College Guidance Q & A

As a college admissions advisor, Larry works with students from all over the country as well as the world. This week he responds to a question from a student athlete who lives in the UK and has aspirations to play tennis at a university in the United States.

Q: Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Caltech. I play tennis at a very high level and I am very good at rounders. Is there any way for me to get a sports scholarship or get an admission through sports or do I need to apply like everyone else?

A: MIT is Division I in Crew, only. All other sports at MIT are Division III, and Division III colleges (MIT and Caltech) cannot offer athletic scholarships. Ivy League colleges (Harvard) do not offer athletic scholarships. So that leaves only Stanford. “Very high level” is an obscure description for a tennis scholarship at Stanford. Are you one of the best in your age group in all of UK? If so, write to the tennis coach at Stanford.

Larry works with student athletes as well as students of all academic profiles and extracurricular interests. If you have questions about college admissions or would like to learn more about our services, please contact larry@learningassoc.com.

College Admissions Q & A

Larry receives numerous questions about college admissions from applicants and their families. This week he responds to a student's question about fencing and its impact on admissions. Although this question is specifically about fencing, Larry's response can be applied to sports in general.

Q: Is fencing a good extracurricular for top colleges? Would it help?

A: A fencer of outstanding accomplishment who could positively impact a college fencing team can get significant and meaningful coach support for an application to a selective college. However, the way this question is posed, without detail about the student athlete’s regional or national ranking, seems to indicate that this is a nice activity but not influential in highly selective college admissions.

The influence of athletics on college admissions is determined by the student’s level of involvement and achievement. In some cases, it also depends on what a coach is looking for during that particular cycle.

Larry works with student athletes as well as students of all academic profiles and extracurricular interests. If you have questions about college admissions or would like to learn more about our services, please contact larry@learningassoc.com.

College Admissions Q & A

Larry received this very timely question about recent college admissions decisions. This cycle has been particularly challenging as students seem to be applying to a greater number of colleges (15+) and so many of the same colleges. Rather than increasing their own admissions chances, this is creating increased competition for a limited number of seats.

Q: It seems that so many qualified students from my high school didn’t get accepted to schools that should have been reasonably certain, given their grades and profiles. I feel like our school got blacklisted- do colleges usually do that?

A: High Schools do badly at some colleges for one of two reasons, principally:

1. Matriculants don’t succeed at the college.

2. Accepted students don’t enroll in sufficient numbers (“yield protection”). While yield protection can explain some outcomes, it sometimes feels like an excuse in the absence of hard evidence.

If your family needs college admissions assistance or you would like to learn more about our services, please contact larry@learningassoc.com.