In Some Ways Harvard Is No Different Than Other Schools

So this is the time of year that high school seniors have begun applying to colleges and universities across the country.  It can be a very stressful time for students and their families as many have a clear top choice and waiting for a decision from that school’s admissions office will seem like an eternity.  What’s worse is if they don’t get accepted they’ll have to settle on a second choice or third…or fourth.  For example what if that student applied to 5-6 schools and didn’t get into any of them?

Watching “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” recently that is exactly what happened to a young lady with an impeccable academic and activity resume.  What’s worse is that each of the schools she was seeking admission to welcomed students that had no right getting in ahead of her.

The reason is athletic advantage.  Depending on which source you use Harvard University usually admits about 5% of those who apply meaning 19 of 20 prospects are rejected.  However if you are a recruited athlete in one of their 37 varsity sports (Michigan only has 27) your chances of being accepted rise to somewhere between 70 and 86%.  With almost 1,200 athletes on campus you can be sure many would have had no chance of admission without being recruited by coaches who want to win just as much as they do at Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma and other powerhouse athletic programs.

Who would have thought?  Good luck with your applications!