While participating in sports does show commitment to something, it shows little more than that.
Wow.... you cant be serious....
First of all, it shows absolutely nothing regarding your compassion towards others. In fact, participating in sports is almost selfish, you are there to have fun and it won't benefit anyone else.
So by me playing sports for four years in college, I am now no longer a hard worker but a selfish, fun-seeking uncaring person??? Your telling me that I went running almost the point of complete systemic shutdown just for my own amusement, and that when I played a TEAM sport, i was so self centered that I had no compassion to anyone else for those four years? Compassion for others is not based solely on whether or not you played sports... It might not be the best display of it, but it shouldnt take away from a persons character just because they played sports. The guy on the admissions committee was, and im only guessing, not an athlete, or perhaps was jealous of people who pursued their dream of playing collegiate level athletics while he holed up in a room and studied all day long.
Doesn't show leadership...unless you are a captain or play a leadership position such as a quarterback.
Just because someone wasnt a captain doesnt mean they were a leader. I was priviliged enough to be a captain, but a perfect example of a leader was my roommate. While not the best player on the team, that guy lead people many times in ways that arent "typical" of a captain. Restricting leadership to someone who has a label is like saying the president is our leader and his cabinet doesnt do crap.
It doesn't necessarily show you are a hard worker...we have all seen that gifted athlete that doesn't have to do anything but show up on game day and still dominate their sport.
Seriously, I CANNOT believe this dude said this. Ya, some people are born with more talent athletically than others, but it doesnt mean they didnt do anything to get to that point. Even if they do just show up on game day and dominate, they still had practice all week long, probably for multiple hours which in turn pushed back their homework for the night making it even harder for them to complete and get ready for the next day of the same thing. I dont know how people who have never played a college sport think, but its not all butterflies and rainbows. You KILL yourself both physically and mentally just by going through basic practices, which doesnt even include putting in the extra effort outside of practice. To say that you MIGHT not necessarily be a hard worker when you play a college sport seems almost ludicrous to me. And, how the heck are the admins supposed to know who is and who isnt so naturally talented they didnt have to work hard. Error on the side of the majority and you have to assume college athletes are hard workers at heart.
He also mentioned that athletes can be considered immature. At some point in life, people need to grow up and college athletes seem to be just holding on to the past glory days of high school athletics. That part of life is over, move on and further develop yourself as a person...not just a jock that could play sports well.
Contrary to popular belief, not every athlete is like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. For a majority of college athletes, its not the fact that we are trying to hold onto past "glory days" that drives us to continue on and play, but the fact that we KNOW we can be better than we already are and are willing to make that sacrifice to make new glory days. When you play sports, its not about the past but about the future. Ask any Championship team in the world.... I guarantee they will say that they loved that championship, but as soon as the next season starts the past doesnt matter, only the future and that next goal.
And oh my gosh, further develop yourself as a person?!?!?! This guy definitely did not play college sports. I learned more than I could have ever imagined playing college sports, both about myself and about life in general. Im not talking about fundamentals and footwork, but life long lessons on morals and LEADERSHIP and what it takes to be what I want to be. I developed more as a person during my time on the baseball field than I did in ALL my other time spent in class and volunteering. In fact, who's to say someone who isnt in sports isnt immature and just sitting on their couch all day playing video games. The fact that he labeled college athletes immature is down right pathetic. College athletes have to be some of the most mature and guided people because of the extra stress put on them to achieve what they are trying to achieve.
Lastly, high profile athletes (football/basketball) are sometimes considered to be in sports because of the prestige and the attention they get.
I cant argue that one.... except for teh fact that some people become doctors because of the "prestige and the attention they get".... weird.... i wouldnt have guessed that some people in the world are flawed....
Now im not intending to blast you my fellow pre-med
🙂, none of this flack is directed at you personally. But seriously, that guy is unbelievable to judge a college athlete like that. If that is a common thought amongst admissions committee's around the country I would be 100% shocked. If you ever talk to him again, give him my screen name so he can get my phone number and we can talk cause I'll argue him to the death.
As for highlighting athletics in your personal statement, I was merely commenting on my own personal statement... For me, my experience in athletics displayed me as a person almost perfectly, so it worked. Im not saying everyone else should do that, just was making a comment.
