What is a high school athlete? There is no one answer to this question. As it relates to college admission, there are five different categories of student athletes providing everything from 100% certainty in admission to only a small boost in consideration by the college admission team. Here are brief explanations of each of the five categories of high school athletes.
1. A Recruited Athlete
A recruited athlete is a student prized for both their academic record and athletic talent, whom a college coach believes can improve their team’s performance. In many cases, coaches and their coaching staffs have spent several years and thousands of dollars, not to mention the cost of athletic and training facilities, to build a competitive sports program capable of increasing the school’s national image, bringing in television dollars, high-profile March Madness, or Bowl game revenue, and giving alumni a reason to donate and endorse their pride.
A recruited student typically receives not only full tuition, room, board, and books but also highly valuable training, sports-related travel, fitness and coaching instruction, and a confidence-building opportunity that leads to academic and career success, either in their chosen sport or in the business world.
In admissions, being a recruited student athlete is as close to a 100% guarantee of acceptance as there is. Each coach is given a set number of admissions spots; for example, hockey gets four to six, usually equal to the number of graduating seniors to fill a roster of 24. Football has a roster of 100 even at small schools. The coaches spend a full year reviewing tape, attending games, and interviewing student athletes to narrow the field to 20 prospects, of whom 10 are given an on-campus visit and five to ten of those prospects are offered recruiting spots—scholarships at scholarship schools, likely letters at the Ivies and non-scholarship schools, or financial aid to ensure they accept the admission they are offered.
Depending on the number of varsity sports a college has, the number of admissions spots is similar whether you are attending a 10,000-person university or a 2,000-person college. However, because of the overall size differential, a school like Michigan may have 4% of its overall admissions slated for athletes, whereas a school with fewer than 2,000 students, like Bowdoin or Williams, may have 30 to 40% of its admissions spots slated for recruited athletes.
2. A Recruited Walk-on
A recruited walk-on is a student athlete who can improve a program’s success and compete for a varsity roster spot, and maybe someday earn a scholarship. However, due to a list of other student athletes more highly prized, this athlete is told, “Although we will not be supporting your application as a recruited student athlete, we will indicate to admissions our interest in you. And if you are admitted on your own, you will be given a roster spot on the team and treated as every other varsity athlete in the program, recruited or not.”
This type of student athlete is not a 100% guarantee of admission but will be accepted over another student of equal talent and academic credentials who is not a walk-on student athlete. It will significantly improve your chances of admission.
In many cases, some student athletes who are superior students, but not superior athletes may be used to balance the academic index required of high-quality institutions with a need for high-quality athletics and will be treated as recruited student athletes for admissions purposes.
3. The High-Performing High School Student Athlete
This is a student who played varsity sports in high school or on a club team that had regional, statewide, or national prominence. The student showed focus and discipline and gained much from the experience in terms of discipline, teamwork, resilience, and confidence. This student was an all-star, Olympic team candidate, or an All-American but, for whatever reason—size, lack of interest, or injury—will not be competing at the college level. As such, this “hook” will be a major factor on the college application as a differentiating factor but will not be a “decision maker” or guarantee; it may be your greatest factor beyond grades and standardized test scores to increase your chances of success.
4. The High School Varsity Athlete
A student who played high school sports should include this participation on his or her application as part of the narrative of a well-rounded student who has taken advantage of all opportunities presented and was not just a “science or math nerd.” Although it does not change a rejection to an acceptance, it does make a difference to show the same qualities of focus, discipline, and resilience that are highly valuable in all applications. Most admissions counselors were probably not Olympic athletes, but they understand the benefit of having tried and committed yourself to an activity for an extended period.
5. The Well-Rounded Student with No Athletic “Hook”
If your best extracurricular activity is athletics but it is not strong enough to make a difference, you need to focus on another hook, or else you will not have any. In that case, public service, research, interesting background, travel, or family origins may be the thing to focus on in addition to your academic record. Some students find a way to create a narrative that focuses on trying many things and not being overly successful at any but learning from every adventure and from other people of various talents.
Whether or not you are recruitable, being an athlete has many advantages—only some of which are reflected in the odds of being accepted to the college of your dreams. Many of these advantages come in the form of interpersonal characteristics such as grit, determination, teamwork, humility, and self-subjugation. There are also the obvious physical health benefits associated with playing sports. However, perhaps the most important benefit of all is the joy you feel when you compete, whether against yourself or others.