GPA and college coaches-is it ever too early?

[UB40]

Should a student tell a college coach their GPA early on in the process? If the student has a respectable GPA, is it worthwhile, and appropriate, to include it in an email when trying to get the coaches interest for showcases.

 

[murphdog]

If it’s a school that is very academically challenging to get into then a great gpa might help get their attention early.
That being said If your DD is still fairly young it may not make much of a difference at all yet

 

[marriard]

Should a student tell a college coach their GPA early on in the process? If the student has a respectable GPA, is it worthwhile, and appropriate, to include it in an email when trying to get the coaches interest for showcases.

Yes, there is no reason not to include your GPA if it is good. Showing you are serious about your academics is important to pretty much every coach out there.

 

[sluggers]

Yes, there is no reason not to include your GPA if it is good. Showing you are serious about your academics is important to pretty much every coach out there.

Except if your DD is 14YOA, throws 70 MPH and has a killer riseball.

 

[UB40]

Except if your DD is 14YOA, throws 70 MPH and has a killer riseball.

Sluggers, so are you saying a girl (who is not a superstar) ending her freshman year should or should not include her GPA in an email to a coach?

 

[seeballhitball]

Listing GPA is fine but test scores are what get noticed. The sooner your daughter is able to populate ACT or SAT scores such that schools can get the admission pre-read you'll see a lot more interest.

 

[marriard]

Listing GPA is fine but test scores are what get noticed. The sooner your daughter is able to populate ACT or SAT scores such that schools can get the admission pre-read you'll see a lot more interest.

Recruiting is weird enough... Trying to figure out College admissions is WAY, WAY weirder.

While the majority of schools are still looking at ACT/SAT scores as a major part of their entrance requirements, this is slowly changing as well as schools have realized that like everything else they use to try to separate students for enrollment, people have found loopholes or now 'everyone does it' (see community/service hours) so it no longer is something they can grab onto.

Quite a few of the schools DD visited are now test-optional because ACT/SAT's have become heavily weighted towards those with resources to help get their kids better scores. These schools are generally trying to use a HS profile/Classes Taken/Grades obtained assessment to produce a fairer result, but frankly it seems to be more of a weird art than science.

SAT is going to try to add in a 'Adversity Score' adjustment - that is going to be hugely controversial, inadequate and not going to help one bit. As presented, I can see 10 way to game this already.

 

[sluggers]

Sluggers, so are you saying a girl (who is not a superstar) ending her freshman year should or should not include her GPA in an email to a coach?

Yes, you should.

Your DD is applying for a job to play softball. A coach is much more interested in her softball ability than her academics.

 

[Cannonball]

There are three academic measurements college coaches care about:

1. GPA
2. Class Rank
3. SAT or ACT Score

Your class rank can't be determined until Junior year in many schools. I would include GPA as a way of letting the coach know that they are recruiting an athlete who won't be in danger of being academically ineligible. Keep in mind that many school are going to have mandatory study hall or whatever they call it freshmen year and then, some institutions will demand that questionable academics in their athletes will require additional time in these study halls. Coaches want freshmen who can get out of those time limitations due to other team demands.

 

[seeballhitball]

Recruiting is weird enough... Trying to figure out College admissions is WAY, WAY weirder.

While the majority of schools are still looking at ACT/SAT scores as a major part of their entrance requirements, this is slowly changing as well as schools have realized that like everything else they use to try to separate students for enrollment, people have found loopholes or now 'everyone does it' (see community/service hours) so it no longer is something they can grab onto.

Quite a few of the schools DD visited are now test-optional because ACT/SAT's have become heavily weighted towards those with resources to help get their kids better scores. These schools are generally trying to use a HS profile/Classes Taken/Grades obtained assessment to produce a fairer result, but frankly it seems to be more of a weird art than science.

SAT is going to try to add in a 'Adversity Score' adjustment - that is going to be hugely controversial, inadequate and not going to help one bit. As presented, I can see 10 way to game this already.

That may be but I will say that my DD took practice tests online over the course of two months to improve her ACT 4 points using that crazy resource known as "the Internet". That level of effort created quite a bit of interest in her.

I agree it is maddening seeing some schools hand out "A's" like candy and GPAs are tremendously inequitable as you see some schools with 1 valedictorian and another with 20+. I can't imagine the admissions process chaos as there are certainly environmental/socialogical issues that can complicate things.

Nothing is easy and I am pleased to be passed that as my DD was incredibly stressed with the timing of likely letters during senior year.

I don't envy those moving forward as you note all the unknowns.