<p>Junior year is the most difficult, with standardized testing, AP tests, what should be a rigorous schedule, and hopefully a few unofficial visits thrown in for good measure. All I can advise is that discipline and time management are very important. Another thing we’ve learned is that for a recruited athlete, other ECs, clubs, etc., are compeltely unnecessary from an admissions standpoint.</p>
<p>I’ll second what one of the wise posters above wrote, that academic preparation for college should be the prime focus.</p>
<p>Good point about junior year testing. My D took her SAT in October and ACT in December, leaving her with 5 AP tests and subject tests to take in the spring. October SAT probably wouldn’t work for a football player, but some of theses tests can be taken before the spring testing season.</p>
<p>My son finished up with May SAT subject before four AP exams, then a June SAT retake.</p>
<p>It was very tough, especially because he was self-studying for one AP exam. He hopes to not have to take the SAT again, and just have AP exams next spring.</p>
<p>He does have band as a major other EC, but the highest level of commitment is off season for his club sport so it hasn’t been much of a conflict. I don’t think band will help him in terms of admissions because of the sports, but he’s good at band and helps him destress even though sometimes it is too much in our opinion, like when we had to drive him 5 hours each way from a tournament to a band event at home and back again. I guess what I’m saying is that the parents need to be nuts to let a committed athlete take other ECs seriously.</p>
<p>Some of the colleges mentioned by moscott offer great opportunities for both top academics and FBS football. These would include:</p>
<p>Georgia Tech- One of the top engineering schools in the country . The baseball team has players that have played in the national championship series and have excelled in demanding engineering majors. The football team has quarterbacks that are engineering majors.</p>
<p>Duke and Vanderbilt- Both of these schools are havens for pre-med student athletes. Both also offer need based scholarships if necessary.</p>
<p>Stanford- For a premed student athlete this is the top school. At this school athletes can participate in D1 national championships and then go on to medical school. A quarterback would have to be ranked as one of the top in the nation to expect to have any playing time.</p>
<p>Currently there are D1 football players who also admitted to medical school. This road is not easy and I would recommend selecting a school based on academics first and athletics second.</p>