Rowing Recruits

Question
Hey im a sophmore in high school and with rowing, im already looking into good colleges i could possibly go to. Im 5'9, 135 lbs, in good shape. My 2k is 1:57 flat, so a time of 7:48. 6k is around a 2:07.

Ive stroked a varsity boat for Nationals, went to Head of the Charles, looking forward to Worlds, but too young for this year. My grades arent bad but GPA around 3.4. Do Ivy Leagues look into these types of rowers..? even if my grades arent the best.

Answer
Hi Louisa: Your rowing profile looks really good.  Many people think they can get an Ivy League just on their ergometer time and with little or no on-water racing experience.  You have both.

The not-so-good news is that Ivy League schools DO weigh academics and SAT scores very highly.  As I learned from the book based on "The Social Network."  Harvard accepts straight-A students who were Captains of their crew teams or A- students who were the best rowers in the country.  

Even if you don't end up going to an Ivy League school, there are many top colleges with less stringent admissions standards and equally good crews.  Schools like Georgetown, Syracuse, Virginia, or U. of Wisconsin to name a few.

Good Luck/AP