WBB Top 10% NCAA Academic Progress Rates

[arbitraryj]

Women's Basketball Programs Recognized for Having a Top 10% APR
Alabama A&M University
Brown University
California State University, Sacramento
Canisius College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
Creighton University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
DePaul University
Fairfield University
Furman University
Harvard University
Illinois State University
Lehigh University
Lipscomb University
Monmouth University
Morehead State University
Niagara University
Ohio State University
Princeton University
Quinnipiac University
Rice University
Saint Joseph's University
Samford University
Siena College
Stanford University
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
Villanova University
Yale University

NCAA News Release (http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4g38nYBSYGYxqb6kW hCjggRb31fj_zcVP0A_YLc0IhyR0VFAABTEJw!/delta/base64xml/L0lDU0lKQ1RPN29na21BISEvb0VvUUFBSVFnakZJQUFRaENFSV FqR0VBLzRKRmlDbzBlaDFpY29uUVZHaGQtc0lRIS83XzBfNVVW LzI2MzAzMzM!?WCM_PORTLET=PC_7_0_5UV_WCM&WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/NCAA/Media+and+Events/Press+Room/News+Release+Archive/2008/Academic+Reform/20080506_2_d1_apr_rls.html)

Kudos to these programs.

Question: Knowing all ratings/rankings are limited, how much emphasis should a prospective S-A place on the presence or absence of a school on this list?

I don't see many AP/Coach's Poll Top 10s or 20s represented here.

[ClayKallam]

Stanford's on the list ... but it's a common perception on the West Coast is that though it's very, very, very difficult to get into Stanford, once you're in, athlete or not, they're going to take really good care of you.

The flip side, of course, is the schools at the bottom of the list. They are:

Delaware State University
Oklahoma State University
San Jose State University
Southeast Missouri State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Texas State University-San Marcos
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Houston
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at San Antonio.

Though I think most academic success comes from the heart of the student, an athlete probably would do well to avoid the programs that don't appear to graduate a lot of kids, and, all things being equal, consider carefully the programs that do.

[arbitraryj]

Yes, StanFOrd appears to be the stanDArd for others to follow when it comes to the performance of a student athlete both on and off the court.

Stanford WBB mulityr APR 990
All Divison I 960
P u b l i c Institutions 954
Private Institutions 972

On the surface, it looks like a good number to look up for specific schools. According to the press release, a team with an APR of 925 projects to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of approximately 60 percent.

So does this mean that 40% of the players on a team with a 925 APR are not likely to graduate? :eek:
Or is this more like calculating primary delegates?

- Y'know it would be a lot nicer if the NCAA released this information in a format that was simple to understand from a parent's perspective.

Just the highlights, I'm trying to multitask over here...;)

[BrooklynSaints]

Stanford's on the list ... but it's a common perception on the West Coast is that though it's very, very, very difficult to get into Stanford, once you're in, athlete or not, they're going to take really good care of you.

The flip side, of course, is the schools at the bottom of the list. They are:

Delaware State University
Oklahoma State University
San Jose State University
Southeast Missouri State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Texas State University-San Marcos
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Houston
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at San Antonio.

Though I think most academic success comes from the heart of the student, an athlete probably would do well to avoid the programs that don't appear to graduate a lot of kids, and, all things being equal, consider carefully the programs that do.

What do you mean that at Stanford "they are going to take care of you"? Are you saying that they are going to fudge scores etc?

[ClayKallam]

What do you mean that at Stanford "they are going to take care of you"? Are you saying that they are going to fudge scores etc?

Not at all. They just make sure that students there get all the help they need, and they do everything possible to make sure they stay in school. Other places, like Berkeley for example, have more of a sink-or-swim attitude towards the student body.

I'm not saying either one is better, but Stanford does it differently than many places.

[ghs1968]

I think the APR is a good starting point for parents to look into when helping their child narrow down schools. It allows a dialogue to take place regarding academics.

We have taken several unofficial visits and it becomes very apparent where the priorities lie with certain schools. Granted, we all know that the main goal is for the coaches to win games. We've been to schools where there is never a mention from any of the staff (head coach down to assistants) regarding Student Academic Services, Career Placement Office, or Summer School. We've been to other places where these were brought up in detail BY the HEAD Coach and also sat down with the Director of Student Academic Services while on campus.

Parents need to keep in mind that although your daughter is getting a "full ride", there will be much expected of her time while attending school - both in season and off season!! You should expect that there is evidence (not just lip service) of a support system for your daughter so that she can move towards the ultimate goal of getting that degree.

[coachdarkansasraptors]

The APR is a good starting point but it is not the end all and be all. You need to do a through study of every school that you and your daughter are interested in. Find out where they sit on the APR and than find out from the coaching staff why they are positioned there even if it is at the top. Find out about all the services that are offered to the student/athlete and the importance of those services to the coaching staff. I would also caution against any coaching staff that does not know these answers or shows that they do not care about these issues. Because for your daughter to truly be successful as both a student and an athlete at the school of her choice than the student part should be just as important to the coaching staff as the athlete part is.

[domonish]

Not at all. They just make sure that students there get all the help they need, and they do everything possible to make sure they stay in school. Other places, like Berkeley for example, have more of a sink-or-swim attitude towards the student body.

I'm not saying either one is better, but Stanford does it differently than many places.

I'm not sure where Clay is getting his info on Cal/ Cal womens basketball program, but if I could, I'd like to share with folks the experience we had as a Cal recruit. We 1st arrived at Cal on a Thursday afternoon about 4, in the middle of her junior yr in high school on a unofficial visit. We were introduced to the staff and several assistance to the staff. We passed through the arena and went to Head Coach Boyle's office. We exchanged introductions and for the next 2 hrs we sat and listened while Cal's Asst Athletic Director and staff shared with us the many educational opportunities we would be afforded while attending as a student/athlete at Cal. EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS were far to many to enumerate but I will share what I remember. Athletic Study Center, one of the best in the country, many schools model their programs after Cal's, Academic advisor's working directly with student athletes making sure they meet degree and NCAA requirements, tutorial support Individual, group, drop-in. Study Hall monitored, study groups lead by grad students, and much much more. We stayed for another 2 hrs while the various advisor's explained to us how and why these programs benefit the student/athlete and their for enhances es the opportunity for success. And then we talked about basketball.
I shared all of this to say if you as a student/athlete/parent have CAL BERKELEY on your list as a school of interest please don't be deterred by rumors of difficulties in qualifying or lack of support with your studies/education, these things just are not true and I know the players in the program would agree. Their are ladies now in the program who coming in I'm sure were considered marginal academic performers who will be SENIORS next yr and are no longer considered marginal in any sense of the word. Give Cal an opportunity to make you feel as secure and at the same time blown away as we were with all the help and concern with success in our daughters education/degree.
I've never read on this site where any other poster has singled out a college/institution in this manner. I read pretty regular and even have posted on a few occasions but I have never read where a poster has thrown a college/institution under the bus so to speak as Clay has with his statement. A lot of people who visit this site take what's being stated, especially by the bd moderators, to be the gospel in womens basketball, this was totally irresponsible and not true. Thanks for reading, and I apologize for being so long.


Charles Morris PEACE


PS I forgot to mention the official visit, sorry.

[scoutnwhoops]

I believe Clay lives in the area and covers a lot of Cal games and is familiar more with that program than maybe any other. Perhaps things have changed since Coach Boyle arrived. I truly hope you are right on this Mr. Morris as getting the degree is the reward, all they need is a ball and some blacktop to keep playing the game.

[ClayKallam]

I want to make myself clear here: The original question was about Stanford, and my response was that Stanford does a very good job keeping its students in school once they are admitted. Cal, in terms of the entire student body, has a different philosophy.

I should have made it more explicit that the academic support for athletes at Cal is similar to the academic support given athletes at most BCS schools, which is to say substantial. Stanford goes above and beyond even those substantial levels of help, for athletes and all students, but that does not mean Cal just lets its athletes sink or swim.

Obviously, it's to everyone's advantage to keep athletes eligible, and have them graduate, and big-time programs are going to do whatever they can to make sure the athletes are given every opportunity to succeed. Cal is certainly no different.

[CalwbbFan]

I am pretty familiar with the support services offered athletes at UC Berkley (Cal) and it's a fairly rigorous system set up to make sure student athletes don't fall through the cracks. It may be that undergraduates, as a whole, are less closely monitored/supported given that Cal is a large, public institution. However, I teach graduate students at Cal (in journalism) and in my experience, students at that level are very closely followed and received a lot of academic support and guidance.

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