Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 18:51     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Most "likely" letters -- at least two-thirds or more at most schools -- go to recruited athletes.


Not sure that's true. Athletes often apply ED (D3) or sign/committ (D1). The likely letters we are talking about go out after most athletes have their spots.


The athletes I know at DC's Ivy knew last October/November, or got in ED.


Likely letters are used in both the early and regular application rounds, and are sent to particularly desirable candidates, including, but not limited to, recruited athletes. While some recruited athletes at D1 schools sign letters of intent, others do not; these students, as well as students applying to D2 and D3 schools typically apply in the early round and receive likely letters in late summer or fall.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 17:21     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Most "likely" letters -- at least two-thirds or more at most schools -- go to recruited athletes.


Not sure that's true. Athletes often apply ED (D3) or sign/committ (D1). The likely letters we are talking about go out after most athletes have their spots.


The athletes I know at DC's Ivy knew last October/November, or got in ED.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 17:20     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who pointed me to collegeconfidential.com. I already feel behind


College confidential can be overwhelming! FWIW, the book Crazy U called College Confidential is unreliable, writing something like, "why should we believe the opinions of someone who called himself Boogerman?" I disagree somewhat. The weakest part, to me, are the "chance me" threads, where high school kids post all their stats and ECs and others tell them if they'll get into Harvard, because having gone through this recently I I think so much is just down to luck. Like with DCUM, there's a lot of useful info there, if you can learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 17:11     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:Most "likely" letters -- at least two-thirds or more at most schools -- go to recruited athletes.


Not sure that's true. Athletes often apply ED (D3) or sign/committ (D1). The likely letters we are talking about go out after most athletes have their spots.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 16:49     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Thanks to those who pointed me to collegeconfidential.com. I already feel behind
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 14:46     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Most "likely" letters -- at least two-thirds or more at most schools -- go to recruited athletes.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 14:35     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:WTF is a "likely" letter? Is that related to Early Action or Early Decision or something?

In '92 I just sat around and waited until April, thick or thin blah blah blah. I need to do some research then, thanks!


Seems to be new in the last 5 years or so. Sent to a small group of RD applicants about a month or so before the decisions. Not sure what percent of those who are ultimately admitted get them. Maybe 10-20%? More and more schools are doing this. Go to College Confidential for more info.

So you applied to college in 92 and are already looking at colleges for your DC? Makes me feel super old since I graduated more than 10 years earlier! Yes the process has changed dramatically for competitive colleges.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 14:08     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:WTF is a "likely" letter? Is that related to Early Action or Early Decision or something?

In '92 I just sat around and waited until April, thick or thin blah blah blah. I need to do some research then, thanks!


Yup you do. You'd be amazed at how different things are now. Likely letters are sent to candidates that will most likely be admitted. It's a way for the colleges/universities to begin to "hook" really great candidates that they'd like to see attend. Yield (how many people who are extended admission actually accept a spot) is a very important stat for colleges these days.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2013 12:35     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
WTF is a "likely" letter? Is that related to Early Action or Early Decision or something?

In '92 I just sat around and waited until April, thick or thin blah blah blah. I need to do some research then, thanks!
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 22:14     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Here is an editorial written by the staff of the Harvard Crimson that explains my point of view: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/2/22/athletes-harvard-letters-athletic/
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 22:05     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:[quote=Anonymous

Consider this...you and others have said that this is about money - revenue. The school gets a higher profile, may get some revenue from the sport itself, alumni give more money and that increases the school's endowment. A bigger endowment means more financial aid for all students, more money to spend on academic programs, tuition stability and better facilities. Your argument focuses on the fairness to the individual student while the school has to consider what is best for the students collectively. BTW, I know many fine arts students who have gotten the same admission advantages that you claim athletes get. Personally, I think it depends on the school. Some schools have a big sports emphasis but a lot of schools don't. In fact, there is a top SLAC down south that just abolished sports. [/

Which school just abolished sports?
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 18:45     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:I don't know why you're getting so defensive. I don't think anyone is sermonizing. We are just challenging the prevailing notion that sports are of utmost importance and that athletes should receive admission "tips" not granted other students. Why not send likely letters to the best all-around students instead of the best athletes? And by the way, I'm not arguing this from some "sour grapes" point of view. DD has received likelies from two schools, including an Ivy, and she's not an athlete.


I know another kid who just received a likely letter from an ivy, for accomplishments in one of the arts. So there you go, it's not all athletics, all the time....
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 16:08     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:I don't know why you're getting so defensive. I don't think anyone is sermonizing. We are just challenging the prevailing notion that sports are of utmost importance and that athletes should receive admission "tips" not granted other students. Why not send likely letters to the best all-around students instead of the best athletes? And by the way, I'm not arguing this from some "sour grapes" point of view. DD has received likelies from two schools, including an Ivy, and she's not an athlete.


Great -- your daughter should be well-suited to those schools and flourish there. Similarly, Williams admits students perceived to be a good match for the school's culture, both academically and in terms of community involvement. The most selective schools are fortunate to have many accomplished applicants, thus admissions decisions turn on fit -- with the college community as a whole and with the class being admitted. For these applicants, individual decisions might be difficult to accept in the short term, but in the long term most kids bloom where they're planted.
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 15:56     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
Anonymous wrote:I don't know why you're getting so defensive. I don't think anyone is sermonizing. We are just challenging the prevailing notion that sports are of utmost importance and that athletes should receive admission "tips" not granted other students. Why not send likely letters to the best all-around students instead of the best athletes? And by the way, I'm not arguing this from some "sour grapes" point of view. DD has received likelies from two schools, including an Ivy, and she's not an athlete.


Well, I am getting defensive because your argument is based on a lot of stereotypical assumptions about student athletes and my daughter happens to be one. But we can table that part of the argument.

Consider this...you and others have said that this is about money - revenue. The school gets a higher profile, may get some revenue from the sport itself, alumni give more money and that increases the school's endowment. A bigger endowment means more financial aid for all students, more money to spend on academic programs, tuition stability and better facilities. Your argument focuses on the fairness to the individual student while the school has to consider what is best for the students collectively. BTW, I know many fine arts students who have gotten the same admission advantages that you claim athletes get. Personally, I think it depends on the school. Some schools have a big sports emphasis but a lot of schools don't. In fact, there is a top SLAC down south that just abolished sports.
Anonymous
Post 03/15/2013 15:32     Subject: 40% of Williams' classes are athletic recruits
However, I should add, this type of likely letter is exceedingly rare. I don't think it should be.