Parents Guide to Junior Tennis; Harvard's Admission Standards for Athletes
I ran across this compilation of information for parents of junior tennis players at the website of The Racquet Club of Columbus. There is a wealth of valuable information, some of it specific to that area and the Midwest section, but most of it applicable to anyone entering the subculture of junior tennis. From tips to Dos and Don'ts to high school tennis and scoring, it's all here.
And speaking of parenting, there's a lengthy feature in The New York Times by Pat Jordan called "Daddy's Little Phenoms." The girls are not tennis players, they're golfers, but the similarities are much greater than the differences.
Finally, in a complete different vein, there is another New York Times piece that may be of interest to those who have asked about the requirements for admission to Ivy League schools for tennis players. Although this is centered around basketball, there is insight into the numbers and process at Harvard and other Ivys.
14 comments:
That article regarding admission standards for basketball players at Harvard was very interesting. Unfortunately, I'm willing to bet that those standards are still a lot higher for tennis players. Does anyone have any insight into this issue?
5.0 player
correct a mundo - Basketball and football are huge revenue producing sports whether it be in the ivies or not, and schools are willing to fore go grades for victories -- a great deal of money is on the line in football and basketball ( not so in the lessor sports - tennis,swimming or golf, etc. NCAA championships).
My son played in the ivies in tennis and they gave a very slight edge in admission to him, meaning he might have gotten in without the tennis, but with the tennis that put him over the edge. He played in the # 1 spot for 4 years.
There also is a huge difference in recruiting. In the athletic scholarship schools they wine and dine you -- best campus hotel (phones and chandiliers in the bathrooms), meet the basketball and football players, etc. Very upscale visit.
In the ivies you sleep on a cot or sleeping bag in the tennis players dorm room. Really not to fancy. You do get a great education and the oppurtunity to land some of the best jobs after school in the country, and you don't have to be in the top ten in the world to earn some serious money.
fwiw, there is a guy who currently plays top 6 at Harvard who scored 1600 on the SAT in 10th grade. (before the writing part).
No kidding
Also a great person in addition to being very smart.
gsm,
I'm sure you are referring to Will Guzick. My story about him for SMASH magazine is here.
I've received several interesting comments on Harvard, but have been unable to post them because they are anonymous. To ensure your comment is posted, please select "Name/URL" identity and enter a name. URL is not necessary.
As an individual with an Ivy degree and an Ivy law degree I am 100% opposed to athletic recruits for these top schools because with the exception of a few players like Guzick (Harvard) most would not get in, or waitlisted, as all these schools reject applicants with perfect SATs and flawless academic credentials. I also interview for my university and have written letters to admission to complain about coaches making admission decisions for all sports. Ivy coaches try to get the best athletes through admissions they can that meet the athletic index . With tennis I was told the athletic index for admission is 1850 to 2000 combined on the SAT depending on the school when the typical non-athletic recruit has at least over 2200 (and that is not a guarantee) and the difference between and 1850 -2000 and 2200 combine for the SAT is huge, it’s all the hard questions. What is even more outlandish is that coaches can average the SATs with their recruits, to use a athelete with high SATs to g t in on e with low SATs. At these schools athletics are NOT big money makers and these schools will NEVER be competitive with true D1 schools. Admission standards are compromised in pursuit of the Ivy Title, which most alums, like me, believe is meaningless. Rather, students with perfect SATs are being rejected that will one day be great brain surgeons , lawyers, scientists etc to allow these athletics to get in. Not only do most not deserve to be there, they don’t have the academic talent or usually not the intellectual interest, to take advantage of the schools resources. In fact, I was told by one of my counterparts that one tennis recruit got into Princeton with 550s on her SATs 2. This is wrong and alums like myself are working very hard to change this to the true scholar athlete.
Unbelievable last post by tennisobserver. i guess elitism is alive and well. it's just possible (sarcasm) that the academic elite could learn a thing or two from the strong athletes who are also very good students, but not the very "best". ever hear of "diversity" mr/ms. tennisobserver?? your words come across very self-serving and dismissive so don't bother to respond.
not true at all.
- coaches do not make admissions decisions. these are made by the Director of Admissions and his/her staff of admissions officers
- coaches are not supposed to be allowed to average the SATs of their athletes although with the way that the school measures compliance with AI as set forth by ivy league presidents this is inevitable because of how it is calculated (the mean of all recruited non-football athletes).
- ivy league schools can be competitive in certain sports at the national level. ice hockey, field hockey, occasionally basketball , soccer, tennis, lacrosse, crew, squash...
- there are some fairly ignorant blanket statements in the end. academic talent is not measured solely by grades. and i think its a little silly to pretend you know the motivation of all these student-athletes.
- with a law degree you should know that hearsay is not fact just because someone said it.
OK Viney Chase and John,
Let me give you one example. Last year I interviewed a boy with a 4.0 from top New England boarding school, 2280 combined SATs, over 700 on all three SAT 2s and all 5s on APs and was not even wait-listed and this kids was a real scholar, while I know several athletic recruits in my region with much lower SATS (under 2050), lower grades etc. were admitted. Athletic recruits for all sports have a much lower standard for admission for the Ivies and many alums like myself believe the academic bar SHOULD NOT BE LOWERED for athletic recruits, especially when students with perfect SATs are being rejected. Coaches do makes admissions decisions indirectly in that they have guaranteed spots for each sport that fall below regular admission standards and they decide who gets those "recruiting" spots. I have no issue with coaches having recruiting spots for the Ivies but these recruits should meet the regular academic standards for admissions…or be true scholar athletes. The New York Times articles hit the mark. I have no ax to grind here as my son is attending an ivy, but not the one I attended so non-one here scream legacy and I will admit all things being equal legacies have a edge, but that is another issue.
tennisobserver, numerous applicants with the profile you described are outright rejected every year at the Ivies. I also interview for my Ivy alma mater and my son attends the same school. Scholastic merit is not the end all in Ivy admissions. There is also an evaluation of leadership and the willingness to success. Scholar athletes tend to have more leadership abilities than intellectual brainiacs. They also tend to have the mental drive to succeed and contribute to their alma mater as successful graduates. Legacies also have a higher likelihood of contributing to their alma mater. Scholar athletes add diversity and a social dynamic to the school that improves the community as a whole. Pure athletes ranked in the USTA top ten without any academic achievement are readiy rejected at the Ivies.
tennisobserver - you may have addressed the other posters, but you skipped over my points....which is fine because i don't think you can stoop low enough from your high-horse to understand my comments......you reek elitism......and wouldn't know the benefit of diversity if it slapped you in the face.
if these schools wanted, they could fill an entire close with perfect SATs or all valedictorians. but no school in their right mind wants that? why? because schools value diversity on campus and diversity is more than just racial diversity. college is about learning both inside and outside the classroom and if people are the same, how do they learn?
what are regular admissions standards? there is no such thing!!! that is why nobody can ever predict what happens? admissions are controlled by the Director and the president of the university who may desire to increase a certain segment of the student population (artists, musicians, whatever).
all schools, including schools in the Ivy Group, look for students with unique talents. some look for concert pianists, others look for students who excel in theater or the dramatic arts. and athletic aptitude is a unique talent and should thus be recognized as many students have devoted a great part of their lives to be "excellent" in something.
cry me a river about the new england boarding school kid but there is enough old money WASPiness at these schools. that fact is actually what hurts ivy schools and turns a lot of people off to them. that is why they want different sorts of people going to their schools.
i am not advocating anything that harvard did (allegedly) in the article. i don't think that 171s should routinely be admitted. but i do think that a lot of kids can excel and take advantage of an ivy education if they are simply given the chance, a chance that they may not have gotten without their unique aptitude for their sport.
Vinny Chase and John in particular,
I am not elitist. Agree that many individuals would benefit from an excellent education, be it an Ivy or any other top school, which there are many. My own opinion is that in this whole college chase some parents and kids put to much emphasis on the name IVY, which has nothing to do with success later in life. I assure after your first job no-one cares where you went to school, it’s how you deliver. I have friends in NYC who truly believe if their child does not get into this preschool, they will not be admitted into a top private school and chances of getting into an Ivy are diminished and their future is predetermined at age 4. That view is completely ridiculous as the majority of Ivy admits are from public schools. And, more importantly, an Ivy degree does not portend success, at all. Most CEOs probably do not have an ivy undergraduate degree. That said, I believe every top school needs diversity but, at the same time, I don’t believe the overall bar should be lowered for athletes as athletic recruits make up over 10% of acceptances (I believe that’s the number I heard). I do believe exceptions should be made for student from inner city and rural schools who have succeeded in spite of their environment, to me that is what diversity is about. All things being equal, let the tennis, crew, squash. basketball or baseball or whatever sport be an extra check that tips the scale for admissions if the athlete meets the average academic criteria. Have the sport tip the scales for someone with a 3.8 and 2200 plus SATs, which is pretty average for an IVY . But it’s not fair to all those other more qualified kids when athletes get admitted with Bs and 1850 to 2000 on their SATs. This is not an elitst attitude but fair.
tennis observer, John, Vinny Chase, Dude
I agree with many of the comments posted and yes, tennis observer you do sound a bit elitist.
I can only speak for the sport of tennis in the Ivies. My son did attend an Ivy school for both his undergraduate and MBA and attained Academic All Ivy, and All Ivy so I guess he and many other Ivy athletes are not only good tennis players but are smart as well.
I can tell you directly that Finance firms (private equity, venture capital, etc) in New York, specifically look for Ivy athletes because they are not only smart but find a way to win.
A student who has a perfect SAT score or perfect grades -- perhaps that is all that the student does is study - and that does not cut it in an Ivy League school.
Ivy Tennis players can play up to 30 hours a week in their sport and still make All Ivy or Academic All Ivy because of time management and they are also smart.
One of the major reasons people go to Ivy League schools is the competition of the students, not because the teachers are great, the tradition of the school, the food or the dorms but because the students push each other to achieve.
And just maybe the brainiac can learn about drive, competing, the will to achieve, etc. and maybe the athlete can learn how to focus more on academics and look at things a bit different because of the brainiac.
My son has made many lifelong friends from the Ivies and because he played tennis for his school knows many tennis players from all the ivies and continually sees them in business situations in NY and Boston in the financial world.
An Ivy League education and playing an Ivy sport was extremely beneficial to him not only in business but in the friendships he made throughout the League and continues to enjoy.
As mentioned before all the Ivy League schools, along with Stanford, MIT , and many other top schools could fill there classes with only perfect SAT and GPA averages and what a boring school that would be.
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