He attends the best public school in the state but it has a poor hockey program. He is on varsity though. He applied to boarding schools and was accepted with some financial aid. So it is affordable.
We were planning to reclass so he would enter as a Sophomore. He will get a door on their JV team. But I was informed there is very little movement from their JV team to varsity. Most kids on varsity are recruited athletes. So the odds of moving up are non existent.
From a hockey standpoint it seems to be a dead end. I think he is better off attending his public school and playing on a AAA team. He has that choice.
From an academic standpoint is there an advantage to going to the boarding school? With or without reclassing. His counsellor at his high school thinks so. She says the college acceptance landscape at the public school is very competitive.
My son has a 3.9 GPA unweighted. He was on varsity. Two honors classes. And is doing an AP class off curriculum. If he stays he would be an on a AAA team. He has one honors class and signed up for two AP classes. For senior year probably 3-4 APs.
The one disadvantage I see to the boarding school from an academic standpoint is that they don’t offer AP classes — advanced classes only — this could become an issue for international colleges in the UK as they seem to requires APs
There are other parents who can speak better on the subject. IIRC @Canuckdad knows a lot about the subject. But hockey seems to have its own recruiting path, which involves Junior Hockey. IME most hockey recruits, at least at the top programs, are significantly older than a high school graduate. 20 or even 21.
It varies by subject, and sometimes by school. In general, calc, physics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, have a fairly stable curriculum which allows for taking AP exams with little additional revision beyond the norm. Other subjects may require the student to fill gaps on their own
Many boarding schools have eliminated AP in some (or all) subjects because they want to review their own curriculum without having to teach to the test. But those advanced classes are still quite rigorous, and many students still take the AP exam.
I’m not a hockey mom, but was a BS mom. One thing I can say for boarding schools is that the AD and college counseling is much more individualized than public school and your child will be “packaged” better. The ADs and CCs are expected to build relationships with college coaches and OAs, rather than spend the majority of their time doing many other tasks. Just another data point to consider, but not sure how far that will get you if he graduates as a JV player.
In terms of the hockey piece of the equation, it is also important to consider the level at which the prep school competes as there are some which turn out a lot of high level college players, but also to be very honest about the caliber of AAA team he could be playing with at home, as there is a wide range of talent in both prep schools and AAA organizations.
On the hockey front, recruitment will be based on the player’s ability. So if a kid who can’t advance beyond JV, he’s unlikely to be recruited simply because he’s on a AAA team. Coaches recruit players, not teams. So the real question is where he will develop best – best coaching, most playing time, etc.
Most BS do an excellent job with academics. With fewer students in classes , they can grade more essays, have more student participation in class, and generally engage students. And as mentioned, having teachers and CC who really know a kid generally translates into college counseling that is very tailored, including good “packaging”.
If hockey recruitment (but playing hockey) were not part of the equation, I would lean toward BS because your son can “get it all” at one institution – less time driving, excellent education, great play, etc. With recruitment, you have to consider how attractive he’s REALLY likely to be and what path he needs to take to get there.
I agree with you. I think that your son is doing well where he is. I don’t see any reason to change things.
There is a relatively wide range in terms of what sort of hockey teams exist in universities and colleges in the US. Also, how strong a university is for hockey and how demanding it is in terms of academics appears to be almost orthogonal, which implies that a good fit should be possible. I originally come from Canada where hockey is king and you have to be very good to play varsity hockey in university, except that many universities also have club and/or intramural level hockey. I have no idea what it takes to play hockey in the UK – I do not normally think of the UK as being as strong as either the US or Canada in hockey.
Students at very good universities in the US, even at the MIT/Stanford level, come from a very wide range of high schools. A lot of students come from their normal local public high school. My roommate freshman year at MIT came from a rather lousy public high school – he had however done very well at the public high school that he attended (I think he was valedictorian in high school, which is common at MIT).
I think that between varsity hockey, junior varsity hockey, and intramural and club hockey, an academically strong student who wants to play hockey in university should be able to find a university that is both appropriate in an academic sense and appropriate in a hockey sense. How affordable it is for you may depend upon multiple factors (need based aid, athletic scholarships, your budget, and whether an in-state public school happens to be a good fit, all being considerations).
There is an advantage of attending a high school that is a good fit for the student, and of attending a high school that is affordable for the parents. Whether this implies public or private will vary from student to student and from family to family.
He passively emailed a few. But I am going to start making videos this year.
My hunch is to just play AAA and finish up high school. His counselor does tell me the “academic landscape at his school is very competitive” so the odds of making a top tier college do something just below the top tier aren’t that good.
My gut says no point rocking the boat. In fact by sending him to prep school I am actually closing the door to playing in college. If we aren’t satisfied with our placement he can just do a post graduate year at a boarding school. Either as a recruiter athlete or on the basis of grades
I am not sure that I fully understand this sentence.
However, a 3.9 unweighted GPA at a highly competitive public high school is very good. There are a huge number of very good universities in the US, and from an academic point of view this GPA will get a student accepted to most of them. Someone I know who had a 3.9 unweighted GPA from a highly competitive public high school is for example going to be called “doctor” in less than a month (without the benefit of hockey improving the odds of acceptance to universities).
A 3.9 unweighted GPA is not going to make it likely to get accepted to Harvard or MIT or Stanford, but that is okay. No one needs to attend Harvard or MIT or Stanford. A 3.9 GPA along with reasonable ECs and references that refer to a reasonable and responsible personality will get a student accepted to a very long list of very good universities.
I grew up in an area where hockey was the sport that everyone cared about. We had a few players on our high school team who were really very good – so good that for at least one of them I was watching for a few years to see if he ever ended up in the NHL (I am pretty sure that he did not). The level of “good” that you need to end up making a living playing hockey is insanely excellent. For the rest of us, almost all of us, whatever sports we do is something that we do for fun, and for exercise.
I think that your son is doing very well where he is now. I think that his academics will get him accepted to his choice of many very good universities. Some of them might have varsity hockey that is at an appropriate level. Some of them may have a varsity hockey team that plays at too high a level, but might have intramural or club hockey that is at an appropriate level. He might end up accepted or able to get accepted to 10 or 20 universities that make sense academically, and I expect that there will be at least 3 or 4 or maybe 10 of them where the hockey can be made to work one way or another.
I think that your son’s academic success to this point puts him on track to do well, and I think that hockey will work out one way or another.
I can’t help with hockey recruiting, but do keep in mind that many colleges offer club hockey teams as well. Club sports can be a great outlet for many – students can compete, but the time commitment is less than is required for a varsity sport.
Regarding APs and international universities, it really will vary by uni/country.
Econ at Oxford? You will need three AP 5 scores, at a minimum, paired with top 2% (+-) SAT/ACT. 3 year degree.
St. Andrew’s is the rare 4 year UK uni, so the AP tests will not be necessary, I believe? But they are no doubt helpful.
Commerce at University of Melbourne? 3 year degree. The admissions floor is a 5 in AP Calc BC, paired with a minimum 32 ACT. (Interestingly, the standards for domestic applicants is significantly higher. Just like the US, some international unis are courting those high fee paying overseas students.)
Anyone know what the Canadians require? They certainly have better hockey than the two above.
So ski is correct re: AP math, but if you are looking at Oxbridge, you will need three 5s in subjects relevant to your chosen course of study. I agree that the AP tests are possible even if the class is not prescriptive to that precise syllabus, but it will require a bit of future tripping and planning parallel paths accordingly. Start with your desired uni courses and work backwards to three APs that will satisfy any of those possible paths.
Academically a 3.9 GPA will make a student competitive at a very wide range of universities in Canada. Toronto and McGill might be likely or not depending upon your major. However the university system in Canada is consistently very good. Schools that most Americans have barely heard of still offer a very good education. A student can get accepted to most of them with a 3.9 GPA. Some will ask about ECs but they will not be all that important. Some will not even ask about ECs. Admissions tends to be straightforward.
Getting on a varsity hockey team at a university in Canada is very competitive. There are a LOT of Canadian students who are very good at hockey. However, intramural and/or club hockey teams will be common, and will be significantly less difficult to get onto and to get ice time.
Fyi many, if not most, boarding schools reserve PG spots for athletic recruits, not for kids who want an extra year to improve their gpa.
I gather from this and your other thread that prestige is important to your family. If you are only considering large research universities, then I am guessing getting recruited for hockey will be very difficult. However, if your family would consider prestigious LACs then hockey recruiting might be more possible (to be fair, I don’t know hockey recruiting). And the reason this is salient is that athletic recruiting is the most powerful of hooks, pretty much guaranteeing admission if given a coach offer. So if you are plotting out the surest route to a prestigious admission, athletics is it. (That said, it is not easy to be a top athlete!)
If your family goes this route, the recruiting process has already started, and you would need to focus on it now.
I am well versed in NE Prep School hockey following on to NCAA college. If your son is an 08-09 hockey player or even a 2010 and isnt being recruited by a college yet his chances of playing at any NCAA level except ACHA club hockey is minimal (and thats difficult at most ACHA D1 schools). For example 08’s are already getting offers for NCAA D1. AAA is watered down nationally and doesnt mean much unless you are on a top 5 maybe top 10 full season national bound team like Shattuck or Little Ceasers. Its not the same as AAA in Canada. Especially at U18 which is where most high schoolers are. I usually dont recommend spending the money to hire an advisor but in your case spending 3K now for a real evaluation might save you a ton of money later. If he is playing split season AAA and High School, his chances are almost non existent. Your kid may be the second coming of Sidney Crosby so it is no knock on him, Im just telling you the averages. NCAA hockey is very very difficult and with the CHL now allowed to go to the NCAA its significantly harder than it was even a year ago. Former D1 players are getting cut and portaling to D3 teams. Good luck. Its a process and its difficult, dont forget to enjoy where you are at because its over fast.
My son went through the process. Quick summary. Played prep and then one year of Junior in the US . He was being recruited by D3 schools BUT, because he was not in his last year of Junior was pressure to play one more year of Junior. My son had a 4.0 GPA and the academic side and where he would go post grad was important as well as cost. He decided the ACHA path would be best (he didn’t want to play 15-20 games in D3 and ride the bench for 2 years). He got accepted at over a dozen schools with generous academic scholarships. Basically, pay room and board with modest tuition. Because of the high cost of post grad (he is looking at health profession) he decided to go to a local university in Canada (cheap tuition) and save his money. He is super happy with his decision.
The hockey landscape for NCAA has changed dramatically. If you are not scouted/recruited by 16, you are 90%+ not playing Division1. Those kids are recruited/committed and told to go to USHL/BCHL. Junior hockey in the US is a cash grab and no guarantee (lots of research is needed). Junior players in Canada are now told to play in the major junior leagues and then NCAA (New). ACHA is a great option because teams are growing and desperately looking for high level talent. Last word of caution. Some D3 schools are shaky schools. Many will commit you only to have you find out that 80+ kids will be at training camp. The top ACHA D1 programs are as good as the top D3 programs and extremely competitive. So unless your child is D1 talent (and you would know by 16-17 based on recruitment), invest a lot of time in doing your homework on the long term academic side of the schools involved.