By David W. Clark, Ed.M.

First, are you an elite athlete?

If you have to ask, you are NOT an elite athlete.

Remember this; there are thousands of high school varsity athletes but few spots on the college level for which a college coach will offer a grant-in-aid ( translation: financial aid that does not need to be paid back).

Consider this illustrative example from a Division I sport: women’s basketball: Recently, 125,000 high school seniors played but only 5700 women played in college that next year receiving an average scholarship grant of $14,000 per year.

If you have survived that filter, congratulations!

Now comes the hard part. If you are one of the 6% of high school female basketball athletes who will play in college, here is a question you will want answered before you commit to a college/university.

The “broken leg” test. If you destroy your knee on the first day of practice and will never play for that college, will you be happy at that college/university?

Ok, maybe not elite.  But why not use your talent to differentiate yourself from other candidates?

Whatever your talent may be- music, drama, poetry slam, student journalism, Science Olympiad, Model UN, athletics-now is not the time to be shy.

Are you in a leadership position?  Did you receive recognition outside your school? Did you spend hours each week of “free” time on this talent?

If the answer is “Yes” now is the time to let your light shine. Application essay, letter of reference, supplemental letter of reference. Use them all to differentiate yourself.

Remember, when in doubt, your first goal is to get an education. Will you be challenged and grow as a person?

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David W. Clark, Ed.M., is an independent college admission consultant who has been working with high school students for more than thirty-five years. David has offices in Paoli and Ardmore. His website www.collegesearchnow.net is worth visiting and he can be reached there or by calling 610-304-7i19.