Students who commit to colleges early on in high school for sports often have much leeway in their academic experiences and course selection. Read on to learn more about the experiences of some of Menlo’s committed athletes. Photo courtesy of: Pam Tso McKenney.

By Emilio Simbeck

Please note: This story pertains almost exclusively to committed athletes who are not seniors, with the exception of some seniors who had committed before their senior year.

Menlo is known to be an academically rigorous school in which the majority of students work hard to maximize their chances of attending a prestigious university in a competitive environment. Yet, some students don’t have to worry about this for all of high school because they are already into college. This is the life of select student-athletes at the school, who have already committed to playing their sport at the college level.

Not having to worry about the cutthroat admissions process, or perhaps taking on a loaded schedule, these students have an atypical high school experience. Able to explore courses as they wish, the “freedom” they have is something many students desire. Sophomore lacrosse player Conor McCusker, who recently committed to Bucknell University, expressed this same feeling of liberty in his course selection for a very stressful junior year. “Next year, when I pick my courses, I will stray away from [selecting] classes that I think I have to take, and take more classes that I will enjoy,” McCusker said.

Similar to McCusker, junior Villanova-bound lacrosse player Brody Laporte expressed the relief he feels after committing. “I definitely feel like there is less pressure on my shoulders,” Laporte said.

Although not forced to endure the tough application process, committed athletes still face other academic pressures just like the rest of us. “I have to keep up my grades and have the GPA and test scores to get into Bucknell,” McCusker said.

Common among many high school commits, McCusker and Laporte were given a minimum standardized test score requirement that they must obtain to still get into the university. “It is nice that if I get what they tell me to get then the deed is done,” Laporte said.

Sophia Donovan, a senior lacrosse player who committed to the University of Southern California in her sophomore year, said her experience was a little more laid back than other student athletes after her commitment. But in hindsight, she acknowledges she probably should’ve done more. “In the couple weeks after [my commitment], I didn’t really do anything in school, which is bad. Don’t do that,” Donovan said. “It gave me a lot of leverage in [course selection].”

Though committing to play at the collegiate level isn’t always extremely demanding, a certain level of maturity and caution also comes hand in hand with a commitment. “I think I am more careful now with everything I do, because […] I really value the scholarship,” senior Griff McGarry said. McGarry, a pitcher on the baseball team, will attend the University of Virginia next fall. In several instances such as a severe drop off in grades, failure to reach university-issued requirements, a special behavior-related case etc., colleges have the power to “cut” verbal commitments between a student and the school.

There is much variance from athlete to athlete, school to school and sport to sport, but for the most part, the hard work these select athletes put in on the field tends to pay off in the classroom.