I want to continue rowing at a D1 level but my waitlists are making it very difficult right now. Advice needed

Applying to College
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Hello!

So I’m a 3-year varsity rowing coxswain and a 5-year coxswain overall. I (female) have been on a men’s rowing team for 3 years but I’ve recently switched to a girls’ team and I am the 1V coxswain. I’ve dedicated my entire high school experience to pretty strictly rowing and academics and working a part-time job, and I’ve done some tutoring and community service on the side whenever I’ve had extra time. My application is pretty fully centered around rowing and a very challenging course load. My GPA unweighted is around 3.75 and my W GPA is around 4.2. I’ve taken 12 APs total (including AP Calc BC, AP Physics C M/E&M, etc.) I got a 30 on the ACT and did not submit that anywhere because I just never understood the importance of submitting scores (at my large underfunded public school we never had standardized testing importance emphasized to us…I understand that it is on me but I unfortunately only brought myself to take the ACT once and never again. I believe that if I took it now and took a couple of weeks to prepare I could have gotten at least a 33…I have gotten pretty good at testing in general.) If I were to do my application all over again the only thing I’d change would be actually putting in effort on the ACT/SAT & submitting that score. My personal statement was about how I found my voice through rowing and how it brought me confidence and “saved me” from OCD (without explicitly mentioning OCD…you would understand if you read it. I had many people review it and they said it was fantastic, so I felt pretty good about it.)

That was a bit of a ramble but you get the point.

I applied as an astrophysics/physics major to pretty much every school I applied to. I got accepted at Virginia Tech, Penn State, UMaine (full tuition), and JMU. I got waitlisted at Barnard (my #1 choice), UVA, UMich, UW-Madison, Syracuse, and GWU.

I am so grateful for my results since anything is better than a rejection…HOWEVER, my current concrete acceptances aren’t 100% what I am looking for because I have always hoped to continue as a coxswain on a well-built rowing team. All of my acceptance schools have club teams, yet my waitlist schools are all D1 rowing and would provide the balance of strong rowing & academics that I want. Club rowing does seem fun and I understand why some people love it, but I hope to either be fully committed to an intensive schedule with experienced rowers or just not row at all…but I would definitely prefer the former. I come from a well-performing high school program that is ranked nationally, so I want to continue at a high level…again still so grateful for my acceptances, though.

Anyway, my point is I want to continue rowing at a D1 level with strong academics tied in, which defines all of my waitlist schools. Barnard would be the ideal choice but I am afraid to bank on any waitlist decision. I need YOUR advice…

If I do not get off of any the waitlists, what do I do? I could continue coxing at a club level at any of my acceptances, but I know deep down I will be wishing I was on a varsity program. (I hope to one day race at Worlds, which I know is a high hope, but I went far with u19 rowing, but the connections on a varsity program at any of my waitlists will at least help). Could I commit to an acceptance, row there for a year and do well academically, then transfer into a D1 program? Would a D1 coach even take me at that point? Would I need to retake the SAT/ACT and submit a score to help me out? Should I reach out to the coaches at my current waitlist schools and explain my interest and hope that they help me off? I don’t want to make it seem like I favor any of my waitlists over the other in case I get off of Barnard because that is my for sure top pick.

Sorry for so many words. But I need help. It will not be helpful for you to tell me that I should drop the competitive rowing dream and settle for no rowing or just a recreational crew team…I can’t really put into words how I feel but after racing at such a intense high school level I really don’t think I can stop now. I am an extremely driven and stubborn person, so my passions will stay my passions for as long as they can.

Thank you to all who stayed to read this all. And especially those willing to offer any two cents.

(Additional info: I went through the recruiting process very lightly…I am in contact w/ coaches at every school I applied to but since I am a cox I wasn’t able to get full support anywhere. I would be able to join the team at every school I am waitlisted at however I don’t know if they’d be able to help me off of the waitlist without me declaring them as my first pick…and I don’t want to do that at anywhere besides Barnard.)

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I’m not an expert on recruiting, but this seems to be your issue…

@TonyGrace or @cinnamon1212 might be able to provide more info.

In the meantime, I would suggest that you grow to love one of the colleges to which you were accepted.

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I can’t speak to the rowing aspect, but I’d suggest getting excited about the offers you actually have instead of banking on getting off a waitlist. Of course, send a LOCI to all your WL schools (if you haven’t already) but then forget about it. Your rowing could help IF a school goes to its waitlist but in many years they do not (or they take only a handful of students). Also, waitlists are typically need aware (even if the school is need blind during regular admissions) so they may select full pay students first. Someone with more experience may be able to comment on the rowing aspect . . .

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You built the list you did. Not sure if you included athletic rowing as you built it.

But you got into great schools - congrats. And you didn’t get into others - so do your LOCI if you haven’t and forget about them.

College athletics are tough - perhaps being on a club team will be a little bit less stressful time wise and give you a boost. And perhaps it will give you a better chance vs. having to compete against higher level talent at a rowing school? Just guessing on this paragraph.

Love who loved you.

The WL schools said no - but are keeping you there in case they fall short of enrollment goals. You’re an insurance policy. For them, not you.

So find #2, find a roommie, fall in love - and have a great four years.

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@coffeeat3 is the d1 rowing expert.

You want to row at the d1 level, but bluntly, it is not up to you. I understand rowing is very important to you, but at this point it is off the table, so choose your college with academics solely in mind.

Are there private rowing clubs where you could continue competing?

Are there d3 schools where you would be recruited and where you could transfer?

Those are the rowing options I could come up with, but I certainly do not know the sport.

It will all work out in the end!

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Agree with the others:

– Write a LOCI and then forget the waitlist schools – likely you will not get in. If you do get accepted down the road you should consider it a happy surprise.

–Fall in love with a school that loves you back.

–Club rowing is a fantastic option for a college student. It can provide a healthy balance between sports, academics, social life, etc.

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Thank you all for your reply. The thing is I do have results and recordings that are good enough to be recruited off of, but I made the mistake of only going through MEN’S rowing recruiting, which means little to no ability to use admissions support on a coxswain. If I had thought early to go through women’s recruiting, I could have “committed” earlier on and been given full support via admissions.

I do really love VT and would be 99% ecstatic to attend but I feel like part of me may always wish I had gone on to participate in rowing at a varsity program. That’s why I was wondering if it’s even remotely possible to maybe transfer to another school after my 1st year with a more competitive rowing program, however, I don’t know if coaches even like to take in transfer students. (I know some schools do but not enough to bank on that idea.)

Again, club rowing is an amazing option and it may turn out to be a great decision (because it brings more free time to focus on school & other extracurriculars) but I am extremely competitive and I’ve always hoped to make it into the D1 system. It may not be a feasible dream but it’s what I’ve been working for. I feel like if I had decided to go through WOMEN’S recruiting earlier it could have worked differently, but since I coxed men’s for so long I just didn’t really think about the long run.

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Another approach: Consider doing a PG (post graduate) year at a prep school which offers competitive rowing.

Contact the coaches at the schools to which you were wait-listed and ask each coach to recommend a prep school for a PG year. This will immediately put you on the coach’s list.

Do not settle if you really want to progress in the sport of rowing as you have stated above.

Check out if Andover, Exeter, and Deerfield Academy offer women’s rowing teams that would meet your needs. The Kent School in Connecticut would be another to investigate.

Culver Academies in Indiana has a strong athletics program which includes women’s varsity rowing, but may not offer a PG year.

Here is a list of boys rowing prep schools:

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S24 is also a rower who applied to engineering programs at many of the same colleges. His metrics are very similar to yours. Most rowing programs for men ARE club teams and club teams are often quite good. I don’t know Penn State, but I’ve heard that Virginia Tech has a strong club team.

Best of luck to you! As other posters have already stated, you should focus on your acceptances.

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Isn’t it too late for a PG year for next year?

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Maybe. Maybe not. It won’t hurt to initiate contact with university coaches to ask this question. Likely to start a relationship with crew coaches at targeted universities.

If OP wants to achieve her goal of D-1 rowing, then she needs to be proactive.

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Sending you a big hug.

You are about to learn a very key lesson about adulthood- which MANY adults take decades to learn. It’s like being in a really nice restaurant- you need to decide if you’re going to order the Dover sole, which is the house specialty, which means NOT ordering the chicken Paiilard, which is your favorite. Or you have two job offers for the summer- one is offering an insane amount of money to live in a semi-rural town where the facility is based. The other is offering barely minimum wage to live in a cool city where all your friends are heading for the summer- but you’d be splitting a three bedroom apartment 6 ways and have no money left at the end of the summer. Either/Or. No bad choice- just two different choices.

Will you regret the one you chose? Perhaps. Some people are like that. They are in a solid relationship with someone who respects them, understands them, and treats them like royalty. But they are pining away for the HS relationship which ended at graduation. They live in a nice house on a safe block with a pretty garden but they can’t get over being outbid on a GORGEOUS house, on a better block, with professional landscaping.

Learning not to “always wish” for what you didn’t choose is a life skill. And you are lucky enough to get to practice that skill right now.

Maybe a waitlist will come through. But more likely, you’ll be heading off to one of the colleges which accepted you, and after a couple of pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream, you’ll be able to get excited about going there for college.

You can do this!

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Thank you for this reply…some advice I was hoping for.

I’ve considered doing a PG year but the only issue is that #1 my family is likely not going to be ultimately willing to pay for one year’s worth of tuition at a boarding school. Especially at an expensive one in New England. (I am from a city right below the NE region.)

Additionally, I just fear I’ve run out of time. I still want to reach out to the WL coaches and see if they could suggest any to take some initiative, but I have doubts that they’d be able to suggest any at this point so late into the application season.

I may look into some of the UK schools to see if they’re still accepting applications. I could continue rowing in Europe but not sure how many (if any) UK schools w/ rowing are still accepting late apps. I’m afraid I realized my issue too late in the game.

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This is not a bad idea. I would also look at Peddie and Lawrenceville, which row at the Olympic Training Center. OP would probably benefit from strengthening academic profile, despite course rigor.

OP, did you submit AP Scores? What were they?

OP, make sure to reach out to all coaches (men and women’s) and ask if they can help you get off the WL. My understanding is that you would commit to any of these schools over your current options and you need to treat each as they are your number 1. Not luke warm because of Barnard (this would be rowing for Columbia, correct? *make sure to understand the logistics of this as many discover the logistical reality of it to be less than ideal) if you get off a WL and then Barnard down the road, so be it. You can accept it.

Having said this your LOCI should not focus on rowing. Unfortunately the fact that you wrote about rowing may have done little to help you. It’s a common mistake, but I am assuming from your post your application screamed rower. It would have benefited you show another side of yourself.

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My initial post in this thread is to encourage you to call the coaches at the universities which wait-listed you. You need a reason to call that will place you on the coaches radar.

You may be surprised at the results.

Also, this may enter into a discussion about transferring or doing a gap year.

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My understanding is that rowing, particularly men’s rowing due to title IX, is one of those “elite” club sports, and taken very seriously, competing in the same regattas as D1 programs.

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I only submitted my 4s which were AP Calc, AP Lang, AP World. The rest were 3s (besides the 5 APs that I am currently taking) and I did not submit those…which could have been another mistake I made. I had absolutely no guidance during the app process since my parents did not have a traditional US college experience and I did not have a counselor or anything like that. I also joined CC/Reddit too late so I didn’t even get to utilize their help early enough.

Yes, I would participate in CU rowing at Barnard. I have this bit figured out so that would all work out if I am miraculously admitted off of WL. I wrote a Barnard LOCI very quickly after receiving my decision and I did not mention rowing at all. It was specifically centered around my other qualities that tie me together with Barnard’s ideals. I had a school counselor read over it and a friend at Dartmouth who both said it was great. So hopefully that was OK.

It’s all just a bit unfortunate because I feel like I was a bit naive during the whole app process. My high school experience was all spent very genuinely–I love rowing and I worked pretty hard in school and focused on the subjects I was passionate in. I have great relationships with my teachers and coaches. I think I had a pretty decent portfolio going for me but I just didn’t know how to format it to the fullest potential. oh well! I sure had fun, lol

*And to be fair, yes my application definitely screamed rower, but that’s who I am. I dedicated most of my time to rowing and school. I used to be an extremely shy and anxious person but becoming a cox taught me confidence and how to be a leader, so that’s what I wrote about. You could feel the passion in my writing. I don’t know what else I would’ve wrote about that could have been more genuine than that.

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Will do. Would it be a bad idea to also email a couple of coaches from schools I didn’t get into or didn’t apply to…? That may sound dumb but I’m wondering if any would suggest to transfer, gap year, PG, etc. Maybe not.

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I absolutely would contact all the coaches at your waitlisted schools- you have nothing to lose. I would just emphasize your desire to row at a very high level, particularly with the womens’ teams if you didn’t reach out to them before. If rowing is a passion and you want to take it further I don’t think you need to let it go yet. There are many less competitive (admissions-wise) d1 rowing schools you could transfer into after a year, and I agree a pg year would be good possibility too.

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It would be a good idea.

I am much more comfortable using the phone as I often get through to decision makers immediately. But you do the method with which you are most comfortable.

Folks like to be asked for advice (that is why websites such as CC are so successful with volunteer posters).

I have achieved my best results with phone calls made well after all deadlines have passed–but, I am much older & much more experienced than you, therefore email may work better for you.

And each contact made will be a learning experience. Do not be afraid of rejection. If you do not experience rejection, then you are not trying hard enough.

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