I was wondering whether I should pursue athletics or clubs.
Background: I am currently a sophomore who will be a junior next year, and I don’t know whether it would be better to pursue cross country, which will give me a varsity letter, or pursue math and science club, which I hold 2 vice president positions in. I am in no way looking to rely on athletics for college, I am just trying to use it to help me get into a better college. However, cross country would be my only sport, and without it I wouldn’t have a sports extracurricular. However, cross country would take up all of my weekdays, and I would be kicked out of science and math club.
I have a 4.24 weighted and 4.00 unweighted GPA right now, and I’m looking to go into a STEM career through a high-tier college.
So, is a varsity letter or 2 vice president positions better for college admissions?
Please give me some advice.
Thank you very much. Any advice, any at all, would be HIGHLY appreciated.
The one you enjoy more is the better option. In almost all cases, do not choose something with an eye for college admissions - they just are not going to care for one EC vs. another. Unless you are a recruited athlete, which you obviously are not, it makes no difference.
Could you please elaborate as to what you mean by “they just are not going to care for one EC vs. another?”
Mostly I’m just worried that since I don’t play a sport, that will hurt my college admissions. I do enjoy the clubs more, however, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to improve my chances.
Colleges that value ECs look for students who are interested and involved. If you are not a recruited athlete, then track would count as a nice EC – no more and no less. So it isn’t a big deal if you do track or choose math and science clubs instead. Do what excites you (which sounds to me like the math and science clubs) and let your passion and talent shine through.
Wait, you’re sure that track would only count as an EC right? It isn’t much more than say, joining Key Club, right? Also, Do you think it would be better if I dropped track altogether to focus on math and science club?
Thank you for your advice!
Could you please elaborate as to what you mean by “they just are not going to care for one EC vs. another?”
Mostly I’m just worried that since I don’t play a sport, that will hurt my college admissions. I do enjoy the clubs more, however, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to improve my chances.
If a college values EC’s in an applicant, they won’t care what the EC is. It can be football, orchestra, chess, volunteering, whatever - it does not matter.
While the media often talks about STEM as if they are all the same, they are not.
For engineering most colleges fall into the wide middle since the programs are acredited by ABET. You don’t need “top tier” to get a good job, you need good grades while in college and internships. The top places are schools like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc and if those are on your list member of this or officer in that minor club is not a competitive EC.
Outside of engineering you should realize that with just a BA/BS the available jobs are mostly going to be entry level technician and the like with little room for advancement. A few minutes browsing will show you that there is a glut of PhD’s. They get first crack at the jobs with career potential, and if you want a STEM career that is the degree you’ll need.