<p>They don’t need to be–they’re Harvard grads :)</p>
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<p>Oh yes it is. They affect the intellectual environment of the school.</p>
<p>externalities and whatnot</p>
<p>if the intelligence of the athletes is very important to your enjoyment of college, perhaps you should’ve researched that before you decided on a school.</p>
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<p>This just reeks of elitism, and it makes me nauseous. You dont decide how the ‘intellectual environment’ is supposed to be, and have less than zero control over it. What, you think the workplace and the rest of the world works that way too? I’ve got news for you, it doesn’t.</p>
<p>it’s not that</p>
<p>it’s just the disconnect. </p>
<p>there’s a reason why being interesting is part of the admissions criteria – because you do intellectual environment of others!</p>
<p>What about all of those other kids who aren’t intellectually engaged? Just wondering.</p>
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<p>Being interesting is part of the admissions criteria? In that case, none of you socially inept nerds would get in…</p>
<p>Remember kids, being smart makes you boring! That’s why, if I prefer to hang around intelligent people, you should accuse me of elitism and become nauseous.</p>
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<p>I think people are meant to be admitted to schools with the aim that they bring some talent that the school will help them develop well through its resources. If the school is known for intellectual standards and isn’t particularly athletically inclined, it makes little sense to admit student athletes who contribute little to the intellectual aspects.</p>
<p>But if the school fosters both kinds of students in large numbers due to its having diverse strengths, then I see no problem with less intellectual athletes. </p>
<p>I don’t see how less intellectual athletes could become a negative impact on the intellectuals, because the latter would simply see each other in the same places, and the former would not be in these places if not prepared or interested. After all, I attend a school with people from very unacademic to severely academic, and I only see the latter, and I have no problem with the former taking advantage of a totally different aspect of the school which I’m unable to do myself.</p>
<p>Becoming athletes is very tough and intense. They cant be compared to regular people.</p>
<p>If you think it is unfair, why dont you become an athlete yourself? So you can keep a 2.0 gpa and still qualify for your college?</p>
<p>I’m a cyberathlete does that count for anything? 
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^This. </p>
<p>(10 char)</p>
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<p>No, but having intellectual pursuits dominate your interests does. That, and people who wholly dislike sports.</p>
<p>Why does having intellectual pursuits dominate my interest mean that I’m boring? I doubt you think the guy who only talks about sports is boring…</p>
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<p>Uhm, weren’t you going on about elitism earlier…how about being skilled at and very passionate about something makes you interesting to the right kinds of people? I think anything more or less than that is wishful thinking. There’s really nothing boring about your life revolving almost exclusively around basketball out of your own passion, and there’s nothing boring about a life revolving around insanely difficult physics with analogous passion.</p>
<p>There is when you belittle less academically inclined students…</p>
<p>^^ I don’t know who’s doing that. I for one have been posting that I think a school with very strong athletics might well need to compensate on academics for a student who shows lots of athletic promise. But at the same time, a school strong at academics should admit students who fully take advantage of what it offers. You need some of both. </p>
<p>Perhaps some of those complaining think the balance is skewed at some selective schools. I wouldn’t know, I can’t say either way. </p>
<p>None of this is any reason to call either athletes or intellectuals boring. </p>
<p>Further, admissions philosophy is not the same as judging people. I belittle the admissions philosophy at my own school many times, for instance, but I treat students with respect anyway.</p>
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<p>On the contrary, I love sports and athletic activity.</p>
<p>You know, I’m not even suggesting that we hold athletes up to the same intellectual standards. I’m just saying they should be capable of hanging with the intellectual crowd without sounding like total brutes. Where they have an interest in at least one academic subject that makes their eyes light up when they talk about it.</p>
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<p>That’s true. There are plenty of regular students that don’t have at least one academic subject that makes their eyes light up. You’re holding athletes to a far higher standard.</p>