SAT Prep, not travel sports teams, lead to money for college

I have seen enormous merit aid scholarship success for Connecticut students with top SAT and ACT test scores, particularly in the last 5 years.  Colleges – particularly private ones – are desperate to maintain their student populations. They also need to look “not desperate”! To do so, they need to attract a student body that looks impressive.  Unquestionably, the easiest way to do so: give scholarships to those with top test scores.

The great news is that the sticker price of many colleges is not the actual price.  But that news is tempered by the need to demonstrate why colleges should give you money.  High test scores is the easy answer and test prep is the best process.

I have written about Connecticut sports parents elsewhere who are hopeful that athletics will lead to eliminating college costs. But it is worth repeating for small town Connecticut types who think that star athletes in our small state, small towns get many Division I college sports scholarships. As an example, California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and other big states with football crazed populations have so many top players that many on Connecticut’s all state first team would have a hard time making honorable mention in those states.  

As for basketball, the lack of diversity alone makes our basketball talent pool shallow along the idyllic Connecticut coasts.  I recall years ago – 2003 – when Old Saybrook won a state championship in basketball.  One of the students I worked with thought he would be recruited to play college basketball.  He was approximately 5 foot 7 inches, 130 pounds, and probably the third best player on the team. Indeed, outside of lacrosse (a Northeastern, predominantly affluent sport), I have not seen consistent Division I scholarship success in my 15 plus years working with Connecticut families.

If you are concerned about paying for college, follow the money. Test scores lead to college dollars.

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