Athlete recruitment...

phantasmagoric
Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:38:33 +0000

I’m pretty sure that for the most part, the Ivies don’t offer monetary incentive, in general. That’s why Stanford has such high quality athletes: because there are great athletes, and then there are great student athletes. Everyone wants the latter, and because Stanford will give them a fat scholarship to attend (though nothing beyond the cost of attendance), Stanford manages to recruit top athletes who are also top scholars, the ones who would get in regardless of their athletic ability. Even in big-time sports where their athletic talent is a major factor in admissions, they do not lower the bar for academics. I think that Stanford is one of the few schools that buck the trend of “athletes lowering the quality of the student body”: because of its name, its quality, and the quality of its sports, the best athletes, the ones who are also amazing students, end up at Stanford.