One of the most frequently asked questions about becoming a student-athlete is “do I need to have good grades in high school to become a student-athlete?” While this answer isn’t as clear-cut as some might hope, the short answer is yes!
When beginning this process, it is important to recognise that you’re going to become a STUDENT-athlete, and therefore your school will always be the most important aspect of this experience. So, becoming a student-athlete needs to start before you arrive in order to make your recruiting process and university experience as successful as possible!
This blog touches upon 4 examples of why it is important to focus on your grades during high school as a prospective student-athlete!
Reason #1: Getting Accepted into Universities
The first and most obvious reason for this is that you need to get accepted into your university of choice in order to be an athlete there! Each university has different standards and acceptance criteria, so getting into specifics about ‘what grades you need’ or ‘how do I know if I will be accepted’ is difficult.
This is why doing as well as possible in school will ensure that you have as many options available to you as possible, as this gives you a higher chance of not only being recruited onto the team, but also being accepted as a student!
Reason #2: Opportunity for Academic Scholarships
Many people believe that if you’re going to America on a scholarship, this is a 100% sports scholarship, which a lot of the time isn’t the case!! We have written another blog that covers some of these misconceptions about scholarships, how athletic scholarships are allocated, and why these scholarships don’t always cover anything. Read this blog!
While you will be recruited to be an athlete, this does not mean this is the only way of getting financial assistance! Many universities will award students who have good grades in high school with extremely significant academic scholarships.
So, while not all athletic scholarships will cover everything, this doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways of having 100% of your university expenses covered, and your academics in high school will play a huge role in this!
Reason #3: Eligibility Centres
The eligibility centre is concerned about is your academics, and whether or not you are a strong enough student to become a university student-athlete. This is determined by whether or not you meet certain requirements during high school, so it is important to be aware of whether or not you meet these standards.
The eligibility centre is something ALL student athletes have to go through this, and if you are deemed ‘ineligible’, you are unable to receive an athletic scholarship and will be unable to compete for your first season.
It is critical all student-athletes are aware of this as it is a requirement that needs to be met if you are wanting to be an athlete at an NCAA or NAIA institution.
Reason #4: Preparation for University Level Classes
A huge reason as to why it is important to focus on school just as much as sport during high school is so that you can handle the workload once you get to college without your academics or athletics slipping!
As a student-athlete there are rules that ensure you must be enrolled as a full-time student, and that you need to maintain a certain GPA in order to compete. This means that if you aren’t doing well in the classroom… you can’t contribute on game day either!
Being a good student in high school will prepare you for the demands of being a top student, which in turn critical to your success as an athlete!
What does this mean for me?
So… how does this information affect you as a prospective student-athlete? The main thing to understand that everything you do between now and stepping foot on your college campus is preparation to ensure you can have as much success as possible once you get there.
While we can’t give you exact grades or specific requirements that you need to meet in order to get into university, we can tell you that your high school grades need to be a focus just as much as your sport!
Here are 3 calls to action you can take to ensure you are fully prepared for becoming a student-athlete academically:
- Create academic goals for the remainder of the school year.
- Speak for a current or former U.S. student-athlete about the demands of the academics on top of your sport.
- Book a consultation with KAA to find out more about the eligibility centre requirements.
These actions will give your purpose moving forward, and awareness of everything that is to come! Being a STUDENT-athlete starts now!
