http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/14/a-better-college-choice-for-top-athletes.html
Interesting article from a players perspective.
“Columbia University graduating senior, Kendall Pace, sent CNBC’s Power Lunch this economic analysis about his collegiate and athletic choices. We wanted to share his thoughts with our readers.”
I didn’t see a lot of economic analysis in that little vanity piece, but perhaps the author couldn’t operate his calculator and pat himself on the back at the same time. Or perhaps his calculator couldn’t handle the big numbers involved with calculating the ROI on a $280,000 undergraduate degree in the classics. I trust that when he goes to work one of these days for an alum of, oh, let’s say, Ohio State, he’ll realize that the Ivies are not the only path to a solid education.
Do you understand how the Ivy schools work for actual cost.? I guarantee they paid nowhere near $70,000 per year
Net Price by Family Income Level
Net Price
0-30k
$9,142
30k-48k
$5,307
48k-75k
$9,210
75k-110k
$17,143
110k +
$39,050
If a kid plays a headcount sport like basketball or football (males), then the lure of a full scholarship vs. having to pay a portion, or potentially all of a tuition bill can be difficult to reconcile. That said, regarding the above sarcastic response, the likelihood that the Columbia kid with a classics education is reporting to an Ohio State FOOTBALL player is probably not that great. Not because Ohio State isn’t a fine school, it most certainly is, with excellent qualified graduates who I’m sure fill leadership positions. The problem is if you are a Power 5 D1 football player, the opportunity to select a demanding major is almost always very limited - far more so than in the Ivy League. However, in the spirit of playing along, I think there’s a reasonable chance that your Ohio State manager in turn reports to an Ivy/Penn-Wharton educated person who had every opportunity to be an athlete and study what they wanted. If they competed in an equivalency sport, they probably paid less for that Ivy education as well.
However, I completely agree there are many paths to a quality education.
@planit the student athlete received his degree in poli sci and bus mgt; he mentioned studying the classics as part of his well rounded Ivy League education. Believe me, the Ivies take care of their student athletes to make their education very affordable. And that’s not just for head count sport athletes as my kid does an equivalency sport at an Ivy. Best decision he’s ever made!
Easy answer, get a financial pre-read wherever necessary and compare. They might not give Athletic scholarships but their financial aid can be quite generous. As a very middle income family, we will see a much greater benefit from Ivy than from the other big schools. AND if there is an injury, there aren’t any worries about losing funds. It’s not about being a snob, it’s a good business decision.
One of my son’s teammates on his state championship XC and outdoor track team went to Columbia. Disliked it intensely and ended up at Bates after one year.
@MaineLonghorn I read other articles where Columbia isn’t a supportive, close knit and caring type of environment. Maybe for the football student athlete who wrote the article it was different being that it was a football team. Was it the Track/XC team that he didn’t like or the overall Columbia experience?
Ivies are better bets than power 5 D1 schools, but they still are D1. The coaches demand an extraordinary amount of the athletes’ time, and put a lot of pressure on the athletes not to let academics interfere with sports success. Not like Alabama or Ohio State do, but still a lot more than you may want.
For the best academic experience, doing your sport at the top academic D3 schools is the best possible situation. Places like Amherst, Williams, UChicago, MIT, Johns Hopkins. Those are the places where the proper balance still exists, IMO.
@moscott
Which ivy are you speaking of?..
HYPS pay quite a bit. The FA ceiling is very high and they are very generous. Ivy is better FA than our public UC…far better. Students need to run the FA calculator and see what’s available. It’s a wonderful opportunity.
@tonymom The above chart cited was an aggregate of Ivy league schools…thus the average amount at each income level. I agree they are very generous. That was my point actually.
And because this is an athletic recruiting issue it should be said even the nonHYP ivies will match or come close, the other offers.
I believe FA pre-reads also take into account where a recruit lives and the relative cost of living in their home area. 110K family income level in Wyoming is going to be very different than in SF Bay Area. One would be upper middle class, the other…well…not so much.
I would always advise any student athlete being actively recruited to get that FA pre-read from potential coaches. It helps immensely knowing what your financial options are going into a discussion of which schools are appropriate.
The other issue is the athlete himself, if he is a star student than I think an Ivy is great, if not and he is relying on the athletic part of his app to get in, there is danger in that. Not only will he be required to participate in athletics, he/she will be competing against kids that have no such obligation, and at some of the Ivies with little grade inflation it can be overwhelming. Columbia and Cornell come to mind. Harvard and Stanford however, well I think the lowest grade is a B- there. Still, graduating from Harvard with a 2.8 isn’t going to look that good.
Not really. The Ivies (and thier ilk) cap the amount of home equity used in the calculation of need. So, someone with $500k of equity in Laramie would be treated no different than someone with $500k in equity from Beverly Hills.
Absolutely. Our son attended the Ancient Eight for less than the cost of attending a UC at instate rates.
I think Ivy coaches inquire what major the athlete is leaning toward and then advises them if it’s doable factoring in the rigor of practice and competition schedule. Or the coach may steer the athlete toward a certain college if the fit is better for the major and admissions standards. FA reads are great if that Ivy can produce one (estimated award) for the athlete prior to his or her OV. That way both the parents and the athlete know up front if they can commit at the end of the OV.
At least that was our experience and the process was wonderful and seamless.
Bottom line, every Ivy is different in how they approach FA and recruiting but they really are the best deal $$ for an athlete.
They don’t say “It’s a 40 year decision, not a 4 year one” for nothing.
I have a family member who was a recruited athlete at Princeton. She paid less than it would have cost for her to attend her state college. She played less, and studied a heck of a lot more, than she would have at her state college (academics are taken seriously at these schools whether or not you’re an athlete). She enjoyed phenomenal support services, incredible international travel opportunities, and by the end of her senior year, she had a slew of on-campus interviews even though she was a mere psychology major with no interest in going into psychology. (Many companies like to recruit at the Ivies.)
The article is right on.
If you have the brains and the test scores to get into the Ivies (and yes, athletes still have to be competitive academically to get their foot through the door) they’re certainly worth considering.
Are they a guarantee of future success? No. Are they a guarantee of a more rewarding academic experience – likely yes. Because your’re a “student athlete” not just an “athlete.”
Hoping to be a recruited athlete for either volleyball or field hockey + lacrosse at Harvard (I have the grades/other Ecs. to back it up as well) I completely agree with the article and it’s a major reason why I’m not content with a likely full ride to U of I or something.