My #1 choice school is Columbia, and i am in contact with them. However, im not sure if i am good enough. I am also in contact with nyu, but i would choose columbia in a heartbeat.
what times do they look for in 100 fly and 200 im which are my main events?
also, i have a 2110 sat, 4.23 w and 3.77 uw, and lots of ap classes with demanding schedule. is that on track academically?
my dad also is alumi for columbia, would that help?
You should do a little homework so you know how competitive you are:
- use collegeswimming.com and see the Columbia times for end of season in your main events. Remember in college, you need three events–not two. You should pinpoint if you’ll be in their top three swimmers. Remember some of the girls who swam this year will graduate, so go to the Columbia website and see if those in your main events are seniors.
- Look at collegeswimming.com and evaluate their new recruits from this year–if they’ve picked up a lot of flyers or IM’ers, then you might not be as attractive to them. Or…they could have a desperate need for IM’ers and you’d have to swim the 200 IM, 400IM and something else for them.
- Go to the Ivy Conference swimming results and determine if based on your times, you’d score at Ivy’s–in other words, would you make finals in their conference championships? That is a critical question–teams recruit those who can score at conference championships if at all possible.
- Use the search function on this site for the term academic index–its a calculation the Ivies use for determining ability to compete for them. You’ll learn a lot more about this if you search on the site.
Finally, your father being an alumni is as valuable if you are a swimmer or a non swimmer. Unless, of course, your father is a very large donor to the school (millions) or if your father swam for Columbia and was a Hall of Famer in the athletic department. Then it might have a little more weight.
Do your homework, assess your fit. Then don’t limit yourself to Columbia and NYU. You should have 15-20 schools that are competitive academically and athletically for your skill sets on your initial target list for recruiting.
I assume you are a junior?
If Columbia is really your #1 choice and your times are competitive then be persistent. Some of the best advice I received in the recruiting process (from a current Harvard swimmer’s parent) is if you really want to go to the school then don’t let the coaches discourage you. They are chasing the fastest kids in the country and when a large percentage of those kids decide on others schools, be the one waving the Columbia banner. You have good stats but not sure they are good enough to get in to Columbia without a nod from the swimming so make sure you target other schools that you could be happy with swimming and/or financially. My swimmer ended up walking on to a big D1 program and we are lucky he secured an academic scholarship to the school prior to him posting his fastest times.
thanks so much for the advice! how do i make it seem as if i am very enthusiastic? Should i do lots of updates? im new to the recruit process so any help on this would be appreciated. And yes, i know i probably wouldnt get in without swim, but i will try be best!
@MAswim2014
“how do i make it seem as if i am very enthusiastic?”
Go on an unofficial visit to Columbia
Definitely go on an unofficial visit to Columbia and train hard for the LCM season. Training and competing over the summer shows real dedication to swimming along with another chance to post good times before the senior official visits. Also, I cannot stress enough about having a plan B, C, & D (with D being the most affordable option). There is something to be said for graduating with little to no debt
@MAswim2014 so if i do go on the unofficial visit, could it potentially influence where i stand on the recruit list?Basically,does this demonstrate true interest and could it potentially affect how the coach feels about me? it is quite a big commitment for me(cal to ny), but im willing to do it. Thanks and ill get that set up!
The best way to convince both admissions and the coaches that this is your dream school is by visiting and letting them talk to you in person. Application essays are always better when you can reference your personal visit. But keep in mind that coaches only have so many slots and will not consider giving you a slot if you are way down on the recruiting ladder. I know if is a lot of $$ to take an unofficial visit but considering the cost of a Columbia education, it’s a drop in the bucket.
hey @MAswim2014 very valid point, but very fortunately the price will not be an issue for me(yes, i am very very grateful for this and all my parents have done to support me). as a quick update, i emailed for an unofficial and they replied that it was set up. I also received an email saying that they thanked me for filling out the questionnaire and will “speak with me in July”. Based on your experience, any idea if i am a viable candidate, or just another on their long list? This whole process is just so stressful
@lolbye, this is a very positive response! I am not sure what your times are but this means they are interested in you. Look at their top times and conference results to give yourself a better idea of where you stand. Swimming summer LCM is important to stay on their radar and show you are committed.
The whole recruiting process is stressful and can even be cruel at times. I understand as my son went down to the wire with MIT as his #1 choice and ended up waitlisted. That was pretty much the end of the road and he chose to walk on to a D1 program instead.
@MAswim2014 Yes, this whole thing does seem very insecure so i will be sure to have back up plans.
Currently, i would be able to score in the c final for 100 fly and really really close in the 100 free. I am about 1 second off in the 2 im to score. Idk, my times just seem on the fence. Also, lots of people add in finals so when i mean in can score, i am comparing against finals times. Somehow, prelims is faster so based on prelims times, i currently wouldn’t actually make it in. ;(
also, i submitted my transcript and scores for an early read at wellesley upon coach request, but is been 12 days and they havent gotten back to me. does this mean the pre read went bad and i am not strong enough academically?
My sense, lolbye, is that the early read can take time. It probably has to go through admissions, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to reach out to the coach at this point. She could probably give you a timeline.
But it’s definitely too early to draw a negative conclusion from the process! If she’s asking for this information, she’s very interested in you!
@SwimDad99 alright, thank you for the response! I was just getting a bit worried. I’ll reach out to her. 
Hi there @lolybye,
Not sure if you know this but the Columbia women’s swim coach, Michael Sabala, is no longer part of the program. Just thought this is information to share with you. Good luck in your search.