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Recruiting at MIT

What's on your mind?

by SoftballMomFromLA » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:01 pm

Does anyone have any information on softball recruiting at MIT? I would like to hear what you were told by the coach and if it all worked out as they said. And if you care to share, your daughters stats. Thanks
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by PDad » Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:03 pm

I sent a private message to you with contact info of someone that will share info privately.
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by McGee » Thu Oct 19, 2017 5:00 pm

Keep in mind you don't go to MIT or other like institutions to play softball. If softball can help you get there, take advantage and don't look back.
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by CheckWriter » Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:10 pm

McGee wrote:Keep in mind you don't go to MIT or other like institutions to play softball. If softball can help you get there, take advantage and don't look back.


+1

With two HYPSM grads, for whom softball was the "differentiator" to get in to those schools, they are doing quite nicely with their degrees.

FWIW
I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words.
--- Hesiod, Eighth Century B.C.
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by jonriv » Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:42 am

First of all congrats to your daughter for reaching this point. Being considered by MIT is HUGE. You should be very proud.

My daughter played in the same conference as MIT(NEWMAC) and played MIT over 8 times. On strictly softball terms, this coach turned a team that was perpetual doormat in the NEWMAC to a team that made to the DIII Championship tournament and a consistent winner. I have heard some mixed things about the coach in dealing with players, but nothing more than you hear about any other coach.

PDad directed you to someone, if it is the person I think they will have much better insight.

As mentioned before, if softball can give your caught the edge in getting into MIT and getting a degree-jump in with both feet, MIT provides the education and the "brand name" to help your daughter do very well for herself. Some of the schools give the coach some ability to broaden the "box" for particular athletes and/or pre-accept athletes if they do meet academic standards. I know in my daughters case at Babson College, the coach was able to take her info to admissions and get an OK from them a guarantee to admissions(as long as she did early decision) Academics at MIT are hard and there are no "jock" classes and no special scheduling or other special considerations given to student athletes.

Back to softball. The fields at MIT are OK, located in town in Cambridge on the Charles River overlooking Boston. The NEWMAC is a highly competitive athletic conference consisting of some very good academic schools. Except for the Spring trip(this season they are going Arizona, but usually Florida) the farthest they usually travel is Springfield, MA and New London, CT(Coast Guard) The NEWMAC has also been attracting talent from all over the country(in the past it was mostly the Northeast. As with many DIII schools, the student-athlete population tends to be around 40% (DI schools tend to be around 10%) so your daughter will be more integrated into the general student population than she might be at a larger school. It is also very common for professors to attend games to see their students play.
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by Blind Squirrel » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:38 pm

Never experienced this problem. My kid can't even spell MIT.
10 years from now I'll wish I felt like I do these days.
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by jonriv » Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:05 pm

Blind Squirrel wrote:Never experienced this problem. My kid can't even spell MIT.


Thanks squirrel, I just spit my beer up :D
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by SoftballMomFromLA » Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:08 am

Thanks to all who have provided some info!

My daughter is definitely academically viable for admission in terms of gpa, test scores, ECs, etc and would be a solid candidate even without athletics. She is very high academically and academics, not softball, has basically driven her college list where MIT is her top choice.

My hope was to hear from some softball people who were successful at gaining admission and some that weren't. I wanted to compare how different the conversation was with the coach between the two different groups - Hoping I could maybe make some inferences/assumptions regarding our own situation based on people's past experiences.

Sadly someone here informed me that the parents of MIT athletes should not disclose information concerning their recruiting process. Still hoping maybe a kind soul (someone that didn't make it) will be willing to divulge some information.
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by jonriv » Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:11 am

My daughter is definitely academically viable for admission in terms of gpa, test scores, ECs, etc and would be a solid candidate even without athletics. She is very high academically and academics, not softball, has basically driven her college list where MIT is her top choice.


What is not mentioned in your posts-at what point of the process is your Daughter(junior, senior..)?

What kind of softball experience(HS, REC, Travel, High level tournaments etc...) There is many times a misconception with DIII softball and the level of play. It may not be at the level of the SEC, PAC12, or Big Ten, but the level of play is very good. These players were all top players at their local High Schools, many played Travel at the highest levels, and many had a chance to play DI, but chose not to. As mentioned in a previous post, the NEWMAC is a very competitive league.

DIII is a different recruiting process than DI or DII. Since there are no Athletic Scholarships there is no Letter of Intent. There is a HUGE leap of faith from the student applies to when they are formally accepted. Most coaches do have the ability to "pre-qualify" the student with admissions on potential players, but there is no guarantee. It really does come down to a matter of trust.

It is great that your daughter is academically viable, but so is everyone else that applies to MIT. Softball can be the real difference maker in the school's decision.
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by Mom2softball » Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:56 pm

There are NCAA rules for recruiting. And parents being told NCAA circumstances when a parent should not speak could be misinterpreted. There is no secret about MIT recruiting and as a parent of MIT players I would reiterate what many have already stated. Overall, MIT acceptance is based on the student as a whole (with extraordinary grades only as a starting point), and softball (and the characteristics, such as my girls passion for the game) is just part of that whole, not a determining factor. When looking at colleges my girls were looking for the "best fit", and likewise so does MIT Admissions, where the final decision is made. For my girls it was a perfect fit.
It can be frustrating when MIT is your daughters number one choice & you all have to wait until March 14 if a daughter does not get Early Action. On the other hand, the coach has some of the most difficult circumstances under which to recruit, where she may loose players to other top academic schools that have a different (more typical) process. She has done extraordinary in building the program and I would hope Admissions see that.
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