Harvard Lightweight Men's Rowing Recruiting Information
Thank you for your interest in Harvard Lightweight Men's Rowing. We are an ambitious, highly competitive, and extremely selective team. We are a varsity, Division I athletic program. Our goal every year is to win a National Championship. We are looking for candidates who share that goal, who share our passion for the sport of rowing, and are prepared to make the team their 1B priority alongside their 1A priority, school. We appreciate and support that you are student-athletes and it is our mission to help you maximize your time at Harvard both in the classroom and on the water. Our goal is to see you graduate with an excellent experience, unforgettable racing memories, and friends for life. Harvard Varsity Lights (HVL) is a family, and we look forward to getting to know you throughout this process, welcoming you into our family, and supporting you as you add your chapter to the storied history of Harvard Rowing. HOORAH!
Please find our detailed recruiting profile below. If you do not meet these standards right now we encourage you to work hard with your high school team and coaches towards these standards. You should strive to achieve the below by the end of first week of July heading into your senior year of high school.
Academic Performance - Priority #1
Harvard is looking for outstanding students, as are we. Those who can thrive in the classroom will excel at the boathouse. Your transcript is the most important part of your application, and is the primary factor that determines whether we can move forward with you in this process or not. You should strive to take the hardest mix of classes that you can excel in every year. Struggles in the classroom your first year of high school can be overcome with strong performances your sophomore and junior years that build an upward trajectory for you academically. Whether you fill out our recruiting questionnaire (linked below) or email the coaches directly as your introduction to us, please either upload a copy of your transcript to date, or attach it via email.
Regarding standardized testing, both the SAT and the ACT are accepted. (NB, Harvard will super-score the SAT, but it will NOT super-score the ACT.)
For the SAT, you should strive for scores of 700+ in each section.
For the ACT, you should strive for a composite score of 32+.
Please upload the PDF score report for your SAT via the questionnaire, or attach it via email to us. For the ACT, please take a screenshot of your score report that includes the ACT logo, your name, the test month, and your composite score.
If you do not have a standardized test score at the time of your initial contact, please state when you plan to test.
If you take any AP exams, upload score reports for those subjects in which you scored a 5.
Extracurriculars - Priority #2
We want to get to know you! Please upload, or attach via email, a copy of your resume/CV. It should include things like school clubs you participate in, personal hobbies, your employment history, your volunteer work, any arts you pursue (musical instruments, theater, painting, photography, etc.), and any awards you have won from school competitions or otherwise. If you would like to include your major rowing accomplishments that is also welcome.
Coaches' Endorsement - Priority #3
It is always the most impactful when your coaches proactively reach out to us on your behalf with a strong endorsement. But, know well, we will seek out feedback from your coaches during this process directly if we have to, and you want them to speak highly of you as a rower, a racer, a teammate, a member of the rowing club, and as a person in general. Work hard. Be coachable. Support your teammates. We strongly value our team culture at Harvard, and we strive to bring in those candidates with strong character that will add to our culture. Your coaches' feedback about you is one of the primary ways through which we evaluate your character. Act like a team captain whether you are one or not.
On the Water Performance - Priority #4
We aim to recruit candidates who make their programs' top boat by spring of their junior year. If your program prioritizes the 8+, we typically recruit candidates whose crew makes the A-final at your country's respective National Championship. If your program prioritizes a smaller boat class, we typically recruit candidates whose crew medals at your country's respective National Championship. These days it is not unheard of for junior lightweights to represent their country at the World Rowing Junior Championship the summer going into their senior year. Whether you fill out our recruiting questionnaire (linked below) or email the coaches directly as your introduction to us, please send us video of your rowing and be sure to identify your seat and boat. The more video, the better.
Erg Standards - Priority #5
We strive to take a nuanced approach to our evaluation of your physiological capacity based on your erg scores. We consider your height, weight, age, training volume, team environment, stroke rate, and erg test profile (for example, how your 2K breaks down by 500m chunks) in our assessment of your performance. That being said, our rough erg standards for recruitment are:
- 2K sub 6:30
- 6K sub 21 min (5K are also accepted, must be faster than stated 6K standard split)
- Max Watts 800+
Please send us pictures of your erg tests from the memory of the C2. The date of the test should be accurate, so be sure to set it properly on your testing erg. If you test on a machine other than a standard C2, please be sure to tell us so. Please strive to weigh-in with every erg test, and send us your weight along with your score.
Here is the link to our questionnaire, where you can share all of the above with us directly.
Thank you so much for your interest!
- HVL
