ivy or scholarship to D1
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pricey_aus
Semi-Pro
It depends what your looking for in college, mate.
Are you looking to have rigorous study schedules, tough classes, but come out of college with a very good education? If you are then go ivy
Or
Are you looking for decent education, good tennis and a good social life, and you are on a scholarship, meaning you get alot more for cheaper, then go westcoast?
If I was in your position, I think I would go to the Westcoast school. ONLY because your on a scholarship, but if you were offered no scholarship then its ivy all the way.
just 2 c...
tennismom42
Semi-Pro
I was about to say the same thing. It's a matter of finding a "good fit."
I am not impressed by the name of a school. We drove 2000 miles to visit a big name college & coach. When we got there the coach (aka "jerk") wouldn't even stand up and shake my hand. He knew we had driven 2000 miles for the visit. So much for manners at a big name school.
Take a look at Emery. Therein is a great example of how things don't make sense. It's a division III and the often stomp on Division I and Ivy schools.
Remember, the kid is going for the education. The degree (and the tennis) will be with them forever.
I've got to tell you, with your grammar/spelling you wouldn't get into an Ivy league school. And sorry to burst your bubble, but "marginal" GPA and test scores won't allow you into Ivy League schools.
im the dad, sorry but im from another country
i take the sorry back, who are you to judge? i know that my english is not the best, but i try my best. do you know the situation my child is in? please don't judge about the ability to gain entrance into the ivy school if you don't know the actual gpa and sat scores.
You are correct. I apologize. I will still maintain that Ivy league schools will not be accepting very many students with marginal grades/test scores. What they do tend to do is to financially assist those who do have the grades/test scores to get in but are not as financially well off.
I have heard (but do not know how accurate it is) that Harvard caps tuition at 10% of a family's income.
Good luck to your son or daughter, and again, I apologize for offending you.
I have heard (but do not know how accurate it is) that Harvard caps tuition at 10% of a family's income.
Good luck to your son or daughter, and again, I apologize for offending you.
One thing I would definitely have your child consider, if it comes down to the choices you described: weather. It's tough to enjoy oneself if you truly hate the weather.
The Ivy league schools can have some really brutal winter weather. If your child likes that kind of weather, great. On the other hand, most of the west coast schools have extremely mild winters (exceptions, of course if that west coast school happens to be in Oregon or Washington).
The Ivy league schools can have some really brutal winter weather. If your child likes that kind of weather, great. On the other hand, most of the west coast schools have extremely mild winters (exceptions, of course if that west coast school happens to be in Oregon or Washington).
apology accepted
In all honesty, if the Ivy league school will offer to help with financial needs, and money is not that big of an issue...go Ivy. If money is a big factor, then you will get more bang for your buck from the westcoast school. And it depends on you child's climate preference 
Flyingpanda
Rookie
Which west coast school? Some of the schools on the west coast offer a very comparable education to the Ivy leagues.
thanks for the info
the west coast school is located in california, and of course the ivy is on the east coast. she will make the official visits next month. my son attends the west coast school, so she is very familiar with the school. she has some bad allergies to pollen, grass, trees, etc. so we feel that would be a important consideration to make about staying on the west coast. academic wise, we realize that the ivy school is far superior to the west coast school, so that makes things difficult. her college counselor told us that its important that she feels comfortable on campus. tennis wise the west coast school is DIV. 1 (not pac 10) but it's probably comparable with the ivy league. so the tennis level is about the same.
i've read that harvard and princeton base their tuition based on your income.
something like if you gross 180k or less, then your tuition is 10% of your gross income. but those are not the schools recruiting her, to bad.
the financial considerations are very important for us.
the west coast school is located in california, and of course the ivy is on the east coast. she will make the official visits next month. my son attends the west coast school, so she is very familiar with the school. she has some bad allergies to pollen, grass, trees, etc. so we feel that would be a important consideration to make about staying on the west coast. academic wise, we realize that the ivy school is far superior to the west coast school, so that makes things difficult. her college counselor told us that its important that she feels comfortable on campus. tennis wise the west coast school is DIV. 1 (not pac 10) but it's probably comparable with the ivy league. so the tennis level is about the same.
i've read that harvard and princeton base their tuition based on your income.
something like if you gross 180k or less, then your tuition is 10% of your gross income. but those are not the schools recruiting her, to bad.
the financial considerations are very important for us.
suggest keeping your daughter close,so you can go watch some of her matches when she's in Uni.. D1 ... UCI and Pepperdine are excellent places to go or a good education and ply tennis.. if she can get a full ride to Pepperdine,that will be the best... both places have excellent coaches... I think keeping a girl close is a good thing..
Fedace
Banned
How is the Academics at this Division 1 college ? comparable to UCLA or Cal ?
my wife and i are leaning towards the west coast school, but it will ultimately be her decision.
pepperdine lost 4 girls this year, so the coach is scrambling to replace them, i know that he gave a scholarship to a 4 star girl? uci has only one scholarship, my daughter is on his list but doesn't look too good.
the academics at the west coast school is ok, not in the same league as ucla or cal
pepperdine lost 4 girls this year, so the coach is scrambling to replace them, i know that he gave a scholarship to a 4 star girl? uci has only one scholarship, my daughter is on his list but doesn't look too good.
the academics at the west coast school is ok, not in the same league as ucla or cal
are saying that people outside of the us dont think of an ivy education very highly? wow
Fedace
Banned
You have to make your own decision. but from my family's perspective, i know my parents would do everything possible to get me to the college with best academics. Tennis was always secondary. but if financial issue is paramount then it is a different situation. I know it is a difficult decision cause it will ultimately affect her future for the rest of her life. I hope you guys make the best possible decision and turns out for the best.
thanks, though i agree with you that academics are very important, my daughter is just an average student, having played tennis since she was four years old, we placed tennis and academics on an equal level. her gpa and sat are good enough to get her into say, ucsb or ucsd, but not cal or ucla. if she were to attend the ivy, she would need help from the coach
were do you play at in san diego, im from la, some of my kids first big tournaments were the "little mo" at barnes. my daughter went to the "little mo" nat'l held in georgia when she was just 8 yrs. old. we have fond memories of "little mo" at barnes
Fedace
Banned
Once again, i can only tell you what my family would do if presented with same situation. If i was a average student and was recruited by IVY, they would push me to go to IVY in a heartbeat. Yes it can be difficult financially if this is above your means, but there are lots of help out there for the motivated parents who seek financial help.
As far as the worries about academics in IVY shools, once again, there are lots of help to give guidance and help for students who are motivated and is willing to work hard. Believe me, i have often seen average students that gets into these highly competitive Universities and get thru and graduate.
but one thing is for sure, your daughter has be highly Motivated and be willing to work harder than ever, or otherwise, she may not be so happy in the IVY school. For example, my sister was admitted to the IVY league and spent 2 years there. but she was miserable and ended up transferring to UCLA and finishing her degree there. Now, she didn't transfer cause she wasn't willing to work hard but it was mainly due to the Cut throat competitive atmosphere that existed at that university. Now Of Course, the situation will be different depending on what major she decides to pursue, so i don't mean to paint the IVY league as nothing but cutthroat. I hope you understand what i mean..
Sorry for the long post, just trying to help. Wish everything turns out for the BEST for you and your daughter.
As far as the worries about academics in IVY shools, once again, there are lots of help to give guidance and help for students who are motivated and is willing to work hard. Believe me, i have often seen average students that gets into these highly competitive Universities and get thru and graduate.
but one thing is for sure, your daughter has be highly Motivated and be willing to work harder than ever, or otherwise, she may not be so happy in the IVY school. For example, my sister was admitted to the IVY league and spent 2 years there. but she was miserable and ended up transferring to UCLA and finishing her degree there. Now, she didn't transfer cause she wasn't willing to work hard but it was mainly due to the Cut throat competitive atmosphere that existed at that university. Now Of Course, the situation will be different depending on what major she decides to pursue, so i don't mean to paint the IVY league as nothing but cutthroat. I hope you understand what i mean..
Sorry for the long post, just trying to help. Wish everything turns out for the BEST for you and your daughter.
dwhiteside
Semi-Pro
D1 Tennis will be gone in 4 years but an Ivy League school will remain with him on his credentials and his educational experience for a LIFETIME. Once he's done with D1 tennis, who really cares in the real world, all in all? However if someone looks on the application and sees Harvard, that's a very good thing when it comes to getting certain jobs, not to mention the alumni network and obviously the educational experience.
Ivy Leagues also generally give very generous amounts of financial aid. Think of this long term.
And just because he's at an Ivy doesn't mean he can't play tennis. There are plenty of great tennis players and teams at various Ivy league schools.
Getting into an Ivy League if he did get into it is far quite and a great opportunity that not many get, but playing DIV1 tennis is pretty much a dime a dozen as long as you're good enough at tennis to hang with them.
Ivy Leagues also generally give very generous amounts of financial aid. Think of this long term.
And just because he's at an Ivy doesn't mean he can't play tennis. There are plenty of great tennis players and teams at various Ivy league schools.
Getting into an Ivy League if he did get into it is far quite and a great opportunity that not many get, but playing DIV1 tennis is pretty much a dime a dozen as long as you're good enough at tennis to hang with them.
i understand your point, the ivy contacts are indeed very important, but as you move westward across america, there are less ivy contacts. it seems that most stay on the east coast. here on the west coast, if you ask a motivated student where they want to attend college, most would choose stanford, berkely, ucla, even usc, then the ivys
the perception that an ivy diploma carries alot of influence and prestige has been tarnished by the fiasco on wall street. many harvard mba, wharton mba, princeton mba, yale grads have destroyed the world economy.
my daughter wants to play tennis in college, if she chooses to play at a west coast school, she'll make contacts at school and through college tennis. i think that those that attended schools on the west coast will remain there, thus more contacts.
but those are just my feelings, its ultimately up to her. thanks
Well, you are wrong. I encourage you to take a look at the academic backgrounds of the hockey players at Cornell or Dartmouth. Also, rigor is what you create. I know of many who went to Ivy schools, partied all the time, did very little work, and graduated. Its not the name of the school that makes you.
No, you don't try your best. You refuse to use a shift key, which is pure laziness and an eyesore for anyone trying to read your posts. If you tried, you would get some slack, but you don't try.
TennisNinja
Hall of Fame
Chill out about the grammar and spelling everyone, it's an internet forum not English class (Still, it is much more appealing when people type correctly).
Personally I would go Ivy because I really would like to go to a school like that. On the other hand, a full ride sounds really nice.
Personally I would go Ivy because I really would like to go to a school like that. On the other hand, a full ride sounds really nice.
which is more important, content or shift key?
Why the lecture now? You've been replying to my post and replies for awhile now. Why would you be judgmental about people you don't know? Is it nice to use negative terms like "laziness", "eyesore", "refuse", "don't try"?
I think the reason why I don't use the "shift key" is that I do alot of texting,
but you are right, I should try MY BEST.
Thanks, though my grammar and spelling might be poor, I will now use the "shift key" on this site.
I chose a D1 west coast school over one Ivy league school (over 20 years ago) for the following reasons:
1) My SAT scores were 20 points below the cutoff at the Ivy. The coach did his best to reassure me that wouldn't be a problem and he thought it would be doable.
2) I would enter a very competitive major at that school. Intuition suggested that most if not all other students in that major were at least 20 SAT points smarter than me.
3) I knew I'd be obligated to spend a bunch of time doing tennis in addition to academics. This together with 2) seemed like I wasn't setting myself up to succeed in the classroom.
4) The cost of Ivy was greater.
All of the above led me to believe that Ivy was not the right choice for me.
1) My SAT scores were 20 points below the cutoff at the Ivy. The coach did his best to reassure me that wouldn't be a problem and he thought it would be doable.
2) I would enter a very competitive major at that school. Intuition suggested that most if not all other students in that major were at least 20 SAT points smarter than me.
3) I knew I'd be obligated to spend a bunch of time doing tennis in addition to academics. This together with 2) seemed like I wasn't setting myself up to succeed in the classroom.
4) The cost of Ivy was greater.
All of the above led me to believe that Ivy was not the right choice for me.
your daughter grew up in SoCal and most likely is spoiled by the great climate we have here... take her to the east coast during the winter months and see if she can adjust for a few days... I bet she'll pick west because of one important factor .. it's called 'wind chill' ..
snoopy
Professional
Ivys don't offer scholarships but many have huge endowments that allow them to offer grants.
I think Princeton was the first school to do this. I know someone who graduated from Princeton a few years ago and all students that were accepted and couldn't afford tuition were provided grants that covered the bill. So not only are you getting an ellite education, you also get a free ride. Pretty sweet. Other top Ivys follwed Princeton's lead bc it gave Princeton a competitive advantage recruting the best students.
But that was a few years ago and things may have changed as the huge endowments got crushed with the tanking economy.
Don't get hung up on the prestige of Ivy league schools. In my opinion, it's more important to do well in the school you go to (assuming it's a decent school) than to feel overwhelmed and get mediocre grades at an Ivy. Straight A's from a quality state university are more impressive than Bs and Cs from Yale. On the other hand, there's rampant grade inflation at the Ivys and better opportunities to network with the cream of the crop.
I think Princeton was the first school to do this. I know someone who graduated from Princeton a few years ago and all students that were accepted and couldn't afford tuition were provided grants that covered the bill. So not only are you getting an ellite education, you also get a free ride. Pretty sweet. Other top Ivys follwed Princeton's lead bc it gave Princeton a competitive advantage recruting the best students.
But that was a few years ago and things may have changed as the huge endowments got crushed with the tanking economy.
Don't get hung up on the prestige of Ivy league schools. In my opinion, it's more important to do well in the school you go to (assuming it's a decent school) than to feel overwhelmed and get mediocre grades at an Ivy. Straight A's from a quality state university are more impressive than Bs and Cs from Yale. On the other hand, there's rampant grade inflation at the Ivys and better opportunities to network with the cream of the crop.
your daughter grew up in SoCal and most likely is spoiled by the great climate we have here... take her to the east coast during the winter months and see if she can adjust for a few days... I bet she'll pick west because of one important factor .. it's called 'wind chill' ..
Your right, we are taking a official recruiting trip next month.
10ACE
Professional
Really? I know two people who have gone to Harvard with a low 3.0 average and 1080 on the old SAT'S, just saying never say never.
Puddy
Rookie
Where were you accepted and where did you eventually go?
TheLama
Banned
I'll try to help you the best I can.
Assumptions:
Your daughter will be an international student, therefore, financial aid may or may not be available as a non-American, depending on the school. Which Ivies offer international students money, I am not sure, but very few US colleges give merit awards or finaid to international students.
If the quality of education and playing on the team is most important, as opposed to a possible future pro tennis career, than go Ivy, or look into some D III NESCAC colleges, such as Middlebury--finaid is offered to foreign students--where the academics are as good as the Ivies, but class sizes are even smaller, and the profs are there to teach and help students only. If the prof's office hours at 2pm-5pm, he/she will be there for your daughter, from 2pm-5pm, without fail. Even look into Seven Sisters, such as Welsley, Smith, or Holyoke. Your daughter will be a superstar on court there and have friends for life.
Firstly, the particular Ivy is very important. I assume that you do not want to mention which one(s) on the net. Therefore, I offer the following:
HYP:
Harvard's undergrad experience is less optimal than Yale or Princeton. There are many Harvard alum who prefer to send their kids to Yale instead.
Yale requires 4 more courses, 36 total, to graduate, so you will be stressed for four semesters where you take 5 courses. Remember, most Ivies, use the liberal arts system rather than the university system, and a liberal arts course requires much more in-depth examination tha a 3 credit university course. At Yale, you must stay in the immediate college town area. Outside of that area, is definitely not the best. The coach has been there for 2 years, and she is very young.
Princeton is ideal, and so is the town, which is not just a college town, but a fully supported upscale community. Of the three, it is the smallest. Class sizes are very small, and professors are very accessible. They just hired a new, and very young coach.
Dartmouth/Brown: True liberal arts Ivies. Dartmouth consistently ranks as the highest rated college for student satisfaction in the country. Town is similar to Princeton's. Brown is integrated into the small city of Providence, and very safe. You are also 45 min to Boston if looking for night life or parties at any of the Boston colleges, where there are many. Brown also lets you take any 32 courses of your choice. Both have small class sizes as well.
The Brown coach is new, has quite a record from where he came, and is nationally known as the author of "Pressure Tennis". The Dartmouth coach has been coaching his whole life since graduation, he is quirky, but well liked. With both coaches, you can trust your daughter to be taken care of if something happened, and you need a surrogate parent until your plane gets there.
Columbia: you are on the Upper Westside, and gentrification has taken over the northern area of the campus. It is very safe, and of course, you are in NYC. It is the ultimate sink-or-swim school. The profs are there to help, but anyone who comes to NYC is expected to be crazy independent. The coach is very young, and the assistant coach just got hired.
Cornell: the most beautiful of all of the Ivies. It is a true university, and very difficult to get "A's". Everything is graded on a Bell Curve, so if everyone gets a 95-99 on an exam, than all of the 95's receive an "F", and all of the 99's get an "A". Everything in-between is a "B/C/D". That's tough!. The coach just took over both men's and women's tennis, and came from a winning program in the *******. You can trust your daughter to be taken care of if something happened, and you need a surrogate parent until your plane gets there.
Penn: Like Columbia in many ways, but once you leave the four college campus area, you need a body guard. You must stay by the wharf, on South St., or historic areas. However, it is a very quaint and historic city. The student body is 35% Jewish, if that has any meaning to you for any reason. The coach is new and very young. They have had a lot of turnover for both men's and women's tennis. If she goes to Penn, go for the academics; you'll never know how long the coach will be there.
Ivies stress academics first. If there is a choice between class and tennis, you will go to class, and the coach will not only agree, but be supportive, as long as you are missing practice because you have to, not because you skipped class and hung-out with your boyfriend and now you are behind the 8 ball. If she goes to the West Coast and takes an athletic scholarship, THE COACH OWNS HER! PERIOD! Most coaches can care less about GPA, as long as the team's APR is solid and each member of the team's GPA is above 2.0. Ivy coaches do not share that POV.
If you are a slotted recruit, first or second on the recruit list, you are basically in, and that goes for NESCAC and Seven Sisters. Therefore in any given year, eight players are the heart of the team--four years times 2 slotted players--and unless you do not meet your potential or there is an incredible walk-on, you will play for four years.
Ivies are private schools; the amenities are beyond compare. You are basically at a country club, and NESCAC and Seven Sisters are even better. Unless you are being recruited at Stanford--which I know you are not because you are not American--or USC and Pepperdine--which is absolutely beautiful with dorms on the hill over-looking Malibu Beach--your on-campus experience will not be as elite if you attend a state institution. Just walk through the main part of town at Cal, or UCLA where there are crack houses nearby, and you will know the difference in 60 seconds.
BTW: Most girls go to the school where they are most comfortable with the other members of the team and the coach. A bad recruiting trip can have an adverse effect, even if the academic environment is the best fit. Female athletes are more problematic in this area than male players, who will either choose the better team for many reasons, or the better academics. They will deal with difficult teammates or a coach if they get to start. Period.
If your daughter is not aspiring to go pro, and you can afford the Ivies, that is where she should go. Academically, you may get as much from Cal, UCLA, USC, and Pepperdine, but they don't have the whole package that the Ivies do, nor do they have the cache. With that being said, if your daughter is very independent, driven, and has passion for her academics, than she will succeed anywhere. For comparison, if you play #1 for Harvard, you would play #6 for Stanford. Use that as a guide when comparing all of your options and decide which is the most import factors: academics, participation in tennis or playing in the top three in the line-up, strength of schedule, future in pro tennis or not, Ivy degree vs any West Coast degree that isn't Cal or Stanford.
Good Luck!
I'm going to be biased because I attended two Ivies, one for college and one for grad school, but I think you will never regret going to the more rigorous school. I also think that it's pretty difficult to get straight A's from a public school. If you are good enough to get straight A's from a UC, you will probably get a fair share of A's from the Ivy of your choice.
Most of the Ivy tennis players I knew were highly motivated and excellent players and students at the same time. The financial aid you receive would be the same no matter which Ivy you attend, because they all use similar algorithms to determine your need (there were antitrust grumblings around how similar the financial packages were in the past, I recall). But you can also negotiate additional financial aid if you talk to an officer and explain that money is an issue and you have a scholarship at a public school. It would probably come in the form of loans.
If your daughter is not being recruited by USC, UCLA or Cal, but rather another Div. 1 California school, then I don't think she'll be a professional, or it will be a short career, and she's better off going with the school that will get her off on the right foot after graduation with a new career.
Most of the Ivy tennis players I knew were highly motivated and excellent players and students at the same time. The financial aid you receive would be the same no matter which Ivy you attend, because they all use similar algorithms to determine your need (there were antitrust grumblings around how similar the financial packages were in the past, I recall). But you can also negotiate additional financial aid if you talk to an officer and explain that money is an issue and you have a scholarship at a public school. It would probably come in the form of loans.
If your daughter is not being recruited by USC, UCLA or Cal, but rather another Div. 1 California school, then I don't think she'll be a professional, or it will be a short career, and she's better off going with the school that will get her off on the right foot after graduation with a new career.
I always think you should go to the best range of schools where you are accepted. If your daughter can go to an Ivy League school or a comparable state school, I would suggest the state school. If your daughter can go to an Ivy League school or a random free school, and your daughter better do well (very well) at the free school. As an example, when I went to graduate school at an Ivy League school, I noticed that the average student from a top 20 school would have about a 3.5 GPA (which is likely around the middle at most Ivy League schools). From smaller, less known schools, these students had on average, 3.8+ GPAs, and where at the top of their graduating classes. So your daughter can get to the same ending through different paths, but the less expensive path is likely more difficult.
That being said, you cannot get blood from a turnip. If the money is not there, than the Ivy may not be an option. (I am not buying the Mona Lisa if it goes up on auction).
That being said, you cannot get blood from a turnip. If the money is not there, than the Ivy may not be an option. (I am not buying the Mona Lisa if it goes up on auction).
Agree completely. However, Peperdine isn't in the same league academically as these west coast institutions you cite. I'd hire someone out of Stanford or Berklee without much hesitation....not so for Ivy grads.
You really need to look very carefully at the D1 schools academics and what the likely trajectory is for your daughter post undergrad.
Good luck!
dwhiteside
Semi-Pro
TheLama, I know you may not read this, but I really enjoyed your post - I'm applying to a number of schools. Out of the ivies the only ones I'd care to go to are Brown and Princeton. Could you write some in a similar descriptory manner about places like Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst? The top ranked liberal arts schools, basically. This would probably include the entire NESCAC consortium and maybe some others. It'd be quite helpful! Thanks
@papatennis
one thing to remember is that most of the top tier northeastern schools have programs that grant free tuition to middle-class and poorer students as a way of making sure these students don't have to go elsewhere because of money.
I know at Yale the cutoff is a net family income of $100,000 a year for free tuition; it is my understanding that most Ivy League and NESCAC schools offer similar programs. Also, depending on your family's ethnicity, your daughter may be eligible for scholarships and grants (particularly if you are latino).
The NESCAC schools are generally very good about working with you in the financial aid department, and the level of tennis is arguably the highest in D3, equal to or better than at many D1 schools.
one thing to remember is that most of the top tier northeastern schools have programs that grant free tuition to middle-class and poorer students as a way of making sure these students don't have to go elsewhere because of money.
I know at Yale the cutoff is a net family income of $100,000 a year for free tuition; it is my understanding that most Ivy League and NESCAC schools offer similar programs. Also, depending on your family's ethnicity, your daughter may be eligible for scholarships and grants (particularly if you are latino).
The NESCAC schools are generally very good about working with you in the financial aid department, and the level of tennis is arguably the highest in D3, equal to or better than at many D1 schools.
meowmix
Hall of Fame
I'm not a particularly good tennis player, and have no shot of being recruited, so take this how you will.
Personally, I would attend the Ivy. No matter where you are in the world, people respect an Ivy education. It doesn't matter if you're in America, China, Argentina, etc... when you say that you graduated from Harvard or Dartmouth or Cornell, you are respected. This opens up doors, and makes it a heck of a lot easier to gain employment.
I read earlier that your daughter is allergic to pollen. Unfortunately, she's going to face that anywhere she goes. I live in PA right now, and I can say that people with pollen allergies are absolutely miserable during peak season (speaking from experience).
In terms of money... if she's getting recruited by Harvard, Yale or Princeton, then money is no problem. They cover everything if the family's income is under 60k (in US dollars), and you pay 10% of your income if the family income is up to around 180k (Harvard goes up to 200k I think). As for the other Ivies, financial aid is still very generous. For most, if the family makes under around 80k or so, there's a lot of financial aid to be had. Therefore, depending on which Ivy, you could pay anywhere between nothing and 20k (assuming you're not a secret millionaire )
In terms of tennis... yes, the Ivies' tennis programs are not the best in the world. If she's aspiring to go pro in 4 years, then the West Coast school's the better option. However, if she's not planning to go pro in a few years, then college tennis isn't really going to matter, is it?
Ultimately, I would go to the Ivy. However, that's my personal opinion, and I am in no way being recruited by any school. So take my advice how you will.
Personally, I would attend the Ivy. No matter where you are in the world, people respect an Ivy education. It doesn't matter if you're in America, China, Argentina, etc... when you say that you graduated from Harvard or Dartmouth or Cornell, you are respected. This opens up doors, and makes it a heck of a lot easier to gain employment.
I read earlier that your daughter is allergic to pollen. Unfortunately, she's going to face that anywhere she goes. I live in PA right now, and I can say that people with pollen allergies are absolutely miserable during peak season (speaking from experience).
In terms of money... if she's getting recruited by Harvard, Yale or Princeton, then money is no problem. They cover everything if the family's income is under 60k (in US dollars), and you pay 10% of your income if the family income is up to around 180k (Harvard goes up to 200k I think). As for the other Ivies, financial aid is still very generous. For most, if the family makes under around 80k or so, there's a lot of financial aid to be had. Therefore, depending on which Ivy, you could pay anywhere between nothing and 20k (assuming you're not a secret millionaire
)In terms of tennis... yes, the Ivies' tennis programs are not the best in the world. If she's aspiring to go pro in 4 years, then the West Coast school's the better option. However, if she's not planning to go pro in a few years, then college tennis isn't really going to matter, is it?
Ultimately, I would go to the Ivy. However, that's my personal opinion, and I am in no way being recruited by any school. So take my advice how you will.
TheLama
Banned
Brown and Princeton:
Before I go into it, to be recruited at either school, you need to be playing SuperNats or ITF Events. If not, you will not be recruited. End of story. Also, the best that Glen can do at Princeton for a recruit is a minimum of 1400 SAT. Jay looks for players who will have an impact as adult college athletes, who may even have a desire to lay pro tennis. Therefore, being a junior world beater but lacking size, movement, a serve, or a volley, will leave you off his recruit list.
Swarthmore/Williams/Amherst:
Swarthmore is in a consortium with Bryn Mawr and Haverford. It is a Quaker school, so everyone is crazy nice--perhaps too nice/boring/nerdy, but that is a judgement that only you can make.
Swarthmore's team is as good as many D I NE teams, but you better be prepared for an offbeat student body, who relish reading like all of the time. 6 hours of sleep per night is going to be the best that you will ever see. A decent sectional ranking will get you in, but I do not know if they have slots.
Williams has the cream athletic department in NESCAC. The coach just retired after decades, and his replacement is a recently graduated alumni. If the new coach stays with tradition, they will carry 16 or more players, and take anyone with a decent sectional ranking, but you may never play. They do have two slots for recruits, and being on the recruit list after those two, will be helpful. Academically, your at Williams, what else is there to say?
Amherst has arguably the best coach in NESCAC, although my money is on Gastonguay at Bates. Chris was a Top 100 ATP ranked player, and the associate coach at Ohio St with Ty. He is tough on the players, and expects a lot from within. However, during his last two years there, his recruits have been shakey academicians, forcing team captains to tutor younger players, and being sleep deprived on-court in the process. Translation: you need to be going to Nats and possibly Super Nats to get the coaches attention. They do have two slots for recruits, and being on the recruit list after those two, will be helpful. Amherst students believe that they are the sh*t....after all, they are Amherst, and could have easily gone HYP. The town is awesome, and a shuttle to a Smith party is 10 minutes, and the town that Smith is in is upscale, and very liberal, like being in the West Village of NYC but with the East Village culture. Many students take crossover courses at Smith, Mt Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass. The consortium is the best part, in my opinion. And that would be the same for Swarthmore as well.
All three schools get spared the weather that you get up there in Maine, and it doesn't get dark at 3:30 pm as you are accustomed in the winter. Also, your Nov 1st heavy snow falls do not exist either.
I am real big on LA colleges; the profs are there to teach and always available in their office, cell, or email. Miss a class or two, and they may call you to see how you're doing. Your folks have a concern....the president, provost, or dean, will pick-up the phone; coach screwed you, your folks can call the AD and complain, and there will be a meeting on your behalf.
Bottom line: you are totally taken care of, will get great recommendations after graduation, alumni affairs is beyond belief, and you will be in a community...a home....for four years.
Good Luck!!!
Thank you.
Parents income under 60k? Go for free.
Parents income 60-250k? Go for 1/10th the income
And as for social life? It's great at Harvard...
And the tennis is unbelievable. Today we had Notre Dame vs Harvard and I think it's Alabama tomorrow.
UCLA has top programmes. Not sure which school is "Cal".
Thats just what they want you to think!!!
+1. I totally agree. Go for the best degree possible.
