<p>Do I really need to play a sport for an EC? I am NOT athletic at all. I can go out for the golf team but I won't make varsity most likely. My question is: Is it better to go out and make JV (or worse if there is such a thing) or not go out at all and focus on EC's that matter to me which sports don't.</p>
<p>I would focus on ecs that you enjoy. Don’t join a sport just for the sake of putting it on your college application. Just make sure you show passion in whatever ec you’re interested in:)</p>
<p>I know plenty of nonathletic people who didn’t play a single sport in high school and went after other things instead- theater, music, art, dance, volunteer work, jobs, etc. Most of them went on to attend great colleges. Pursue what you like, not what you think admissions officers will like, or else you’ll be absolutely miserable.</p>
<p>But do Ivies REALLY want to see sports? I’d love Yale but don’t have my hopes pinned or anything. I’m math/science/engineering minded so I’m also thinking MIT/Caltech. I just don’t want any avoidable regrets.</p>
<p>1) Why don’t you do what you like instead of what you think others will like?</p>
<p>2) There is a thread on this exact topic right below your thread…</p>
<p>Doing a sport would help balance out math/science, particularly if you are asian.</p>
<p>A good football playing mathlete. That’s a good one haha.</p>
<p>If you are very interested and dedicated to another activity that is not a sport, that’s fine. I am not that athletic, but I play soccer because I wanted to get into shape in 9th grade. That’s the only sport I do though, I do robotics and community service in the winter and spring seasons.</p>
<p>chenman333-</p>
<p>did you say that out of speculation or experience?</p>
<p>Hey, I’m a good soccer/basketball playing science wiz lol! Don’t hate! :D</p>
<p>@shuggie: Really, I believe that it can help round-out an application, showing that you are capable not only in academia, but it a grueling stage as well. However, if you have no deisre to learn a new sport for fun, don’t want to get into great shape,believe you can’t cut it athletically, or want to mold yourself to fool adcoms at Yale, you will be hurting yourself. </p>
<p>Try cross country, (as you mentioned) golf, swimming, or even tennis. Doing sports for college is like doing community service to look good, which is never good! 
Spend your time doing something you actually love, it is much more worth your while and you can truly be yourself in an application. If none of the schools you listed will accept you, it is their loss, and have a blast at another great institution! 
If not, just transfer…</p>
<p>Someone on this forum said that if you invest a lot of time into sports (they swallow up your entire schedule), and you are not gaining state/national recognition, you should invest your time in something else. Ivies, Caltech, MIT, etc want kids that are great at what they do, so get really good at 1 or 2 things. </p>
<p>Remember, if you are working your tail off to attempt to be good at sports (and not gaining big time attention), and your friend rocks the house at Intel/Siemens, they will be accepted over you. Sports are great stress relievers and a bunch of fun, but not everybody is a world-class, Division I-capable athlete. Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>^ I agree completely with that. Or at least the part of it that I read since I only skimmed it.</p>
<p>Anyway, it’ll help to show you’re well-rounded, but colleges like lop-sided students too. Particularly if these lop-sided students are so completely devoted to their -insert activity here-.</p>
<p>Don’t ever do anything “for the sake of college” or because they are “important.”</p>
<p>Be passionate about what you do and join activities that you LOVE.
The awards, accolades and distinctions that make you stand out for college don’t come without passion. Just doing a sport and not excellling in it means very little for admissions to highly competitive schools.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to do sports than you don’t want to do sports. As simple as that. There is no reason to partake in them if you don’t want to. I personally find the emphasis on sports to be overrated.</p>