<p>My point is that you were erroneously claiming that your son was at a disadvantage due to gender (and, possibly, due to race) when applying to Haverford, and I wanted to correct you. I agree that it is easier for girls to get admitted to engineering schools. I am sympathetic to the desire of colleges for gender balance, and I appreciate the efforts of engineering leaders who encourage high school girls to apply to engineering schools.</p>
<p>We all agree that it is not possible to get admitted to a top college without extra-curricular activities. Athletic recruitment started as a way to keep Jews out of top colleges. It has an ugly history, and I don’t think it makes any sense. Even if athletes decided not to attend Haverford because the teams were not good, Haverford could still attract top applicants without them. I find it tough to believe Haverford needs winning teams to attract alumni donations. Quite frankly, I would be more inclined to donate to my alma mater if the school’s arts or journalism programs gained national prominence. I don’t donate, at least in part, because I do not like my alma mater’s determined efforts to recruit athletes despite being a division 3 school. </p>
<p>Most athletic programs are very costly, even at division 3 schools, and athletic programs add to the cost of tuition much more than arts programs, which tend to be part of academic departments. I do not regard promoting athletics as essential for a liberal arts college the way promoting art is essential. Music, theatre, writing, and even studio art are academic endeavors. Liberal arts colleges nurture artists of all types. Most college athletes stop playing soccer, volleyball, or rugby after college. School athletic programs from nursery school through college should be about helping young people develop healthy habits, not about nurturing the top athletes to the exclusion of everyone else.</p>
<p>At my daughter’s high school, they have tryouts even for junior varsity teams. Not everyone gets to participate. When the teams compete, junior varsity competes last and sometimes time runs out, and the junior varsity teams do not even get to compete. However, the junior varsity athletes are told that they are important for “supporting” the team. The varsity athletes are allowed to leave competitions early after they have competed if they are driving themselves or have a ride. They are not expected to “support” the junior varsity teams in any way.</p>
<p>Some people say that if you play an uncommon musical instrument like the oboe or the French horn, you have an advantage in college admissions. But an article I read years ago in the NYT suggested that this is a hit or miss phenomenon. The French horn player has to have the luck of applying to a school that is looking for her. She doesn’t know in advance the way an athlete knows. She might apply to colleges A, B, and C, not aware that equally desirable college D wants a new French horn player that year.</p>