Those student-athletes who have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level should pay close attention to the SAT (and the ACT test, for that matter). First, let me congratulate you for your success in your sport. Next, let me urge you to pay attention to your GPA and test scores. Your abilities in athletics can help your chances toward admission to a great school, but failure to achieve good SAT test scores can become a stumbling block to your future. This podcast focuses on the topic of student-athletes and the SAT.
SAT Also Stands for “Student-Athlete Test†(Transcript)
I want to offer some advice to student athletes. I have met a lot of students over the years who are really solid great kids. They are average students when it comes to school and they score 70%-90% in some classes. But they really love a particular sport. They excel in that sport because of their passion but they really don’t think too much about college. Before they know it they are doing so well in sports that they wind up getting recruited by these really amazing colleges. What goes on in their mind is “Wow, I am getting recruited by this school that I thought I could never get into academically; it’s a school I would really love to go to.†They take a look at their grades and say “I haven’t been taking honors and AP classes but my grades are pretty descent.†They then look at their SAT scores and think my SAT’s might not be high enough to get me into these schools. They end up coming to me and I frantically try to help them improve their SAT scores so they can reach the minimum they need for the coaches to get them in.
The message to young student athletes is if you love a sport keep it up. There are a lot of very valuable lessons to be learned in sports. If you are excelling in a sport or think that you might excel by the time you get to junior or senior year you may wind up getting recruited by some top notch schools. An anticipation of that, you really want to get the highest grades that you can get in every class that you take. You want to start thinking about the SAT now and not waiting until late junior or senior year. You want to prepare and if you didn’t do well on the PSAT’s and you got a low score you have to do something about it now. It breaks my heart to work with a student athlete that comes to me a little too late and they don’t wind up getting the scores they need to get in their desired school.
Get started early and set yourself up and it will all come together for you. You will enjoy high school and do well in sports. You will really enjoy the recruiting experience and you will be off to one of the best universities in the country. Keep that in mind and get started early. If your PSAT scores are not good start working on it and set yourself up for success.
Karl Schellscheidt
ePrep, Inc.
http://blog.eprep.com
