Will Playing Pro Soccer Help Get Me Into Med School?

muffeoniv said:

Please, flame me as you always do SDN! lol..

I played keeper for a semi-pro soccer team. One teammate of mine scored a goal last week for the full USMNT and is the youngest player ever to score a goal for the U.S (17 years old).

To Interviewer:

"I could have played pro soccer, but I chose to be a doctor instead because soccer is superficial!"

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That would definitely make a great talking point as it shows maturity and commitment as well as interests outside of academics. That, of course by itself, will not get you in but with the right numbers and other EC's, you should be golden. Having played at such an advanced level will def make some people remember you

Of course it looks good. I'm just curious, did Agudelo play for any pro team other than the Red Bulls and Millonarios?

muffeoniv said:

thanks for the actually encouraging post instead of flaming lol, you live\go to school in boston?

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Yea it could be because I also love soccer that I didn't flame you lol. I was studying for my MCAT during the world cup and it was such a huge distraction . I graduated from college in June so I'm semi-chillin/working

If you are able to construe your experience as something that you legitimately enjoyed then I'd be impressed. Asking "will this help" is not a good indication that this will be the case.

But I wish you luck!

Becoming an elite athlete implies many personal qualities that might gain an applicant to med schools additional consideration: teamwork, dedication/constant effort to achieve goals, ability to rise beyond one's own self-interest/altruism, a drive that allows for maximum effort despite exhaustion. Columbia is an example of a school that loves applicants who have excelled in another field of endeavor.

Is this really even worth making a thread about? How would something like this NOT help you out?

I am convinced that the reason I was admitted to my med school is because I was a varsity soccer player and a competitive snowboarder in college.