Transcript Academic Index and NESCAC Bands

Understanding Admission and the Role of
Athletics
June 2010
Agenda
• Overview of the the Impact of Athletics in
the NESCAC and Ivy Schools
• Review of the Admission Process and
Coaches Involvement
• The Academic Index
Admission Overview
• Day 1 we discussed the Big 3
• Academics
– Strength of academic program, grades and
Testing (SAT, ACT,APs)
• Activities
– Hockey alone is not a formula for success
• Personal Qualities
– Interviews, Essays, Letters of Rec
Admission Overview
• Today We’ll Focus on…
• The Process of Evaluating a Candidate at Ivy
and NESCAC schools specifically
• How Coaches Get Involved
• Ivy vs. NESCAC and the nuances
Admission Overview
• Overview of Athletics Role in Admission
– Can be a significant “tip” factor in admissions
– Leverage it as a vehicle to help you achieve the
education that you aspire to achieve
• Coaches identify talent and have an understanding
of academic/admissions credentials and past
success
– NESCAC and Ivy Coaches don’t always get the recruits
they want
• Admissions officers are made aware by coaches
Admission Reading and Evaluation
• Players are identified as recruits
– Focus immediately turns to the transcript, scores
• Admissions does communicate with coaches on
recruits
– June-August coaches and liaisons are meeting on early
commits and they meet throughout the year
– Admissions may also inform the coach of strong admissions
candidates that might be decent players
• Well written and executed applications are important
– A poor essay can be devastating to a case
Understanding Athletic Admission
• If coach identifies a player of interest…
– Coach presents a list prioritizing “needs” and sometimes will
rank order the top recruits on the list
– Some schools will have an admission liaison pre-screen
scores and a transcript to see if the “case” is in the ballpark
• Sliding Scale Model: The stronger the player, the
greater possibility for admission
– Being a recruit can heal the sick, it can’t raise the dead
– Watch out for killer Cs…some schools will be more flexible
– Grade 11 C’s on a transcript may put you out of the running at
schools such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Amherst and Williams
– Cs from earlier in HS might be explained if you show growth
Admission Overview
• While many coaches may be examining the Academic Index
number, the admissions officers reviews the Index in relation
to the subjective academic assessment factors
• Most important factor in admission in Ivy and NESCAC
– Level of Rigor….are you taking any AP classes in grade 11/12?
• Grades are the next most important factor
– Grade 11 and first semester 12 are particularly important
– Should I take a tougher program and risk a C or take an easier program
and get a B?
• Depends on the scenario, the school and the previous # C grades
– The instance when rigor and grades are switched in importance is when
you are at the edge of a band or an index average….then the grades
become more important than rigor
• Coaches have to look at the transcript to see if the case is
presentable to coaching staffs
Admission Overview – Test Scores
• We know scores are important, but how
important?
• IVY: It is a major part of the academic index.
Sub-600 scores means you have to be a top 1-2
recruit in their class AND have good grades
• NESCAC – A big driver for admission, but
flexibility for top 1-2 athletes
– Bowdoin, Colby, Conn optional scores
Admission Overview
• The “Booster” Concept
– Name given to student-athletes with high tests and great
grades
– Every NESCAC and Ivy wants to find a few kids like
this
• Become less important in Ivy league, but HYP for certain are
looking for 1-2 student-athletes per year with indexes about
210 and possibly 220
• Several NESCAC schools have to find 1-2 recruits with 700+
scores – called A band recruits
– Scoring in the high 600’s or low 700’s makes you a
solid contender, but the higher the scores, the more
options you’ll have
Admission Process
• Every school is a little different
• In both D-I/D-III, coaches are looking at several
players for early commitments
• In Ivy and NESCAC, students are always
admitted as part of the regular process because
grades, Oct/Nov/Dec scores are so important
• The essays are HUGE for athletes!!!!!
• Some schools will offer admission interviews
during official visits
Admission Process – Ivy League
• League office monitors and oversees on behalf
of the Presidents recruiting and admission of
athletes.
• League created the Academic Index as formula
to create a league minimum and a tool to force
admission to admit a “representative” group of
student-athletes
• Over the last several years – response to “The
Game of Life” – Ivy Presidents’ have monitored
the admission of student-athletes more carefully
Admission Process - Ivy
• D-I programs, trying to compete nationally
• Admissions provides extensive support to assist in
working to make teams competitive
• 36 recruits over 4 years…some will be boosters
• Coaches are active in bringing transcripts, test scores
to liaison for review
• Each year school has to balance the academic index
of the recruiting class….more to come in this
workshop
Academic Index
Formula Used to Calculate a Standardized Number that
incorporates tests and GPA
• Formula Computed for Every Student
– Not that important in admissions at most schools outside of
athletics
• All Recruited Athletes Must Average within 1-standard
deviation from the institution’s average
• No student may be admitted, without a significant
institutional reason presented to the League, more than
2.5 standard deviations from the mean
Academic Index
• Hockey Programs and Athletic Departments Have
to Average and Report to the League Each Year
• School Averages
–
–
–
–
Harvard, Princeton, Yale = 208-210
Dartmouth = 204-206
Brown = 202-204
Cornell = 197-199
• *Based on Historic Values as the School Average
is Recalculated each June
• Some Hockey Programs May Have Flexibility in
the Average they Meet – can average lower than
the general athletic averaging for other sports
The Academic Index
• Two Ways to Calculate
– 1/3 SAT-I/ACT Average + 1/3 SAT-II Average + 1/3
Converted Rank Score
– 2/3 SAT-I/ACT Average +1/3 Converted Rank Scores
• Converted Rank Score is a GPA or Class Rank
Calculation (based on charts or a formula)
• Generally, 2/3 SAT-I Average + CRS is used
The Academic Index
• Examples: Student A
– SAT-I: CR: 680 M: 630 WR: 610
• SAT Average = 640 (64 Pts)
– SAT-II: Chemistry 590, US History 610
• SAT-II Average = 600 (60 Pts)
–
–
–
–
High School GPA = 3.4
Use 2/3 +1/3 Formula!
CRS = 68 Pts
AI = 64+64+68 = 196
The Academic Index
• Examples: Student B (Same Scores with a Rank in
Class)
– SAT-I: CR: 680 M: 630 WR: 610
• SAT Average = 640 (64 Pts)
– SAT-II: Chemistry 590, US History 610
• SAT-II Average = 600 (60 Pts)
– High School Rank 31/325 (top 10%)
• There is a formula for % and absolute class rank
– Use 2/3 +1/3 Formula!
– CRS = 62 Pts
– AI = 64+64+62 = 190
The Academic Index
• Examples: Student C
– SAT-I: CR: 610 M: 590 WR: 600
• SAT Average = 600(60 Pts)
– SAT-II: French 600, Literature 510
• SAT-II Average = 555 (56 Pts)
– High School GPA = 3.3
– Use 2/3 +1/3 Formula!
– CRS = 67 Pts
– AI = 60+ 60 +67 = 187
– This is where admissions starts to get at the edge for some
schools and for some players.
The Academic Index
• Examples: Student D
– SAT-I: CR: 720 M: 760 WR: 740
• SAT Average = 740 (74 Pts)
– SAT-II: Math I 740, US History 780
• SAT-II Average = 760 (76 Pts)
–
–
–
–
High School GPA = 3.8
Use 1/3 +1/3 +1/3 Formula!
CRS = 75 Pts
AI = 74+76+75 = 225 (WOW!!!!!!)
Admission Overview - NESCAC
• Presidents, Athletic Directors and Admissions
Directors meet quarterly with NESCAC office
• Coaches have far less involvement in the process
– Can support smaller number of recruits each year 4-7,
depending on the school and the year
• Level of support admissions gives each school varies
widely
• No “formula” used in league unlike the Ivies
• Small campuses, so schools are very aware of the risks
in admitting students “at the edge” based on grades and
scores
Admission Overview - NESCAC
• Early Decision applications can really help a case, if the grades
are solid
– With small student populations, recruited athletes applying
regular admission are vulnerable to the general admission
competition (400-700 per class in a NESCAC v. 1400-2800
per class in Ivy)
• Interviews can show interest and be a big plus – even if not part
of a recruiting trip
• SAT optional for some NESCAC schools and can help a good
student with weaker tests.
– Bowdoin, Colby and in some cases Conn College
– Coaches are a good gauge of whether you apply and not
submit tests
• First term, semester is very important at these schools
NESCAC Bands
• The Banding System is more flexible in having a wider
range but is restrictive in the number of lower end band
athletes to be taken
• Schools slot a number of players per band over a 4 year
period
• Schools are given a number of slots per year generally 4-6
• Schools have different allotments in each of the bands, and
the bands are not exactly the same for all schools.
– A “C” band athlete for Amherst could be a “B” band athlete for
Connecticut College
NESCAC BANDS -Estimates
• A Band:
– SAT Scores 700+ average all above 680
– SAT II 720
– GPA: Mostly As/Top 5%
• B Band:
– SAT scores 650+ average, all above 610
– SAT II 640
– GPA: Mix of A/B/Top 15%
• C Band:
– SAT scores 630+ average, all above 580
– SAT II 600
– GPA: B Record/Top 20%
• D Band:
– SAT scores below 1800-1880 (depending on school) all greater than 530
– SAT II < 560
– GPA: Below a B average/Top 25-35%
Q&A
• Q &A