Stewart Mandel Mailbag (GT and why it wasn't in his "smart" school article)

SoCal_GT_Fan

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co...year-coaches-mailbag/?sct=hp_t1t_a1&eref=sihp

Pretty much said that GT allows special admits per the article he cites below. interesting since there's always conflicting information about "special admits" at GT and whether we have them or not.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...tes-graduation-success-rate-college-courses/2

Sooooo, it sounds like we have "special admits" and if this is the case, is there a quota of "special admits" or is it a case-by-case basis (like as in, the student-athelete took some hard classes which resulted in him having a low GPA)? I wonder how it works at GT.
 
ramblinvak

ramblinvak

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Considering the Custis situation, I imagine we let in "special admits," but I bet its a mixture of quota and case-by-case. It appears CPJ prefers high quality guys, and most high quality guys give school a priority also, so it goes hand in hand. If I have to put a number on it though, I believe it would be in the neighborhood of 2-3 per class and the rest he may have to run by the so called "Hill."
 

Eric

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SoCal_GT_Fan said:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co...year-coaches-mailbag/?sct=hp_t1t_a1&eref=sihp

Pretty much said that GT allows special admits per the article he cites below. interesting since there's always conflicting information about "special admits" at GT and whether we have them or not.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...tes-graduation-success-rate-college-courses/2

Sooooo, it sounds like we have "special admits" and if this is the case, is there a quota of "special admits" or is it a case-by-case basis (like as in, the student-athelete took some hard classes which resulted in him having a low GPA)? I wonder how it works at GT.
Click to expand...

We have three a year but the hill doesn't like to use them...CPJ is very picky about using them and will only use them on recruits he feels can make a big impact and also pass the classes.
 
cyptomcat

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I didn't see any mention of GT's academics in the first link.

Thanks for the second link, first time I saw that information. Close to what I expected from previous rumors on messageboards though.
 

Eric

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ATL1 said:
Sounds about right..
Can we ease up on that excuse some.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's an excuse...GT is a lot harder to get into for football players than majority of D1 programs. Should we be able to recruit at a higher level? Yes. But we will never be able to take juco guys and guys that can barely pass high school.
 

Bigb

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Academic requirements are not the same hurdle at Georgia Tech that they are at the schools I profiled. Like most ACC programs, Tech gets "special admits."
Click to expand...

Does he not think those other schools he profiled admit kids that couldn't get in otherwise? He just profiled all private schools that don't have to disclose admission profiles.

"Like most SEC programs, Vandy gets "special admits" too.
 

SoCal_GT_Fan

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cyptomcat said:
I didn't see any mention of GT's academics in the first link.

Thanks for the second link, first time I saw that information. Close to what I expected from previous rumors on messageboards though.
Click to expand...
Mandel answers a question by Vince from Washington D.C. (copy & pasted it below)

I have a question about another "smart" school: Georgia Tech. Considering its history and location, Tech is a school that could (arguably should) thrive like Vandy or Stanford. But the Jackets seem to be stuck, at best, competing for the ACC Coastal division title. What's holding Georgia Tech back?
--Vince, Washington D.C.

It seems to me the Jackets were humming along just fine until Al Groh showed up on the scene. Paul Johnson's program was coming off an 11-win season, ACC title and Orange Bowl berth when the recently fired Virginia coach became its defensive coordinator. It proceeded to go 16-16 with a 2-4 start last year, until Johnson dismissed Groh in early October; Tech went 5-3 the rest of the way, won its division (albeit by default) and limited USC to seven points in the Sun Bowl.

OK, that's a bit harsh and simplistic, but Georgia Tech is not exactly a program in disarray. In fact, they're my dark horse to win the ACC this season. (Anyone besides Clemson or Florida State is a dark horse this year.) Quarterback Vad Lee is by far the best passer Johnson has had to run his option-based offense, which should make the Jackets tough to defend. Former Auburn and Penn State coordinator and Tech alum Ted Roof was an excellent choice as defensive coordinator. That unit showed improvement late last season and has some nice pieces to stop the pass. Academic requirements are not the same hurdle at Georgia Tech that they are at the schools I profiled. Like most ACC programs, Tech gets "special admits." However, due to its location, Tech is recruiting head-to-head with nearly the entire SEC. Johnson is not considered a particularly good recruiter, and the triple-option is often a tough sell. But Tech did greatly enhance its recruiting department this offseason, which could prove beneficial.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co...21/second-year-coaches-mailbag/#ixzz2cfueTXcj
 
kg01

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That's a decent response to him snubbing GT in the article. However, if he's suggesting the schools he mentioned don't admit kids that wouldn't otherwise make it in then he's kidding himself or is flat out lying.
 
vamosjackets

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Bigb said:
Does he not think those other schools he profiled admit kids that couldn't get in otherwise? He just profiled all private schools that don't have to disclose admission profiles.

"Like most SEC programs, Vandy gets "special admits" too.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY! Even though I like most of his response to the question above, to use that as his reason not to include GT means he's either stupid, ignorant, or lying.
 
dressedcheeseside

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collegeballfan

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Interesting discussion on the STEM degrees and BCS football. Looking at the chart in usnews and % of degrees that are STEM by ACC members:
GT...76%, NC State...48%, VT...40%, Duke...36% and Clemson...35%

And by the usnews national rank:
Duke...8, GT...36, Clemson...68, VT...72, and NC State...106

Conclusions?
 
dressedcheeseside

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Also, what's not included is what actually comprises the other percentage. For example, Stanford has a seemingly impressive 54% STEM degree issuance. The real question is what makes up that other 56% and how does that compare to what GT offers in it's other 24%. Again, just because a kid is a scholar athlete, means they want to take a STEM major OR one of the few non-STEM majors at GT. Stanford obviously offers more. A lot more. And has girls. It also has an academic reputation that far exceeds our own.
 
AE 87

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dressedcheeseside said:
Also, what's not included is what actually comprises the other percentage. For example, Stanford has a seemingly impressive 54% STEM degree issuance. The real question is what makes up that other 56% and how does that compare to what GT offers in it's other 24%. Again, just because a kid is a scholar athlete, means they want to take a STEM major OR one of the few non-STEM majors at GT. Stanford obviously offers more. A lot more. And has girls. It also has an academic reputation that far exceeds our own.
Click to expand...

We can't compete with Stanford. They're apparently giving %110 when it comes to degrees.
 
cyptomcat

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It seems like the relevant stat would be What percent of football players have to pass lab and calculus. Not the overall student body statistic
 
vamosjackets

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How about this stat: What school's football team had the highest SAT score of all public universities? (Also, check which one is the lowest!)

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/paper-trail/2008/12/30/athletes-show-huge-gaps-in-sat-scores

That alone ought to get you into any conversation involving academic athletic institutions. But, what it also says is that our "exceptions" are going to be better qualified than 99% of the "regular" admits at 99% of the other schools. An "exception" at a school with the highest admission standards like GT is not like an "exception" at factory U. It reminds me of how some would want to compare a GPA at a school like Ugag with a GPA at GT. It's like saying let's compare the best Saturn with the worst Ferrari. Some grad school programs actually do this, they just take someone's GPA as a metric without looking at the school or major that the person was in. So majoring in leisure at Smallville Community College and getting a 3.5 is equal to majoring in Aerospace at GT with a 3.5. Any program that would do that is one I would want no part of anyway.
 
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