Varsity Athlete

[thegreatjaspy]

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I was a 4 year NCAA varsity athlete and 3 year team captain, how favorable is this on an application? I know that leadership skills are valued, and playing a varsity sport is a similar time commitment to a full time job....

 

[mct2762]

I would definitely include it. Maybe even use it in your statement to show how you managed the time constraints of that and were still able to succeed in school. Shows a lot

 

[touchpause13]

I think it's very interesting but it won't make up for a crap GPA or MCAT

 

[thegreatjaspy]

GPA 3.3 mcat pending (should be high 20s).. SDN causes major fluctuations in confidence, one day I will feel like I am in a good position, the next I feel like an underdog

 

[mct2762]

GPA 3.3 mcat pending (should be high 20s).. SDN causes major fluctuations in confidence, one day I will feel like I am in a good position, the next I feel like an underdog

SDN caused me so much anxiety when I was a pre med...and it still does now that I'm in med school. Don't believe 99% of the stuff you see on here

 

[EmCEm]

I was a 4 year NCAA varsity athlete and 3 year team captain, how favorable is this on an application? I know that leadership skills are valued, and playing a varsity sport is a similar time commitment to a full time job....

Schools definitely appreciate seeing that someone has had other passions and interests and excelled in them as well. My team involvements seemed appreciated. 3.3/high 20's are solid stats too. Hopefully you have some clinical ECs, volunteering, shadowing, etc. too.

 

[studentp0x]

I think it's very interesting but it won't make up for a crap GPA or MCAT

Why would you assume the OP has crappy stats?

 

[thegreatjaspy]

Schools definitely appreciate seeing that someone has had other passions and interests and excelled in them as well. My team involvements seemed appreciated. 3.3/high 20's are solid stats too. Hopefully you have some clinical ECs, volunteering, shadowing, etc. too.

I have over 100 ER volunteer hours, 2+ years stem cell research, 2 medical relief trips abroad, 1 month long non-medical service trip to 3rd world country, 10+ shadowing hours now, on going weekly for the next month+ with a DO who will be writing my letter of rec, awesome letters of rec from science faculty I had 2+ classes with each and coaches, extreme upward trend in GPA, 1 year vice president of medical relief trip club on campus, poster presentation at one local and one national undergraduate research conference, graduated with distinction in Biology...

 

[EmCEm]

I have over 100 ER volunteer hours, 2+ years stem cell research, 2 medical relief trips abroad, 1 month long non-medical service trip to 3rd world country, 10+ shadowing hours now, on going weekly for the next month+ with a DO who will be writing my letter of rec, awesome letters of rec from science faculty I had 2+ classes with each and coaches, extreme upward trend in GPA, 1 year vice president of medical relief trip club on campus, poster presentation at one local and one national undergraduate research conference, graduated with distinction in Biology...

Sounds great.. Solid, well rounded applicant from my perspective. Definitely include your varsity sport in the application. It won't hurt for certain, and I think it is a booster. You mentioned leadership.. But also just working hard toward something shows dedication, perseverance, etc.

 

[thegreatjaspy]

Hoping that is how I come across to admissions committees

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Why would you assume the OP has crappy stats?

I don't want to put words in her mouth but I don't think that's what she meant.

She was probably saying it's a nice thing on an application but the more important thing is a good MCAT and GPA.

Hoping that is how I come across to admissions committees

@Goro

 

[mct2762]

I have over 100 ER volunteer hours, 2+ years stem cell research, 2 medical relief trips abroad, 1 month long non-medical service trip to 3rd world country, 10+ shadowing hours now, on going weekly for the next month+ with a DO who will be writing my letter of rec, awesome letters of rec from science faculty I had 2+ classes with each and coaches, extreme upward trend in GPA, 1 year vice president of medical relief trip club on campus, poster presentation at one local and one national undergraduate research conference, graduated with distinction in Biology...

you will definitely want to get a lot more shadowing

 

[studentp0x]

I don't want to put words in her mouth but I don't think that's what she meant.

She was probably saying it's a nice thing on an application but the more important thing is a good MCAT and GPA.



@Goro

The OP never mentioned that they have low stats. It's also unlikely that a hard working individual who's goal is medical school would have low stats.

Anyway, Goro already addressed this same thing when I asked about my national and world titles/records in my sport combined with national level success in another sport. As long as your stats are up to standard, then it benefits your application quite a bit in that it shows dedication, a strong work ethic, commitment etc. It can also help you stand out, and how much it does depends on who's reading it.

 

[thegreatjaspy]

you will definitely want to get a lot more shadowing

I plan to get 50ish hours in, what is the consensus on the minimum requirement?

 

[Jwalker]

They love athletes. We are used to having strict schedules which imparts good time management to us. Adcoms love that ish. Among other things - being able to work in a team, having outside interests, not looking like one of those naked mole rat lab techs etc ...

 

[mct2762]

I plan to get 50ish hours in, what is the consensus on the minimum requirement?

I'm not sure. I've heard around 100 is good, but honestly, I think you will be ok with 50. Not sure where I heard the 100 hour quote, but I do remember hearing it somewhere. One of the things that got mentioned in a few of my interviews was that I shadowed a variety of doctors...I was exposed to a lot of different types of medicine. So maybe try to see a little of everything

 

[DrEnderW]

I was a 4 year NCAA varsity athlete and 3 year team captain, how favorable is this on an application? I know that leadership skills are valued, and playing a varsity sport is a similar time commitment to a full time job....

I was an athlete and team captain for a very time demanding sport so I understand where you are coming from. I also had some atypical athletic experiences very few med students have.

That being said, it did not impact my app in the way I thought it would. It was a small component of my interview discussions, as many people don't relate to those experiences. There are a lot of NCAA athletes in medical school and I think it's one of the best ECs you can have, but not much more than that. In reality, pursuing a sport competitively is the most important thing I've done but GPA and MCAT are still what writes your ticket.

Good luck!

 

[touchpause13]

Why would you assume the OP has crappy stats?

I wasn't. I was just trying to give OP advice about how much influence being a varsity athlete would have over his or her application

 

[Straw Hat]

My gf's dad was assistant dean for a short time at a medical school and said anyone who played sports catches his eye. But that's because he played college ball so I can see why he'd like athletes. So I'd say it probably depends on the luck of the draw/who your interviewer is. Are they an avid sports fan, did they play the same sport, etc?

Can I ask how the application asks you to fill out your time playing sports in college? I played college baseball for a couple of years but decided to major in nursing which wouldn't really allow me to keep playing. They were not happy about my decision and that I'd be missing games/practices for clinical. Do you just list.. college baseball, 4 years? I'd rather not have to explain why I didn't continue playing or be labeled as a quitter if I say… college baseball 2 years or something like that.

 

[birdboybird]

If Floyd mayweather applied to med school , ...umm... with below average stats...would he get in?



What bout Tim tebow?

 

[iTcanBdone]

I was a 4 year NCAA athlete (basketball: point guard divison II) and it really didn't impact anything much. I was able to speak about what its like to be a team player and leader during my interview but I wouldnt say it gave me anymore brownie points then any other EC I had. It does show you have good time management skills which they do like to see on your application. I'm currently waitlisted if that matters any.

 

[studentp0x]

I was a 4 year NCAA athlete (basketball: point guard divison II) and it really didn't impact anything much. I was able to speak about what its like to be a team player and leader during my interview but I wouldnt say it gave me anymore brownie points then any other EC I had. It does show you have good time management skills which they do like to see on your application. I'm currently waitlisted if that matters any.

It's a great EC but I think in order to really stand out it has to be something that's very uncommon to see. Even then, it wouldn't be a big boost, but if the right person is looking at your app it can help quite a bit.

 

[bionerd89]

I have over 100 ER volunteer hours, 2+ years stem cell research, 2 medical relief trips abroad, 1 month long non-medical service trip to 3rd world country, 10+ shadowing hours now, on going weekly for the next month+ with a DO who will be writing my letter of rec, awesome letters of rec from science faculty I had 2+ classes with each and coaches, extreme upward trend in GPA, 1 year vice president of medical relief trip club on campus, poster presentation at one local and one national undergraduate research conference, graduated with distinction in Biology...

You will most likely get into a DO school if you get a least 25+ on your MCAT. However, you are going to need a higher MCAT if you want to get into the more established DO school. Your ECs will help you but it won't do miracles if you have a low MCAT. When it comes down to it, DO schools are still a numbers game. There are few of those who get accepted because they have interesting life experiences but I think its a safer to just do well on your MCAT.