2.5 GPA versus a 4.0 GPA. Who would you rather have in your college? The student who has worked tirelessly, long nights in the library trying to get in there dream school or a student-athlete who slacked off most of high school but really pushed themselves the last few months of their junior year to get a high enough GPA to apply for an athletic scholarship (2.5 GPA).

    In most cases big Division 1 schools recruit for athletic ability. Although the first question most recruiters ask is “How are there grades?” after they find out they are eligible for a scholarship they could care less about how they perform in school as long as they can stay eligible for a scholarship.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love college sports, I always participate in a March Madness Bracket and I always follow my favorite college football team. There are definitely student-athletes that do what they are called, student athletes. They work on their studies before they work on their athletics. They also work on their game just as much as their school work.

    Then there are the others, also known as the athlete students. The people who only care about athletics and don’t focus on the books.

    These are the athletes that I do not feel worked for the glory of being a college athlete. They were just served the scholarship on a silver platter. Especially since most of them don’t stay for all four years of college. Either by failing out in grades or moving onto the professional level. For example NBA star John Wall was a freshman in college. After his first season Wall decided to go into the NBA draft. Another example of this is NFL Quarterback Vince Young, after his 3rd season with the Texas Longhorns he left the team for the NFL draft. This is unfair to the students who work long hours in the library to get into their dream school and they are denied because there was another student who had a lower GPA but much better athletic ability then them. It also is unfair to the school the athlete goes to. The school made a four year investment in them and they are given a full ride and they choose to walk out on them half way through.

    The G.P.A for a student athlete to apply for a Division 1 scholarship should be raised to at least a 3.0. This would get the talented athletes to hit the books and do the work in school. I understand that to some people school is a challenge, but with a good work effort and tutors anything is possible. It is not that I do not think they deserve to go to a Division 1 school, but I feel that they should have to work harder for it and not just have it served to them with a low G.P.A.

    No one cares about the average student. It is all about the people who are gifted. Colleges need to start looking at a healthy balance of kids who may not be amazing athletes but are still good students.