College Athletes?

[DocHog]

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Well I definitely didn't see this coming. I was talking to a friend of mine today about this topic and he pointed out that his cousin is or was on the admissions committee for a medical school that I won't name here. This guy actually said that being in athletics can actually be a bad thing...depending on how the admissions committee looks at it. While participating in sports does show commitment to something, it shows little more than that. 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. Doesn't show leadership...unless you are a captain or play a leadership position such as a quarterback. 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. 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. Lastly, high profile athletes (football/basketball) are sometimes considered to be in sports because of the prestige and the attention they get.

I don't know what to think of this...I guess I can see the guy's point. But can you REALLY fault someone for being an athlete in college? It didn't sound like this guy and his admissions committee would actually turn down an applicant who happened to be athlete, but it definitely wouldn't get them any bonus points.

With all this being said, I definitely would NOT highlight athletics to the extent that it dominates your personal statement and secondary essays. Just my opinion after hearing this guy's side of the story. Thoughts?

Wow...It sounds like your friend definately has some jealousy issues when it come to athletes. From my experiences and interviews it has come as nothing but a positive. I have been on the Arkansas Track and Field Team for the last four years and I can gurantee you that it makes the GPA I have AT LEAST .2-.3 lower than it would be without the added time that athletics takes away from the day. I have taken exams on Airplanes and Hotel Lobbies (with our academic advisor beside me of course 🙂) and that is not an atmosphere conducive to exam taking.
Anyway it is mind boggling that your friend said that....

 

[dani042]

Well even though the OP asked for NCAA athletes, I want to jump in anyway. I played four years of softball at an NAIA school and we were just as committed and busy as many NCAA programs. In fact, most of the athletes at my school have better grades than the non-athletes because we stress school first athletics second. My team for example has never had a team GPA below a 3.0 in any semester in the 14 years my coach has been here. In most of our cases our grades were better IN SEASON as opposed to out of season because as an athlete that is constantly on the road you have to learn how to balance school work with everything else (games, practices, volunteering, other ECs, work, etc). I learned much more about myself as a person in my four years of college ball than I could have ever hoped to as a non-athlete. It's four years of my life that I will never give up and wouldn't trade for the world, even an acceptance to my #1 school! I talked about my experiences in my PS and it came up in a few of my interviews. One of my interviewers was a NAIA football player so he understood the situation and I can't help but think it was a bonus for me!

Being a college athlete is one of those things that "from the inside looking out you can't explain it, and from the outside looking in you will never understand it". Best of luck to all of you in w/ interviews and upcoming seasons!

 

[BabyKangaroo]

Being a college athlete is one of those things that "from the inside looking out you can't explain it, and from the outside looking in you will never understand it".

DI football, 5am workouts, class all day, jogging from biochem to meetings/film, falling asleep in meetings/film, my coach yelling at me, 2 1/2 hour practice, 1/2 hour in training room, rushing to cafeteria to eat before it closes, having to eat more than I possibly can to maintain weight, going home at 7:30, getting calls to go hang out, watch a movie, medical school lingers in my mind, have test next day, so I study, fall asleep, wake up, 5am workouts, class all day, jogging from... Cost? A lot of free time, energy, some relationships and more... Gain? Too much to write on any computer screen.

I don't care what medical school admissions isn't pleased with our effort in college athletics that we sometimes regrettably forced ourselves to stay in, but immensely enjoyed and wouldn't trade for the world in the end. Although I have a hard time believing that someone would go out of their way to think of reasons why being in athletics isn't a good thing. They probably 1. Got picked last too many times when they were growing up and 2. Are probably not on the admissions committee any longer We are all athletes here that have something from athletics that few ever experienced, or will ever experience. Remember what it is that you took away from these years in college, recall it often, and use it to fuel you (at the very least) in medical school and your future practices as physicians. I, BTW, got picked last a lot when I was younger. It is what you make of the circumstances you're in that counts, not the circumstances themselves! So keep going athletes...
It did make a huge difference in each of my interviews. Whatever sport you played, division, etc., make sure you always tie it to the qualities of being a doctor when you explain it in interviews/essays. And if they don't ask about it in interviews, bring it up yourself! In a some of my interviews they didn't mention it at all, but talked about it extensively after I finally tied it in 3/4 of the way through. I guess they were thinking, "if this is serious to this guy, let's see if he even talks about it." Keep going everyone!

 

[Playmakur42]

I am a division 1 softball player and am wondering if the schools will take this into consideration. I feel like this is a unique quality for a Medical Applicant to have and could really be a positive attribute.

It will definitely be a positive addition to your application. Comparing the GPA of a non-college athlete to a scholarship college athlete is like comparing apples to oranges.

There are alot of responsibilities (that have been mentioned already ad nauseum) when your college costs are being payed in return for your participation in a sport, and I'd be willing to bet a large sum of money that most adcoms recognize this.