Getting Into BU

“Anthony we want to offer you an athletic scholarship” At that moment I could not have been more excited, but his following words were not what I wanted to hear. “We need you to score higher on your SATs in order for you to be qualified.” My heart sank. I couldn’t believe that my scores were not high enough. My goal was to take the SATs one time, with minimal studying, and hope my soccer skills would cover the rest. I always thought if I excelled at a sport like soccer that was the only thing that mattered, but I learned that was not the case. My junior year in high school I was getting heavily recruited by Boston University to play for their Division One men’s soccer team. I had my official visit on campus one weekend where I was able to hang out with the team and explore the city. My visit could not have gone any better. I was able to see all the facilities, meet a bunch of the players, and watch them beat St Johns, the number one team in the country, at home. At that time Boston College, Holy Cross, Providence, Colgate and Santa Clara was also recruiting me. My heart was leaning towards Boston University’s as I feel in love with the people, the culture of the city and the soccer team. At the end of the day all of these schools recruiting me had the same underlying message. I needed to score higher on my SATs. My whole life I played soccer and I always had the dream of getting an athletic scholarship to a Division One school. I wanted to move away from my hometown, be independent and create my own story. I checked all of the boxes, but one. I stayed in shape. I played club at a high level. I maintained a high GPA. I took AP courses. I stayed out of trouble. I was ranked in the top half of my class, but I didn’t take my test scores and preparation seriously. I never thought that my SAT scores would be the deciding factor in me playing a college sport. Most high school students dream to play a division one sport, whether its football, soccer, basketball or track but they all require high test scores. High school athletes who desire to play at a school like Notre Dame, UCLA, Boston College or Stanford need to understand how important it is to prepare for the SAT’s and ACT’s. Only 1 percent of high school athletes end of playing a division one sports in college. There are so many athletically gifted and skilled athletes in the country fighting for the chance to play a division one-sport. Your preparation for the SATs or ACTs could be the difference. You need to be prepared for a soccer game, a class presentation or even your driving license test. Preparing for your SATs or ACTs is no different. Once I heard I had to improve my SATs scores I signed up for one on one tutoring right away. The colleges recruiting me all needed me to score 40-100 point higher on both sections. My tutor was fantastic. He really improved my test taking skill and showed my strategist on how to go about questions in the proper way. My tutor also would assign me a couple practice tests per week so I could gain more confidence. We would then review questions I found difficult in the one on one session. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. My tutor was able to give me structure, guidance and confidence, which put me on a path for success. Test day finally arrived and I was a nervous, but still confidence from all the tutoring I received. While taking the test I noticed a lot of the similar questions I received during my tutoring. After the test was over I walked away proud. I knew that I put in hard work studying with my tutor to score as high as I possible could. Waiting for my test scores was a long month but I remained positive. I ended up scoring higher on both sections and met the criteria that the college coaches were looking for. I received an athletic scholarship from Boston University in the middle of my junior year of high school. I played soccer all four years and had the time of my life. If it wasn’t for my tutor preparing me I don’t think I would have been able to attend Boston University and play college soccer. I am forever grateful and humbled at the opportunity to play and meet so many great people during my college career.