By Pat Grecco
When speaking to the student-athletes, I explain that there are three parts to their scholarship:
A. Academic money
B. Athletic money
C. Financial aid
This is called the package.
There is much more money to be given out for academics than athletics. College coaches are thrilled to see a smart athlete. The coach knows he can get him/her what is called a counter offer, aka academic grants, which do not come out of their budget of scholarships but come from the school. Having good grades is very important.
I’ve had the privilege of working with great athletes and their families. Unfortunately, some of these athletes had GPA’s in 70’s, low SAT/ACT’s and low class rank. Poor academic scores can potentially place an athlete at risk of being ineligible to play based on the NCAA eligibility criteria for D1 and D2 programs but they also cannot receive any academic money from the colleges they are looking at. Students who demonstrate strong work ethic in the classroom are more likely to receive an athletic scholarship.
The transfer portal is now making it a challenge for many high school seniors to play as freshmen at the D1 level. Many are opting for strong academic/athletic D3 programs where their only chance to receive money is academic money. Magnifying the importance of good grades, strong SAT/ACT scores and taking AP, IB and college level courses.
If you qualify for academic money, the coach can give you less in athletic and thus be able to offer athletic money to more players on the team. To qualify for academic grants, generally you must have a 3.5 GPA or higher, 25 ACT score or higher, 1200 SAT or higher and must rank in the top 10% of your high school class. Every college has different requirements.
I recently had conversation with a college coach at a school that has a mean entry requirement of SAT: 1025, ACT: 21 and GPA: 2.0. At this particular school, in order for a student-athlete to receive academic money, the requirement is SAT: 1140, GPA: 3.5 and be in the top 20% of your high school class. You could say then that academic money requirements are based on a sliding scale in accordance with the standard of each individual college or university.
I’ve also noticed that some parents have the mentality that because their son or daughter is an outstanding athlete, good grades are not so important. Do not fall into this type of thinking.
I encourage students not to neglect their high school academics. Train to be as good a student as much as a good athlete, they go hand and hand and that’s why you are called a student-athlete! On the field, give it your all but remember to do the same in the classroom.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pat Grecco is an Eastern New York and Long Island Junior Soccer League Hall of Famer who is CEO of the College-Bound Athlete Scholarship Service. For more info and a free 30-minute consultation, log on to www.collegeboundathlete.com or contact Pat directly at 631-988-7746 or soccervol@aol.com
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/