<p>I just wanted to get something off of my shoulders, it was just really bugging me.
A varsity basketball player with moderate grades was accepted a full scholarship to Cal Tech because Cal Tech probably was scouting him. However, he declined the offer and chose to attend a instate University.
I just kept thinking to myself, man If I got that scholarship I would of took the offer anyway. I finally realized how important it is to be athletic/ and take up some EC'S. I was at the media center at the time, and I was just watching students study their ass off. Although only 1/5 of these students would actually get that kind of offer. An athlete with above average grades vs. a scholar who excels in Academics. I am really jealous.
I am not the most intelligent student. My grades do not meet my parent's expectations. Miserable as hell. Not intelligent,not athletic, minuscule number of EC's. </p>
<p>I just feel wanted to rant. Feel free to reply.</p>
<p>Top athletes tend to have certain qualities that selective universities want: leadership, talent, commitment and sacrifice, etc. Just because they aren’t necessarily the most intelligent students in school doesn’t mean they are less deserving.</p>
<p>yeah I get what you mean. It’s just that some people aren’t really cut out for sports. I don’t meant to bash on athletes, It just seems unjust that some people were born with height as their gift. As opposed to students who really don’t have anywhere else to turn on except education.</p>
<p>PioneerJones-While I like the sentiment, I have to say that what you are saying is not the case most of the time. I know some kids that got recruited for sports that are the biggest d***s in the world. No college would have wanted them if it wasn’t for their excellent athletic skills. Then again at the same time, I know some really nice great people who got athletic scholarships and who were ecstatic because they wouldn’t have been able to pay for school otherwise. But overall I agree with jaefosho, it is ridiculous when someone with a 2.2 GPA and nothing academically impressive gets a full scholarship and you get waitlisted with a 3.7 and a 2100/2400 SAT.</p>
<p>Not to mention, what are schools for? Preparing you for the real world. What does going to college for two years with a 2.3 cumulative gpa in sports medicine, then entering the draft do to prepare you for the real world? If you get drafted, then great job. If not? What happens then? You flip burgers at McDonalds.</p>
<p>Who’s to say an athlete’s 30 point-per-game average or 4:08 mile is any less impressive than a 2380 SAT score or a 4.0 GPA? Colleges want students who will represent the school well, and this desire is not exclusively reserved for scholarly pursuits.</p>
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<p>And I know many d*uchebag academic types who got into great colleges. This is a two-way street.</p>
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<p>Now you’re just generalizing. The vast majority of college athletes never go pro: they begin careers in fields unrelated to their college sport. It’s erroneous to think that athletes will be unsuccessful simply because they have “subpar” academic numbers.</p>
<p>PioneerJones is absolutely right, there are more than enough academic geniuses that are elitist and act the same way that some athletes do. And as much work as a student puts into school (and some really put none in and get great grades) an athlete puts 10x more time, not to mention the physical strain that it puts on them. No athlete is “gifted” with talent to go division1, they have some tools and they work with them every day for years untill it pays off…idk about you but i would rather have a dedicated athlete that practices every day and has decent grades over a genius that barely puts in time at school and coasts through</p>
<p>I don’t have any advantages. I am pretty good at doing what I am told to do. As for the naturally gifted in intelligence, some people are just born with natural above average cognitive abilities, photographic memories, vs. mediocre students.</p>
<p>I don’t get the hate for college athletes. Sure a lot of them aren’t smart, but who cares? They do a HELL of a lot more for the school than the average academic student. Athletics provide an immediate recruiting advantage for students because it gets their name out, I would’ve never heard of Georgetown or Notre Dame or Duke if it wasn’t for their athletic programs that I watch on TV.
And they also represent the university for alumni and promote the school for future students, take Magic Johnson for example. He probably wasn’t the greatest student of all time, but he was ridiculous at basketball and won championships at Michigan State University, creating an automatic association for future students with MSU and the greatness of Magic, and he still promotes the school today. But your average academic student? He graduates and does nothing significant for the school once he’s gone.</p>
<p>CalTech can get as many excellent academics as it wants. Athletics are more unique in the best schools.</p>
<p>And there are certain qualities that athletes have that colleges want. If you commit 3 hours every day to training, that’s going to impact your grades. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid.</p>
<p>There is such a thing as a scholar-athlete and they are very coveted by the top schools in this country, with good reason. These students have shown a strong commitment to their school work as well as sports. They have proven that they can excel in the classroom as well as on the field, court, or pool. They have proven that they can manage their time wisely, balancing demanding course loads with demanding practice and competiton schedules. They know that hard work and sacrifice equals excellence, both in the classroom and in their sports arena. They have learned the leadership skills that make them attractive candidates for top colleges. While there are certainly athletes with less than stellar academics, the debate is not always scholar vs. athlete.</p>
<p>Who’s going to bring the college more money?</p>
<p>The athlete or the scholar?</p>
<p>The athlete will. Therefore an athlete is worth more than a scholar to a college, so a college should spend more on the athlete.</p>
<p>Someone said that not all people are cut out to be athletes, well not all people are cut out to be great students. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and for a lot of people, academics are a weakness, no matter how hard they work at it.</p>
<p>But there are some really smart people who are complete ******s and some who are really nice. Same with athletes.</p>
<p>And want to talk about annoying… I know a kid who was offered a place at Harvard for football and he turned it down for a state u.</p>
<p>That being said… an athlete’s end goal is probably going to be met better at a state u than at a prestigious private college. A scholar’s end goal is probably going to be met better at the prestigious private college. They’re apples and oranges in some ways.</p>