D1 Athletics

[EaglesMED]

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Hi I am a athlete at a major D1 university (ACC). I am currently in my junior year at the school and have a 3.55 cGPA and a 3.46 sGPA. Does the fact that I play a sport in a high level conference give my application an edge over other applicants for schools like Georgetown, Tufts, or George Washington? Also my MCAT is a 32 (I took it early) and my school is BC. I know my GPA is a little on the low side, but I also thought that perhaps the adcom's would understand the huge time commitment it takes to play a D1 sport.

Thanks for your time,

EaglesMED

 

[tripwm]

Hey mate,

I was a pro triathlete with an Olympic Residence spot at the OTC in Colorado Springs and know a few D1 XC/track runners applying this year, so I know where you're coming from. The issue on my application was not playing up triathlons to too great of an extent (BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE). Are you researching? Are you volunteering (medical setting)? I was very weak in the volunteering area, so it could have hurt me. You still have 6 months, so I suggest you start volunteering your ass off. And I can't stress the importance of showing your life isn't just sports. Once you show that, you can play up your sports to the maximum. For example, my PS was about 33% athletics, 33% academic related, and 33% volunteering related. I didn't drop any big race names, but instead, I focused on what training at these levels had taught me. This is the most important part. It doesn't matter if you're a National Champion unless you've learned things about yourself. In the EC area, then start popping in what you've done in your sport (i.e. I talked about All-Americans, Worlds, international racing, training at the OTC, racing Ironmans- popping the impressive facts showing that you aren't a casual in your sport, instead, you love it and can spend a significant part of your youth doing so). Do. not. make. excuses.

In terms of chances, I've been accepted at my top choice (state school, PC rank in the top 30) with 2 interviews thus far at top 15 schools. My academic stats are a little bit higher than yours, but I doubt it's an issue. My interviewers loved talking about sports, and we had a good amount of fun. Did sports give me an advantage? Yes and no. On one side, I was different. On the other side, I hadn't spent a summer volunteering in another country or possessed several papers that I had authored. I was run-of-the-mill research/volunteering.

And more importantly, submit as early as you can. I screwed myself out of this, so the majority of my secondaries were submitted in November (destroying my chances at other top schools).

 

[WingedOx]

I mean, yeah... I guess... if you consider the ACC a real athletic conference.

 

[MossPoh]

I mean, yeah... I guess... if you consider the ACC a real athletic conference.

Comments like that usually come from delusional SEC fans who have no real historical perspective on college sports.😉

Anyway, I think you should probably distribute it a little more than the 1/3 route mentioned above simply because it has played more than a 1/3 role in your life. College athletes, D1 or not, invest a tremendous amount of time in their sport and I really think most people have no clue how difficult it is. Just to tryout as a walk-on at my undergrad I was waking up at 4:45 a.m. and training, going to to class all day, projects, second workout and getting 6-8 hours of sleep. It was a challenge to even make gains because I had to pencil in time to friggin eat...I also had a job which added to the difficulty but still...Shadowing is all good and great, but it is much lower yield for a career in medicine than a solid work ethic.

 

[denco88]

I am a D1 athlete, with similar, but a bit lower stats. I have also had some people on my team apply to medical school. What I have found, and this may not be the case for everyone, is that while schools will tell you its amazing that you have made such a commitment for your entire life, they would have liked to see more volunteering, more clinical experience, etc... Things that you really just have not had time for when you go to class everyday and then commit 20 hours a week to training alone, not to mention all of the extra things that people do not realize come with athletics. Many of the athletes at my school end up going to DO schools because of this. Not because their stats weren't top notch, but because their EC's were lacking what the MD schools would like to see. With that said, its not impossible with your stats at all! This has just been the experience I have had at my school with our athletic department and medical school.

 

[WingedOx]

oh c'mon now. I would have made the same comment no matter what conference he came from. (though in all seriousness, what the hell is wrong with ACC basketball this year?)

 

[tlaloc87]

I am a D1 athlete, with similar, but a bit lower stats. I have also had some people on my team apply to medical school. What I have found, and this may not be the case for everyone, is that while schools will tell you its amazing that you have made such a commitment for your entire life, they would have liked to see more volunteering, more clinical experience, etc... Things that you really just have not had time for when you go to class everyday and then commit 20 hours a week to training alone, not to mention all of the extra things that people do not realize come with athletics. Many of the athletes at my school end up going to DO schools because of this. Not because their stats weren't top notch, but because their EC's were lacking what the MD schools would like to see. With that said, its not impossible with your stats at all! This has just been the experience I have had at my school with our athletic department and medical school.

My experience summed up in bold. It helped start a lot of conversations at interviews, but at the end of the day they still had certain other things they were looking for--boxes to check off, if you will. Admittedly, my stats are a bit higher and I have extensive volunteer experience, but I really can't say that D1 athletics can make up for certain must haves: solid stats, sustained and diverse clinical exposure, volunteering, research, etc.

That being said, if you think you're lacking in any particular area you still have some time to fill gaps. They may not be genuinely meaningful experiences but that would be ideal. Best of luck.

 

[iniquus]

oh c'mon now. I would have made the same comment no matter what conference he came from. (though in all seriousness, what the hell is wrong with ACC basketball this year?)

There is no problem. Kyrie Irving is God.

 

[WingedOx]

There is no problem. Kyrie Irving is God.

yeah, that's kinda the problem. One team does not a conference make.

 

[blh53]

As a D1 athlete having gone through the cycle twice now I have found that it provides, if nothing else, a great topic of conversation for interviews. Adcoms do recognize the commitment that it requires and have a great deal of respect for us. I am convinced that it is what got me into at least one of my schools.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Agree with the responses here. Having a D1 athletics background is great IF you have the stats and ECs to go along with it, but you cannot use it as an excuse for a less than average GPA or EC experiences. However, this experience will benefit your for a long time. It even came up during my recent residency interviews. So in the time between now and applying get those things on your apps that everyone else has too, they are unfortunately check-boxes that need to be there. Good luck.

 

[jagonzo]

Even with a decent MCAT score and great GPA, I tried to talk up my D1 athletics too much in my essays and occassionaly in an interview when provoked. This was not exactly intended to boast, but rather to explain where I was spending the great majority of my time outside of classes. After being rejected in my first cycle from all of my schools, I met with an adcom member at one school who very simply told me to leave it out. I couldn't exactly leave it out, since it was still such a large part of my college career (and I'm proud of it!), but I summed it all up as a casual lead-in to some other EC or personal accomplishment.

My suggestion - just don't use your hard-fought varsity letter as a crutch. Mention it among the greater list of things that makes you a unique applicant!

Good luck!