Anonymous
10/18/2025 15:00
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Or is a very strong student at a top high school plus a good but not tippity top club/varsity player enough? Are there many top athletes out there who also have the academic chops to hack it at these colleges? I am sure it depends on the sport, but how about for sports outside of football and basketball? If your SAT is in the 1550-1580 range, high rigor at a strong, nationally recognized HS, and let's say you are an ok lacrosse/volleyball/soccer/track athlete, what are the odds that you'd get recruited by a top academic institution? Obviously no chance at Duke, Stanford and the likes.
I am new to this site and process and curious how it all works.
I’d say no chance. Why would they recruit an “ok” athlete?
DC is a top student at one of the most rigorous and widely recognized high schools in the country. And an ok athlete (not an impact player) at a good club. None of their teammates are even remotely as academically qualified. I have no idea how athletic recruiting works at the top colleges. I was under the impression that you have to be an excellent student too, and ime there aren’t many kids who are both. The few who are both are going to the Stanfords and Dukes type of colleges, not MIT/Brown/Amherst.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 17:11
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just to add that it's a 40% acceptance after MIT's version of a pre read or pre application review. The coach probably ghosts the student if don't have a changes of being admitted and the student doesn't apply.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:40% acceptance rate at MIT is still insane - that's an 8x boost to your oddsAnonymous wrote:Ivies: yes, top athlete
MIT: not top, but it is not a typical hook, meaning you don’t have a preread and if you pass that then you’re pretty much in when you apply barring unusual circumstances. Instead, many still don’t get in when they apply even with coach support so lots of athletes commit elsewhere where their admission is virtually guaranteed.
Those odds are completely kid and coach dependent. It is coach dependent bc those who are there longer tend to be more accurate as to whether the kid will end up getting in based on years of experience. The issue is lots of good athletes/students don’t want to risk losing a spot at another good school for the risk of a maybe at MiT. Cal Tech is the same way.
Good points. My kid was offered recruiting support at MIT and after reviewing her package said should get in two out of three times based on his experience. It is an amazing advantage but the challenge for the coach is that kids of the level that they need have options. In my kids case she had offers from NESCAC schools, top UAA schools, and Patriot League schools which were all basically 100% if she said yes. In the end she chose a NESCAC instead.
The coaches are very upfront about the required academics. If they don't believe that the kid can get there they will stop talking. After an initial conversation to determine mutual interest the coach said to my daughter "let me know when you've got a 1500 SAT score with a 770 on the Math side. Then we can talk more." I know many kids who could never cross that initial bar. In her case he said 2 out of 3 after the pre-read of her 780/780, 4.6 GPA with 9 completed APs and 5 more planned. The kids that make it are great students and really good athletes.
Her athletics were also strong. She wasn't going to play P5 but she was a starter on a team that was nationally ranked, played in two state championships and where several of her teammates went on to play P5.
So she got in? What sport? How different is this for football?
Anonymous
10/17/2025 17:06
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Again, it's going to depend on the sport. But, the very sought after schools recruit top level, nationally known players. The Ivies in my kid's sport only take International players and players coming from pro-academies in the US. Your typical travel and/or HS player is not even good enough for the Club team at the school. It also gets International players and players coming from the top leagues in the country-but not recruited-and is very competitive (100s of kids come out--like 1 or 2 Freshmen make it).
Same at my kid's Ivy. 2 of 45 freshmen at tryouts made the club team. The club team had a couple of former D1 and D3 players who had transferred in sprinkled among players from the top travel club teams around the country
Anonymous
10/17/2025 16:44
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Again, it's going to depend on the sport. But, the very sought after schools recruit top level, nationally known players. The Ivies in my kid's sport only take International players and players coming from pro-academies in the US. Your typical travel and/or HS player is not even good enough for the Club team at the school. It also gets International players and players coming from the top leagues in the country-but not recruited-and is very competitive (100s of kids come out--like 1 or 2 Freshmen make it).
+1. Went to a Cornell v. Dartmouth mens soccer game last year and 10 of the 11 starting Dartmouth players were non-U.S. That means there are probably no more than 2 or so U.S. kids recruited at Dartmouth each year and if you want to play there you are competing against kids playing at pro academies around the world.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 15:39
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Just to add that it's a 40% acceptance after MIT's version of a pre read or pre application review. The coach probably ghosts the student if don't have a changes of being admitted and the student doesn't apply.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:40% acceptance rate at MIT is still insane - that's an 8x boost to your oddsAnonymous wrote:Ivies: yes, top athlete
MIT: not top, but it is not a typical hook, meaning you don’t have a preread and if you pass that then you’re pretty much in when you apply barring unusual circumstances. Instead, many still don’t get in when they apply even with coach support so lots of athletes commit elsewhere where their admission is virtually guaranteed.
Those odds are completely kid and coach dependent. It is coach dependent bc those who are there longer tend to be more accurate as to whether the kid will end up getting in based on years of experience. The issue is lots of good athletes/students don’t want to risk losing a spot at another good school for the risk of a maybe at MiT. Cal Tech is the same way.
Good points. My kid was offered recruiting support at MIT and after reviewing her package said should get in two out of three times based on his experience. It is an amazing advantage but the challenge for the coach is that kids of the level that they need have options. In my kids case she had offers from NESCAC schools, top UAA schools, and Patriot League schools which were all basically 100% if she said yes. In the end she chose a NESCAC instead.
The coaches are very upfront about the required academics. If they don't believe that the kid can get there they will stop talking. After an initial conversation to determine mutual interest the coach said to my daughter "let me know when you've got a 1500 SAT score with a 770 on the Math side. Then we can talk more." I know many kids who could never cross that initial bar. In her case he said 2 out of 3 after the pre-read of her 780/780, 4.6 GPA with 9 completed APs and 5 more planned. The kids that make it are great students and really good athletes.
Her athletics were also strong. She wasn't going to play P5 but she was a starter on a team that was nationally ranked, played in two state championships and where several of her teammates went on to play P5.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:41
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Many top SLAC athletes could have played D1 in a lot of sports, but don't need aid or want better balance. As a pp noted check out the bios on the sports pages. Maybe some of the more arcane sports, but for the big ones one would still need to be a top tier talent. (source: All-met athlete who was a mediocre member of a good D3 team.)
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:39
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
^ Agree. A few of the high academic D3s didn't really recruit in my kid's sport--one, in particular who does a lot of camps, just waits to see if the kids get in and then they basically try out for him spring/summer. It's not unusual for many to be added to the team for the following season until late spring of their Senior year in HS.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:33
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Again, it's going to depend on the sport. But, the very sought after schools recruit top level, nationally known players. The Ivies in my kid's sport only take International players and players coming from pro-academies in the US. Your typical travel and/or HS player is not even good enough for the Club team at the school. It also gets International players and players coming from the top leagues in the country-but not recruited-and is very competitive (100s of kids come out--like 1 or 2 Freshmen make it).
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:20
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Just to add that it's a 40% acceptance after MIT's version of a pre read or pre application review. The coach probably ghosts the student if don't have a changes of being admitted and the student doesn't apply.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:40% acceptance rate at MIT is still insane - that's an 8x boost to your oddsAnonymous wrote:Ivies: yes, top athlete
MIT: not top, but it is not a typical hook, meaning you don’t have a preread and if you pass that then you’re pretty much in when you apply barring unusual circumstances. Instead, many still don’t get in when they apply even with coach support so lots of athletes commit elsewhere where their admission is virtually guaranteed.
Those odds are completely kid and coach dependent. It is coach dependent bc those who are there longer tend to be more accurate as to whether the kid will end up getting in based on years of experience. The issue is lots of good athletes/students don’t want to risk losing a spot at another good school for the risk of a maybe at MiT. Cal Tech is the same way.
Good points. My kid was offered recruiting support at MIT and after reviewing her package said should get in two out of three times based on his experience. It is an amazing advantage but the challenge for the coach is that kids of the level that they need have options. In my kids case she had offers from NESCAC schools, top UAA schools, and Patriot League schools which were all basically 100% if she said yes. In the end she chose a NESCAC instead.
This is not accurate. We asked the coach during a call how many of his recruits are actually admitted and he said usually 1/3 on average but that’s 1/3 who fell into the “yes” pile on the pre-read. So high stats, lots of STEM, high SAT esp math, excellent ECs, a yes at preread and still 66% not admitted.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:16
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
For an Ivy think about it as your EC.
If your thing is STEM, you would need national level awards, or maybe state level, ECs as part of your application.
Same for an athlete. They need to be, for example, runners competing and placing very well at national events or all-state in big states.
If your thing is STEM, you would need national level awards, or maybe state level, ECs as part of your application.
Same for an athlete. They need to be, for example, runners competing and placing very well at national events or all-state in big states.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 14:07
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Just to add that it's a 40% acceptance after MIT's version of a pre read or pre application review. The coach probably ghosts the student if don't have a changes of being admitted and the student doesn't apply.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:40% acceptance rate at MIT is still insane - that's an 8x boost to your oddsAnonymous wrote:Ivies: yes, top athlete
MIT: not top, but it is not a typical hook, meaning you don’t have a preread and if you pass that then you’re pretty much in when you apply barring unusual circumstances. Instead, many still don’t get in when they apply even with coach support so lots of athletes commit elsewhere where their admission is virtually guaranteed.
Those odds are completely kid and coach dependent. It is coach dependent bc those who are there longer tend to be more accurate as to whether the kid will end up getting in based on years of experience. The issue is lots of good athletes/students don’t want to risk losing a spot at another good school for the risk of a maybe at MiT. Cal Tech is the same way.
Good points. My kid was offered recruiting support at MIT and after reviewing her package said should get in two out of three times based on his experience. It is an amazing advantage but the challenge for the coach is that kids of the level that they need have options. In my kids case she had offers from NESCAC schools, top UAA schools, and Patriot League schools which were all basically 100% if she said yes. In the end she chose a NESCAC instead.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 13:51
Subject: Re:Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:40% acceptance rate at MIT is still insane - that's an 8x boost to your oddsAnonymous wrote:Ivies: yes, top athlete
MIT: not top, but it is not a typical hook, meaning you don’t have a preread and if you pass that then you’re pretty much in when you apply barring unusual circumstances. Instead, many still don’t get in when they apply even with coach support so lots of athletes commit elsewhere where their admission is virtually guaranteed.
Those odds are completely kid and coach dependent. It is coach dependent bc those who are there longer tend to be more accurate as to whether the kid will end up getting in based on years of experience. The issue is lots of good athletes/students don’t want to risk losing a spot at another good school for the risk of a maybe at MiT. Cal Tech is the same way.
Good points. My kid was offered recruiting support at MIT and after reviewing her package said should get in two out of three times based on his experience. It is an amazing advantage but the challenge for the coach is that kids of the level that they need have options. In my kids case she had offers from NESCAC schools, top UAA schools, and Patriot League schools which were all basically 100% if she said yes. In the end she chose a NESCAC instead.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 11:30
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is a swimmer so that is what I can speak to. It basically takes Olympic trials cuts to get into an Ivy, so def better than average. We were told you needed a 1400 SAT and Bc Calc as well unless you were Katie Ledecky level.
Also I think you are overestimating the number if slots. Each swim team takes maybe 5 new kids per year plus competing with transfer portal. There a many times that number All American swimmers with a near perfect SAT.
Most teams take 8 per year per gender but for swim usually 1 or maybe 2 of them are divers.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 10:59
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:You need to be a top athlete, not just good. Top on your team, state honors, club team etc.
This - even at MIT. Read the player bio's.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 09:44
Subject: Do you have to be a top athlete to be recruited at SLACs, MIT (D3) and the Ivies?
Anonymous wrote:Or is a very strong student at a top high school plus a good but not tippity top club/varsity player enough? Are there many top athletes out there who also have the academic chops to hack it at these colleges? I am sure it depends on the sport, but how about for sports outside of football and basketball? If your SAT is in the 1550-1580 range, high rigor at a strong, nationally recognized HS, and let's say you are an ok lacrosse/volleyball/soccer/track athlete, what are the odds that you'd get recruited by a top academic institution? Obviously no chance at Duke, Stanford and the likes.
I am new to this site and process and curious how it all works.
My oldest was an athlete at MIT. High sat scores and top grades (at low/medium rigor school tbh). No hooks other than athletics, ie she’d say she got in because of sports for sure even if not recruited. And she def met coaches. She wasn’t a top athlete, but she was “all state” once in a smaller state. She would not have been recruited at a place like Duke.
It’s a hook for women at MIT for sure. No idea about elsewhere.