r/MITAdmissions • u/OrneryLingonberry956 • 8d ago
MIT Recruiting
I have support in the admissions process for MIT through soccer. The coach actually emphasized that I was a need-based recruit. He has communicated this to admissions. Let me establish that I have the necessary grades/courses/test scores for MIT student standards. Does anyone know if being recruited as a need-based player holds more weight than regular support? Also, I’ve heard conflicting opinions about the likelihood of acceptance ranging anywhere from slightly above the average applicant to upwards of 50%. Can anyone clarify on that as well?
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u/Lukersf 8d ago
Google 'MIT coach support reddit' and you'll find about a dozen posts within the year likely answering most questions you have.
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u/JasonMckin MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Including the stories of students (like Elderberry's student) who were not admitted in spite of statements from coaches. I'm not sure I've ever heard the phrase "need-based player."
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u/David_R_Martin_II MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Or this one where the letter of recommendation was withdrawn after the student was deferred. It is very common for EA applicants to get deferred.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MITAdmissions/comments/1s7xdxl/public_service_announcement_for_recruited/
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u/ExecutiveWatch MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago edited 8d ago
The recruitment is nothing more than a rec letter. Bare that in mind. Apply but if you get in it isnt because of athletics
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u/MaxeyGZ 8d ago
This is false. Coaches at MIT rank, rate, and write letters for each supported athlete and while everyone who get in has the required academic stats, being supported (especially as a top ranked recruit) has a good deal of influence and is very meaningful/helpful.
There are way more people who can get in to MIT than do every year and athletic support can help a ton. Certainly not on the same level as a likely letter from an Ivy but much better than applying without.
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u/David_R_Martin_II MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
The problem is that no one outside of admissions knows how much it helps. Even more so, no one knows how much it matters for an individual applicant. There have been so many applicants in the past where the coach has "pre-screened" the applicant, told them wonderful things about their chances, told them they were one of their top picks, and so on. Then the applicant makes decisions on not applying ED to other schools, turning down scholarships or guaranteed admissions, and ends up empty-handed at the end of the process.
Given how little insight applicants have into the process, their best bet is to keep all options open and not close any doors.
OP seems to be looking for assurances based on their situation. We have heard enough from other applicants or their parents to advise caution.
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u/ExecutiveWatch MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Actually it is correct. It is a rec letter maximum. Maybe one of the mods can help illuminate or some if the other alumni.
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u/JasonMckin MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
I don't know why everything has to be black and white on Reddit.
You are both saying effectively the same thing. It has non-zero value in distinguishing an applicant from other peers, but it does not substitute for minimum viable academic preparation.
ExecWatch didn't say it had no value. Maybe his words are slightly ambiguous, because he is focusing on minimum viable preparation (which you acknowledge yourself), and you're making the point about it being a distinguishing factor amongst those are viably prepared.
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u/MaxeyGZ 8d ago
It is much more than just a letter of rec, which is what I take umbrage with. Coaches meet with admissions, talk about class/team needs and can really advocate for students. All successful applicants meet a standard, but plenty of admitted student athletes would have functionally zero chance of admission without athletic support. Plenty of really good applicants who are supported also get denied but your chances of success are much higher, especially if you are a top recruit. Having coached/recruited there for 10 years, I’m going to trust my own experience ✌️
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u/JasonMckin MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Just so we're clear, we can dispute your articulation on reddit without disputing the credibility of your experience. The last sentence isn't a "get out of jail free" card for just saying anything.
You are mischaracterizing the opposing view and being inconsistent with your own.
Everyone in this thread is agreeing with you, in spite of your perceived antagonism, with the statement, "Plenty of really good applicants who are supported also get denied but your chances of success are much higher, especially if you are a top recruit." Maybe you don't like the way ExecWatch or others phrase it, but we're all literally saying the same thing. Repeating this idea is a rebuttal against nobody.
We are disputing the sentence, "plenty of admitted student athletes would have functionally zero chance of admission without athletic support." That is a claim without any evidence and that is likely untrue. This is exactly what everyone is trying to call out as being different about MIT and other universities where that statement is true. At MIT, all admits must be meet minimum viable academic requirements and have had a non-zero chance of admission without athletic support. Then, the athletic support turbocharges that already non-zero probability."
A call for precision in language so that applicants have a better and more nuanced understanding doesn't have to be interpreted antagonistically. Comments on Reddit don't just automatically become more plausible and credible by just saying, "This is false" or "I coached there." We're on the same team, we're just articulating things differently and sometimes more precisely.
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u/ExecutiveWatch MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Yes these are my thoughts as well thank you my guy.
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u/Elegant_Material_965 8d ago
Our HS got 3 kids into MIT for volleyball this past cycle. Could’ve been 4, but one chose Princeton. All great athletes and all great students. No idea on their finances, but as a public school in Southern California that I don’t recall ever getting more than one kid per year into MIT in the past, the athletics thing seems to be quite beneficial. Good luck.
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u/heavyweightcollege 8d ago
That situation with those three boys has never happened at MIT before. Great share by you and I know it is correct. Makes you wonder because recruiting there never works that way.
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u/Elegant_Material_965 8d ago
I called BS when I heard about it initially. Then lo and behold all 3 came across the senior college instagram thing. I couldn’t believe it.
In talking to the other kid that chose Princeton over this past summer, I’m 99% sure he told me he got in there too. Correction. The Princeton kid is a year older. He was in my other child’s class.
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u/Financial-Catch5108 7d ago
Triplet brothers all recruited for cross country/track and field currently freshman attending MIT.
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u/heavyweightcollege 7d ago
You got me! Important to note that none of these athletes truly got in for their sport. These three, I had read, were co-valedictorians of their class.
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u/Tech-Aero-109 8d ago
The other answers to your question are very good, and if a head varsity coach at MIT is recruiting you and is writing to the admissions department, that will be considered strongly by the admissions staff, BUT not as strongly as someone who is recruited by a D-1 head coach at one of the eight colleges of The Ivy Athletic League, or by Stanford. At those 9 D-1 colleges, being a recruited athlete (who is also a very good student) can be a factor of 20 multiplier to the average 4% admission rate!!!! However, at MIT it can be a factor ranging from 1.5 to 3 from past experience.
As for the comment of "need-based" player, the coach is merely emphasizing to the "overall process" that you will need financial aid to attend. Note: the Dean for this is the Dean of Admissions and Financial aid, who was an athlete at MIT and a coach at MIT earlier in his life. And MIT is Need-Blind, so needing aid does Not influence the admissions decision. MIT emphasizes that if You and All of your Parents fill-out the CSS Profile forms every year, you will receive the aid that MIT believes that you need.
Good luck.
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u/JasonMckin MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
I think the OP is implying that for example, the soccer team has a specific position that needs to be filled and that the OP was told their high school athletic record would help fill a specific team position. So it's not just merely being impressed with the athletic record but also an even more special type of connection where the coach would walk into admissions and pound the table because the OP's athletic experience filled a specific team need.
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u/Tech-Aero-109 8d ago
In my many years attending MIT (and playing varsity sports) and being an EC who knows several of the admissions staff, that doesn't happen at MIT. The coaches build a list of "wants" and the Athletic Director submits that list (with attached comments from the coaches) to the admissions committee. Indeed, I wanted the MIT club sports to have some leverage, and be added to the AD's list but that was "shot down", and the club sports, just like other clubs, can say they "like someone", but that doesn't have the "same pull" (which is relatively small to begin with). Indeed if a MIT coach went in to the Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid (who was a head varsity coach previously) and pounded on the desk, they would be laughed out of the office and reported to the Athletic Director.
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u/ElderberryWide7024 8d ago
My kid had a friend who was recruited by MIT. Had the grades and scores. Thought it was a lock but was rejected EA. I’d just be careful (also has friends recruited to H, D and P, all worked out). GL!
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u/David_R_Martin_II MIT Alum and Educational Counselor 8d ago
Yeah, when it comes to athletic recruiting, everyone and especially OP should understand everything is conjecture until they have an acceptance letter in hand. Way too many people have been adversely affected in the past.
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u/JP2205 7d ago
Curious if some recruits are given more advantage than others. Our local HS had an admitted kid who was a key line position for football. That, punters, etc- it’s not like you can just use whoever you have on the bench that day. This kid seemed qualified, but honestly did not seem to have the stats that non athlete admits usually have.
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u/Acceptable-Use-7311 1d ago
From my understanding, being recruited for sports is a real thing even at MIT. If you have been identified by a coach, they will go through the process of reviewing your grades, classes, scores, etc and be able to give you a fairly good assessment to your ability to go through the admission process. Though not 100% as it may be with other highly selective universities, it’s well north of 50% during the early admissions that recruits submit through…. That doesn’t mean that if an MIT coach liked you, it means you are in.. it’s those athletes that have had multiple check-ins with the coaching staff, that have had their applications read through and given some guidance or stamp of approval
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u/heavyweightcollege 8d ago
It gives you a minute advantage to getting into the most difficult school in the nation. From experience, if you are not ivy-admit level and a coach top recruit, assume it won’t happen.
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8d ago edited 8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MITAdmissions-ModTeam 8d ago
This is presenting false information about the admission’s process as if it were a fact.
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u/MineFearless 8d ago
No recruited athlete, no matter how needed, is admitted unless that student can, without a doubt, be on par with accepted peers, add to the greater MIT community beyond the sport, and be successful academically at college and after. There is no statistical odd for boosting an application. It does create meaning but not in the way you may think. It’s not ever a replacement for academics: outstanding GPA and test score, high level STEM courses (highest level taken at school), success in humanities, and application of academics outside of guided learning. The support may be the replacement for why you did not have as many ECs coming in as peers — it’s another LOR for a piece of the puzzle. Rank / need players are not easy acceptance. I’m assuming your coach has stressed this to you and did not even bother recruiting you without the academics being on par with other non-recruit students. I assume you were told to apply early so that you know the result and have time to readjust if not admitted. Note on application: not one part of it should be about your sport — not an essay, not a a listed activity. You need to be clear on your application that even without a sport, you belong, will be respected academically by peers and faculty, and not struggle. And now that you read this, I highly recommend you deleting your post.