bad grades

No Balk,

If you want to play in college (d1,d2,d3 were mentioned), you will need to make some changes to improve your grades. SATs and ACTs will be next year, and they will be a strong indicator of your college options along with your grades. The stronger your grades the more options you have. The same is true with baseball....the better the baseball player you are the more options you have. I strongly suggest you sit down with your parents to discuss this, and develop a plan. That plan may include a talk with your guidance councilor and baseball coach to figure out what needs to happen to realize this dream.

Playing baseball beyond high school may not be beyond your reach. For example, Junior College may be a very good option for you. You and your parents need to be on the same page with regard to your grades and your baseball plan to get more exposure beyond high school.

I hope my suggestion makes sense. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand something. Good luck.

No Balk, welcome to HSBBW.

Good post, and I think you will hear some good advice from experienced parents and players. You are not alone! Lots of kids in this situation, and it isn't "too late" to make your goals happen eventually.

You want to tell yourself something very important at this point in HS,and it sounds like you have started to do it. Tell yourself, "I am a better student than I think I am." Just because you are a 2.5 now, doesn't mean you are destined to REMAIN a 2.5. Step it up. Get help. Go for peer tutoring , see your teachers. Don't sell yourself short. If you can pull a 2.8 or 3.0 in your last quarter, then shoot for around a 3.0 or 3.2 as a junior, its a totally new academic profile. Over the summer, do some SAT prep. I like the web site Khan ACademy for this, plus the College Board's own web site.

You already know that it takes hard work to be a great pitcher. But you get better each year. Well, it takes persistent hard work to be a good student, and with effort, most students can get better at THAT every year. I have seen lots of students really 'wake up' on their academics in 10th grade, and light it up in 11th / 12th. Be one of those kids!

Other thoughts / considerations: Summer school. JUCO. Red shirting. Post grad year. Do your grades include some that would make you inelgible by NCAA standards? Have a plan to resolve those issues, and focus as much on school as you do on sports. Meet with guidance and map this out together. If you tend to move a lot, you really need to seek out the adults in your HS for guidance....don't be shy.

Good luck and work hard!

Baseball mom makes some great points, especially about seeking help from counselors and your parents. With a plan, you CAN make this happen. The key is to remember that college coaches don't just want baseball players. They want players that will also survive at the college level academically. Nobody wants to spend all that time and money recruiting someone that ends up flunking out in a year.

You sound like a great candidate for Junior College. That way you can play baseball and work your way up to proving you can handle college level classes.

No we don't move allot. Dad lost his job, then got a new one so we moved here.
My dad and I met with my counselor when we moved here and she didn't know anything about core classes,my dad had a print out of the NCAA book she never saw it before. She didn't know anything about the eligibility center. My Dad ask if I was on track and because of us moving 1/2 year how can my 1/4 credits from my old 8 block school be used in this new 1/2 credits 4 block school.She said I get no credit for my 1st half my year, after talking with Dad and him calling the school board she said she give me elective credits by putting two my classes together so 1/4history+1/4science became 1/2 credit music .She then called in a 2nd counselor and they told us there was a $15 class about sports and college being given soon, we should go and they didn't know much about thats stuff. They said their make up class online and summer school didn't meet college needs for sports just HS/grad needs . After looking it up and getting a 3rd counselor.
I was an B student but this year I slacked because it looks like me dream is out of my reach, none of the first part of this year class count for a main class, they combine two classes to make one and so my math/English became my art class ect. I had no elective this 2nd half the year and I will have no elective for 11th 12th grade, because of this move.
I had a b in math 1/4 credit and b in English and they gave be a B in Art (1/2 credit) for it! I can't believe I won't have time to rest in an elective class for the next two years.
I was so mad at my Dad for doing this to me that I was only doing just enough to get by in class.I'm taking science,math, history and English getting a 2.1 to 2.5 avg. I know if I had gym to take place one those classes I'd done better. the work load was bigger then I'm use too and with me being mad I just didn't push myself.
I just want to become a certified athletic trainer, and play baseball in College. I'm 16 and know what I want and now my dream is going to be even harder to get too.
I'm not lazy I volunteer at the humane society, play baseball and go to school I just lost hope for a short time.

Can I play at a College my 1st year then move to a D level school?
Can I just do good 11th 12th grade make up for this move/mistake and low grades in 10th grade?
At this point I think D1,2,3 may be out my reach ( but I'm still reach for it ) to play ball even though I'm told I am good enough.
So how Do I find a list of school were I can get certified as a athletic trainer and have a baseball program?
I have 3 local coaches asking me to play for their summer team, I take that as a sign my hard work on the field is paying off. My Dad has taken me to college baseball camps they seem to like me,my high school team is tied for 2nd right now and I'm the starting pitcher when we play the 1st though 4th place teams. I think that's says allot we have 6 pitchers.My ERA is now 2.81 36 1/3 inn pitched .I just want to show my DAD I gave it my all off the field too. My Dad is using this site and I'm sure he will read this and know it was me. Hi DAD I know my Dad is looking for away to help me, but I'll be 17 this summer, time for me to help me. thanks for letting me vent ,reading what I just wrote helped me a lot. Can't wait to read what you write.

I read this over a few times and I am not sure I really understood all that has happened to you.

Regardless of missing classes from the move you slacked off in the classroom and I am sure you are learning that your ability on the field is not enough for a 4 year college scholarship. If you are missing significant core classes for a specific division, and now you have to make up for it, then that's what you have to do. Of course if this is too much for you to handle, forget all of those core classes needed and concentrate on becoming a better student, graduate and then you can elect JUCO later on, which is a great option for many. Seems to me that you need to grow up and mature a bit and there is nothing wrong with that. Your complaining that you have no elective to take time to rest means you are not ready emotionally (yet) for a 4 year college program. If what you want is true (go play ball at a 4 year program), you should do all that you can in the next few years to achieve your goal, if not then that's ok. You have options.

Your DAD now needs to sit back a bit and let you take responsibility on yur own. If he has to work hard to pay for your college education you have to prove that you are able to work hard as well, on and off of the field.

I don't get the counselor not being aware of the NCAA requirements, that's part of their job, but then again nowadays anything is possible.

You might want to contact Bulldog19 for advice on good programs regarding your academic interest and baseball, but as far as I am aware, all that is needed to be a trainer is a certificate. One of my son's BF is the baseball trainer at UT, he majored in economics at Clemson. He had his training certificate while at Clemson, but I am sure that he has a masters level at this point to be at UT.

JNO,you might want to hold that thought and just concentrate on what you need to do right now, which is get it done in the classroom so you will graduate with the classes you need. Sometimes we tend to get far too ahead of ourselves and it becomes over whelming, forcing us to feel defeated even before we are.

quote:

Originally posted by No Balk:
But now I want to work hard in class and get to a college any college and learn sports med's and hopfully play baseball. Any thoughts??

Never underestimate the power of desire....you have time to turn your grades around..there are plenty of schools that have baseball and offer athletic training as a major....

take care of the thimgs you can...grades, practice hard and get on the internet and search out schools who match up....there are D1-3 schools, naia, juco and CC that field baseball teams and plenty that have club teams......

too early to panic.....but too late to waste time...make those changes today!

dont be mad at your dad...he lost his job and found another one and you had to move....might be tough for you to understand right now, but that sounds like a man doing what he can to take care of you....life is what happens when we are making OUR plans......you will understand it more when you are the dad..

best of luck

Hey No Balk - You absolutely can still make your dreams happen. Just start right now to turn things around in the classroom.

You need to make a plan, so you have some direction on this.

I would start by figuring out this class credit issue. It doesnt' sound right to me, but there is lots of info I don't have and it is confusing. Start by going to the www.eligibilitycenter.org and learning more about this. I don't think your school can add two partial core classes to make a random elective, for example. In terms of eligibility, HS students who have transferred need to submit official transcripts from BOTH (or all if more than 2) high schools. The Eligibility Center determines how the classes fulfill their requirements, not your HS. So, I would suggest youand your dad call the Eligibility Center and ask to speak with someone on this topic, so that your HS doesn't mis-handle your transcripts. If you can get someone from that Center on the phone or by email, they can also help guide you in terms of what you need to take over the next 2 years. They may say there are eligibility issues and that you would posiby have to red shirt but find out direct from the source (NCAA), not your HS.


At the same time, if you were my student, I would tell you to get your tail in to see your teachers during your free periods TOMORROW, and tell them you know you have slacked, and that you need to step it up. Let them help you with a plan to complete the year on a higher note. Use the peer tutors in your school also.

As far as baseball goes, you will get better info from others here, but I think that a two year school (JUCO) is a very strong route to consider. It makes sense for academic reasons, so that you can build the skills you need to be successful in an atheltic training program; so that you can do this while hopefully playing baseball if that works out; and so that you can start college at a reasonable price tag and not be too much of a burden on the family budget while you get the start you need. So begin to research some JUCos. In terms of admission many of them are open enrollment, so a dip in 10th grade classes won't be the end of the world.

Dn't rule out some of the less-selective 4 year colleges also.

FYI athletic training is one of the fastest growing fields, they expect 37% job growth in that field by 2018. You will want to really focus on your sciences and math in HS, and be certain you enjoy bio / chem/ physics/ anatomy. (Some of that you won't have until college....another good reason to start out at a Jr College to make sure you like and can handle the rigors of that core science work).

There are several paths to this career, but all require a min of a bachelors degree and a license. Most A Trainers have a master's degree, and some colleges have a 5 year MS/MS program. Others will take a bachelors degree in one of the core science areas then get a Masters Degree in A Training after.

FInd a program in your area and go on a tour, talk to the admissions people and learn more about the program to help you decide if this is what you truly want. Ask at the college, "can I start at a 2 year school and transfer in to this program?"

One last thought - maybe getting involved as a volunteer at a local hospital or rehab center to learn more about the field and to show colleges of your true interest. And talk to the trainers at your HS for info.


Good luck -

quote:

dont be mad at your dad...he lost his job and found another one and you had to move....might be tough for you to understand right now, but that sounds like a man doing what he can to take care of you...

Amen.

Good luck, you are getting good advice here.

quote:

I volunteer at the humane society

I like Dogs, and the hopital told me to come back when I was 17yr to Volunteer there.
Ok as for the grades : In my old school we had 8 classes and it was a A day b day, so one day I would go to math and 2nd day I'd go to physics.
Here we only have 4 classes and no A/B day,I came here at sumester change and I'm told I get no credit for the 1st semester at my old school because there only 1/4 credit and this school only give 1/2 credits. I had All A's and B's at old school after finding this out I just kind of stop trying hard I'm still getting C- to C+'s in my classes or my Dad would of made me quit playing baseball. After my Dad raised H*ll They told my Dad they would combine my main classes from old school to make a elective so I have the Credits needed to play high school sports. But this put me behind on my main classes, So this sumester I had no elective . 11th and 12th grade I'm told I'll have no elective because I have them all taken care of now.
I wanted to do online class to finish my old school classes that I had an A in but we are told no can do, so I'm stuck with a 1/4 credit times 8 just sitting there and failing 10th grade or letting them combine two classes to make a 1/2 credit so I'm getting 3 elective credits for 8 classes I worked realy hard in, med-terms and sports med class I was getting A+'s in just sit on the book as nothing its not fair moving from one state to another in the USA shouldn't ruin my education!

Do what you need to do today and tomorrow will be ok.
Yes you will have to work hard, nothing wrong with that just do it.
Life is not fair.
As for the schools to become certified athletic trainer I have a list I'll get to you. I also have a list of school you can start in and then move to a bigger school if thats what you need to do.
I'm glad your saying you want to be an certified athletic trainer and play baseball,work hard and your dream can happen.

No Balk-- Please don't blame your dad for anything. Really, I think that last thing that he wanted was 1) to lose his job, 2) to look for another one 3) probably start over in a new job in another state, and 4)disrupt the life of his family and move to another state with all that entails. The good news is that he found another job and that he is working. That is wonderful. Now it's your turn.

It's your turn to work. Hard. If playing baseball is really want you want to do, then you will. Wait, my order is wrong. If becoming an athletic trainer is what you really want to do, then you will have to work hard. That's not an easy major and it is not an easy job. Look at it this way. Working really hard from now on, even though you won't have any electives, will just prepare you for the tough class schedules that you will have in college. You may not have any, or many, electives in college. I didn't. You will have to work really hard in the classroom not only to stay eligible but also to be accepted into your major---and then of course, if you were an employer, would you rather hire the athletic trainer who had a 2.5 average or a 3.5 average, or even a 3.0 average. I think I know your answer. Oh yeah, and don't forget the baseball. You will have a lot of work to do in college so this is really a good thing to get you used to good study habits with a supportive dad.

And if you have to take those classes again, that you did really well in, well, just look at it this way. In some ways it will be like a review and you'll do even better. Maybe an A instead of a B.

Good luck. Let us know how you end the semester!

quote:

its not fair moving from one state to another in the USA shouldn't ruin my education!

the "fair" is a once a year thing the county holds.
plan ahead now . if your not going to be able to get your core classes done,you'll be a nonqualifier out of high school. you'll have to get x amount of work done at a juco to become a d1 qualifier. but the requirements change for each level .the ncaa website has this info, but it isn't easy to decode.

life isn't easy, you are learning some valuable lessons. your future has been in your hands all along.........only now you can see it.

keep your head up and your eye on the prize, one step at a time. and give your dad a hug, you'll both feel better.

.

This is possibly the best thread I have ever read on the High School Baseball Web.

A talented and concerned high school student athlete searching for meaningful advice and receiving it by the bushelful. By the truckload. By the bargeful!

Wow! Great job by the members here who are both supportive and willing to share their substantial experience to help a high school baseball player and his dad. Just as it was created to do. Thank you Bob. Thank you Julie. This community of our's really rocks! And, without question, No Balk and his dad make this place all the better. Soon they will be offering their advice to others. Mark my word.

Yes indeed No Balk, welcome to the High School Baseball Web. You and your dad have found the right spot.




.

quote:

I was so mad at my Dad for doing this to me that I was only doing just enough to get by in class.

I guarantee you your father didn't want to lose his job and have to move. Your father did well. He fixed a bad situation. What about kids whose fathers can't find a job? Consider yourself fortunate. Guidance counselors are not responsible for knowing the NCAA eligibility rules. That's your responsibility.

You only have yourself to blame for not getting it done in class. You're not the only high school player who has experienced adversity. You're not the first high school player to have to move. There are plenty of others who have faced issues on this site. Your job is to suck it up and get done what needs to get done. It's not too late.

You can do better in class. You can get exposure on the baseball field. You will have several baseball options if you want to take them. Anyone who is good in high school can find a place to play if they really want it. Start being accountible for yourself. Start by thanking your dad for fixing the biggest problem your family faced.

You have a very good resource in this site. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask resulting in dumb results from lack of knowledge.

Good luck!

If I'm understanding you correctly you're not in bad shape academically but it's not a path most would end up taking. You were shafted by the fact you went from an A/B schedule to a A semester / B semester schedule. You might want to actually thank the counselor who took your old classes and found a way to give you credits at your new school because that is saving you from not graduating on time.

Typically you need around 24 - 28 credits to graduate from high school. In your old school you were going to get 32 total credits doing the A / B schedule. Your new school will allow you to acquire 32 credits doing the A semester / B semester. The difference is that your old school is a "year long" schedule where the new one is semester long. In both of types of schedules you generally will take 8 classes in a school year and you might have 4 core classes - math, science, history, english - and 4 electives - band, advanced PE, vocational. Since the schedules don't match up with the new school from your old school the new counselor got creative to ensure you got some credits from your old school by naming them electives. So the next two years you are going to take all core classes instead of mixing in some electives here and there.

It's going to be tougher because you won't be able to take electives to boost grades or take something your interested in. That being said I just realized your freshman core classes should have transferred. So your freshman english shouldn't have to be made up or any classes from then.

I could also be completely wrong too but that's the way I read what you put.

On another note you said you made A's and B's at your old school. Since that's the case you need to do a better job of writing on here or anywhere. Please don't take this as harsh criticism because I'm not trying to come across as a jerk although I realize it reads that way. I had to read your posts several times trying to figure out what you were trying to say. An student who makes A's and B's should be able to communicate more effectively than what you have. You probably just zipped through and didn't do any proofreading but that is important. Mistakes happen and when they do you can overlook them if the rest of the message is clearly written but if the majority of the message is hard to read then it does call into question ability.

Overall you should be able to get everything done and completed by the end of your senior year but it's going to be rough. Take more time to present what you post anywhere more legibly than you have before.

Good luck, welcome to the site and hope you're not offended by my advice.

quote:

I know my Dad is looking for away to help me, but I'll be 17 this summer, time for me to help me.

I think the above quote reflects that you have realized that you need to get serious and do what needs to be done. Congratulations to you for that! You seem to have learned something that many do not learn for quite a while.

As to Coach's comments, I am not as concerned with what you type on a baseball website. I think Coach, imo, was nitpicking a bit. Of course it is important to present yourself in the best light, but your main worry right now is your grades. The initiative you have taken to seek advice on this site is a good indicator that you have the ability to succeed if you continue working hard.

I wish you the best of luck! Keep us updated.

No it's not nitpicking - it's called pride. Pride in the fact that no matter what you do you're going to try and do it to the best of your ability.

I agree with coach, it's not nitpicking. A large portion of your communication in life will be written most likely in the form of email/text or some form of a word document. First impressions are lasting. As far as your Dad losing his job and forcing you to move, there are thousands of kids that move every summer due to their parents work, mine included. I can tell you that from a parent's perspective it is gut wrenching to move your children during their high school years. Take it easy on your dad, I guarantee he wants nothing more than for you to achieve your dreams.

No Balk,
I'm going to summarize some of what I am reading about you...

You are 16 and know what you want to do with your life. You have passion for your sport and your chosen profession as well as other meaningful endeavors. You recognize some of your shortcomings, are willing to fix those and know how to utilize resources to make that happen. You have a sense of urgency to do so.

This tells me a couple of things...
1. - you have a very strong and wise parental base providing you with everything you need to be successful in life.
2. - You have the characteristics to succeed.

I think you are going to be just fine.

I would read through each of these posts a couple of times. There is information and guidance that goes deeper than just the step by step instruction.

You are in a great place (just 10th grade) to get things on track. Don't procrastinate. Like Coach 2709 says, paying attention to detail is important. Expect things to change and be ready and willing to adjust the gameplan. Just like, well you know, baseball.

What I wrote was more like a rough draft.

I guess , I wasn't thinking about anyone reading it, even though I said I was waiting to read what you write.
I was thinking more about my best friend with 6 to 8 games left and his high school days will be over and he didn't make plans to play after that.
He is going Hang out this summer and maybe look for a Job.
I don't want to end up like that, it was like a wake up call to me.
I want to help others and I want to play baseball they are my 1st and 2nd love.
Thank you for the input,
Just a kid playing a Man's game, one day I'll be a Man playing a kids game.

Hi, having played Division I College Baseball (2005-2009) I was amazed at how many of my teammates treated the academic aspect of college as the 3rd wheel behind baseball and their social life. Forget that fact that the chance of any of us actually making serious money to play baseball was slim to none, but some of them actually went as far as to become academically ineligible.
Imagine being the captain of the team and getting kicked off for failing 2 of his 3 classes he took! Or another who literally cost himself $1,000's by becoming academically ineligible. He failed out which significantly dropped his draft status as he no longer had any bargaining power.
My point here is academics isn't just about getting good grades. It can seriously effect your standing. I know my coach didn't recruit kids because he didn't want to deal with a border line kid when he could sign a kid with a good high school GPA.

My one piece of advice... Set the tone for your semester from day 1. I can't tell you how many of my teammates had already missed class, failed a quiz, and blew off study sessions in the first month of classes! Focus on getting that first A and the whole semester has less pressure...aka you can focus on baseball more.

[LIST] I just wrote a book about playing college baseball that I think might really help you. Among many other topics, I go into detail of adjusting to the academics of college baseball and how every year guys would drop out due to grades. It is not just parents talking, getting good grades actually matters. You can pick up "Going with the Pitch: Adjusting to Baseball, School, and Life as a Division I College Athlete" on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Pi...id=1303526288&sr=1-1

Best of luck!

No Balk,

How impressive that you've recognized the deficiency in your current resume and reached out on this site for advice! Additionally, I agree totally with the compliments that have been made about the quality of the contributors' responses on this thread.

I'd like to add a couple of off-the-top-of-the head reactions to what you and others have written:

(a) There is little more impressive to those who might evaluate your academic performance in the future than the fact that you recognized the need to improve your academic standing and applied yourself in such a way that you materially improved your grades, afterwards. Don't underestimate many evaluators' ability to recognize the turnaround and give you special credit for it (although, not all will).

(b) Great teams are built to a large extent upon having players who have the self-discipline to work consistently to improve. We usually think about that in terms of their development as baseball players; but, if you think about it, it also extends to academic performance. A teammate who fails to live up to the academic standards set by his school lets not only himself, but his team down, as well. All the baseball practice in the world goes down the drain if you don't qualify academically to be a contributor to the team.

(c) At the risk of stating the obvious, every player's baseball career ends one day. At that point, the spotlights shine on a player's past academic performance in at least two ways: (1) the better he's performed in the classroom, the better prepared he is to perform in his chosen field after his playing days, and (2) people who make hiring decisions will be much more focused on your academic performance than anything you might have done on the baseball field.

Best of luck to you both on and off the field! Go get 'em!

I would ditto a lot of what has been said, and add a few points:

1. I see kids with your GPA playing D-1 baseball. So, it's not out of your reach at all.

2. That being said, the higher you can get your GPA, the fewer doors will be closed to you. You still have time to bust your buns for this semester and 3 more beyond that before college applications time. That's more semesters ahead of you than are behind you. You have the opportunity to get your GPA up. Make that a goal and go do it.

3. Make sure you have a plan for courses the next 2 years that meets the NCAA requirements. Then just follow the plan and work for the grades.

4. While your GPA to date will always weigh down your total GPA in the end, your SAT or ACT scores are not limited by your past. In fact, if you take them once and then do better, only the highest scores will matter, not the average. I've seen great results when kids use the commercial test prep courses offered by Princeton Review and Kaplan, and would suggest to you that it could be the best $700 you ever spend. The lower your GPA, the higher your test scores have to be to qualify for D-1 play. But the best bet is to give 100% effort in both and not see your options diminish any more than they have to.

5. There are lots of D-2 and JuCo options out there and you should definitely familiarize yourself with those. Especially those that may be state-supported in your home state.

Prepster is right, baseball is not something you want to peg your life on. That being said, if baseball motivates you to do better in school, hey, whatever helps you get there works for me.

Hello everyone...

I can't help but remention the book that I just wrote about college baseball. So many of these topics we have talked about in this post I discuss in the book! I hope that for all of you players (and parents) reading this board, reading about my actual college experience could be invaluable.

So many of you guys make great points. I was amazed while at college how some kids would just brush off school. I never understood what they were thinking when they looked 5 years into the future, to a life without baseball!

Anyways, I hope you guys check out the book because I know it can lend a helping hand.

The amazon link is:
http://www.amazon.com/Going-Pi...id=1303526288&sr=1-1

I want to be a certified athletic trainer.
NATA

To be the best Athletic trainer I can be I need College, in College I'd love to play baseball.

Thank you all for the replies.

Grades are going Up, and State playoff are this week and coach says I will be the Starting Pitcher 1st game.
Everything will be ok if I let it be ok.