<p>I was just wondering, as a friend of mine said they had a verbal agreement for a sport to go to Cornell, how certain are they?
Does the person still have to apply and be admitted under normal circumstance, or does that verbal agreement waive regular admission?
Just curious.</p>
<p>hah. The Ivy League has very specific requirements for student-athletes. They must still apply, and must be within specified parameters to be admitted. A verbal agreement is not a contract, you are not required to go to the school.</p>
<p>Not to mention, unless you are a highly sought after hockey player, a coach’s word does little more than give you a slight boost if you are on the edge of admissions.</p>
<p>so, basically, if you wouldn’t be getting in based on everything EXCEPT the sport then you probably still won’t get in?</p>
<p>Coaches for certain sports have X number of slots for recruits. A verbal agreement is not binding until you have something in writing. A coach would ask an athlete if he/she would commit before a written agreement is given. Most athletes would be admitted during ED. Sometimes if an athlete has very good stats but not a top recruit, a coach may not use his quota to get the athlete in. </p>
<p>A very sought after hockey player would get more than just a boost from a coach from Cornell. A lot of spring athletes often know they are admitted to a school by July. All year sports or fall sports athletes may have to wait until fall (recruiting weekends). </p>
<p>Tell your friend, if it’s the school for him, he should get more than a verbal. He should make sure the coach has a quota for number of athletes he could take, and he should commit if Cornell is the right environment for him.</p>
<p>Chendrix is right, if your friend has a 2.0 GPA he is probably not going to get into Cornell. </p>
<p>Our kids’ high school has a lot of Div I athletes. They are told in July (if they are recruited) to not take difficult courses senior year and try to maintain minimum B+ average.</p>