Application - Sports EC, but not recruited
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
DS is a junior and his primary ECs have been two sports, for which he will not be recruited. He has no other meaningful ECs. How are applications like his looked at by admissions offices? Do kids like him (sports focused, but not recruit-able) have a chance at top tier schools?
|
Anonymous
|
Any jobs? Volunteering? District/regional/state level recognition in the sport? Team Captain?
If no to these questions, than the sports are just any old EC. |
Anonymous
| Noone knows. Just apply to as many as possible. |
Anonymous
But aren’t all athletes self-disciplined and leaders?.. 
|
Anonymous
The issue isn't your kid in a vacuum. The issue is that your kid will be applying against students across the country who also played sports, but weren't recruitable. But they also did theater, or worked a job, or volunteered at an animal shelter, or was on the robotics team. So the time spent on the sports and the contribution to their high school is meaningful, but they will need to figure out how that wraps into the story they want to tell about themselves as they put their applications together. |
Anonymous
|
There is a spot on the application to estimate the average hours per week spent on each activity. The point of that is to see how much time was spent on non academic activities to put the grades effort into perspective. (a 4.0 with 15 hours in sports =/= a 4.0 with zero ECs, for example). So this is a point in his favor.
The other thing they are looking for in the activity column is to see how your child might contribute to the life of the college, so if the only thing there is something they know you won't be doing at the school (assuming the school doesn't have club level in the sport), it doesn't hurt, but it also isn't helpful. If he truly did nothing else with his time at all, then find a way to morph his sports into something related that he might be interested in doing in the life of the school, like team manager, or sports writer or announcer, or work in the athletic facility, or start a club team, etc. etc. |
Anonymous
| Could he play d3 and getting a nod from the coach? |
Anonymous
This is the hope, but not something we can rely on. I’ve been trying to convince him to expand his extracurriculars to anticipate not being recruited, but my entreaties are falling on deaf ears. He refuses. |
Anonymous
Recruiting is extremely competitive at the high academic D3 level - even without athletic scholarships. It's not just getting a nod from the coach because you played a sport in high school. |
Anonymous
This is a great post. I’ll add that getting involved in club sports in college is a fantastic way to make friends and blow off steam. OP, how old is your DS? You should have a pretty good idea if he’s recruitable or not by HS. If you are not sure, check with his coaches and team parents who have been through the process with older kids. If it’s not likely or borderline, I would want him to look at getting a job or volunteering, which he could do in a sports context. If he is recruited in the end, the lack of other ECs shouldn’t be a problem. |
Anonymous
What percentage of your life do you spend thinking hateful thoughts about recruited athletes? Just curious. |
Anonymous
Probably less than the parents of recruited athletes spend deifying their kids. |
Anonymous
D3 coaches don't just burn spot with unrecruitable athletes. |
Anonymous
| I have a DS who was the same. He got in to all but one of the colleges he applied to. |
Anonymous
The question was about top-tier schools. Top schools only care about sport kids because they can use them to achieve a goal (often alumnae related). Your non-playing sport kid isn't bringing them any benefit. If the kid isn't recruited, sports count just like any other EC. |