Getting into the college of your choice involves countless steps
and decisions, such as studying for the next chemistry test or taking an
SAT prep test. Every day of your high school life presents
you with opportunities to improve your chances of entering the schools on your
target list.
While athletic ability is an important part of the college admissions process
for the high-school athlete, it will mean little without the academic strength
to back it up.
Your job is to earn the very best grades you can. You will need every "A" you
can get. Not only do top-tier colleges and universities face an avalanche of
applicants, many schools that were once "easy
acceptance" for B-average or below students now have more stringent
admissions requirements, thanks to an increase of applications over the last
several years.
If your grades don't pass muster, you need to take an inventory of the tools
you'll use to get ahead. If certain subjects are hurting your GPA, and more
study time is not raising your scores, it may be time to get a tutor or other
special assistance to address learning disabilities. The most important message
here is to identify the challenges you face and to develop strategies, both
personally and with your school, to overcome the roadblocks to academic success.
Outside of coursework and grades, your scores on standardized tests, either the
SAT or the ACT, will affect your chances for
college admission. In your junior year, you you should be taking SAT and ACT
preparation courses and practice tests. This will give you an idea of what you
need to concentrate on to boost your scores when you take the official version
of these tests in the fall of your senior year.
Remember, though, that in the end colleges are looking at the whole student.
Grade-point-averages, SAT and ACT scores, your athletic abilities – these are
the major pieces of the puzzle. However, the fact that one summer you organized
t-ball games for disadvantaged tots, or demonstrated compassion and leadership
in some other way, will never cease to be the icing on the cake that
admissions officers just love to eat!
-Contributed by
Worldwide Baseball Prospects. WBP takes a realistic and balanced approach to
the individual academic baseball development process that empowers the player
for possible future advancement to the college level using professional
knowledge and experience.
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