How Do I Get Recruited To An Ivy League College Gymnastics Team

How Do I Get Recruited To An Ivy League College Gymnastics Team

How Do I Get Recruited To An Ivy League College Gymnastics Team

Sep 16, 2013 by Jill Hicks
How Do I Get Recruited To An Ivy League College Gymnastics Team
Brown, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania and Yale support NCAA Division 1 gymnastics teams. These Ivy League schools have a little different recruiting process than many of the other colleges. Highlighted are some important points to think about!

Time Frame:
Because of the academics required for admission at Ivy League schools, the teams usually finalize their recruiting during the fall of the recruits senior year. Yale is not allowed to give verbal commitments. Gymnasts interested in Ivy League schools should begin contact during their freshman or sophomore years. This will not only get them on the recruiting radar, but it will also give them the opportunity to make sure they are on the right path to be admitted into an Ivy school. For example, Yale recommends making contact to show interest no later than spring of the recruit’s junior year. The summer between Junior and Senior year is used for academic pre-reads and official visit invites. Contact late in the summer can result in a missed opportunity.

What They Look For:
Ivy League schools look for Level 10 gymnast who have10.0 start values and also meet the “up to the level requirements”. Some Ivy schools recruit primarily All-Arounders, while others look for specialist. The gymnast also needs to be a strong student. This means that they achieve mostly A’s taking a rigorous load of honors and AP classes. Their ACT/SAT test scores should be above the 90th percentile.

Opportunity:

Ivy sports teams have the ability to support athletes in admissions. The Ivy League governs this process, so even though each school may use a slightly different process or different wording, the big idea is the same. For example, at Yale 29,000 students applied for 1,500 spots last year. This means over 27,000 great students were rejected. With support from gymnastics, good students have an extremely high probability of being admitted. Ivy Gymnastics teams can give gymnasts an opportunity of a lifetime!

Scholarship/Aid:

Ivy League schools do not offer academic or athletic scholarship. However, need based aid can be quite generous at all the Ivy Schools. Families in a lower income range have a great opportunity, because aid can cover nearly all expenses for an Ivy education.

Great Gymnastics:

The Ivy League teams as a whole have shown tremendous improvement over the last few years. Their team scores are closing the gap between them and the nations higher ranking schools. Many individuals qualify for NCAA Regionals and teams may not be too far away from a team qualification. They also compete in USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships-a nation competition for schools with 8 or less scholarships. Ivy Gymnast get a great team experience, national level competition and a great education. 

Jill Hicks is the founder of JH Consulting which advises club gymnast through the recruiting processhttp://www.jhicksconsulting.com