Getting a college tennis scholarship: 5 tips.

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by tennisconsultcom

GPA 4,2; three AP. Of course public school. Physics, engineering clubs; the best tennis school team.

Congratulations again! May I ask - is your son recruited, namely, admitted with the help of tennis coach?

[jigglypuff]

Originally Posted by tennisconsultcom

GPA 4,2; three AP. Of course public school. Physics, engineering clubs; the best tennis school team.

Thanks for the insight. I'm assuming he's a 4 star recruit?

[lnnguyen01]

Originally Posted by tennisconsultcom

GPA 4,2; three AP. Of course public school. Physics, engineering clubs; the best tennis school team.

Congrats! My daughter is sophomore with 4.5 GPA; will have ~9 APs by the time she's done with public school. Lots of extracurricular, student senate, etc. Unlikely to get into Ivy League caliber school though--very competitive unless you stand out in some other way--especially if you are Asian (not saying that Ivy League are only good colleges). She's only 1* so tennis won't help her. Congrats again!

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by lnnguyen01

Congrats! My daughter is sophomore with 4.5 GPA; will have ~9 APs by the time she's done with public school. Lots of extracurricular, student senate, etc. Unlikely to get into Ivy League caliber school though--very competitive unless you stand out in some other way--especially if you are Asian (not saying that Ivy League are only good colleges). She's only 1* so tennis won't help her. Congrats again!

If any youngsters are reading this thread, don't be dissuaded from pursuing an Ivy school that you think would be a good fit for you if you have a 4.0 GPA (don't know how you get 4.5 as a soph unless the school allows lots of APs for freshmen/sophs) and about 9 APs eventually. There's a lot more that admissions officers consider, of course, but these credentials at least will get you smack dab in the center of the mix.

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

Thanks for the insight. I'm assuming he's a 4 star recruit?

From what I can find, he is a 2 star and likely goes to MIT (yes, it's a top 10). Will have a chance to play for Engineers because of his SoCal root.

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by Chemist

From what I can find, he is a 2 star and likely goes to MIT (yes, it's a top 10). Will have a chance to play for Engineers because of his SoCal root.

I think it would be useful for youngsters to know how a "SoCal root" can give them a chance to play tennis at MIT

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by lnnguyen01

Congrats! My daughter is sophomore with 4.5 GPA; will have ~9 APs by the time she's done with public school. Lots of extracurricular, student senate, etc. Unlikely to get into Ivy League caliber school though--very competitive unless you stand out in some other way--especially if you are Asian (not saying that Ivy League are only good colleges). She's only 1* so tennis won't help her. Congrats again!

Congratulations for your daughter's accomplishment! I heard recently that Harvard admitted a boy (Chinese American) who plays 2nd or 3rd doubles for his high school team. I heard that he did some cancer research that must be considered exceptional achievement for a high school kid. For your daughter, many years of tennis training and competition should make her resume even more impressive. Good luck!

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by Misterbill

I think it would be useful for youngsters to know how a "SoCal root" can give them a chance to play tennis at MIT

Just a guess - a 2 star from a strong section like SoCal or FL may be better trained than a 2 star with comparable ranking, but from a weak section, like Northern. MIT is not one of the strongest D3 programs. A good two star player would have a good chance of starting.

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by Chemist

Just a guess - a 2 star from a strong section like SoCal or FL may be better trained than a 2 star with comparable ranking, but from a weak section, like Northern. MIT is not one of the strongest D3 programs. A good two star player would have a good chance of starting.

I dunno what Dallas would say about that. I think most coaches, including D3, will put the players out there who provide the best chance to win, regardless of their home address. Wonder if others have opinions about this

[lnnguyen01]

Originally Posted by Misterbill

If any youngsters are reading this thread, don't be dissuaded from pursuing an Ivy school that you think would be a good fit for you if you have a 4.0 GPA (don't know how you get 4.5 as a soph unless the school allows lots of APs for freshmen/sophs) and about 9 APs eventually. There's a lot more that admissions officers consider, of course, but these credentials at least will get you smack dab in the center of the mix.

Yes, all A's in APs and never less than A+ in non-APs. Not trying to dissuade anyone. Just reality that it's a crapshoot for these colleges as there are many more qualified applicants than admitting slots. Doesn't mean that one should not shoot for them but also doesn't mean one is a failure or will not get a great education at other schools.

[lnnguyen01]

Originally Posted by Chemist

Congratulations for your daughter's accomplishment! I heard recently that Harvard admitted a boy (Chinese American) who plays 2nd or 3rd doubles for his high school team. I heard that he did some cancer research that must be considered exceptional achievement for a high school kid. For your daughter, many years of tennis training and competition should make her resume even more impressive. Good luck!

Thanks, she's very bright and works very hard! She's shooting for high caliber schools which is a crapshoot but I'm sure will do fine whereever she ends up. I try to remind her it's not where you go but how well you do where you go that matters. Difficult to see that when you are 15 y.o. though!

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by lnnguyen01

Yes, all A's in APs and never less than A+ in non-APs. Not trying to dissuade anyone. Just reality that it's a crapshoot for these colleges as there are many more qualified applicants than admitting slots. Doesn't mean that one should not shoot for them but also doesn't mean one is a failure or will not get a great education at other schools.

I agree with that. It is also a crap shoot at lots of other schools. By my unofficial count (anyone out there please verify for yourself) there are about 30 colleges with admissions rates of 30% or less.

I still think if your daughter believes a particular Ivy might be a good fit, she should go for it. I hope you are not believing some posts that say you need 2400/36 and 4.0 GPA and the National Medal of Honor to get into an Ivy.

I also think that looking at each Ivy school (and others) individually is a whole lot more productive than the approach of trying to "get into an Ivy". Columbia has as much in common with Dartmouth as Princeton does with Cornell..........i.e. very little except they are Ivies.

When I hear kids or parents talking about "getting into an Ivy" I get the impression that they are more interested in credentialism and prestige than finding a unique institution that may be able to challenge them like no other. My impression is that you are doing the latter

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by Misterbill

I dunno what Dallas would say about that. I think most coaches, including D3, will put the players out there who provide the best chance to win, regardless of their home address. Wonder if others have opinions about this

Coach will play the best players available for sure

[jigglypuff]

Originally Posted by Chemist

From what I can find, he is a 2 star and likely goes to MIT (yes, it's a top 10). Will have a chance to play for Engineers because of his SoCal root.

There are 2 stars a plenty in Socal, not to mention a multitude of 3 stars. A 2 star anywhere would be hard pressed to use that as significant weight in admissions. I have a feeling that 4 stars is the bare minimum to generate enough pull (academics aside) for entrance into a top Ivy League institution, MIT, or something similar.

[tennisconsultcom]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

Thanks for the insight. I'm assuming he's a 4 star recruit?

He is 2 star. He does not play a lot of tournaments and concentrate on school. During high school matches he beats some 3 and 4 stars players. He trains with pretty strong players, and his level is good. He plays much better in high school competition than in individual tournaments.

[tennisconsultcom]

Originally Posted by Chemist

You are running an interesting blog on tennis. For serious tennis players, 8 weeks of "active rest" or tennis free would be really hard to understand. Does Dr. Allen Fox agree with you on this?

BTW, you did not give specific reason in your Blog how US players played poorly during the 2nd and 3rd day of the Davis Cup tie with Brazil. You hinted that Bryan twins are not the best doubles players because they play doubles as if they are playing singles. But I just don't see this. What is your opinion about US Davis Cup players eating candies during the tie against Brazil? Was this the cause or excuse for poor performance?

Remember how did Brazil players play in the second and third days? They looked much more energetic. They fought like real warriors. Americans just played. May be after the first day and two wins, Americans decided that they already won.

May be they like sweets. I don't think that these players have a chance to reach semifinals. All of them are good, but they are not stars.

[Chemist]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

There are 2 stars a plenty in Socal, not to mention a multitude of 3 stars. A 2 star anywhere would be hard pressed to use that as significant weight in admissions. I have a feeling that 4 stars is the bare minimum to generate enough pull (academics aside) for entrance into a top Ivy League institution, MIT, or something similar.

A 2 star player will not be recruited to Ivy. But a 2 or 3 star with outstanding academic credential may still be admitted as a walk on to help meet school's Academic Index requirement. You can easily find a few 2 or 3 star players from team websites who rarely play any matches.

However, a good 2 or 3 star may be recruited to a mid-level D3 team, like MIT, which is ranked #8 in Northeast Region. A 4 star can play top 3 singles for Engineers. Coach may let a 2 star with good doubles skills to play doubles. In D3, a win in doubles counts as much as a win in singles. In a top 10 nationally ranked D3 team like Johns Hopkins (#7), a 4 star may be sitting on the bench.

[tennisconsultcom]

Originally Posted by Chemist

You are running an interesting blog on tennis. For serious tennis players, 8 weeks of "active rest" or tennis free would be really hard to understand. Does Dr. Allen Fox agree with you on this?

I have written a lot about an active rest and periodization. Active rest is a vital part of a training process. Serious players and coaches know that. Overtraining is a huge problem for good and talented junior players.

[raging]

Originally Posted by tennisconsultcom

I have written a lot about an active rest and periodization. Active rest is a vital part of a training process. Serious players and coaches know that. Overtraining is a huge problem for good and talented junior players.

Totally agreed.Too many juniors are overtrained on court at a young age & burn out mentally & physically. The coach has to look after this, Making sure they have periods or blocks of rest after 2, 3 tournaments.

Active rest where they shoot baskets, swim & then build a base with a physical training block. Athletic & mental change breeds champions not just mindless
court bashing.

[tennis5]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

There are 2 stars a plenty in Socal, not to mention a multitude of 3 stars. A 2 star anywhere would be hard pressed to use that as significant weight in admissions. I have a feeling that 4 stars is the bare minimum to generate enough pull (academics aside) for entrance into a top Ivy League institution, MIT, or something similar.

You can still get in as a 2 star and play for MIT.

But, to get into MIT as a tennis player, you have to be JUST AS GOOD as the other students attending the school.
There is no lowering the bar at all at MIT.

The tennis will give you a small edge, when they compare student A with the same ( pretty much perfect) stats as Student B,
but might give a lean towards the one with tennis.

Great school if you can get in....