<p>My D was recruited to all the Ivies, got a likely letter from Harvard etc., but chose Stanford. Most of the kids on her team were also recruited by HYP, but made the same choice and for the same reasons: friendlier atmosphere, nicer people, warmer weather, better tech. courses, and a far superior sports program. So it’s not like Harvard’s athletes are better students–H recruits from the very same pool as Stanford does. The difference is, that Stanford tends to actually get the most talented kids to attend. Also, almost all the freshmen on my daughter’s team chose S despite NOT being offered an athletic scholarship. My daughter just gets financial aid, the same as she would if she didn’t play a sport. So let’s not act as though the athletes only come for the money; it might be true for football and a few other sports, but not for the majority. And to be honest, Stanford’s FA package was not even the best–HYPC all offered D a little more.</p>