<p>Every school has their own mosaic for the kind of incoming class they’re looking for. MIT is no different. Marilee Jones once said they could easily fill the incoming class with qualified applicants from the state of Massachusetts alone. And they don’t because they have their own vision for the kind of class they want to create.</p>
<p>Is admissions interested in “qualified applicants” who are experienced football players? Sure. But probably as much as they want qualified applicants who stayed in their basement all through high school playing with rockets (Marilee’s words), or Oboe players, or those with a demonstrated passion for math, or dancing, or whatever - You get the point. </p>
<p>A friend of mine at MIT did competitive sports there as an undergrad, and although still connected to MIT’s teams, is coaching at the school down the river. She once explained to me that after they’ve recruited and identified their list of top athletes whom they would love to see get accepted, they give that list to admissions and can only say “please do what you can”. After years of doing it, she said if all else is equal, they’ll take the athlete, but they won’t use athletics to influence or bump a person’s qualifications.</p>