A few comments on the chicken little that seems to be running around lately.
At one point in my life, I used to tutor high school students in the SAT and Math. Generally, I tutored kids from above middle class families in the LA area. Sometimes, to keep the lessons interesting I would take out a few minutes to talk about something other than how to solve problems. One thing I would talk about is how to cheat on the SAT. Of course I told the kids to never do it and warned them that if they were caught the consequences would be pretty bad. It was just for fun.
There was one kid I worked with during that time and I felt like he would score somewhere between 1150 and 1250 on the SAT (Math and Verbal sections). He was a kid with a lot of personality who lived in a very nice house in the Valley. I worked with him for a few months and then he took the SAT. To my surprise he scored above 1400 on the SAT which at the time was very high. I was quite surprised. I asked him about his SAT experience and he said that he took my advice. I asked him what advice was that. He said on how to cheat. I was stunned and told him that the lesson was just supposed be fun, not serious. He said that he knew he would not get a great score otherwise so he decided to cheat.
Well this same kid got into both SC and UCLA. He would have never gotten into UCLA without cheating on the SAT. When it came time to choose, he chose SC. I asked him why and said UCLA is the better school. He agreed that UCLA was the better school but he said this:
"USC is easier, I can have more fun and not study as hard. I am never going to leave SoCal so I do not need to go to a better school."
Here is the deal. UCLA and USC are very different schools. Generally, they attract different kinds of kids. If you want to just play football, have few academic requirements, and just focus on getting to the NFL, then SC is a better fit. Many of these kids that play for top High School football programs are solely focused on football. Their only goal is to play in the NFL. Academics takes a very far back seat. Typically, everything (other than family) takes a backseat to football. A kid like this is generally going to choose SC over UCLA.
Kids that want an experience that is much more than football will tend to pick UCLA over SC. Just watch the signing day interviews. There is a distinct difference between the kids that choose UCLA and those that choose SC. Personally, I prefer the kids that have more to them, who can appreciate the academic challenge, and are focused on more than just football. Those that are less likely to cheat.
So, do not fret. Our coaches will look across the country for high quality football players who can appreciate the challenge of UCLA. We will get a top 20 class and as long as we have good coaching and a good QB we will be a good team and have the possibility of being a great team. Teams of high character can defeat teams with inferior character even if there is a talent gap. Otherwise, UCLA would not be the greatest school in the history of college sports.
The sky is not falling. In fact, it is a beautiful day.
At one point in my life, I used to tutor high school students in the SAT and Math. Generally, I tutored kids from above middle class families in the LA area. Sometimes, to keep the lessons interesting I would take out a few minutes to talk about something other than how to solve problems. One thing I would talk about is how to cheat on the SAT. Of course I told the kids to never do it and warned them that if they were caught the consequences would be pretty bad. It was just for fun.
There was one kid I worked with during that time and I felt like he would score somewhere between 1150 and 1250 on the SAT (Math and Verbal sections). He was a kid with a lot of personality who lived in a very nice house in the Valley. I worked with him for a few months and then he took the SAT. To my surprise he scored above 1400 on the SAT which at the time was very high. I was quite surprised. I asked him about his SAT experience and he said that he took my advice. I asked him what advice was that. He said on how to cheat. I was stunned and told him that the lesson was just supposed be fun, not serious. He said that he knew he would not get a great score otherwise so he decided to cheat.
Well this same kid got into both SC and UCLA. He would have never gotten into UCLA without cheating on the SAT. When it came time to choose, he chose SC. I asked him why and said UCLA is the better school. He agreed that UCLA was the better school but he said this:
"USC is easier, I can have more fun and not study as hard. I am never going to leave SoCal so I do not need to go to a better school."
Here is the deal. UCLA and USC are very different schools. Generally, they attract different kinds of kids. If you want to just play football, have few academic requirements, and just focus on getting to the NFL, then SC is a better fit. Many of these kids that play for top High School football programs are solely focused on football. Their only goal is to play in the NFL. Academics takes a very far back seat. Typically, everything (other than family) takes a backseat to football. A kid like this is generally going to choose SC over UCLA.
Kids that want an experience that is much more than football will tend to pick UCLA over SC. Just watch the signing day interviews. There is a distinct difference between the kids that choose UCLA and those that choose SC. Personally, I prefer the kids that have more to them, who can appreciate the academic challenge, and are focused on more than just football. Those that are less likely to cheat.
So, do not fret. Our coaches will look across the country for high quality football players who can appreciate the challenge of UCLA. We will get a top 20 class and as long as we have good coaching and a good QB we will be a good team and have the possibility of being a great team. Teams of high character can defeat teams with inferior character even if there is a talent gap. Otherwise, UCLA would not be the greatest school in the history of college sports.
The sky is not falling. In fact, it is a beautiful day.
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