[mm-video type=playlist id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=none image=]
Student-athletes are people who are able to combine two different directions in their lives. These are studies and sports. Mind and healthy body. And it’s great. Therefore, many young people involved in sports are interested in the following. Could their sporting involvement affect their college admissions? Will they be able to continue to play sports intensively when they successfully enter college or university? Looking ahead, we can say that not in all cases will athletics contribute to admission. Nevertheless, sports can give a boost to those who have already achieved their best in a particular field.
Let’s take a look at how athletes apply to college, how athletics will affect it, and what nuances you may have to deal with.
Types of Athletes
Recruited
These are athletes who are invited to join a university sports team. They will have an athletic scholarship. The athlete will work with the team’s coach beforehand to make sure they meet the necessary academic criteria to be admitted to the university.
Such athletes also face competition. There are many high-level athletes. And when there are two with approximately the same abilities, the one with the best test scores and grades gets the offer of admission. Despite this, much attention is paid to college application essay writing. If you are worried about where to get admissions essay help and whether it is qualified, then do not neglect to use the online help of a professional service. Skilled writers and their quality work will help to ease your already busy schedule a little bit and provide the best examples of application essays.
Priority Full-time Sessions
Universities do not have an unlimited number of sports scholarships. Often, they have to make difficult decisions about whom to grant them to. Therefore, if an athlete is even considered desirable in the team, sometimes he or she receives a small entrance score. But they retain the right to receive a scholarship in the following years. As in the previous case (with recruited athletes), applicants with stronger profiles have a better chance of getting into the college or university of their choice.
Independent Students
Amateur athletes systematically apply to colleges and universities without a coach. When they start studying in the first year, they attend various open trials. There they are evaluated on the basis of their athletic ability. Only then does the coach decide whether to offer each individual student to play for the team.
Important Considerations
There are things you should definitely consider if you decide to play athletics at a college or university. Perhaps the most important is how much time you are willing to devote to the sport. Athletics can take up the majority of your time. Even DIII schools require two practices a day.
- When applying, make sure that you are passionate about the educational institution. And it’s not just because of the athletics program. Professional sports are quite often subject to serious injuries. And you should be prepared for this. If this does happen, will you continue to study at your chosen school? That is, even if your sports career ends unexpectedly. You should be impressed with the whole educational process.
- We also recommend researching the specific programs you are interested in. This is to better understand your chances of getting in. For example, a team that has recently transferred or graduated a lot of players will have more places. In addition to the above, the position you play in a team sport will also matter. For example, a team may be in dire need of a defense or a goalkeeper. That’s why it’s important to do some pre-selection research. This will help you better assess your chances at a particular school.
- It is also a good idea to create two separate lists. One with institutions where you think you have a chance in sports. The second one is to write down the institutions that you consider purely for academic reasons. And then compare the pros and cons.
- Also, remember that coaches are looking for secondary factors. This means they already understand from statistics what kind of athlete you are. But they will also be interested in your other traits. For example, how do you interact with other players? What are your reactions to refereeing? What are your responses to the style of the coach who is considering your candidacy? In other words, it will be important for the coaches to understand how well you will fit into the program they are creating.
So, there are various factors to consider before applying. It should definitely not be done in your last semester of school. You should weigh your priorities. Understand how much time you can continue to devote to professional sports. What to do if you have to take a break from your sports career. You should also understand the nuances of the team and the training style of the institution you are interested in. I hope the above tips will encourage you to make the right choice and successfully combine academic performance and athletics.