<p>I was wondering, for a prominent university such as harvard, what does the admissions office weigh more, clubs (ex. Model UN, Debate Team etc.) or athletics, such as football. How much harder is it to get in without athletics but with excellent grades and frequent volunteering.</p>
<p>On a more personal note:
Next year I have the opportunity to be on my High School Football Team, but will likely not do too well, such as becoming Captain. Should I take the time and go for the team or try to add on another club or extracirricular activity, such as peer tutoring.</p>
<p>Thanks so much and I know that it is hard to give an exact answer to the admissions questions, but would just like to have your opinions :)</p>
<p>do you like football?</p>
<p>If one is a recruited athlete, then the football will carry weight along with stellar grades and other EC’s; if one will not be a recruited athlete, Harvard will not place much emphasis on just being a part of the team - stronger application will have powerful EC’s, leadership roles, volunteer, etc.</p>
<p>Great question - I often thought of these during the college admission process myself (I got into Columbia ED and am starting there this fall.)</p>
<p>I did a mix of sports (x-country and track throughout HS) and clubs, but my clubs were definitely more prominent, and I wrote a killer essay one of my out-of-school extracurricular activities. I believe that this essay and extracurricular activity are what got me into Columbia.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.getintocollegeblog.com/2009/06/ivy-league-guide-extracurriculars.html]This[/url”>http://www.getintocollegeblog.com/2009/06/ivy-league-guide-extracurriculars.html]This[/url</a>] talks a lot about clubs but doesn’t talk too much about athletics - seems to confirm my suspicion that clubs are more important than athletics. However, if you’re outstanding at sports (think state-wide or better), then sports might be more important - but the training for that starts WAY before HS.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>i was into powerlifting, and i did some clubs as well…i think a mixture of both is good…but then again, i got rejected from Harvard, so dont listen to me.</p>
<p>BigWeight, I’d say your advice is still valid - after all, most people get rejected from Harvard.</p>
<p>I did both. i did focus more on athletics but i was really involved in clubs and community service</p>
<p>I asked this question of an adcom during one of those college tour things. She stated that “it all depends.” After the presentation, I talked to her one-on-one. She said that she is more impressed by an applicant who played at a varsity level than club membership, since not everyone can make a varsity team. Everyone can join a club. She also said that adcoms can tell from “a mile away” if someone is doing clubs just to get into college and that few applicants play varsity sports just for the college boost. </p>
<p>Other adcoms may disagree, but this is what she told me.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your replies!!</p>
<p>@McPuck - I do enjoy watching football (PATRIOTS!!) as well as playing it, but the issue is that i’m not good at it and would most likely be a benchwarmer.</p>
<p>and thank you spring, that is very encouraging because I feel more capable of a leadership position than of doing well in a sport.</p>
<p>JIMMYH555 I LOVE YOU! That site was extremely helpful and congratulations on Columbia!</p>
<p>Bigweight, i do do weightlifting as a hobby, but not as a sport, would that count for anything? It’s more a way to relieve stress for me than a competitive activity. I do genuinely love doing it though, i feel like Arnold :D</p>
<p>Hope Full - If i did do clubs i don’t think I would do many but work more on actually being part of those clubs rather than sitting there like a dummy. I am very passionate about Debate, and am interested in Model UN (more a social studies person for clubs), but I have also competed in National Math Contests since the seventh grade and usually place in the top 25% (Canada).</p>
<p>Another Question in this case: what do you believe are the most poweful extracirricular activities. I’m going to stick to what I am passionate about, but there are many different ways of going into it. I am huge on human rights, should I join a group like Amnesty International? Any suggestions for good ECs are appreciated :)</p>
<p>glad to help!</p>
<p>joining Amnesty International is a very good idea - you might want to start a chapter of it at your high school - get some kind of campaign going to demonstrate leadership.</p>
<p>Thanks Jimmy! Yes, I am considering starting a schoolwide fundraiser by raising awareness of human rights ex. putting up posters, movies on the TVs in the halls. And not the movies people don’t watch, of some professor explaining human rights, but straight violations of them off of youtube.</p>
<p>So far only in the “idea” stage :)</p>
<p>Any other comments anybody? They would be GREATLY appreciated!!</p>
<p>? help a noob in need</p>
<p>well would anybody recommend any specific ECs?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is the only post worth paying attention to here.</p>
<p>Do not do clubs or sports just for college applications. Do them because you love them or are good at them, because in the end you are creating an image for YOURSELF, not what the college wants. Believe me, if you do what you love the most, and everything you do is something you love, it will look great in the end. You will look like a complete person with an image that fits with who you truly are</p>
<p>hahah okay, I absolutely understand what you mean and I will consider it when making my decision. Thanks so much for all of your help! :)</p>
<p>Yea do things because you like them, not for colleges.</p>
<p>However, I would like to say this is unfair at certain schools because certain schools have cut sports, so its not as easy as joining a club (at my school, like 9/10 of the people get cut from the basketball team)</p>
<p>Yeah hahah thats why i thought so seriously about football, its a non-cut sport at my school, unlike soccer, which I prefer but am not good enough for the team to play. </p>
<p>Any other input anybody? :)</p>
<p>btw thanks so much for your help. I LOVE THIS FORUM. I went from being a kid knowing where he wanted to go but having no idea how. Now I can see what it takes and plan for it (although the plans may not work…) Whoever created this, props to you. Minus some of the severely elitist comments, its a great place</p>