NESCAC - athelete admission standards lowered?

basketballdad · 09-22-2010, 09:48 AM

The forums seem to indicate that some of the NESCAC schools admit below average, for their school standards, students if they are desirable athletes.

If your son/daughter has been admitted to a NESCAC school with < 4.0 GPA and ~1600 (2400 scale) SAT scores, please tell your story.

My son is in the academic range above, would love to attend a NESCAC school, and is a very good basketball player that s currently being recruited by other D3 schools.

Any info about this topic would be much appreciated!!

fenwaysouth · 09-22-2010, 12:50 PM

basketballdad,

Welcome to CC. Each NESCAC school is different, it is very difficult to lump them together when you discuss NESCAC bands. Ex. A "C" band athlete for Amherst could be a "B" band athlete for a different NESCSAC school.

There are several CC threads already started that deal with NESCAC and their banding system for athletes. You can search those threads as well to get more info. There was one post that had a link to a college recruiting service that included detailed info on the bands. I can't find it, but if your interested, please send me a PM and I'll send you the presentation. It is very good, and explains quite a bit about NESCAC bands and NESCSAC athletic recruiting in my opinion. Banding can differ between schools, and coaches are not involved in the process. There are some folks on this site that know a heck of a lot about it. So keep the questions coming. Here is an estimate NESCSAC band from another post:

A Band:
SAT Scores 700+ average all above 680
SAT II 720
GPA: Mostly As/Top 5%

B Band:
SAT scores 650+ average, all above 610
SAT II 640
GPA: Mix of A/B/Top 15%

C Band:
SAT scores 630+ average, all above 580
SAT II 600
GPA: B Record/Top 20%

D Band:
SAT scores below 1800-1880 (depending on school) all greater than 530
SAT II < 560
GPA: Below a B average/Top 25-35%

So, bottom line in talking with a coach from a NESCAC would be for your son to ask what band he is in. Remembering that bands differ from school to school.

keylyme · 09-22-2010, 02:24 PM

My son spoke with Tufts coaches recently and they said for A band he should shoot for 2100 SAT and 3.5GPA (however, they did note that rigor of coursework and school could cause that to be lower. As an example he cited a Roxbury Latin student who was put in the A band with a 3.1 GPA and mid 2000 SAT. I know of kids from my son's school who go to Middlebury and Amherst. The non-athlete had a 3.7 gpa; the athlete a low 3. My son has a teammate from public school who was recruited by and will be attending Williams - 3.6 GPA, 1900 SAT.

Also, deciles can be misleading as top 5% at many public schools is not the same as even top 25% or even top 50% at a rigorous school.

OldbatesieDoc · 09-22-2010, 09:20 PM

I don't think they do , in general. It's just of the 400+ very bright kids available per spot, they pick ones that contribute to the academic/social matrix in different ways. You can similarly say that gifted musicians, community organizers, and dancers get accepted more easily.

trackpop · 09-23-2010, 04:30 AM

See the below link

http://www.roadtocollege.com/doc/Hoc...ppt#268,25,Q&A

fenwaysouth · 09-23-2010, 07:33 AM

Thanks trackpop. That was the one I was looking for! Good stuff in there about NESCAC bands and Ivy AI in my opinion.

keylyme · 09-23-2010, 01:00 PM

That is an excellent link; thank you. Just curious if anyone knows how they calculate the gpa for different schools (mediocred public vs. rigorous prep) and different curriculum (honors, AP, etc.). Certainly a gpa is not a gpa.

Momof2sons · 09-25-2010, 08:28 AM

Without getting too specific, my son was admitted to a NESCAC as an athletic recruit
with the following stats:
Approx 3.0 GPA (from top academic prep school--similar rigor to Roxbury Latin), he had 2 "C"s in his record during his junior year
His SAT scores were: M 650 V 640 W 590

He has done very well at said school. His grades are much better in college than at his high school. He has won community service awards, published an academic paper with one of his professors and played 2 varsity sports (was recruited for one sport)

I am very grateful for his opportunity at this school. He was clearly a "C' band recruit and
he has done very well and contributed to his school and his teams.

keylyme · 09-25-2010, 12:54 PM

^^Did they tell you he was a C-band, though? The coaches we spoke to told us their recruit was an A-band with a 3.1 GPA and SAT's in the 2000-2100 range. Just curious how much gpa latitude there is and if it is based on the rigor of your specific school and courses taken.

Momof2sons · 09-25-2010, 01:42 PM

Keylyme...I am fairly certain he was a "C" Band...the coach never told us that directly what band he fell into but did tell us he needed a "tip" for admission. It is possible he was a B band, but I doubt it. My son had to commit to ED and the coach took his transcript and application to admission for a "preread". Just prior to sending his application with ED checked, the coach called my son to let him know there were "no red flags" with admissions. My son asked him directly at that point if he would use a tip for on him and the coach said yes.

A, B, and C band academic stats will vary based on the school. A C band at Amherst will have higher stats than a C band at Trinity.

I will say that since my son has been at his school I had a conversation with his coach where he told me that admissions at this school thinks very highly of my son's prep school and they view a 3.0 from this school very differently than other schools.

jerseygirl in ct · 09-25-2010, 04:41 PM

Generalities are just that. Each school is different, as is each team within that school. On some teams, like football, the standard can even vary by position. And of course what matters more than all of that is the coaches interest in your child.

photogirl99 · 09-28-2010, 08:49 AM

What if you fall into the B band for gpa, rank and 2 of your sat sub scores, but then a D band for the other sub score? Which band will they classify you as? This is at a bottom third nescac school for an individual sport.

Momof2sons · 10-02-2010, 11:47 AM

You really need to speak with the coach...he/she should be able to help you figure out where you fit, though they may not disclose what "band" you fall into. You need to ask if you are recruitable from an academic and athletic perspective and you need to directly ask the coach if he/she will "tip" you or in other words use a protected slot for you with admissions

The more of an impact player you are, the lower your stats can be as a rule

photogirl99 · 10-03-2010, 07:14 PM

Thanks, we're waiting for an early read. Anyone have any experience with that?

Momof2sons · 10-03-2010, 08:18 PM

Yes, our son had an "early read" at his NESCAC school
He was applying ED2. He submitted his transcripts, SAT scores and his college counselor made a call to the coach for him
Admissions looked at his information and told the coach "no red flags", then the coach offered him a slot/tip