Tagged With "MIT"
Topic
High Academic Baseball
I'm a 2015 Right Handed Pitcher, velocity 84-86 MPH, 2200 on SAT including 800 on math, what are my chances at any Ivy League school or an MIT/JHU?
Topic
MIT and baseball
There are a few old threads on HSBaseball Web that say MIT doesn't offer any admissions lift for athletes--not even a pre-read. Is that correct as of 2019? I understand that they might say "we don't lower our standards for any applicant." But do they really expect would-be baseball players to apply ED without any prior indication that they will be accepted? My son hasn't contacted MIT, but is considering it. If they are going to ask him to forego applying ED at another school with a...
Reply
Re: High Academic Baseball
If you can pitch rather than just throw there might be some interest. You should contact the baseball coaches and find out what showcases to get in front of them. One you should definitely attend is Head First.
Reply
Re: High Academic Baseball
rhp1123, As RJM indicated, you need to get in front of these coaches to determine your chances. Each school is going to have different requirements and different needs. Your 2200 SAT will get their attention but you should want to find the best fit whether it is Ivy, NESCAC, NEWMAC or CC conferences. Yes,these schools are all high academic but they are all very different...they have their own personalities. If you scored 800 on Math you have as good as a shot as any to MIT especially if you...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Heard the same thing regarding Caltech... I think there's a member on here whose kid was accepted at Caltech - hopefully he'll chime in....
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
2019 was accepted at Caltech and will be a Frosh this coming Fall. He was recruited at Caltech and talked with Coach Carroll at MIT in Summer Headfirst (CA) and Brown camp. Coming off injury/surgery his velo wasn't there for MIT to have serious interest, but Caltech was interested and kept in touch through last Fall. What I know is that both schools offer Early Action - so no commitment needed on the student's part until May 1st. Having said that, I can tell you that the 1st conversation...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Congrats to your son 2019&21 -- getting into Caltech takes serious talent. Your message is very helpful, but one thing I'm not sure I follow: Unless the application deadline for EA at MIT and Caltech is super early, how could an applicant apply ED and EA? You could submit both applications; but since ED is binding, the only way to take advantage of EA would be if the ED school turned you down, right? I'd love to have my son consider MIT. (We're on the east coast, so Caltech probably...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
2019&21 Dad, was your 2019 son a pitcher? If so, can you give any advice on what FB velocities the Caltech coach wants to see vs the MIT coach (assuming control is good and kid has good secondary/offspeed). Also, did either Caltech or MIT coach explicitly say what SAT/ACT scores and GPA they expect for a baseball candidate? I assume they want 800/36 math score or very close to it, but what about the verbal scores? Thanks!
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
It can be confusing I know. The thing to know is that there is no ED at either Caltech or MIT, only EA. The difference being that EA is much more flexible - no commitment to attend if accepted, and you are allowed to apply to any other school you want. So you have until May 1st to decide if you are accepted EA at either one. EA decisions come out in mid-December for both. That said, you are right, if you apply ED to another school then you would not be able to apply EA to other schools.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
In 2009ish, at the MIT HC invite, we visited MIT. (HC eventually moved to Stephens Tech - a great D3 school for those looking at financial areas.) First, the entire family loved MIT. Second, the players didn't get any admissions boost. Coach submits his "list" but it's just informative to admissions. Third, S said the players were calculating parabolas on HR balls - during the game. Smart guys all! Fourth, our issues were just like normal families: "can you get me in if I match the middle of...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Yes, my son was/is a pitcher. I don't know specifically what velocity each might have as a "floor", but I do know it's lower at Caltech since it's a much smaller school and they are not quite as choosy as MIT with that smaller recruitment pool. Neither school said what academic scores they'd expect - it would be the same scores as for the non-athlete candidate. They put just as much emphasis on verbal as math. Son didn't take the ACT and only took the SAT once and scored near 1600, I...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Our experience was similar to 2019/21's, as far as info is concerned. Both coaches interested in my 2019, but a B+ in Alg2/Trig honors cooled off MIT and and a 650 in Physics SAT 2, cooled off Cal Tech. The 33 ACT was fine, according to the coaches, but MIT needed at least an A- and Cal Tech wanted a 700+. These were both after exchanges with the coaches. Not sure it ever got to a typical pre-read stage with admissions. From what others have written that stage doesn't seem to exist. It...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Forgot about the subject tests. Both schools require a Math and a Science SAT subject test. Son's were both 800, and from what I've seen and heard, most kids accepted are right around there.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Thanks, regarding FB Velus, does 81-83 for Caltech and 84-86 mph for MIT seem like reasonable floors? Obviously, the higher the better for either.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Smoke, was your son’s B+ in his Junior year, meaning he didn’t have an A in Calculus to offset that? Seems kinda harsh to rule out a kid with one B+ if higher level math courses were A’s and he had stellar standardized test and subject test scores in math and science.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Having seen both play I would say maybe a bit lower on both as a floor. The big difference is that MIT has quite a few good arms. Caltech has good arms at the top, but gets thin in a hurry after that.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
BTW if you have a second and want to look at a roster that is not filled with kinesiology majors (not that there is anything wrong with that) take a look at the Caltech roster sometime. Along with the usual items, each player has a "research and STEM" section, listing all kinds of amazing things.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Players were calculating parabolas on HR balls - during the game. Smart guys all! MIT athletes can also be normal, well adjusted crazy kids. I was chatting with some MIT parents at their regional this year. One had a video of some players at the mall riding these ... (not actual video) https://youtu.be/qVGltDIQ3gk
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Yes it was second semester jr. year, after an A first semester. I actually think it was just an ez way for them to say no quickly. He bit off more than he could chew Jr. Year, taking both AP Physics 1 and 2. Spent all his time trying to nail that and his math grade suffered. Ended up getting As in AP Calc. But he will admit the other kids at his school that are going to MIT are stronger students than he is. He tried to get in their study groups and partner with them in labs because he knew...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
It is a big risk, but one my son would take again if he had to do it over again. Going into his senior year, I cannot imagine a better situation for him academically and athletically.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Congrats to your son 2019&21 -- getting into Caltech takes serious talent. Your message is very helpful, but one thing I'm not sure I follow: Unless the application deadline for EA at MIT and Caltech is super early, how could an applicant apply ED and EA? You could submit both applications; but since ED is binding, the only way to take advantage of EA would be if the ED school turned you down, right? I'd love to have my son consider MIT. (We're on the east coast, so Caltech probably...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
I know of 2 kids who got admissions help at MIT through athletics - one lacrosse and one water polo. I am not privy to the specific details but my son is aware of their grades and test scores and these were in the middle 50% but well below medan. Both of these kids announced their "commitment" in the early fall of senior year, well before the admissions decisions were made.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
It is not a commitment at MIT until Admissions says it is on December 15 or Pi Day. Those kids took a chance of having egg on their face by announcing that. Everyone is told of the process. Some choose to hear what they want to hear. I have no doubt that baseball was my son's "hook" that got him admitted to MIT, but he was well within range of the grades, test scores and made A's in the most rigorous courses his school offered. The last item being very key to coaches when being considered by...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
My 2017 also looked at MIT at Coach Carroll's request. Son had a 35 ACT and ok grades but nowhere near 4.0 but at a well known private rigorous school. He is liberal arts focused and NOT STEM. That was actually a boost too. We were told the coaching staff presents a list to Admissions. I remember hearing the year before they had 10 boys on the list and 6 got in. That was a 60% admissions rate which is significantly higher than the 5% for the general public. But of course 4 of those boys the...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
I do recall that when I was looking at colleges > 30 years ago, MIT said it was actively seeking non-STEM majors (although they also had to be able to complete a more demanding set of math and science requirements than would be necessary for a History or English degree at most schools). My son is interested in STEM fields, so that won't help him; but if you have a kid who is good at math and science, but wants to go in another direction, then this could be a useful point.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
HA admissions/recruiting can be a huge risk especially with ultra-competitive schools like MIT and CalTech. My engineering daughter in law had perfect SATs plus she was a recruited soccer player. She was wait-listed at MIT. However she did bounce back nicely with a Presidential scholarship (Women in Engineering...tuition paid all four years...and played soccer) at an Ivy. I don't understand MIT's decision to this day, but that is the reality of it. It is that big of a risk and you may find...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Yes Chico, our 2017 had the perfect/near perfect math/science scores but was vocal about his desire to study econ/history/classics...it definitely helped at certain schools.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Man, this thread is making me feel like the dunderhead sitting in the back corner of the room. Well, forgive me for this joke: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WPigztM_7uM
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
....dude you are going to be one stupid grandpa....just sayin' BTW happy Fathers Day!
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
S was 2018 MIT grad and was a pitcher. My 2 cents: The kids that are playing any sport there are simply put, extremely smart that happen to be athletic. Admission is not a guarantee even with top academic credentials as noted in Fenway's post. Needless to say such credentials are necessary to be considered by admissions. A post noted the much higher admissions rate for baseball than general population and I would suggest that is due to the screening by the coaches during recruiting. They...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Could you expand on what "walk-on" means in the context of HA D3s? Since there are no athletic scholarships, how does a school distinguish between athletes who are _______ vs. walk-ons? Is it simply an understanding between the player and coach that the player is wanted/expected to contribute vs. showing up for tryouts blind? I've heard of "invited walk-ons" but only in the context of D1s and compared to kids with scholarships. Thanks for any info!
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
At my son's school there are three kinds of freshman who show up for the first day of practice. 1 - players who for whom coach had received an assurance from admissions that an ED application would be accepted. 2 - players who were recruited, but to whom coach was unable to guarantee admission. 3 - players who coach did not recruit - AKA walkons. (correction: this group has a tryout before regular practices begin.) So far, every member of groups 1 and 2 have made the team, and no member of...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
A former poster on this board told me at his son’s often ranked HA D3 twenty-seven kids showed up for walk on tryouts for three roster spots invited by the coach. Maybe it was a matter of how the kids interpreted the term “invited.”
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Or how much incentive that coach gets for filling up dorms with full pay students.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Commenting on JCG post above to define walk on in the D3 context. This will depend on the D3 school! Some over recruit and some have JV teams...but perhaps the umbrella definition would be a player who was not recruited to come to that school before they accepted a place there and shows up for tryouts in the fall or spring (when held, different D3s have tryouts different times). The player may or may not have been in in touch with the coaches before these tryouts.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
My interpretation of "walk-on" in the context I stated was based on the coach's position that as a pitcher, he would have the chance to show what he has, and if effective, he would be given continued opportunity. Basically, no guarantees, and role would likely not be large, but sounded like they could always use more pitching, and wouldn't be too quick to turn any away. This position, along with the difference in Winter/early Spring weather between Massachussetts and southern California,...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Having had the honor to attend both schools as a student (rowed crew at MIT and then as a grad student fenced at club level at Caltech), I'd start by agreeing that admissions to both is super-selective. Also be extremely careful for culture fit at either. MIT is an urban medium size school where most students major in an engineering major but majors from economics to design are available and strong. Since its in Cambridge near Boston there are a ton of social opportunities off campus too.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Great point, PACADAD. I can only speak to the MIT culture and will give my opinion on that. It would be great to hear from a current CalTech parent on this topic. I am pleased to say that my son has had a very complete college experience. In addition to baseball and school, he has interned at 3 vastly different companies, held leadership positions in his fraternity, had a girlfriend and is currently in a top position with MIT's chapter of a national organization. He has loved all that MIT...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Nice to see this thread got refreshed! My son was a high school Class of 2020 player whose final 4 choices were MIT, Caltech, Hopkins, and UChicago. He chose UChicago after getting a likely letter from admissions and applied ED. Everything went smoothly with the pre-read and likely letter just as the coach laid out, and there was little to no stress with the admissions process. While both UChicago and Hopkins can offer likely letters to recruits who make the coach's top 6-10 list, you should...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Bringing this thread back to life as there is a new crop of parents with lots of questions. Hopefully, some of you in this thread are still around to chime in. I'm going to bounce around here a little as I've got so many questions after reading this and son talking to coaches. My son is a 2023 MIT - So I've seen a bunch of sites saying MIT requires chemistry. Son skipped chemistry at the suggestion of his college counselor. He went into AP Physics 1 and got an A+ and a 5. At their suggestion...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Keep in mind that this was Fall 2016, but in my son's class on the team at MIT, there were two kids who had not taken Physics at all, but both took Chemistry. It made the required freshman Physics class difficult for them, but they were admitted. One was recruited as a pitcher and one as a position player. I am not privy to the exact process, but I suspect that there is no one right formula. My son knew a non athlete who was from a small, underdeveloped country and had never seen a gaming...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Terrible BPT: Now comes the question of does he send a revised schedule to the coaches? He’s going to have to drop either AP microeconomics or AP computer science and replace with honors chemistry Yes! Send revised schedule. But, also, relax. You have a full year of this ahead of you. Also, Also....If anyone's interested in more info on UChicago's recruiting/admission/non-admission process, please PM me. My two sons' stories are not like zoom 2020's, but congrats to him and his kid. What an...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Yes, they are all great academic schools with D3 baseball teams, but one of these four schools is very, very different from the other three in terms of baseball and overall athletic department competitiveness across all sports. I'm sure you can guess which school that is, and this can be an important factor depending on how seriously your son wants to spend his time on baseball and winning vs other pursuits while in college.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
Soooo, spoke to the college counselor and got a few answers. There are no longer subject tests for the SAT. Just the regular math and verbal parts. The chemistry thing is a kick where it hurts though. She didn't realize (or forgot) he hasn't taken it. She sat with MIT and CalTech (and Harvey Mudd, GA Tech, etc.) and they will all require him to have completed AP Chemistry, the highest offered at his school. So they are now scrambling to change his schedule and get him into the Chemistry...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
There is an SAT subject test date in early June, just after the end of the school year. That's the best time for taking subject tests, when the subject is freshest. It's also the start of the summer baseball travel season. Keep in mind that you can take tests anywhere - my oldest son did them while we were at the beach. But you can't do it in the middle of a showcase.
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
His school has AP chemistry which creates the problem of taking the hardest courses. They are considering having him skip regular and go right into AP chemistry. You are right, there is no formula. Only guidelines that will increase your chances of being admitted. We almost missed one of the very basic parts of the formula. Coach Carroll saw him at HF. Talked a lot about grades and other positions. Asked my son to email his class schedule, which he did. Now comes the question of does he send...
Reply
Re: MIT and baseball
These are my son’s top schools as well. We still need to visit them and do a lot more research. He knows they are all top STEM schools and have baseball teams.