Athletics?

[XOXO123]

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I feel like on this forum I frequently see approval (from adcoms and others) of NCAA sports as great ECs and as valuable experiences; however, the attitude towards sports that are pursued individually, or through clubs, particularly things like sailing, skiing, horses, etc, seems to be slightly negative? Please correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what I've seen a couple times in my somewhat limited reading. I participate in a sport like those and will be listing it on my AMCAS, but I'm wondering if I should avoid talking about it during interviews, or if there's some negative perception that I would need to be ready to address during interviews? I don't really see the difference myself and feel that I've experienced great personal growth through my experiences, but I would love to hear other perspectives!

 

[Goro]

Do not underestimate the fondness Admissions deans seem to have for athlete scholars.

 

[theKingLT]

I feel like on this forum I frequently see approval (from adcoms and others) of NCAA sports as great ECs and as valuable experiences; however, the attitude towards sports that are pursued individually, or through clubs, particularly things like sailing, skiing, horses, etc, seems to be slightly negative? Please correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what I've seen a couple times in my somewhat limited reading. I participate in a sport like those and will be listing it on my AMCAS, but I'm wondering if I should avoid talking about it during interviews, or if there's some negative perception that I would need to be ready to address during interviews? I don't really see the difference myself and feel that I've experienced great personal growth through my experiences, but I would love to hear other perspectives!

What I've gotten from similar questions is that the most beneficial aspects of athletics in terms of medicine are teamwork, leadership, and time management. If you do a solo (non team oriented sport), are not in a leadership position, and only commit a few hours a week to your sport, then obviously it's not that beneficial. If you do have any of these things then focus on them so adcoms know that you gained some useful skills from your sport

 

[mistafab]

Participating in sport collegiately is different than having a sport as a hobby.

Both can be great for you personally. Schools look favorably towards people who can balance the large demands of sport and classes, especially if involved in other extracurriculars. Sports as hobbies are really just treated like hobbies. They are great, but they aren’t a “responsibility” in the same sense.

 

[doc05]

I feel like on this forum I frequently see approval (from adcoms and others) of NCAA sports as great ECs and as valuable experiences; however, the attitude towards sports that are pursued individually, or through clubs, particularly things like sailing, skiing, horses, etc, seems to be slightly negative? Please correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what I've seen a couple times in my somewhat limited reading. I participate in a sport like those and will be listing it on my AMCAS, but I'm wondering if I should avoid talking about it during interviews, or if there's some negative perception that I would need to be ready to address during interviews? I don't really see the difference myself and feel that I've experienced great personal growth through my experiences, but I would love to hear other perspectives!

Depends. Which sport?

 

[grateful_phys]

Participating in sport collegiately is different than having a sport as a hobby.

Both can be great for you personally. Schools look favorably towards people who can balance the large demands of sport and classes, especially if involved in other extracurriculars. Sports as hobbies are really just treated like hobbies. They are great, but they aren’t a “responsibility” in the same sense.

To me playing a sport collegiately was like a job..
was up at 5AM for practices, came to class exhausted and sweaty. Had games day before midterms and had no choice but to make both work. Put in over 20 hours a week but it doesn’t stop there because you are physically and emotionally exhausted all the time too. It’s an extreme commitment.

 

[XOXO123]

Depends. Which sport?

Would prefer not to specify to remain anonymous, but one of the three I mentioned in my original post. Those are the ones I feel like I see grouped together sometimes in a negative light. The schedule was not quite one of an NCAA athlete, but it was more than a hobby for me throughout college and did involve a team, practices, competitions, etc.

 

[doc05]

Would prefer not to specify to remain anonymous, but one of the three I mentioned in my original post. Those are the ones I feel like I see grouped together sometimes in a negative light. The schedule was not quite one of an NCAA athlete, but it was more than a hobby for me throughout college and did involve a team, practices, competitions, etc.

Skiing is ok.

But sailing and equestrian are truly elitist pursuits that only the very rich and spoiled get into.

 

[CJhooper123]

To me playing a sport collegiately was like a job..
was up at 5AM for practices, came to class exhausted and sweaty. Had games day before midterms and had no choice but to make both work. Put in over 20 hours a week but it doesn’t stop there because you are physically and emotionally exhausted all the time too. It’s an extreme commitment.

Yup. I wrote ~30-35 hours/week on my AMCAS/AACOMAS applications.
Literally would travel all over the country while studying pre-med. **** was insane. Worst feeling in the world is sitting on a redeye at 2 am, going from California to Boston, preparing for a thermodynamics exam that you have to take the next day.

 

[JPmoleymole]

Equestrian and skiing are NCAA sports, so that should be no problem. If you were involved in those but not through the NCAA, then it’s basically club sports

Sailing is a different story since it isn’t an official NCAA sport - but if you are involved in the ICSA its legit.

Regardless, you should be competeting at the highest level in your sport if you truly want to distinguish yourself