Athlete with limited ECs?

[rememberthetitans]

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Hi! I am an NCAA D1 athlete, and because of the time restraints that come with that I have limited EC involvement. I have some research and clinical volunteering/shadowing, but other than that my resume looks a little thin. I also have a LizzyM between 74-76. Any ideas if my limited EC involvement because of athletics will be an issue, especially at the top schools? Thanks!

 

[jaga1603]

Hi! I am an NCAA D1 athlete, and because of the time restraints that come with that I have limited EC involvement. I have some research and clinical volunteering/shadowing, but other than that my resume looks a little thin. I also have a LizzyM between 74-76. Any ideas if my limited EC involvement because of athletics will be an issue, especially at the top schools? Thanks!

You have very good stats that are competitive at top schools. Your D1 athletic involvement will be recognized and considered as a significant activity. However, it cannot be used to replace/make up for not having significant shadowing or volunteering. Many "Top schools" typically like to see very strong research in addition to volunteering and clinical.

 

[rememberthetitans]

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback. I have about 400 hours of research and 200 hours of volunteering, I just don't have any significant accomplishments within that (i.e. no publications or unique experiences) so I wasn't sure how much my participation and achievements in athletics would be considered in lieu of achievements in other areas.

 

[GrapesofRath]

What you need EC wise for success is
1) Clinical exposure; Shadowing, working with an optometrist or a clinical pharmacist and EMT work alone isn't enough. Clinical jobs, volunteering in a hospital or hospice, that's the type of stuff that counts. Patient contact is what you are looking for.
2) Being able to demonstrate altruism. Volunteering, particularly with the less fortunate and in uncomfortable situations is what really counts here.

For the research powerhouses(which if you have a Lizzy score of 75 you are probably looking for) requires research experience. Only you can judge how impactful your's was. If you don't have that extensive an experience the PI rec letter will really be important.

If you can fulfill these, you should be fine. Balancing athletics and top grades is looked upon favorably.

 

[Salt Salt]

I think most admissions committees recognize just how busy a D1 athlete is, and they take that into consideration completely. Research and volunteering are two big/important ECs anyways, so I feel like you should be good—especially with that LizzyM!

 

[rememberthetitans]

What you need EC wise for success is
1) Clinical exposure; Shadowing, working with an optometrist or a clinical pharmacist and EMT work alone isn't enough. Clinical jobs, volunteering in a hospital or hospice, that's the type of stuff that counts. Patient contact is what you are looking for.
2) Being able to demonstrate altruism. Volunteering, particularly with the less fortunate and in uncomfortable situations is what really counts here.

For the research powerhouses(which if you have a Lizzy score of 75 you are probably looking for) requires research experience. Only you can judge how impactful your's was. If you don't have that extensive an experience the PI rec letter will really be important.

If you can fulfill these, you should be fine. Balancing athletics and top grades is looked upon favorably.

Thank you for your input! I'll be sure to emphasize these in my application.

 

[Banco]

If you have shadowing, clinical volunteering, and research, then you have covered the basics. D1 athlete factor can also sway adcoms, and your numbers are obviously great. I would say you should apply to top schools, but also have a solid amount of realistic options (your state schools, low-mid tier private schools).

 

[Goro]

Absolutely. Most Adcom members think D1 is a vitamin. Best advice I can give is to take a gap year.

Your academics are clearly unassailable, you just need to show Adcoms that you know what you're getting into, that you know what a doctor's day is like,and that you really want to be around sick people for the next 30-40 years.

Hi! I am an NCAA D1 athlete, and because of the time restraints that come with that I have limited EC involvement. I have some research and clinical volunteering/shadowing, but other than that my resume looks a little thin. I also have a LizzyM between 74-76. Any ideas if my limited EC involvement because of athletics will be an issue, especially at the top schools? Thanks!

 

[Dreamstoo]

Someone from my high school did D1 or (D2?) athletics in college but he devoted summers to research. I'm not entirely sure but he may have graduated early to do research up until he applied. He wasn't a pre med but pre-dental and got into fantastic dental schools this past cycle.

 

[md-2020]

Hi! I am an NCAA D1 athlete, and because of the time restraints that come with that I have limited EC involvement. I have some research and clinical volunteering/shadowing, but other than that my resume looks a little thin. I also have a LizzyM between 74-76. Any ideas if my limited EC involvement because of athletics will be an issue, especially at the top schools? Thanks!

Top schools thin ECs are a deal breaker. You'll probably have success at mid-low tiers though. LizzyM of 74-76 is only competitive for the elites if you have the ECs to back up the numbers. @efle is 80+ and he's taking a gap to boost research.

 

[efle]

Refer to the MSAR to see what percentages of accepted students had and didn't have each type of EC. For top schools research experience is especially critical, a few places in the top 10 only had about 3-5% of accepted students lacking research.

 

[LizzyM]

@Willy38 do you have any thoughts or encouragement to offer?

 

[Nietzschelover]

Absolutely. Most Adcom members think D1 is a vitamin. Best advice I can give is to take a gap year.

Your academics are clearly unassailable, you just need to show Adcoms that you know what you're getting into, that you know what a doctor's day is like,and that you really want to be around sick people for the next 30-40 years.

The D1 vitamin joke was humorous a couple of times, and while many adcoms may not give athletes any significant boost, it does not ring true that the vast majority don't know what D1 or an NCAA athlete means. If nothing else, athletes end up being prominent as patients. Physicians see them grow up, treat their injuries, check out for cardiac conditions, and go to colleges, med schools, and residences, almost all of which have collegiate athletics. Physicians are also athletes and many are at least athletic and in to fitness.

 

[bunnyg]

I know a D2 athlete with similar stats to you, also lacking some standard ECs, and he got many interviews at top schools. I think you will be fine! I think most ADCOMs know the time commitment required, they have likely interviewed many athletes.

 

[Doug Underhill]

I have seen three D1 athletes get interviews at top programs. Some users on SDN don't seem to regard it very highly, however.

 

[Lil Mick]

D1 athletes with high academic/MCAT scores usually do pretty well, provided they have some clinical/research experience. When I was interviewing at top schools, there were usually one or two athletes in the bunch, particularly at the Southern schools (some are open to athletes continuing athletics in their pre-clinical years--I'd suggest UF if you're looking to continue in another sport).

 

[md-2020]

D1 athletes with high academic/MCAT scores usually do pretty well, provided they have some clinical/research experience. When I was interviewing at top schools, there were usually one or two athletes in the bunch, particularly at the Southern schools (some are open to athletes continuing athletics in their pre-clinical years--I'd suggest UF if you're looking to continue in another sport).

What do you mean by this? I'm assuming that I'm totally taking this the wrong way, but going pro in a seasonal sport while a med student isn't allowed, right?

I'd absolutely love a second chance at the sport my college injuries screwed me out of. Can't risk med school over a dream though 🙁

 

[Lil Mick]

I'm not talking about going pro. I was an athlete in college; one of the schools with which I was interviewing offered me a position on one of their teams during my non-clinical years (still had eligibility in that sport). Mine was not a football/basketball sport, so a little less intense, but it was an option brought up by a couple of schools based on my area of athletics.

For those sorts of sports, it is possible to do professional while in medical school. Send me a PM if you want to talk more--I can ask a friend who went that route during her MD/PhD 🙂

 

[Willy38]

Hi! I am an NCAA D1 athlete, and because of the time restraints that come with that I have limited EC involvement. I have some research and clinical volunteering/shadowing, but other than that my resume looks a little thin. I also have a LizzyM between 74-76. Any ideas if my limited EC involvement because of athletics will be an issue, especially at the top schools? Thanks!

Hi rememberthetitans,

Fellow athlete here. I just applied to the top schools with some success and am headed to my top choice next week.

For reference, I didn't have any research at all when I applied but worked to resolve that toward the end of the cycle. I had some non clinical volunteering and shadowing.

You've worked hard to get those numbers and you should do really well. Definitely take some shots at the top places but don't get set on any one place in particular. This process can be really crazy and it can be frustrating at times. Also work to volunteer or do research if you can during the app cycle. Athletics will be brought up and loved by some people and it will be glanced over by others. It's hard to predict what will happen but you won't know if you don't apply.

Be really thoughtful and introspective about your experience as an athlete and how being on a team will influence your life as a physician. Be transparent and genuine in your essays and you should do great. Best of luck and PM me if you want details of my cycle or advice for anything you run into !

 

[Willy38]

I'm not talking about going pro. I was an athlete in college; one of the schools with which I was interviewing offered me a position on one of their teams during my non-clinical years (still had eligibility in that sport). Mine was not a football/basketball sport, so a little less intense, but it was an option brought up by a couple of schools based on my area of athletics.

For those sorts of sports, it is possible to do professional while in medical school. Send me a PM if you want to talk more--I can ask a friend who went that route during her MD/PhD 🙂

baseball takes up the most time 😉 lol