Athletics can be Very Helpful in Admissions
September 8th, 2008 - byIt’s common knowledge that athletics can be the key to a free education. But what athletes often overlook is the fact that athletics can be the key to admission. Former IU coach Gerry DiNardo sat down with the Indy Star to discuss just how far he was sometimes able to bend admissions standards for athletes.
Coach DiNardo’s first recruiting class at IU had a 42% “special admission” rate and he even recalled getting a freshman into Vanderbilt with an SAT score of 710.
“We know they’re not qualified academically,” said DiNardo, now a commentator for the Big Ten Network, “so our obligation extends past what it is for a non-student-athlete.”
It can be a heavy obligation. Many of the nation’s largest universities rely on special admits — students admitted under exceptions to normal admission standards for reasons including “special talent” — to stock their football teams, an Indianapolis Star study of 55 universities found. At these schools, the percentage of special admits among students overall is extremely small.
The disparity can be stark: The University of California in 2004 reported that 95 percent of its freshman football players on scholarship were special admits, compared with 2 percent of the student body. Others: Texas A&M in 2004, 94 percent to 8 percent; and Oklahoma in 2002, 81 percent to 2 percent.
While many in academia decry this practice, it is important for athletes to realize that these types of admission policies are in place. Recruits shouldn’t cross any potential school off their list because they don’t think that they have the grades to get admitted. This isn’t to say athletes should slack off in the classroom and assume their grades will get them into school. Grades still play a major factor in recruiting and are often used to break a tie between two players, but this type of admissions benefit is just one more reason why playing sports can be such a positive experience.
