If your kid wants to go to a selective university, do not let them play sports in high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid is recruited, admissions officers do not really care about sports. I know a kid who has perfect grades and a 35 ACT who was a captain of the varsity football and lacrosse teams (and was class treasurer, NHS president, volunteered, and did part time work), and he got rejected from every remotely selective college. The Ivy Leagues, Notre Dame, Michigan, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, UNC, and UVA all rejected him. Many other kids who are two or three sports athletes have similarly bad results.

At most top schools, the students will tell you most people there did not play sports outside of the recruited athletes. Most of their extracurriculars were centered around the major they want to study. Sports are time consuming and take away time from these more impactful extracurriculars. For sports like basketball, baseball, or lacrosse, you are easily spending 20+ hours per week on an activity that ultimately won’t help you in admissions.

And it doesn’t help that in the DMV area, you have to be super talented or spend years playing a sport just to make into the JV team. You have to spend a ridiculous amount of money on sports. Sports are just a waste of time for most kids

Maybe, just maybe, not every decision should be made with a view to getting into a hyperselective college. It just isn’t that paramount in the greater scheme of things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Four years ago I heard an AO from UVA say they like students who played sports and still got good grades because that shows they can manage their time.

That is a lie given most UVA students who get in now aren’t really involved in sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:🙄

There’s more to life than sacrificing your kid’s authenticity and interests to try to match the ever-changing whims of admissions committees.

Sure, if your kid doesn’t like sports, don’t force them to play one in an attempt to impress admissions. That’s silly and worthless. Same is true if they’re all-in on their instrument, musical theater, dance, or any other super time-consuming passion.

But if your kid loves sports (or the equivalent) and wants to pursue it in HS but not at a recruited level, there’s plenty of upside for them as a human being: authenticity, grit, leadership, social skills, physical health, mental health/wellness, and more.

All that said, if playing three varsity sports is what keeps our 4.0/1500+/12AP student out of the T-20, that’s fine with us. We’re thrilled to see our kid enjoy and excel at the EC’s they have chosen. It’s been wonderful for their growth, resilience, sense of self, and relationships with their peers, coaches, and teachers, alike.

IMHO that’s more important in the long run than dropping their authentic self in an attempt to make themself marginally more attractive to a school with an already tiny rate of admission. But you do you.

It is not a marginal boost. I don’t think that many parents realize here how much sports actively hurt your chances in admissions because of the time factor. Most college admissions advisors actively tell kids to give up on sports if they aren’t being recruited

[Anonymous]

It may not be a plus for admissions, but it will help with life. DS is a freshman engineering student and was selected for an internship this summer. It was a phased interview - had to make it through the initial screen to make it to the interview stage. At the initial meet at a career fair with thousands of students, DS and the recruiter discussed baseball. DC played all his youth. He made it to the interview stage and they discussed baseball again - his achievements in the sport. He was selected for the internship. Companies do not want academic robots.

[Anonymous]

Sports can give your kids things that will stay with them through life- team work, sense of commitment, sportsmanship, good health habits, etc. My kid participated in two varsity sports, but was not a top athlete by any standard. Im pretty sure their participation in sports was a non-factor in their college admissions. I’m so grateful they had the opportunity to participate and be encouraged by their teammates. And I appreciated that the hours of practice/meets took them away from their screens/social media.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the kid the OP is referring wrote crappy essays.

[Anonymous]

NP. How many threads are you going to start about this, OP?

DCUMs anti-athletics posters are such a bizarrely obsessed group. It’s weird.

[Anonymous]

Perfect grades doesn't tell the whole story. Was the child taking regular, honors or AP classes? Posters often say UVA likes the high GPAs.

[Anonymous]

There’s more to life than sacrificing your kid’s authenticity and interests to try to match the ever-changing whims of admissions committees.

Bolder would make a pretty good tag line for this website, tbh.

[Anonymous]

Was he instate for UVA or UNC? If yes, than I don't believe he had "perfect grades" because he would have gotten in. If he wasn't, these schools are just too much of a lottery ticket to count on any of them. No one can afford to not have any targets or safeties. My own kid had a 36 and a near perfect SAT, grades, more diverse ECs, lots of leadership, and also got rejected from many on that list (though he did get into UVA and some others). It is just the way it is these days.

That said, I agree that the investment in high school sports is too big for the marginal return for most kids when it comes to college results. In certain sports, if you can afford it, I think travel sports are the way to go. Overall, you invest more time, get professional coaching, better play and training, but it is never the kind of intense time suck that a one season high school sport is. The reward for high school sports is mostly social. I get why kids want it, of course.

[Anonymous]

We are in one of the highly regarded FCPS schools and every single kid I can think of who went to an Ivy or top school not only played sports in HS but also was a captain. OP is totally off base (ha!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Four years ago I heard an AO from UVA say they like students who played sports and still got good grades because that shows they can manage their time.

Yeah. I heard that too and it is very hard to manage hours of sports and a rigorous academic load. Takes a lot of discipline. Team sports show they can work well with others. My kid got into Hopkins, two Ivies, Georgetown, Williams, UVA all RD. Played a sport since kindergarten. Not recruited, not hooked.

They want athletes for their many club teams. Mine was good enough to get on Varsity 2nd year of college. Never played for the HS team past sophomore year - just club- in order to keep up with straight As and better competition.

Had other activities as well

He’s at an Ivy and most kids played sports even if they don’t know. Roommate was a HS baseball player. Another ran track/cross country. Another rugby. One football. They all workout at the fitness center which is very busy.

[Anonymous]

The sport will not help but kid should play if they are interested. I know many kids who got into ivies with no sports and pursuing other interests (including my niece).

[Anonymous]

Good lord. My kid does his activities: music, debate, and two sports because they make him happy. Sports especially keep him active, healthy and social. His grades are better during the two seasons he competes. He’s a perfectly fine athle but no one is recruiting him for anything. He is not re imagining his life for elite college admissions. He is at a competitive magnet with high test scores and high gpa. But give me a break. Be yourself. Be happy. Then apply to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four years ago I heard an AO from UVA say they like students who played sports and still got good grades because that shows they can manage their time.

That is a lie given most UVA students who get in now aren’t really involved in sports

That doesn’t mean that they don’t like them. Rather it might mean that there aren’t enough of them.