Pre-med on sports team....

[Dr. Geoff]

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[johnd]

Though I personally did not play a sport in college I know that we have 3 or 4 students in my class who were Div. 1 athletes during undergrad.

In general, it looks very good to admissions committees to play a varsity sport and I think that you can get away with slightly lower numbers if you played all 4 years.

 

[WSU02]

We have a couple in my class who played varsity sports during undergrad. At least 1 person (that I know of) played football, and one of my friends played basketball.
Kristi

 

[Vasiley Zaitsev]

Originally posted by Jeff Smietana:
•I am a pre-med major on a Division One sports team. My advisor has told me that most people will stop playing because it will effect there studies. My sport is paying for my school and I was just wondering how many people have made it through or how long did they play a sport for. Thanks
- Jeff•

mercyhurst college, div I?

what sport do you play?

I was an All-American First Team in high school, but gave up sports in order to pursue a medical career. Why? Because in order for one to play Div I basketball at a good school, it is required of them to spend enormous amounts of time training..Time which would definitely take away from schooling.

I knew that I could play college sports, but not be at the top of my game unless I focused more on basketball than school. I won't play if I'm not giving it my all, but that's just me.

So, that's my advice. Walk timidly....

owcc16

 

[bostongirl22]

I was on a Division I sports team for the first 2 years of college, but I found that it was hurting my grades. I do know of people who were pre-med and did well while playing a sport too. It's all about just how much you can handle I guess and how passionate you are for the sport. It comes down to having no time for much else, so you really have to sacrifice anything else you might want to be doing with your time. The semesters when i was in season though definitely brought down my GPA though, so I'd be careful and make sure you have enough time for your studies!
-Shannon

 

[leorl]

I'm not at a Div. I school and being active on a sports team is still hurting my grades . But I don't care, I'll never stop doing this sport ever. Sounds stupid to place a sport above academics, but if you're really passionate about it, it's worth it. First and foremost, do what's enjoyable. If time pressures and academic worries then start eating into your enjoyment of the sport, stop doing it. I've wanted to quit so many times, but just found that I couldn't. Might as well try it out and see how you handle things before shooting that option down. Especially if your sports scholarship is paying tuition.

 

[buglady]

I too, was a pre-med and a Division I athlete. I ran cross country and track. I managed to eke out a decent gpa (3.8) and I participated all 4 years. We travelled alot, so I didn't have much of a social life. It was extremely difficult, but I don't regret my choice of classes. If anything, I learned how to be an expert in time management.
Most Div. I schools require their students to attend so many hours of study hall a week. I only had to go to study hall my freshman year because my grades were good. But every conference is different in terms of study and grade requirements. The good thing was that I always had access to tutors if I needed one.
If you really love the sport, I don't think you have to quit. However, if you think you won't be able to manage, then that'll be your decision to stop playing.

Good luck!

 

[rubberducky]

I was a division I full-scholarship athlete in a highly competitive sport at Duke. I enjoyed every moment of it, and although my gpa would have been higher if I did not play, I would never have quit. I pulled a decent gpa (3.6), but excelled on a national level athletically. I am still waiting to hear about interviews, but thus far I have received no rejections(1 interview already). From what I hear, being an athlete is a big plus with admission- especially if you are a leader on your team, etc. It was the first thing my interviewer asked about. Make the right decision for you, but being an athlete gives you a dimension that many others do not have, plus an opportunity to grow as a person. If you enjoy it...keep playing. Hope that helps.

 

[vinny11]

Did any of you guys ask your coach to right you a letter of rec? Why or why not?

 

[jdub]

hey,

i ran cross country for a few years at d-1 school and our coach used to say that you could only do two things well in school, ie partying and school, athletics and school, or partying and athletics.

i saw plenty of people who did very well in school and excelled in athletics, some of the baseball players even pulled it off and they were gone far more than any other team. we had really great tutoring services for athletes though.

i just think that it can be done and is a great thing to have on your med school app.

best of luck.

 

[bubbachuck]

I was a division I full-scholarship athlete in a highly competitive sport at Duke. I enjoyed every moment of it, and although my gpa would have been higher if I did not play, I would never have quit. I pulled a decent gpa (3.6), but excelled on a national level athletically. I am still waiting to hear about interviews, but thus far I have received no rejections(1 interview already). From what I hear, being an athlete is a big plus with admission- especially if you are a leader on your team, etc. It was the first thing my interviewer asked about. Make the right decision for you, but being an athlete gives you a dimension that many others do not have, plus an opportunity to grow as a person. If you enjoy it...keep playing. Hope that helps.

"highly competitive sport", eh? i see what you're saying. well, you can have Coach K write you a rec

(fellow Dukie here)

 

[Maxprime]

I was a division I full-scholarship athlete in a highly competitive sport at Duke.

You should just say basketball. Duke is not competitive in anything else except golf to my knowledge. I kid, out of curiosity - are they good @ anything else?

To the OP - admissions people love it. They aren't idiots - they know the time commitments required. But . . . it's highly regarded because you are balancing more than the average student and showing you can prioritize, etc. If you aren't doing nearly as well then you aren't balancing the load and you won't get credit for it. I shadowed a team of surgeons at a pretty respectable academic center and 2/5 residents were Div I athletes.

 

[toothsome]

This thread is like 7 years old.. Hahaha.

 

[gators13]

Jeff,

I just finished undergrad last May. I played D1 softball at UF and managed to graduate with a degree in Chemistry. My team played 60+ games each spring and over half each year were on the road. I took summer courses each year so I could graduate on time. If you love the sport don't quit! My years as an athlete at UF were the best of my life and have made my med school applications unique! Basketball and baseball are probably the toughest to play while going to school because off all the travel, but it can be done if you have a passion for both. Hope that helps.

 

[time md]

I have played varsity football for two years now, and have decided to give it up. I still have a decent 3.7 gpa, but I know I am 4.0 student. I decided to quit playing so that I can get my gpa up to the 3.85 range, start studying for the MCAT, and also do more shadowing (maybe even get a part time job in a doctors office).

OP, if you are considering quitting your sport do it for the right reasons. You need to search your ownself, and decide what is best for you. As for me, not playing anymore was the right decision.

 

[gators13]

I think the decision to quit also has to do with playing time. If I had not played as much as I did on my team, then I doubt I would have found it worth it. I guess that is selfish, but if I am at the field for 4+ hours a day, in the gym for another and getting up before 5 to condition in the fall and I am not a starter, then it would be harder for me to justify letting my grades suffer. Regardless, any time spent on a collegiate team (especially a D1 team) is looked upon favorably by adcoms.

 

[meggielou]

I played field hockey on scholarship at a very competitive DII school (we went to the final four a couple of times) and was actually the starting goalie. As people have said in other posts, my GPA took a bit of a hit for it, but adcoms like to see leadership, interests outside of medicine, etc. And I like to think that the experiences I had were worth having a slightly lower GPA. Just my 2cents

 

[87138]

I know of a guy from Wisconsin (undergrad), national class (read: All-American) in Track and Field, and even competed during his M1 year at Wisconsin. It clearly worked well for him.

 

[bubbachuck]

You should just say basketball. Duke is not competitive in anything else except golf to my knowledge. I kid, out of curiosity - are they good @ anything else?

i have to defend duke's honor here. we're decent all around. we place top 20 or so in the director's cup every year. 4th in 2004-2005. of the top of my head, besides basketball, we're good at soccer, lacrosse, and tennis.