First, I’m happy for them. The girl is very nice and her mom is an old friend.
Second, I don’t think it’s a scholarship, they definitely don’t need the money. I’m just annoyed that her DD is a year behind mine and won’t have to go through most of the college crap and stress mine is currently going through. We are deep in it right now. My DD doesn’t play sports but has other talents, none which get her recruited by colleges.
Third, she has worked hard as an athlete but she wouldn’t be in a position to be recruited if her parents didn’t have the time and money to pay for all teams and tournaments. Let’s face it, for many (I realize there are big exceptions) recruited athletes for sports like lax come from affluent families so the whole system leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  
I know this is nothing new. I went to HS with many children of billionaires, most of whom ended up at ivies despite not having the grades. Life is not fair, college admissions is not fair.
I was just venting because, again, I have a very stressed out out senior.[/quote]

A junior has not received a commitment.  Even a senior right now with a verbal commitment from a school could find themselves scrambling last minute. Athletics are effectively part of Early Decision, the deal isn’t settled until about the same time, and athletes are a pool of full pay students for the schools.  If they get an aid package, it’s just the regular discounting that particular (lower tier) school offers.  Top schools offer nothing.  And of course, just like any ED, this limits the athlete to one school, and often not one they would have picked otherwise.[/quote]

My child is a senior and is a recruited athlete for an Ivy. The likely letter from Admissions was received the first week of October.  For Ivies in particular, there are no scholarships for merit or athletics so there's no advantage there.

I can assure you that the process is not any less stressful for recruited athletes than everyone else. In fact, the grades (through the end of sophomore year), SAT scores, and athletic record had to be solidified earlier to receive a verbal commitment at the beginning of junior year, which is technically the earliest for such commitments based on NCAA rules. To be clear, the verbal commitment and coach's support in the admissions process came after a preliminary pre-read by Admissions. My child's full application (essays, recommendation letters, school profile, transcripts, official SAT scores) had to be submitted between September 1-15 of senior year which meant an abbreviated timeline. My child worked all summer on essays to meet this deadline. The fact that essays about your sport are discouraged meant that there had to be other substance there -- other meaningful extracurriculars, experiences, community service -- not just athletics. The admissions criteria for my athlete were the same as for any other student. There was no flexibility with the GPA or SAT score or expectations for being a well-rounded student.

We are not an affluent family by any stretch of the imagination. Definitely working class. My family has made tremendous sacrifices (time and money) to provide the sport as an opportunity for my child. My child has dedicated 25-30 hours a week for years to reach the top of the sport while maintaining exceptional academics. The work has been put in and the admission is well-deserved.[/quote]

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