Being a student-athlete help?

[larsry10]

I am a Division I football player. I know med schools are huge on commitment (what I've heard over and over in reference to volunteering and such), as well as leadership, and I feel that being a student-athlete incorporates both of those things.

Is this going to stick out a lot on my application? I'm not saying I'm going to bank on it to solely give me a ride into med school, but just how much will it help?

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[Omppu27]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=843390

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=969518

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=540850

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=902759

/thread

 

[wonderdog]

I am a Division I football player. I know med schools are huge on commitment (what I've heard over and over in reference to volunteering and such), as well as leadership, and I feel that being a student-athlete incorporates both of those things.

Is this going to stick out a lot on my application? I'm not saying I'm going to bank on it to solely give me a ride into med school, but just how much will it help?

In all honesty, I'm not sure it'll help much. Your application should be strong in GPA and MCAT, along with healthcare and science related extracurriculars. That being said, you can show the admissions committees that you're a well-rounded candidate with your involvement in sports, as long as it doesn't affect your GPA/MCAT

 

[Lollygag]

The general consensus on SDN is that being a student athlete will help an application. However, how much it helps will depend greatly on the opinion of the adcom member who interviews you.

 

[1cor1311]

In all honesty, I'm not sure it'll help much. Your application should be strong in GPA and MCAT, along with healthcare and science related extracurriculars. That being said, you can show the admissions committees that you're a well-rounded candidate with your involvement in sports, as long as it doesn't affect your GPA/MCAT

This person is incorrect. It will greatly benefit you if you are a division 1 athlete. The second part of this individual's post is correct however, that the remainder of your application needs to be distinguished.
I would highly recommend you acquire a letter of recommendation from your coach as well. Various ad com members have mentioned that coaches have written some of the best letters of rec they've ever read.
Best of luck.

 

[pre med 2014]

Yes it will help.

 

[mwall003]

I am a Division I football player. I know med schools are huge on commitment (what I've heard over and over in reference to volunteering and such), as well as leadership, and I feel that being a student-athlete incorporates both of those things.

Is this going to stick out a lot on my application? I'm not saying I'm going to bank on it to solely give me a ride into med school, but just how much will it help?

Being a student-athlete can definitely be a huge bonus. However, this does not mean you can glide your way into medical school. I believe the reason an athlete can be a potentially large bonus on your application is because of the dedication and perseverance it takes to not only be an athlete, but also an outstanding student.

You can't rely on being an athlete to get you in for instance, if you have a 3.0 and subpar MCAT, football will not get you into medical school. If your GPA is 3.5+ with a solid MCAT score, that will look impressive with you commitment to football.

 

[Snowdon48]

I also played D1 football and was told during my interview that the board was very impressed that I could maintain a high GPA while playing football. They saw this as a good sign that I could balance the intense schedule med school would bring. Good luck!

 

[Pons Asinorum]

I also played D1 football and was told during my interview that the board was very impressed that I could maintain a high GPA while playing football. They saw this as a good sign that I could balance the intense schedule med school would bring. Good luck!

This. If you have good grades + D1 athlete through college=gold.

 

[DrEnderW]

I think it helps only if you have the rest of the package.

I was an NCAA athlete + team captain + full-time athlete for a couple years and it gave me waayyy less of a boost than I thought it would. Of course, people loved to hear about it in interviews, but I thought it would help me more than it did.