(not sure if this is in the right topic thread, but…)
A friend of mine is looking into going to Boise State for track. He might very well qualify for a full scholarship there.
But he wants to know if the academic part of the university is just as good as the athletic part of the program.
He’s been offered scholarship at Columbia, which is great academic-wise, but if he chooses Boise State he wants to make sure he doesn’t make a bad “academic choice”
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Columbia versus Boise State?
Not a real comparison, IMO. What area is he planning on studying and what kind of job does he want down the line (if he knows)?
The opportunities offered at a place like Columbia versus Boise St. are not really comparable–Columbia is far superior and has a better location. I know little about either track program except Columbia has/had a pretty good 400m guy.
Columbia is a top academic school- no comparison at all.
Are they both full scholarships?
And how important is money?
No Boise State is nowhere near Columbia overall academically, but I am from the point of view that that does not always matter.
The data only shows that to be true if you consider money saved and IF you are able to get into both. It also depends on jobs. You will not work in consulting or ibanking out of college from Boise State ;).
Not everyone is concerned about monetary benefits.
And if you are a top student who is capable of getting into Columbia, you will have opportunities presented to you regardless. Given that your school is of a size large enough to have a decent amount of employers recruit on campus or have a good career center that actually does something.
Excellent points. 
Depending on the area you wish to work in, this may be true, which is why I asked. There are many fields that you have no hope of entering (without going to a great grad school or having direct connections) from BSU. Location alone kills BSU.
The scholarship he was offered at Columbia is an athletic scholarship. He’ll still have to apply to the school and get accepted, I think.
The issue with this friend is that he’s a pretty good 110 hurdler (13.98 at the 3rd “hurdle height” or whatever that is called), I think he placed 5th in the worlds for his age division, and he wants to continue with his athletic progress along with good academics.
Columbia doesn’t really have any hurdlers, and he’s worried that the level the team competes at as a whole is not too good (for him, at least).
So since he’s putting emphasis on good academics along with proper training development, I suppose my question shifts to:
do you guys think Columbia can develop him as an athlete? His next goal is the european championship (in his age division, again).
He’s not exactly sure yet, but he’s gearing towards architecture/civil eng./mech.eng./electri.eng./economics
Columbia hasn’t clarified in the letter from the coach, he’s trying to get in touch.
Boise State could offer him full scholarship if he runs 14s (in men’s height)
Money is very important. I think he’ll only take full
Ivy League schools do not give “athletic” scholarships, but they do give very large “need based” and “academic” scholarships to their athletes.
This is important to note for a few reasons. Most importantly, if he were to ever give up track, be hurt and unable to compete, whatever, he will still retain his money. The same cannot be said for strictly athletic scholarships that other schools give.
Columbia’s team may not be strong as a whole because of their academic standards, so it is hard to say whether or not coaching is a factor.
On the same token, BSU hasn’t exactly developed a ton of world class hurdlers! If this was LSU, Tennessee, George Mason, or somewhere like that, I would understand a bit more, but we are talking about Boise State–not the bastion of athletics greatness. They’ve got one guy ever under 13.9 and that was a long time ago. If money is the same, I’d take advantage of the academic (and locational) opportunity if he gets accepted, but that’s me.
Davan is correct. Ivy leauge schools do not offer athletic scholarships. You might want to recheck your info.
Boise State and Columbia are in completely different leagues academically. If your friend is offered a scholarship at Columbia it is because of his academic abilities. Davan is right on two counts: 1) Columbia’s scholarship will continue even if he stops hurdling, 2) there are fields in which a Columbia grad can get a job that a BSU grad cannot. e.g. consulting or investment banking. I might add 3) graduate schools will look with more favor on a Columbia student than a BSU student, other things being equal. Having said all that, people in the eastern part of N. America may not be aware that Boise has become an important high-tech center and if your friend is interested in that, Boise may be a good choice. Finally, he should be very careful about scholarship “offers.” The BSU coach probably can make a firm offer to him. But the Columbia coach cannot, because all scholarships at Columbia are academic. So if the Columbia coach is promising a scholarship he may be bullshitting your friend (or engaging in wishful thinking). Your friend needs to get the word from Columbia’s admissions and financial aid offices, not just the word of a coach.
Thanks everyone! Certainly didn’t know that… I 'll let my friend know.
I don’t think Columbia has offered an academic scholarship, because there is no way they can know his grades…
How deceitful of them :mad:
I’ve noted a lot of this deceiving letter-sending to many top athletes here (Greece), from Ivy League schools, particularly Harvard.
Perhaps the letter doesn’t say anything specific about a full scholarship, but they describe things in such way that the athlete believes that.
A friend of mine still talks about the letter he received from Harvard with a full athletic scholarship, that he turned down :rolleyes: because he’d rather train at home (and rightly so… he’s advanced to an international level in the 400)
Whoa whoa whoa, watch yourself a second. I have friends that play various sports in Ivy League schools (football, xc, swimming, track, etc.) and all are on “academic scholarships” while not being of the greatest academic status. I would not say they are trying to deceive your friend, but they cannot outright give athletic scholarships, so they mask it as something else (ie academic scholarships or need based grants). He should apply and check out the financial aid they offer him if he gets in–I think it might surprise you (in a good way).
Oh ok!
Well, how should my friend know these things? :o
I must say though that a number of people have been all excited with these letters, thinking that they are going to the United States for free, and then they realized there is a whole paperwork and test-taking process (sat’s and toefl) they need to go through and close to none end up going to those promised universities.
OF COURSE there should be paperwork and test taking for Ivy League schools (please don’t get me wrong), but the way the letters are written (I read one) mislead the readers and cause them to think that all they need to do is pack a suitcase and go.
Perhaps they lack the research ethic that some of us (:rolleyes: ) have to look into things further, but these are enthusiastic 17 year old kids…
Well, I mean, if you want to go to a university at all in the United States (athlete or not), you pretty much have to take the SAT, possibly SAT IIs, ACT some places, etc. Heck, you should consider yourself lucky since some schools waive SAT IIs for foreigners and/or athletes!
If a foreighn athlete plans on playing D1 or D2 he/she is still goung to have to be certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse. There is no way around it.
Even though the Ivy League schools are at the top academically, they do compete in Division 1 and their coaches do want to win! So Ivy League coaches recruit the best athletes they can. That may well include contacting athletes from all over the world. But the athletes still have to qualify academically. And qualifying to hurdle at Columbia is not anything like qualifying to play football at Florida State. 
Once a coach learns about an athlete’s academic strength and learns about the athlete’s financial and family situation, the coach may be able to make a very good prediction about whether the school will admit him and how much financial aid it will offer. But if the coach makes scholarship “offers” without knowing these things, he is just just casting out a net, hoping a finds a fish he can keep.