Great Grades Are More Valuable to High School Athletes Than Athletic Talent

Going High, not Low, Wins in the Academic Game

Great athletic talent will open doors for you, yes, but great grades will avail you of far more opportunities. As your core GPA, class rank and standardized test scores increase, so do your college options. It’s a simple matter of making you more academically valuable to as many colleges as possible.  The combination of athletic ability and superb grades work in tandem to create more alternatives for your future than either can alone generate.

What few people understand is that there is a behind-the-scenes war going on among colleges to enroll the brightest students.  Colleges are aggressively seeking to land high school students whose academic histories reflect a clear and consistent dedication to acquiring knowledge and schools are willing to pay them handsomely for selecting their institutions.

The most overlooked competitive aspect of the college environment is what happens in admissions office as counselors pour over applications in an attempt to identify, lure and capture the very best students available to them. To secure the students they so dearly want, colleges will pony up some big bucks to get them and that, of course, is where grades come in. The higher your collective academic qualifications, the more college attention you will draw.  Like a moth’s instinctive flight toward a flame, the brighter the glow of your academic flame, the more colleges you will naturally appeal to.

Being sought after for your athletic skills is an honor, to be sure, but having colleges clamor for your brain power is even more rewarding, psychologically and financially. Colleges and universities thrive long-term on their alumni. They depend upon past graduates to enter the workplace and make a difference in their professions and communities. Each person that graduates helps to build the reputation and legacy of a college.  In turn, the more successful their alumni, the more likely those alumni are to give back to the college, particularly financially.  But that process begins with getting great high school students to agree to come aboard. And, the more great high school students that sign on to a particular college, the better that college’s chances are of reaping the financial rewards down the road.

To get those premium students, colleges are willing to pay generously through scholarships and grants. The better a high school student’s academic profile, the more money a college can and will commit to them. It stands to reason, then, that as an aspiring college grad that you would want as many college admissions offices fighting over you as possible. In professional golf, they say that going low is the best way to win. In scholastic achievement, going high is the ticket.

If you are not where you should be academically, recognize the opportunities and financial benefits you will be missing. Examine your academic standing and take the steps necessary to improve.  Change your study routines, ask for help from your teachers, parents and friends, and stay focused on your newly found academic objectives.