PLANNING, DEDICATION AND
PERSEVERANCE YIELDS COLLEGE
ACCEPTANCE RESULTS
By Darcie Patrick, IJSA Director of Education + Development
During my first months as a member of the IJGA/BGGA
team, it has been a privilege to meet our fabulous,
student-athletes from around the globe. These young
men and women have come to pursue their road to
U.S. College and for that, we are honored to have been
entrusted to help prepare their path.
I have been involved in the American system of education
for over two decades and have visited hundreds of
college campuses. There are over 3000 colleges and
universities in America. For our male student-athletes -
1289 of the 3000 colleges
have golf teams (Division
I, Division II, Division III,
NAIA or NJCAA). Our
female student-athletes
have 939 colleges to
consider that have a golf
team. So, it is important to
note that roughly half of
all of the U.S. colleges and
universities have men’s
golf teams and roughly
one-third have women’s
golf teams.
As a student prepares for college, the two most
important areas of focus that will dictate the outcome,
include:
• Strive for the lowest average golf score
• Strive for the highest GPA and SAT/ACT score
To achieve the lowest golf score, the student-athletes
will work hand-in-hand with their golf coaching team,
including: Director of Golf, their lead coach, strength
and conditioning coach, mental performance coach
and custom club fitter. Together, with their Junior Golf
Scoreboard ranking, the students will naturally fit into a
college/university team’s scoring average.
To achieve the highest GPA, a student will work closely
with their school’s guidance counselor and their
academy’s educational coordinator. A’s & B’s come with
hard work, including attending class regularly, taking
copious notes, studying for tests, proper sleep, attending
study hall and hiring private tutors, when necessary.
Earning a SAT and/or ACT score that is reflective of a
student’s ability will take hours of preparation. Effective
for the 2019-20 school year, each student will be given
a set of test prep books for the TOEFL (if applicable),
PSAT/ACT Plan and SAT/ACT. These books will be used
throughout the year to study for the age-appropriate
tests. There are also free, test-prep resources that
we share with our students and are available online.
Additionally, we have created a
partnership with Method Test
Prep (MTP) – the gold standard
in strategy-based test prep. Each
student/family will be introduced
to Elliot Bock, the Director of
Online Education at MTP. To
achieve a goal SAT/ACT score,
private test prep is an excellent
additional investment. A goal
score can help a student gain
admission to their #1 choice
college/university, but it can also
help them qualify for a Merit Scholarship.
Although this is a data driven process, it is our goal to
help our student-athletes find a RIGHT fit college match,
meeting their social, emotional, physical, spiritual and
intellectual needs…including a financial fit to meet a
family’s budget. Going forward, the college conversation
will be frequent and the IJGA + BGGA college preparation
will be robust; starting in the 9th grade.
In the fall of 2019, every student will have a designated
software page in our College Planner Pro (CPP) software.
We are excited to announce that each family will also
have access to the CPP college page, available and
translated in their native language. This will allow the
parents to have insight into their child’s college planning.
In turn, it will allow the parents to support, encourage
and occasionally nudge their children so we are all on the
same page to help support these remarkable student-
athletes achieve their goals.
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