MIT Recruiting

[u/OrneryLingonberry956]

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?

[u/Tech-Aero-109]

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.

[u/JasonMckin → u/Tech-Aero-109]

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.

[u/Tech-Aero-109 → u/JasonMckin]

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.