Playing A Division III Sport In College?

[GallbLad]

Is playing a collegiate sport (D3) a big no no for premed? Because this will have a negative impact on my grades and MCAT. But surely the admission boards will take this account? And to what degree will they overshadow the lower GPA and MCAT? Will they take a person with a collegiate sport and 3.6 over a person with a 3.7?

I wish to do the sport for my own enjoyment, but I know from personal experience that I become fatigued from it and impedes my ability to study. Should I just forgo this sport altogether?

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[gyngyn]

The first thing the screener sees is your gpa. If that is good enough to keep her reading your sport may (or may not) serve as an interesting EC. Sport will not serve to remediate weak scores.

 

[Mdtichen]

Is playing a collegiate sport (D3) a big no no for premed? Because this will have a negative impact on my grades and MCAT. But surely the admission boards will take this account? And to what degree will they overshadow the lower GPA and MCAT? Will they take a person with a collegiate sport and 3.6 over a person with a 3.7?

I wish to do the sport for my own enjoyment, but I know from personal experience that I become fatigued from it and impedes my ability to study. Should I just forgo this sport altogether?

I played a DI sport and I was fine. You just need to know how to balance your time with school, practice, traveling, etc. From when I woke up to when I went to bed, I made sure I was being productive with all of my time. For example, when I was early for practice I would be going over flashcards. In between classes, I would go over notes. Every minute, I made sure I was being productive as my time was very valuable.

Do I regret playing a sport in college? Definitely not.

Did I think it helped me get into medical school?
No. I think my time could have been better spent doing EC's that would have strengthened my app. I had barely any clinical experience because it wasn't possible to do during the year and I spent my summers doing research.

 

[GallbLad]

I played a DI sport and I was fine. You just need to know how to balance your time with school, practice, traveling, etc. From when I woke up to when I went to bed, I made sure I was being productive with all of my time. For example, when I was early for practice I would be going over flashcards. In between classes, I would go over notes. Every minute, I made sure I was being productive as my time was very valuable.

Do I regret playing a sport in college? Definitely not.

Did I think it helped me get into medical school?
No. I think my time could have been better spent doing EC's that would have strengthened my app. I had barely any clinical experience because it wasn't possible to do during the year and I spent my summers doing research.

What I'm getting out of this is that, in terms of actually getting into medical school, a collegiate sport just makes it more difficult. However, the experience from playing the sport and learning how to manage your time much more efficiently is the reward.

 

[Mdtichen]

What I'm getting out of this is that, in terms of actually getting into medical school, a collegiate sport just makes it more difficult. However, the experience from playing the sport and learning how to manage your time much more efficiently is the reward.

Hmm that's a good way to put it haha. This is just from my experience though. I definitely learned how to manage my time and I feel that I am much better than most at it. I was also more focused than most of my pre-med colleagues. I have absolutely no regrets though, the things that I learned and habits that I developed will stay with me for the rest of my life. And that is invaluable in my opinion. Plus, I enjoyed the 3 or 4 hours a day that I was at practice. It made me more refreshed and made me more motivated to study.

 

[scruggs92]

I was a D2 athlete for my first two years. Being a college athlete is a huge commitment, but I have heard it helps you stand out! I stopped playing so I could focus on school, volunteering, and a medical related job. I play intramural sports and I heard that looks good on your application too. Sports make a person more well rounded!

 

[Irish Football]

The first thing the screener sees is your gpa. If that is good enough to keep her reading your sport may (or may not) serve as an interesting EC. Sport will not serve to remediate weak scores.

This.

 

[Batman MD]

Is playing a collegiate sport (D3) a big no no for premed? Because this will have a negative impact on my grades and MCAT. But surely the admission boards will take this account? And to what degree will they overshadow the lower GPA and MCAT? Will they take a person with a collegiate sport and 3.6 over a person with a 3.7?

I wish to do the sport for my own enjoyment, but I know from personal experience that I become fatigued from it and impedes my ability to study. Should I just forgo this sport altogether?

I swam DI in college. It won't necessarily make a negative impact on your GPA, and you sure as hell won't be able to use your sport as an "excuse" for a poor GPA. I was able to use the tough work schedule as a way of organizing my life and schoolwork more effectively.

I went on an interview at Georgetown med earlier this year and one of the first things that the director of admissions told us was that she could fill an entire class with DI-III athletes. It is impressive to be an NCAA athlete, but some schools won't put as much weight on that factor.

Regardless, you're going to need a good GPA and a good MCAT, but it is still very possible even as a DIII athlete.

 

[DrEnderW]

I swam DI in college. It won't necessarily make a negative impact on your GPA, and you sure as hell won't be able to use your sport as an "excuse" for a poor GPA. I was able to use the tough work schedule as a way of organizing my life and schoolwork more effectively.

I went on an interview at Georgetown med earlier this year and one of the first things that the director of admissions told us was that she could fill an entire class with DI-III athletes. It is impressive to be an NCAA athlete, but some schools won't put as much weight on that factor.

Regardless, you're going to need a good GPA and a good MCAT, but it is still very possible even as a DIII athlete.

This.

I would say, without a doubt, being a college athlete impacted my GPA negatively. I played a year round sport with huuge time commitments that could have been used to study and do more medically relevant ECs. It's a fact you'll have to work harder than the person next to you and you'll have to make more sacrifices. However, there are bazillions of student-athletes that get it done every year. It's up to you.

If I didn't play a sport, I honestly do think I could have gotten into a "higher-ranked" med school... but it would be at the expense of so many more meaningful experiences that will impact my life in much more dramatic ways than the name of a school. I think the leadership experiences and team-work skills learned by playing a college sport are invaluable.

To me, being an athlete was equally as important as being pre-med. With a little work and dedication, you can excel in both.

 

[PTPoeny]

I played a D1 sport in college. Playing a sport in and of itself isn't going to be a deciding factor on your application. You do need to have the grades and MCAT scores no matter what and plenty of people get good GPAs doing both. Realistically you aren't allowed to put more hours into NCAA sports than many other people put into jobs and you if you have a scholarship you are effectively getting paid a lot more per hour than people with a job.

Playing a sport gives you the opportunity to get involved with some awesome leadership activities and volunteer activities. For me, it was these experiences that I spent most of my interviews (for both med school and residency) talking about. All my ECs for my medical school application other than some basic science research were ECs I did as a student athlete.

Playing a sport did affect my coursework in that I took less credits during my season. I graduated in 4 years but took a 5th year to finish prereqs and apply (the good news is that if you don't redshirt you can still get your scholarship for this year). There is no way I could have successfully applied and interviewed while competing. I only had a few classes to take so I also worked part time for the state health department and it was an awesome experience.

Playing a sport is not a bad thing to do while planning to go to medical school. But you can't use it as a crutch for getting bad grades.

 

[imer]

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[headsortails]

It doesn't have to be a big no, but you really have to love the sport you choose to play. I was a partial scholarship athlete last season. Professors were understanding for the most part, but this changes at every school. I will say that not playing has opened up so many options when it comes to how to spend my time. Before, I never would have thought that it was possible to work 15+ hours a week, be a full time student, be active in multiple clubs, and have time to volunteer/shadow.

The 'skills' we learn from all this stuff come from being on a team too, though. Avoiding injury and stress around midterms and finals are the only bad part of being an athlete.

If you're worried about being fatigued, just make a point to study first. You'll adjust, I promise.

 

[ECrunzie]

i was blessed with the oppurtunities to have extracuricular activities (parents paid most tuition etc) so i was able to run cross and track d3. i did it because i loved it, and i will never have a chance to do it again. youve got the rest of your life to work and study, but 4 years to compete at a collegiate level. in my case, competing helped my academics, it gave me the discipline to work ahead and stay focused, and found a good group of friends. so if you truly love the sport, compete. if you find its hurting your grades, then reconsider, but unless you have other cricumstanes i dont think that would be the pressing issue in d3