I talk to parents, players, and coaches on a daily basis about the benefits of going to athletic prep schools. All of my clients are athletes looking to get an edge in the classroom and on the court. During these conversations, I mention the four benefits of going to athletic prep schools. These benefits include:
- Athletic
- Academic
- Emotional Maturity
- Cultural
1) Athletic
When a player goes to a prep school for sports, they will be around other serious athletes. That includes athletes from the US and from around the world. In most cases these players will be better than the local high school teams that the student athletes are coming from. This will in turn challenge players daily in practice and during the open gym runs. Athletes get better playing against better players.
The game schedule is against other athletic prep schools which also have more talented rosters than most high schools in the world. A big part of the athletic experience is the coach. Prep school coaching jobs are coveted. Prep school basketball coaches for example include former D1 coaches and players, as well as some who have been inducted into Hall of Fames.
And finally, if you are a reclass senior or a post-grad, it is the coach’s responsibility to place you at the right fitting college. While this may be optional for high school or AAU coaches, it is not for a prep school coach. College matriculation is one of the main reasons families choose to attend a prep school for athletics.
2) Academic
Prep schools range from athletic factories to some of the top educational institutions in the world, to everything in between. These schools promote smaller classroom sizes, highly qualified teachers, potential to earn college credits, and college placement. There are numerous articles on the internet discussing the specific accolades and rankings of prep school academics if you want to research those, but just know that each school will have more offerings than a traditional high school. A majority of teachers also live on campus with their families. They become a part of a student athlete’s daily life and are easy to find for additional tutoring if needed.
3) Emotional Maturity
When people leave home for the first time they get homesick. It is part of life and growing up. Prep schools are set up to deal with this as they have been welcoming kids each fall from all over the world. Some have been doing this for centuries and have their orientation week down to a science. Once the homesickness has subsided it rarely comes back. Also, without parents around student athletes need to ensure they get their homework completed, show up to classes and practice on time, and be more accountable. Once prep school graduates arrive on a college campus they will see that they are ahead of their peers who are away from home for the first time.
4) Cultural
Athletic prep schools want diversity within their student body. It enriches each student’s experience at the school. There will be kids on campus from different countries, socio-economic backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientation, etc. Hear what Rabun Gap School’s Roger Cox says about culture here
Culture to me is one of the top benefits that can possibly happen at a prep school. I was a Catholic from Central Kentucky and my prep school roommate was a Navajo Native American from a reservation in Northeast Arizona. We stayed up most of our first night at school asking each other basic questions. Fast forward twenty years and he was the best man in my wedding and I was the best man in his. While these kind of connections aren’t guaranteed, they can happen.
If you want to take advantage of these benefits, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
