<p>Remember: the only competition is yourself.</p>
<p>i agree completely with kfc4u and others. those who say that life is unfair and stop whining aren't closing their eyes, citygirlsmom. "unfairness" is pretty objective. i, for one, do not think recruiting athletes is unfair. you might think so, and i'm sorry that the system isn't working your way. as i said, i can't relate to the frustration because the athletes at my school are also good students. yes, i quoted the 4.+ and highSAT kids, but there were also 3.0 kids (or similar stats; can't get below 2.0 'coz they'll be kicked out of my school) who're now rowing at princeton. i don't have a problem with them. i know that these are bright kids who can handle the academics at princeton (prolly won't get 4.0's, but they can handle it). these kids deserve to be at princeton as much as any genius because they work their asses off, training year-round. you guys just assume that these kids don't pull all-nighters like you or i do. even if they don't, it's prolly 'coz they have better management skills, and they need the sleep so they can perform to the fullest in their sports. and it scares me how some of the posters say "i know these kids very well", are you stalking them? there is no way you would know everything that the colleges take into account when admitting these athletes. i bet most of what some of these people "know" are hearsay. if not, shouldn't their time be better spent pursuing their own passions and excelling in their academics? not stalking people...</p>
<p>seriously, just focus on your own passions and academic pursuits. if they're not "good enough" for some colleges (even tho that prolly means more that they're "not a match"), then these colleges are prolly not a good fit for you. why would you go to an institution that doesn't believe in the things that you do? if you want to go to a test-score based college, there are plenty of good schools in the u.s. that will fit you (plus the schools in england, china, india, and well, pretty much everywhere else). and ya, even tho i'm not an athlete, i'm starting to get offended by the people who think that these athletes don't deserve to be at say, harvard or yale, just 'coz they don't have as high a gpa or SAT score as you. try to imagine getting up at 4am every day to swim, and hours more of practice after school, and more on weekends, in the summer, winter break... i admire these kids.</p>
<p>Athletes probably spend as much time with their sport as you do with academics. They deserve it.</p>
<p>And let's not forget that private schools at least, like Harvard and most of the other schools talked about on CC, have every right to create any kind of class they want. They don't owe anyone a spot. If they want all rich kids or all oboe players or anything else, they have every right to do that. That said, they do a remarkably good job of creating a diverse, intelligent, hgh-energy community.</p>
<p>its really not unfair at all. if you really knew how hard most recruited athletes worked at their sport to compete at that level, you wouldn't be saying anything. it's not like those schools just accept your average varsity athlete. Ivy League and other recruits are really the cream of the crop when it comes to those sports. they earn their spots, it's really not unfair at all.</p>
<p>I've noticed that a lot of you are saying "gee, athletes gotta work just as hard as academics, they just are working at a different talent," kind stuff. What i've noticed though is that a lot of the athletes work hard, but definitely not as hard as a normal student. The athletes in my school tend to practice a little then party a lot. While everyone else studies they just smoke and drink at the bball courts. I admit, they are good at what they do, but most dont work as hard as others. It seems that the ones that are the best at my school (gonna get recruited) are also the ones that party the hardest.</p>
<p>That is a broad stereotypical generalization perpetuated by the media and just accepted with no questioning by some individuals. You try waking up when the sun isn't out in the morning to practice, and then spending time after school to practice some more, then even more time participating in the competitions, and then after all that going back home and study for school to make the grades to not only to be able to play, but if you're thinking about a higher education, to also make the grades for college. These college recruits aren't the mediocre atheletes either, they're the best of the best not only from their school but of the local area. You try and do what they do and tell me that they don't work any harder that a "normal student."</p>
<p>In the school I went to it was usually the smart students that had the parties and got high while the athletes stayed clean in order to compete at their best level. I'd also venture to say that a recruited athlete has to work a lot harder to than your average student. There's a reason why there are so many kids with 4.0 gpas and 10 ap classes while only a handful of recruited athletes out there.</p>
<p>Then you're going to need to show to whatever college you're applying to that you're one of the smartest, mentally gifted applicants they get. Be of the same level of skill mentally that a recruited athlete is phsyically. Get hardcore about school, testing, and writing. If you're not a senior, consider early application next year. If, in comparing two applicants side by side, one of them blows the other out of the water academically, things won't be "fair" for the weaker student. Be the awesome student, don't be mediocre.</p>
<p>Ivy Leaguer- your post was very cruel.....just because people have concerns and issues does not mean they deserve what you said. I agree everyone needs to work hard to get someplace, its just when athletes are given preference over equally deserving students who put their time into say, volunteering, service, music, art, or other things that are for other people, it can get frustrating. And being frustrated is often a motivating factor. When you acknowledge that sometimes things aren't fair, you realize you need to do better, do more, do something to make yourself stand out. Ask a lot of older women...we had to work twice as hard as men to get anywhere all those years ago. Yeah, it wasn;t fair. We complained, but we also did something about it. </p>
<p>And after your post, Ivy Leaguer, I feel kind of sorry for Harvard.</p>
<p>just relax.....everything will work out in the end. for instance, lets say you can have a kid who goes to Harvard for football, but this guy isnt that bright. Fine....so either one of two things will happen. 1. he will flunk out or 2. he will enroll in a joke major and graduate with a useless degree.</p>
<p>For the most part ivy atheletes are not good enough to turn pro...so whichever route he takes...he will be flippin burgers for me in 10 years.</p>
<p>OR- he'll quit the football team, since there is no obligation to keep playing. Then he can study hard and graduate and get into a good grad school, since we all know you can't get into a good grad school unless you go to an Ivy.....:)</p>
<p>nick333 said:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yes, life is unfair. But remember: that's GOOD. It means you can have more than other people, it means you can have anything.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow, that is a mouthful. That is the right attitude to take about so many things.</p>
<p>Hate to say it srkl325 but I'm with you.</p>
<p>"varsity athlete 3.8, 1400"</p>
<p>Yes, but often, not even close. I know for certain ivy athletes with far less than 3.8 but it is really the SAT where they'll go lower than what has been mentioned on this thread. I know a good # of athletes who are at ivies or recent graduates. I know 2 very well at HYP with under 1150, scores reported to me by their parents. I know there are plenty of very smart high scoring ivy athletes but I know for certain plenty aren't. </p>
<p>Read "The Game of Life" and "Reclaiming the Game" by William Bowen and Sarah Levin (Bowen is former president of Princeton). It will change the way you look at sports recruiting and performance of athletes at the nation's top schools.</p>
<p>edit: sorry sprkl325 left out a letter</p>
<p>just chill, if she/he get into a top school cause of sports, he/she won't survive in the world later. when it comes to job/interviews/real world, nobody cares if he/she plays good football/basketball. they might get lucky once for undergra, they won't be so lucky again unless they wanna play sports for the rest of their lives</p>
<p>i think its unfair how athletes get scholarships to go to schools like Stanford while normal kids dont. im bitter.</p>
<p>citygirlsmom, what did Ivy Leaguer say? I can't find his post on this thread...maybe the moderators removed it...
I don't have anything whatsoever against athletes. I just think that they should also have solid academics and a rigorous curriculum like everyone else, as well as a decent SAT score. I mean, 1000 on the SATs with 1 AP, no other EC...Is that enough to get you into one of America's toughest schools? There are plenty of other activities that take just as much time and commitment than sports (clubs, music, art, etc). I mean, these athletes are not even close to being state champs, let alone best in the city or district! Why can't the state's best writers or artists or musicians or student government officers get full scholarships to those same schools (you KNOW they certainly don't)? (I am "frustrated" because another going to the Univ of Color with a full scholarship is the biggest druggie ever! --haha there's a lot of recruited athletes at my school, huh?)</p>
<p>ps. I noticed the moderators also changed the title of this thread from "So Freakin Unfair" to what it is posted up as now--lighten up pple!</p>
<p>"nick333 said:</p>
<p>Quote:
Yes, life is unfair. But remember: that's GOOD. It means you can have more than other people, it means you can have anything. </p>
<p>Wow, that is a mouthful. That is the right attitude to take about so many things.
Today 02:23 AM"</p>
<p>Is that sarcastic? You'll have to excuse me I'm tired, so this might be blatantly obvious irony, but I wouldn't notice anyway.
And if you were being sarcastic, by that I meant that lifebeing unfair is GOOD because it means you can take advantage of this unfairness and turn it in your favour.
If life was fair everyone would have the exact same things, and no one could have anything new or anything more or different. Imagine how boring that would be</p>
<p>Look at it like this, in major sports like football, basketball, and sometimes baseball, these athletes generate hundreds of millions of dollars in television rights, merchandising, and ticket sales. Even the Ivies reap some benefits. Also, the money generated funds amenities such as libraries, academic buildings and technology. Also, a good athletics program enhances student life on campus. Therefore the average student is the beneficiary of some of these athletes. Remember, college is more than just academics.</p>
<p>"Remember, college is more than just academics."</p>
<p>And let's thank God for that.</p>