Walking-On to A Top College

FauxNom
Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:22:55 +0000

It’s possible that the coach thinks your application is strong enough that you can get in on your own, and he doesn’t want to “waste” one of his limited tips on supporting your application. Maybe he needs those tips to boost less qualified applicants, and maybe they work better for his program (positions he really needs to fill, etc.).

If that’s the case, it creates a dilemma for you. There’s reason to hope you could get into the college on your own merits, but applying there would probably alienate coaches of other programs, who may be insisting that you apply early to their colleges. What this means, I think, is that you have to decide whether your college strategy will be driven by your desire to be recruited for your sport, or to attend the college that feels like the best fit for you.

You didn’t actually say why your #1 is your #1 - whether it’s because that’s the best place to play your sport, or it’s better academically/socially. If the answer is that the sport is your paramount interest, then it would definitely be smart to pursue schools that will recruit you. You have basically strong qualifications, and I do think a sport pursued at a very high level is a great EC, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll make the 10% of lucky admits.

If you have time, I recommend reading “Playing the Game - Inside Athletic Recruiting in the Ivy League” by Chris Lincoln. It’s maybe a bit dated, but has lots of info that will help you assess the recruiting situation.