recruiting process at ivy league school

Question
QUESTION: My son is a varsity rower at a top rowing high school team, he has been in contact with an Ivy league lightweight team about rowing as freshman. He did not get supported for early decision , and has been working hard at strengthening his grades , which are now in the median for gpa and standardized tests for regular applicants to the university .What are the opportunities to gain any support for his application at this stage ?

ANSWER: Hi Antony: This is more of a guidance counselor type of question. All of the Ivy's are very selective academically.  The fact that Ivy League schools don't grant athletic scholarships means that academics plays a very important role in determining who gets in.  However, the crew will play a big factor if your son is evenly matched with other candidates who may not have much in terms of extracurricular activities.

Has the coach been in contact with you and your son?  He could help in the admissions process if he really wants your son on his crew.

I think your son is doing the best thing for admission by cracking down on his studies.  That and a good season of crew could make the difference.

The only thing I would add is that there are a lot of good non-Ivy schools that have outstanding crews and academic programs, while giving your son the opportunity to compete for an athletic scholarship.

Good Luck/AP

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Al the recruiting coach has been in contact with my son, but things have quieted down now that he did not gain support for early decision, the coach has said that there will still be opportunities for support for regular decision, aside from that do the coaches have any ability to sway admissions without giving official support? Also , is University of Michigan a force in varsity rowing ?
Tony

Answer
Hi Again Tony: When applying to colleges, it is always good to have a "Plan B" in your hip pocket.  I remember not getting into the U. of Penn, but getting accepted to Temple.  That's where I learned to row and had a good education and even an okay social life.

Michigan has a great reputation and a good crew team to boot.  Here's some info on their program:

http://www.umich.edu/~umrowing/

Good Luck/AP