I am a Korean American eighth grader in Southern California. I am considering joining sports at my high school. I am not very athletic, with a mile time of about 9:30-10:00. I have played softball since fourth up until seventh grade (not doing it this year).
My high school offers lots of sports, including a fairly new girls’ lacrosse team that will take almost anyone, as well as no-cut track and cross-country teams. However, besides these sports, I must try out for all sports. This can be quite challenging without any previous experience as my high school is very sports-focused.
I am very academically oriented, but I do not have any extracurricular activities for high school besides plans to co-found a school speech and debate team and possibly play flute in the school band. (Leaving marching band as an option) I also wish to join the mock trial team and start a United Nations club at my school. These facts quite concern me, as many Asian Americans are perceived to “not have a personality” in their application and be “overly focused on academics alone and maybe an instrument or two”, and I understand that I have to stand out from the application process. I do not wish to become just another mindless Asian robot. I was actually pushed to play softball for this reason, as it is supposed that very few Asian Americans play team sports.
Another reason why I am considering sports in high school besides for application purposes is to exempt myself from California’s Physical Education Requirement. My school has a policy that if you play one sport for all four years (with no offseason), then you do not have to take physical education, which I’ve heard can bring one’s GPA down. Whether this is true or not, I actually do not know. It would be really nice if someone cleared this up Additionally, if I play two sports for two years or one sport with year-round offseason also for two years, I am also exempt from taking Physical Education, which I must take for two years if I wish to graduate. Besides GPA issues, I do not want to take Physical Education because I would like that extra period to take an additional class (hopefully chemistry), and it’s not… well… the most enjoyable lol.
This post is mainly to ask if I should join a high school sport. But the larger picture is the extracurricular portion of my application in general. If I do not play a sport, what else do I do as an activity? This is something I have been grappling with for about two years.
Sorry if this post is too long but I want to give a genuine thank you to anyone who advises me.
lol We have this PE exemption policy at my school as well. Here’s my take:
As a Varsity Men’s Volleyball player, playing in a sport has many several benefits. Along with getting you rid of that stupid PE Credit, you can build teamwork and leadership skills, something colleges really value, especially if you get to the captain position. However, do not do a sport just to get rid of the credit, especially if you don’t really enjoy the sport. There are many kids at my school who take Cross Country / Track just to get rid of PE and/or have something on their application, and like 2-3 weeks into the season they’re complaining how they hate it and everything. If you do choose to do a sport, make sure you really want to do it for what it is, and not the side results.
Now, for the EC part, it is all about time management. Along with VB, I’m in Debate, Sci Oly, Math, Model UN and also hold many leadership positions. Thankfully, VB is in the spring, so my only main ECs are Sci Oly and MUN. If you want to add ECs to your curriculum, explore your options and choose smartly. Also, I think it’s awesome that you want to start a MUN club (I love it - President for it as well). If you do want to start it, make sure you have atleast 20 or so members you know that would also do the club, and find a teacher advisor ASAP.
@TheDesiBoy Thank you so much for responding! I’ll definitely explore all that my high school has to offer, as we are having a future freshman night in couple of days. Your comment about cross country and track definitely helped me, as I do not expect myself to enjoy cross country (running eight miles a day no thank you). Track, however, is certainly on my mind… Anyways, thanks for helping me out
In my school gym doesn’t have much of an effect on your GPA (unless you fail it). You should do Track since there’s no cuts and if you train hard, you can make it to varsity. You definitely do want to stand out however, there are stories of people getting into prestigious school with weak/little-to-none EC’s. You have to make yourself seem like a person with focus, it is better to have 3 EC’s that are related than a laundry list of them. They can tell when you are just trying to load up your transcript. Do things you actually want to do. You should do the sport to not only get out of P.E but you’ll be fit/ gain some friends/ learn to work with others. Your school might have a lot to offer but you don’t have to do all of them, just do the ones you want to. In the summer you can try to do something like volunteer at the hospital/etc., summer camp, to make yourself seem like you do something with your life to stand out.
Not to sound like a total jerk, but I wouldn’t play sports if you aren’t truly interested and committed. A mile time of 9 minutes is not impressive at all, and I don’t know what you could do in track (not trying to sound rude :/). I did track in middle school and the standard mile time for most sports is 7 minutes. Track meets are VERY long, and you will regret joining if you don’t have a passion, as mentioned above. I would take online gym in your case, it’s quick and easy and you won’t have to waste 2 semesters on a class full of kids who believe they are in th olympics when they are really just in gym class. Good luck, just make a decision that makes you happy!
@Anish14 I don’t think the OP thinks her mile time is impressive; she did say she was not athletic. Your post does come across as slightly rude; the OP should try out anything she may be interested in and see if she likes it, and she does not need to have extraordinary talent or passion to do track or contribute to the team.
OP, doing track/cross country is a wonderful way to meet new people, get committed to something and be healthy, as well as avoiding that annoying PE requirement
@Anish14
Our school district doesn’t offer online gym.
But anyways, when you said that track meets are really long, does that still hold true even if you have only one event?
If you read my entire post, I also mentioned lacrosse as an option. However, I would prefer track to lacrosse because I would like to get much faster and in shape in order to pass the California State Fitness Exam at the end of freshman year. I know it’s really stupid that I’m worrying about such an easy test, but if I do not pass the test, I have to take PE for the rest of high school (something that no one wants to do).
I would like to do only one event in track if that makes it go by much faster. Can you just leave after your event or is it required that you stay?
If you do not take P.E., it should not bring you GPA down. It is not an honors or AP class. Therefore, it should not give you an extra bump. If you take P.E. or another regular class, it will bring your GPA down because that class averages your GPA out. For example, if you take 3 Honors classes (5 pts.), 4 college prep classes (4 pts. including P.E.), and get straight A’s, then your GPA should be 4.4 (5 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 31 pts./7 classes = 4.4). However, if you substitute P.E. with a honors class, then your GPA will rise to a 4.57. Sounds really complex, but you will learn more about it.
IMHO, it is good to try out new things that you will become passionate in and enjoy. For example, this is my first year playing tennis. I LOVE it! I practiced 4 hours each day during break, because I had a great time with myself and my friends! When the season started, I made the JV team, and I going to place in #1 or #2 singles. I am shocked to be placed in these positions, because I competed against kids whom have been playing for 3+ years. I didn’t tell you this because I want to brag about my achievements. It is vital to tell you this, because it shows you how hard work and dedication can make up for so much. Even if you aren’t the best athlete in the team, what matters is how much you enjoy the sport and gain experience from it!
However, if you don’t like any of the sports in your school, don’t waste a single second in it! You are better off doing things that you are passionate in (whether it be in drama, debate, etc.). Many people in your high school career will tell you that you need to be “well-rounded”. What is more important is that you do activities that you absolutely love! Your passion will be that driving force for the rest of your life/academic career. Even if you don’t get accepted to your dream school, at least you can say that you never wasted a second doing something that you don’t enjoy. Best of your luck!
I’m sorry that I came across rude. And yes, they truly are long, which is the reason I quit and am sticking with soccer. In track meets you stay till all events are done. You could be the first event, but you will have to wait a few hours till everyone is done. I’m not sure about lacrosse, but it wouldn’t hurt to try that as oppose to track!
You should only do a sport if you are really interested in trying one- don’t do it just to look good for college apps. That being said, track is a great EC because you don’t necessarily have to be super-athletic to have a great experience. At least at my son’s HS, there was a huge range of abilities in all different events, but the coaches were respectful to all and everyone seemed to have a great time. It was a really fun way to meet new people, as you are stuck at meets from beginning to end. It was never a problem as far as academics for my son as he could do homework between events. He was involved in several sports, but the level of camaraderie in especially cross country but also track topped all other sports. Nobody was judgmental about times and everyone rooted for each other. In the end though, colleges want to see you committing yourself to an activity that you really enjoy and are passionate about. Most schools would rather see you going all out in one activity than splitting your time between a bunch of activities that you really don’t care about. If you decide that sports are not for you, look at volunteering at a medical facility, picking up a new language and joining a language club, yearbook, the school newspaper. This is a great time to try something you have never tried before as you may find a new passion. The EC’s you listed are all great EC’s and would look very impressive. Good luck
Additionally, if I play two sports for two years or one sport with year-round offseason also for two years, I am also exempt from taking Physical Education, which I must take for two years if I wish to graduate. Besides GPA issues, I do not want to take Physical Education because I would like that extra period to take an additional class (hopefully chemistry), and it’s not… well… the most enjoyable lol.