do you guys think playing sports make a big impact in college applications?
No. Just another E.C. and honestly, IMHO, schools would rather see community service, leadership, civic work etc. Sports jocks are a dime a dozen. There’s always another one around the corner. Again, JMHO. For the few, elite athletes there are D1 scholarships. I know in my son’s sport that is about 1 in 4000 athletes.
Unless you’re a 5 star athlete applying to a Div I sports factory, then no.
My opinion. If you are a recruited athlete it changes the dynamics, however, if not its importance comes in how it contributes to who you are and what you are bringing to the university. I think it’s important to be able communicate how the sport is important to you and the skills and attributes it has developed or enhanced in you. Like others have mentioned the same can be said for anyone’s EC, however, if this is yours it can enhance your application.
The general understanding is that sports are another EC on your app, no better or worse than music, service etc.
unless you are recruited and are working with the coach about admissions. As the parent of athletes who also engaged in music, art and academic ECs, I do think sports can teach a student a lot of valuable lessons – perseverance, living with unfairness (the coach who plays favorites etc.), coming back from setbacks, working together for a common goal, putting your ego aside for the better of the group etc. etc. Many of those can be learned in other EC contexts as well, of course. If a student enjoys participating in sports, even though there is no prospect of being recruited, I would recommend continuing to participate. But a student who does not enjoy it should not feel they “have” to add some sport they don’t like just to have a well-rounded portfolio come senior year.
I think it depends on the school.
For a small school to field many sports teams, especially when they don’t grant non-need-based athletic scholarships, they do depend on a certain level of rank-and-file student participation. At some LACs we visited, I saw high levels of interest and participation in sports (from intramural level on up). I recall one freshmen profile page (Middlebury’s, I think) indicating a very high number of HS team captaincies among entering students.
Agree no in general but another exception is service academies like to see sports, particularly team captains.
I agree that a sport ec is no better or no worse than any other. But I do think that a 3 sport varsity athlete who is able to achieve a very high gpa is noteworthy. The time commitment for a varsity sport (6 days per week for many) far outweighs most other ecs and I do think admissions counselors get that playing sports year round and achieving stellar grades is difficult.
@Empireapple @Muad_dib Couldn’t be more wrong. Football players as an example will do more than 750 hours on average per year compared to someone who volunteers a total of 600 being huge. As far as having to be a 5 star athlete at D1 is laughable. We just had a kid go D1(FCS) full ride(Also had a D! full ride offer FCS) and is not even star ranked. Another 3 star rb in the area received a full ride to Syracuse. @wisteria100 is correct on the 2nd half of the statement.
If you are a recruited athlete, a huge difference. You pretty much have the golden ticket in to some of the most highly selective universities in the country. For selective D3 schools, you need to be a very accomplished athlete (and a top student), but not necessarily D1 scholarship level (just not quite big enough, strong enough, fast enough, skilled enough). If you are not a recruited athlete, it is no different than any EC. I disagree that EC’s involving community/civil service are more valued than sports. EC’s are used as an indicia of other qualities of an applicant that are desirable for a school, such as commitment, leadership, perseverance, teamwork … Your level of participation and accomplishment is what matters, not what the activity is.
I agree it is just another EC. A recruited athlete can make a difference but for the vast majority of HS athletes it is just another EC.
“Agree no in general but another exception is service academies like to see sports, particularly team captains.”
Gawd… Why? Team captain is so random at our school. Some coaches just pick the girl that has sucked up to them the most over the 4 years. Others pick the one whose parents were most involved int he booster club/donated the most money. Some have the girls elect one. Some pick the fastest/most talented one.