Ivy League schools and softball?

[Dave619]

DD is a 14 yo rising 9th grader. She has her list of top 15 schools with one being Yale so we will be attending Yale's Bulldog Elite Camp this summer. DD's academics are very strong with having 5 high school credits prior to going into high school, etc….strong enough?, not sure but time will tell.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with the Ivy League schools or specifically with Yale. What is the level of play like, especially the pitching? I know they don't offer athletic scholarships and from what I have read the coach can submit a list of players she would like admitted, but the admission committee does not give them special consideration. Thanks for any info. anyone can provide.

 

[marriard]

We have a lot of experience with Ivy Schools and locally our travel program and local high schools have sent a number of players there. Right now there are 4 girls at 3 schools who played with us locally.

The Ivy is somewhat uneven. They play less games than other D1 programs because of location and also no conference tournament. They will generally do one or two early trips away to Florida/California and then hope for the best weather wise.

That said, it is still a D1 conference. The kids are smart as hell and you get a lot of mid-D1 and top D2/D3 talent level players there who are smart enough to know that the eduction they receive will hold them in good stead. Pitching depth is always suspect, though the top four teams (normally Dartmouth/Penn/Princeton/Harvard in about that order) normally have some talent that would do very well in higher softball conferences. Actually that is normally their issue - they just don't have the depth that other D1 teams have in other conferences.

I will say the coaching I have encountered there has normally been above average for their level.

We had Princeton down here playing in Florida this year (they come down most years). They got stuck here and they were all nervous and upset about the possibility of missing classes - especially their seniors who were looking to stay on target to graduate. They were in programs such as engineering, math, physics, etc. Serious students in serious majors. Columbia were not much different. They take their softball seriously, but school is CLEARLY #1 for these programs and they have no time for anything else during the school year. Your grades have to be seriously strong and you will want to really know what kind of degree you want to pursue.

You have the mix of grades and talent and it is a GREAT way to go. The girls I know who have done both at Ivy league schools are all doing extremely well for themselves out in the 'real world'.

 

[Gronknation]

I would say they would be in the lower 25% talent wise of the D1 schools. But you are obviously are there for the education. Dartmouth however did beat Auburn this year. Yale was pretty bad.

 

[peachyvolgirl]

I'm sad that I have no input for this thread, but it's extremely interesting to follow. Never really gave the Ivy schools' softball teams much thought. Might have to start checking them out, follow them on Twitter or something. Good luck to your daughter!


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[Rocketech1]

As a related question, how much (if any) influence does the coach have in getting recruits admitted to the Ivy's? For instance, I think Harvard and Princeton only accept 5 or 6% of all applicants. All things being equal, will the student-athlete get any preferential treatment if she wants to play softball for the school? I know it certainly happens at the state college level but didn't know if it was a factor in the Ivy League?

 

[ScottyDont]

Princeton accepts approximately 7% of all applicants.

When I spoke to their coach about my DD, basically she said that there is an SAT/ACT minimum score that the player has to hit before anything can happen at all. Once they make that score, the coach can put a little leverage on Admissions to give the player a bit more weight in the process. I got the impression that the coach could sway the decision quite a bit, but the player's grades and SAT have to be at a certain level before she would even bother trying.

Also note that they do their recruiting (such as it is) later in the process than most schools (especially since most HS players don't take their SATs until their junior year). They can't offer athletic scholarships, so there's no reason to try to snap up promising freshmen or sophomores early.

 

[Rocketech1]

Thanks Scotty. I remember being surprised about at least one D1 softball student-athlete at a very selective and top public university in our area that didn't seem like the best and brightest student coming out of high school? Not likely she had anywhere near a 4.0 and high test scores (like the average student body freshmen). On the flip side, she was one hell of a hitter.

 

[corlay]

I got the impression that the coach could sway the decision quite a bit, but the player's grades and SAT have to be at a certain level before she would even bother trying.

I would also imagine that once the academic threshold is met,
a coach could direct resources to the student/athlete family to assist in finding non-athletic scholarships and other means to defray tuition costs.

 

[BobInMadison]

Many of the Ivies have HUGE endowments, and are very generous with financial aid. Someone claimed to have worked out the numbers, and found that for most families, the cost of an Ivy was less than the cost of a state U, and for poor families it is even better. DS had a friend, a poor Hmong refuge, who was accepted to Harvard and the various grants and scholarships added up to over 100% of the cost of attendance.

The Ivies are getting a lot more competitive in athletics (although in a few sports, like rowing, they have always dominated). They can offer something no other colleges can: an Ivy League education with tons of schollys and grants. True, Stanford and Cal, which can give real athletic schollys, can give a few players a better deal.

 

[djcarter1966]

Many of the Ivies have HUGE endowments, and are very generous with financial aid. Someone claimed to have worked out the numbers, and found that for most families, the cost of an Ivy was less than the cost of a state U, and for poor families it is even better. DS had a friend, a poor Hmong refuge, who was accepted to Harvard and the various grants and scholarships added up to over 100% of the cost of attendance.

The Ivies are getting a lot more competitive in athletics (although in a few sports, like rowing, they have always dominated). They can offer something no other colleges can: an Ivy League education with tons of schollys and grants. True, Stanford and Cal, which can give real athletic schollys, can give a few players a better deal.

Yeah almost no one except the really well off pays the sticker price at the Ivies. I think at Harvard under $60K yearly income your tuition is free and up to $150K no more than 10% of your income...you can't beat that!!!

Stanford waives tuition for families making below $125,000