The college preparation season is in full swing for seniors. Deadlines are quickly approaching, and 12th graders are rushing to finish (or start!) their applications, write essays, and take any final tests they may need. While many seniors are at the beginning of this process with high hopes and uncertainty for the future, some already have the next four years locked in. Who are these people? Athletes. 

Seniors, juniors, and even some sophomore athletes in high school already know where they are going to college, bypassing the difficult process of applying to colleges faced by their peers. 

Nowadays, countless students who have committed their entire school career to academics are in a different league altogether from star athletes.

I am in no way blaming the individual athletes for this problem. They are simply taking advantage of their talent and their years of training. This is merely human nature and student-athletes cannot be criticized for this.

What I am opposed to, however, is the obvious bias of priorities in America. 

Colleges and universities are primarily institutions of learning. Their foundational purpose is to educate, preparing students for success in future jobs that require a college degree. At selective coleges, the students who should be getting the best education are the ones who have a passion for learning and want to benefit the world in some way, using the knowledge gained from college. People who possess these qualities tend to do well in high school, and getting a world-class education is just the next step in their quest for success.

However, athletes enjoy this privilege more often than academic all-stars. Of course, there are some student-athletes who excel in sports and in the classroom, but a senior near to top of their class is less likely than a gifted athlete in the middle of their class to win the favor of an elite school.  The data is clear: Athletes frequently gain admission into top-ranked universities after proving little in the way of truly outstanding academic qualities.

In no way do I believe that sports are unimportant or that athletes should not be rewarded for their hard work.  All I am saying is that college is not the place for this advantage. College should be about primarily education, and the extremely talented athletes should be able to use their talents in other, just as rewarding, ways. 

Not only are athletes given advantages, but they are frequently given them for free, or at least at a greatly reduced priced. Non-athletes often have to pay significantly more for a four-year degree.   I get why the colleges do this: Athletes generate revenues for the institution.  But how is this fair to others who have worked just as hard in their own areas of talent?

Again, this is in no way a fault of the student-athletes; rather, it’s is an issue with societal priorities. The monetary advantage of athletics over academics is the flaw.