Students recruited for athletics

Marigrow · 10-01-2012, 10:17 PM

It seems students recruited to challenging prep schools primarily for their athletic ability have to repeat more courses, have more discipline problems, and are more likely to leave the school due to a desire to play only one sport. In sum, they dilute the academic environment.
In addition, at prep schools where athletes are recruited, the scholar-athlete is likely to spend a lot more time on the bench.
Are there any challenging prep schools that don't admit any students primarily for their athletic ability? In other words, are there any challenging schools left that field teams solely with scholar-athletes?

Charger78 · 10-01-2012, 11:49 PM

Son started at St. Andrew's in Delaware this fall. My observation is that very few are recruited for athletics, maybe one or two kids out of eighty-some admitted each year into a student body of 300. There are no post-graduates as the larger schools usually have, who often are filling rosters or have service academy goals (or both). SAS plays small private schools in Delaware (the DISC) and public schools; its teams are competitive and stress participation/life skills. They are not generally on a par with those in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (excepting crew and occasional outliers), where some recruiting and PGs are the norm, along with 200-500 more students per school. Metrics place SAS among the "challenging" boarding schools, say from #8 to #13 or so. Very much looks for the "scholar-athlete" (emphasis on first) who can contribute even more, like to a robust arts program.

ops · 10-02-2012, 09:00 AM

This has been a contentious topic here on CC in the past with respect to recruiting for athletics in boarding schools. BS have tried to "recruit" athletes provided that they meet the academic standards of the school, Michigan State this is not. There have been instances of schools bending over backwards to get athletes only to be rejected by admissions in the end. The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of athletic scholars attending boarding schools. DA does not accept a bunch of dummies just to play lacrosse, they are good, smart and athletic kids. The ISL is adamant in their bylaws about recruiting students solely for their athletic prowess and not for academic standards. Has recruiting been done, yes, transgressions have transpired and a few exposed at a total cost of embarrassment for the school and sometimes coupled with penalties. In the end, I believe most, if not all good boarding schools will agree that it is not the stick or the ball in the hand but what's between the ears that counts and if the kid can throw a strike too, than all the better.

Weatherby · 10-02-2012, 05:51 PM

Hockey, football, and lacrosse players should indeed have lowered admission thresholds to compensate for the lack of athletic ability of the scholarly students who dilute the sporting environment.

Seriously, BS is not D1.

mhmm · 10-02-2012, 06:04 PM

There are schools that are well known to recruit athletes. These are not schools that are considered as the more academically inclined, no matter how many posts of the "hidden gem" thread there are. Mostly the top schools get their athletic power through pg's. However, do not worry - if your child is truly a scholar athlete, he/she will get their chance to shine. May take a year or two on the jv or a third, though.

2prepMom · 10-04-2012, 02:16 PM

There are some top tier BS who do not accept any PGs, may be worth checking out if your child wants more play time with age matched peers St Paul's is one, if I remember correctly.

Periwinkle · 10-05-2012, 11:43 AM

"Recruited for athletics" has a technical meaning in admissions, which I don't quite understand. I'm not sure how precise you are in your use of the word "recruit?" Do you mean, a student who would not have been admitted to the school, were he/she not a star athlete? Or, do you mean a student who is a stronger athlete than student?

I would recommend looking at smaller boarding schools, which don't admit PGs.

interested · 10-05-2012, 05:50 PM

I believe that the OP is making some very strong statements about recruited athletes - getting into more trouble and being poor students. Think that that is a bit of an exaggeration.

Our experience has been that the schools are looking for we'll rounded kids. At a lot of schools the kids need to play a sport every season or manage a team, participate in the play, etc. these are not the best places for a kid uni-focused on a single sport. So while the schools do look for kids who may help out their teams, the kid needs to be able and willing to actively participate in all aspects of the school. Classes are rigorous and they must be able to handle the work.

As far as PGs go that is a fair point, but just because a school does not allow for PGs does not mean there will not be older kids in your grade. Repeating a grade is very common, and not just for aspiring college athletes. I have often been amazed at the size and maturity difference between a high school freshman at 14 and an 18-year old junior. If athletics are important then repeating or delaying your start may be something to consider.

Athletics at many of the schools are important to the school fabric and community. The teams are good - often surprisingly so for the size of the student body. But, this is because the student bodies are full of talented, achievement oriented kids. Don't assume that the best athletes are dumb jocks. That is not typically the case.

J24601J · 10-05-2012, 10:55 PM

At Andover, I know a lot or kids who are recruits. They generally are nice, smart kids who deserve to be there. Although I think that recruiting for athletics often makes the admissions process unfair, you made some kinda mean judgements about athletic recruits..

Marigrow · 10-07-2012, 08:08 PM

To Periwinkle:

By "recruited athlete" I meant:
1. A student who would not be admitted to the school except for the fact that they are a star athlete.
2. Any young person contacted by the school, or a representative thereof, because of their athletic ability.

Periwinkle · 10-08-2012, 04:31 PM

The ISL, as mentioned, does not permit its member schools to recruit athletes. This rule has been vigorously enforced in the recent past. I don't know how schools outside the ISL handle this issue, so I'll leave it to parents of other schools to fill in the blanks if they wish.

On the other hand, I have the strong impression that many of the students at boarding schools are "sporty." The schools all field multiple teams each season. If your child has athletic talent, it's a good idea to contact coaches in sports he or she plays before your visit or interview. Even at schools which don't recruit, athletic skills are considered in admission.

I would not worry about the students "diluting the academic environment." The boarding schools encourage a "healthy mind in a healthy body" approach to life. The academic environment can be very intense. If you only want to follow academic pursuits, boarding schools might not be the right place for you. Students are required to take part in athletics or music/drama every season. There are mandatory assemblies. Colleges know that a student who flourishes at boarding school will also have extracurricular activities.

A winning season can lead other athletic students to a school. After all, they want to win. It can be difficult to play on varsity boys' soccer, for example, because so many students play soccer. Both winning and losing reinforce themselves. If you don't want any good athletes on your child's school teams, you could look for schools with losing records. Google "name of prep school" "sport" "2011" "results."