Swimming in College Admissions

Swimming in College Admissions November 14, 2013 Swimmers have the advantage of knowing their times. They know just where they stand in a college coachs eyes (photo credit: Yale University mens swim team website). In college admissions, football players have the edge over swimmers. Its a fact of life. The success of a football team at most universities throughout the country matters more to that university than the success of their swimming and diving team. Its something that swimmers and divers dont have to accept. They already know that. They grew up with this knowledge. Everybody knows that. Football is the priority. Not the 100 yard butterfly. But there is one distinct advantage that swimmers have in the college admissions process, an advantage not afforded to football players. Swimmers know their times! They know that they swim a :52.6 100 yard breastroke or a 20.8 50 yard freestyle. Knowledge can be power for swimmers. And this also holds true for runners. How easy is it to go on, say, the Yale University mens swim team site and peruse the times of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors on the YSDT. How easy is it to check out Yale mens swimming records or the all-time top ten list for each event. With this knowledge, you can then have a great sense of whether the Yale mens swim coach is going to want youor not. Youll know just where you stand. And youll also know if the team needs depth in a certain event. If youre a backstroker and all of the current backstrokers are seniors, the team might need you to fill that hole. Football players have many legs up in admissions but this is one particular leg up that swimmers and runners have. And they must take advantage of it! Too many dont. Have a question on swimming in college admissions? Let us know your thoughts or questions by posting below! While youre here, read about Ivy League athletic recruiting.