In order to be admitted into an American university, a prospective student-athlete must boast a solid high school record, as well as having successfully clear the minimum threshold set by the university for tests such as the SAT, ACT or TOEFL. If our goal is to receive academic scholarship to complement our athletic one, we must raise our level even higher.
We cannot dismiss the requirements set by the association (NCAA, NAIA or Junior College) in which our college or university competes in. For instance, if we want to attend an NCAA school, here it is listed the necessary SAT score based on your high school GPA.
Combining sports with academic excellence
Being admitted is definitely a step forward, but that guarantees our participation in college sports only for a semester. Aside from passing any drug tests, it is mandatory to maintain a strong academic record in order to be eligible to compete. The grade cut-off is usually a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of receiving a C in all classes.
Freshmen must obligatorily study
The academic support services will do anything within their power to help incoming student-athletes. These folks play a crucial role in assisting first year students to have a smooth adaptation to the rigors of college. It is very common for freshman to have a binding study hall a couple times per week.
If these people consider your academic performance is not up to par, they will assign you an individual tutor to try to help you get back on track.
“How to Become a Straight A Student”
This short book from Cal Newport summarizes the necessary strategies to succeed at school. It gives students tips to study smarter rather than over longer periods of time.
Something the text does a really good job of emphasizing is the fact that students must avoid procrastination. Pulling an all-nighter right before a final exam may work a few times, but is not a sustainable recipe if we are pursuing long-term success.
Academic fraud
Schools incur in rule violations sometimes, aiming to benefit student-athletes, especially those competing in revenue sports.
For example, the prestigious University of North Carolina at Chappel Hill, where Michael Jordan played for four seasons, committed academic fraud during 18 seasons, in which the Department of African and Afro-American Studies created fake courses to boost the GPA of especially basketball and football players.
Furthermore, a NCAA investigation found overwhelming evident that members of the basketball staff of the University of Northern Colorado helped several players pass college algebra by doing numerous assignments in between 2010-2014.
Conclusion
A student-athlete on scholarship in the United States must strive to do her/his best in class and on the field/court/pool, without disregarding the social life. Universities always offer their support, but in some cases they cross a red line. The NCAA or other associations do not hesitate to issue harsh penalties to the cheating programs, such as suspensions, reduction of number of scholarships, bowl ineligibility, etc.
Posted by Pablo Mosquera
