College athlete, can I do 5 years undergrad?

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[sedaniel]

Hi, I am on the track team at my university, and I walked on to the team after training during my freshman year. After my first season (this year), I still have 3 years of eligibility left.

Would it be reasonable to stretch my degree out to 5 years to use up all of my eligibility? I see college as the only time I will ever be able to do track, and after working so hard just to BE on the team, I want to get as much of it in as I can. Will medical schools be in line with this? What if I were to take on more volunteer/research responsibilities my 5th year?

Just a disclaimer, I do not have time management troubles and do not need the extra year to raise my GPA or anything. This is purely me wanting to do track longer.

So you just finished your sophomore year then? I'm not really sure how med schools would respond to this, but just some general advice: having taken 5 years for undergrad myself, I have to say that when you're ending your 4th year you may not even want to go back to college. I really didn't like coming back for that 5th year because so many of my friends had moved on and I was ready to be out of there. Something to think about. But to each his or her own 🙂

 

[jj6vcb]

I did five years and it was no big with regards to admissions. Mine was because I decided on medicine late in the game. I did miss my friends that graduated, though.

 

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[csmittyB]

That's correct. I don't think that will be a problem for me since I have my teammates around, so that will keep things pretty fun. I just plan on keeping the course load light and being able to research and volunteer on top of track. My event is way too much fun to just waste a year of it to go to medical school 🙂

Disclaimer: I think track is pointless

You really want to potentially give up a year of earning potential to do track? Do you at least have scholarships? Otherwise you are giving up a year of earning potential and paying tuition to run track.

 

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[d1ony5u5]

I don't think you'll have any trouble at all. I did 5 years too, for a somewhat similar reason. My reason was that I went to live abroad through an education abroad program with my university. It wasn't anything athletic, but it was similar to your situation in that it was totally optional, and not many people saw the benefit of doing it (I studied literature instead of bio there, so I received absolutely no credit for the classes I took).

Do what you like, and in the end, it will end up serving you well. I think one of the factors that got me into the schools I got into was the fact that I was different from the average premed in that I showed no hurry to get into medicine. I took time to do things that I was curious about, learned a lot, and I believe it set me apart from the herd.

So I say take that year and have the time of your life!

PS. Important point. None of my interviewers ever brought up the fact that I finished undergrad in 5 years. I was the one who brought it up in connection to my experiences living abroad, speaking another language, etc.

 

[Jlaw]

Hi, I am on the track team at my university, and I walked on to the team after training during my freshman year. After my first season (this year), I still have 3 years of eligibility left.

Would it be reasonable to stretch my degree out to 5 years to use up all of my eligibility? I see college as the only time I will ever be able to do track, and after working so hard just to BE on the team, I want to get as much of it in as I can. Will medical schools be in line with this? What if I were to take on more volunteer/research responsibilities my 5th year?

Just a disclaimer, I do not have time management troubles and do not need the extra year to raise my GPA or anything. This is purely me wanting to do track longer.

Definitely do it. If you can compete on the track team and maintain a high gpa that is huge. Anyone ragging on you obviously doesn't realize what it takes to run track at the college level.

And in the big scheme of things who really cares about a year of lost earning potential. Just do an extra year at the end, you'll be making more then anyway

 

[YoungGregory]

You won't have any trouble at all. Alot of College athletes (Div 1) will redshirt their freshmen year so they're in college for five years. Plus being on the track team will probably look good on your application.

 

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[RunningDiva]

Very good info, thanks for the help! I've gathered that the admissions people like applicants who have passion, and becoming a doctor is just one of the many goals I pursue passionately.

The way I figure it, there's PLENTY of time for us to work in life, but only one, short, four (or five) year period to be in college and have the freedom to do anything we want. After college, pole vaulting will be out of my life unless I decide when I'm much older, so I want to savor it.

I think you said it best right here. You have the rest of your life to work. Fitness for an athlete many only last for so long and unless you plan on pursuing Olympics, track will most likely end after college. Soak it up. Take your time. College, in my opinion, was by far the easiest and most enjoyable time of my adult life. Only retirement may trump it.

 

[searun]

Disclaimer: I think track is pointless

You really want to potentially give up a year of earning potential to do track? Do you at least have scholarships? Otherwise you are giving up a year of earning potential and paying tuition to run track.

Do you even know who Steve Prefontaine is? Holy mother of Abraham Lincoln!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Do it. Admissions committees don't care at all, and a lot of my classmates have told me they wish they'd taken a year off/done something fun before medical school. Furthermore, those that DID do that, all of them have said they thought it was a great decision. In the grand scheme of things, one year of earning potential... is fairly irrelevant, and doubly so if it doesn't make you as happy as track would.

 

[Tippyboat]

5 years is fine, but the only thing that could potentially hurt you is you said you plan to have light course loads. Yes sports is a big commitment, but it only helps if you have everything else solid.

 

[Danlee07]

Ha.. i do track in sec too...800m...but yeah, im 4 1/2 yrs as well, but most likely will just stretch it out to 5.

 

[illuminati5]

I'm with you here-- I'm staying to finish out my last year of eligibility next year as the "year off" before I hopefully matriculate.
It's for something I really love and have done for most of my teenage-young adult life (tennis) and I figured, like you said, that you only have so many years to do something athletic that you love before your real career starts.

So Go For It! 😀 👍

 

[7nut12]

Go for it. I'm also a college athlete (football) and I'm using every year of eligibility the NCAA will give me. Taking a 5th year won't look back (if anything maybe you'll be considered more mature, who knows). This is the only chance in your life you'll have to participate in college athletics, so if it's something you love then just do it. Med schools love well-rounded applicants. Being a college athlete will show that you can balance a lot of responsibilities at one time and you're good at managing your time. Have fun and keep your grades up.

 

[ARK013]

Go for it. I'm also a college athlete (football) and I'm using every year of eligibility the NCAA will give me. Taking a 5th year won't look back (if anything maybe you'll be considered more mature, who knows). This is the only chance in your life you'll have to participate in college athletics, so if it's something you love then just do it. Med schools love well-rounded applicants. Being a college athlete will show that you can balance a lot of responsibilities at one time and you're good at managing your time. Have fun and keep your grades up.

👍 I played football too, and in all actually I'm fairly certain thats what got me accepted because one of my interviewers really liked football! He was an older fellow who asked many questions about it and then actually slapped me on the butt on the way out of the interview like he was all pumped up for a game (It was like an athletic slap...Not a weird one haha). That being said I suppose an interviewer could hate track too, but I really doubt that would happen. It's definitely seen as mature just make sure it doesn't look like all you did was mess around the final year!

 

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[Poliscidoc]

I'm doing the same thing but not for track but for football.. Also OP if your in the SEC- ROLL TIDE ROLL

 

[riceman04]

Do it. Admissions committees don't care at all, and a lot of my classmates have told me they wish they'd taken a year off/done something fun before medical school. Furthermore, those that DID do that, all of them have said they thought it was a great decision. In the grand scheme of things, one year of earning potential... is fairly irrelevant, and doubly so if it doesn't make you as happy as track would.

bwahahahahaha...all those Rice overachievers...no life at all...daddy said go straight to med school...so they did ...and now they regret it

 

[riceman04]

I'm doing the same thing but not for track but for football.. Also OP if your in the SEC- ROLL TIDE ROLL

FAIL!!!!!

Forrest Gump U. will NOT be repeating. This past college football season was a DISGRACE! Order will be reestablished...

FIGHT ON! 😎

 

[Poliscidoc]

FAIL!!!!!

Forrest Gump U. will NOT be repeating. This past college football season was a DISGRACE! Order will be reestablished...

FIGHT ON! 😎

Jennie said run and Bama ran all over that ass. Can't talk **** until your team has as many titles as bama.

Got 13?

 

[searun]

👍 I played football too, and in all actually I'm fairly certain thats what got me accepted because one of my interviewers really liked football! He was an older fellow who asked many questions about it and then actually slapped me on the butt on the way out of the interview like he was all pumped up for a game (It was like an athletic slap...Not a weird one haha). That being said I suppose an interviewer could hate track too, but I really doubt that would happen. It's definitely seen as mature just make sure it doesn't look like all you did was mess around the final year!

Yep, nothing like a good hard slap on the ass when you are leaving a med school interview, as long as he does not grab your private parts and give them a good hard yank.