Any former NCAA student-athletes out there?

[greenwave34]

Hello to all of you successful to-be-MD's that were once student athletes!

I have applied for the class of 2008 (I've interviewed 3 times and I'm waiting anxiously to hear from those schools) and I wanted to see how being an SA affected you guys during the whole process??

Were admissions comittee's fond of Student-Athletes at any particular schools? Not at others? Did interviewers ask lots of questions about athletics and such?

just curious to see what others went through.

Thanks!

GW

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[BiggMann79]

I was a track and field athlete at a Division 1 school. I think it probably helped some in the admissions process. The letter of rec from my track coach probably helped some too. I only interviewed at one school and it was closed file, so I had to bring up being an athlete when they asked about my background.

 

[lola]

i played tennis (div III though) and was never asked about it in any of my 9 interviews! slightly frustrating since it took up so much of my time (fall & spring seasons, practice 2hrs/day, matches twice/week)

 

[Carbon]

Div I athlete here, talked about it in all of my interviews (1 of which was closed-file). It was a great experience, and though it didn't help my GPA, it helped me as an applicant in other ways.

 

[ziffy 850]

I too played ncaa(tennis) and was nationally ranked. It was a major part of interviewing at undergrad, but I really felt that it was a non issue for med school. In fact, in some instances, I got the feeling that it was working against me-almost as if it were totally superficial. I thought at the very least it would be clear that I was able to keep up my GPA (though it would definitely have been higher had I not played) and still manage to give the committment of a part-time job(minimum 15 hours per week on court). The only place I interviewed where it seemed to be a plus, was UVM-a really great school. They seem to want well-rounded people.

 

[::Seabass::]

division 1 soccer here. never brought up unless I brought it up. like lola said, it was somewhat frustrating after giving about 5hrs a day to the sport.

speaking of which, did I know you? I also went to tulane and graduated in 2001.

 

[greenwave34]

You played for Tulane!? Do I know you? I guess I was a sophomore when you graduated huh? Remember Britt (tall, skiny, brown hair)?

 

[erininseattle]

I went to a DIII school and played soccer and ran track- I think that helped a bit (I'm at U.Washington now). I also started running marathons after college (and mountain climbing) which may have helped more, something a little more unique to talk about. overall- if you can work it in, it can't hurt.

 

[AJM]

I was a Division I athlete, and was an All-American. I think it definitely helped me in the med school application process. It was a major topic of discussion at just about all of my interviews, and helped me to have a much more unique application. My coach wrote a letter of rec for me as well, which I included in my app -- that probably helped more than just what I had put in my application, since coaches seem to have a keen ability of being able to talk up their athletes to others.

What surprised me was that my being an NCAA athlete in college carried into residency applications, and I think it helped me at several programs (although not as much as for med school applications).

 

[::Seabass::]

Originally posted by greenwave34
You played for Tulane!? Do I know you? I guess I was a sophomore when you graduated huh? Remember Britt (tall, skiny, brown hair)?

Britt on the soccer team??? Hmm, no I don't think so. Junior year was my last year on the soccer team due to injuries.

Congrats on your acceptance!!

 

[Spelbo420]

it could or could not help...I do not think it really hurts though...actually, one of my interviewers at the school I got into spent about half the interview talking to me about my baseball days because her son was entering school to play soccer...

 

[uclacrewdude]

i coxed the crew team for 4 yrs at NCAA level 1 competition but with only club status, so we had all the effort and competition and none of the benefits. basically, athletics was a double-edged sword ... sports kept me so tired i couldn't get A's (sometimes not even B's) in school, pursue high-level research, or do extensive volunteer work (aka, the traditional way of getting in). however, evidenced by my MCATs, it prompted me to study and actually learn the material more than i would have on my own by compressing my time, permitted a good LOR from my coach, gave me/enhanced a whole flight of necessary life skills that people want doctors to have [listening, leadership, cooperation, etc], helped me cope with school and life in general, and a couple of accolades along the way too. i mean, most athletes don't apply to medschool b/c it is simply too hard to do the two at the same time, and if you're a good athlete you only wanna do it if you're gonna succeed anyway (the prospects for anybody applying to med school are grim enough). i say if you have the stamina to go all the way with sports while doing the requisites to apply, you will be recognized for your drive (one of my classmates was on the u.s. olympic bobsled team, and another was on full-ride to pitt for baseball -- both of them are very good students).

 

[buglady]

I, too, was a D-I student-athlete (or athlete-student for some) and ran cross country, indoor and outdoor track. I think like anything else, playing a sport in college helped me be a more well-rounded individual...I definitely learned how to manage my time, that's for certain.

I did not apply to med school right out of undergrad. It was practically impossible for me to manage classes, practice, mcat prep, applications, interviews, etc. I gave myself ample time (4 years) to explore other stuff and make sure I was ready to spend the next several years in medical school, internship, residency, etc.

So, yes, I did think it worked to my advantage that I did an extracurricular activity during college....I talked about it both in my personal statement and at my interview...