My son who is in 8th grade and about to go in High School, his academics is very good and good enough for Ivy League colleges but his above Average Tennis Player. Do you think having above Average Athletics will help him in getting into one of the better Ivy League College ? or We should just focus on Academics instead. Playing high level Sports program requires lots of compromise in academics and if he cannot utilize his athletics ability toward getting better Ivy then it might be better idea to play at average level and focus on academics instead. Any thoughts please ?
It will not. Being a recruited athlete provides a boost, but failing that, even if he is captain of the varsity squad, it’s “just” another EC.
He should do sports or any EC because he enjoys it and not use it as a means to get into an Ivy League school.
How do you know his academics are Ivy level…? He’s not even in high school yet. Things change.
Unless he will be a recruited athlete, sports are considered to be a good EC but nothing more. He should continue with tennis if he enjoys it. If he doesn’t want to compete on a HS team that is fine as well and he can seek out other ECs he enjoys.
IMO it is a mistake to gear a child’s life and activities towards gaining entrance into an Ivy League school. First, these schools are hyper-competitive and even stellar academics do not guarantee entrance. Second, there are a ton of fantastic universities and liberal arts colleges out there so don’t limit the possibilities. Third, your S is in 8th grade so you have no certainty about what type of HS student he will become, how standardized tests will turn out etc. The notion that you are gearing your son towards a “higher Ivy” in 8th grade is getting way ahead of yourself.
@Happy1: Thanks for your input. This confirms what I was thinking. I do not think he can be D1 recruits, may be D3 recruits for Tennis if I put my most egg into tennis basket. I strongly believe he can make one of the Top Ivy knowing that he is better than his older brother who is Junior in high school this year. My older son will likely to make one of the top Ivy schools. I hope this confirms why I am saying what I did in my first post. My older son is based on pure academics but my younger son who is in 8th grade has better academics as well as athletics ability.
@skieurope: Thanks a lot for your input. It is very practical input.
Yeah, ever since the school district administered an Otis-Lennon back in grade school there were more than a dozen parents in this class who were just as convinced their kids were “top Ivy material”.
Do you know how many got it? One.
@JustOnedad : I will be sure to come back after 10 months and reply your comment.
As for “above average” athletics, it makes a nice EC, but that’s about it. The admissions officer might even refer to your kid as “the tennis player”, but probably not.
Being individually ranked in the top 50, say, in the state might garner some recruiting interest, but likely not at those “top Ivies” you seem to be talking about.
@JustOneDad : Obviously you care because you had to make out of context comment instead of focusing on real question. Your last answer is within line of original question. Thanks for that.
lordofthering
I believe that you think your sons will “qualify” academically for Ivy level schools. But each year there are more than 10- 15Xs as many academically “qualified” students applying to Ivys from around the world as there is space available. Realistically, you need to greatly widen your search for colleges for your son’s, as the numerical likelihood is they will not be accepted at any of the Ivys’, no matter how much you wish, hope, or assume otherwise.
If you want them to go to college, the time is now to tone down the “ivy assumptions” and start actively looking for colleges where they have a good chance of acceptance and would like to go to.
Its easy to find dream schools- its harder to find safeties where your sons will be happy.
^^^^ Please heed this advice!
Sigh, prestige hunting parent. Please do not put that pressure on your child. He isn’t even in high school. Tens of thousands of “good enough” and “overqualified” students get rejected by Ivy leagues every year. By the time your son applies, it will be even more competitive and the advice given now will likely be outdated by the time he applies. I mean really. I’m a high school senior right now and I’ll be in my final year in college once he actually gets to begin applying to schools. Don’t make your son worry about Ivy League schools. It’s just an athletic conference. They’re are all distinct. You don’t know what he will want in a college 4 years from now, and you don’t know how he will change as a person.
Let your kid pursue what he enjoys, not what will garner him admission to an elite school. If he likes tennis, let him play tennis, even if he isn’t top in the state. I hope you wouldn’t deny him that just because he isn’t the top athlete in tennis. I knew a parent that discouraged their kid from pursuing an interest once it was clear they would not be top dog in it. I knew another parent that let their kid pursue the same interest, who also wasn’t the top kid in it. Both kids got into elite schools, but the second was happier in high school.
@lordofthering …glad to give input. I do hope you take the second paragraph of my post to heart as well. And while I hope things work out as you hope, be sure that your older son applies wisely and not only to “top Ivys”. Again, there are tons of great opportunities out there and there are multiple qualified candidates for each Ivy and Ivy equivalent spot.
Sports’ effect on admissions likely depends on how good one gets:
- Recruited by college for sport -- large favorable effect.
- Not recruited, but very high level achievement (e.g. top ranked nationally or in a large state) -- an impressive EC.
- Not recruited, not very high level achievement -- an ordinary EC.
@ucbalumnus: my son falls in second category. Likely to in top 50-75 in mid Atlantic region but not five star player. My dilemma is if he continued to put more effort, he will have to compromise on other EC eg. He wants to debate club but debate requires lot more time to compete at higher level as my older son doing. But on other hand my older son is not doing sports so he is able to manage debate’s time demand and complete at National level.
@lordofthering If your son wants to do debate club, then let him do debate club. Does your son actually want to do tennis? If he really enjoys playing tennis, then you can let him play.
Playing tennis to become a recruited athlete JUST to get ivy league admissions is not worth your time. There are still recruited athletes who do not get in the school of their choice. Let your son do what he wants, he will accomplish far more in what he is interested in, and he’ll have a great time doing it. Your son being happy and having a great experience in high school is worth far more than an acceptance letter from Harvard.
@lordofthering what makes you think your kids are competitive for Ivy leagues? Usually those kids aren’t just good but they are rock stars in the classroom and out of the classroom. From your description, it sounds like you just consider them very good but it doesn’t sound like you consider them rock stars. Make sure to keep an open mind and be willing to consider beyond Ivies.
This level of strategizing is actually counterproductive. Follow this advice: http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways