Extracurricular Help for Sophomore

[cwdjpjd]

<p>I am a sophomore who needs help finding more extracurriculars to be involved in. I am a MAJOR debater, and spend most of my time doing that. I go to all of the tournaments in a 3 hour radius of my school, so I have a lot of NFL points. Also, I volunteer at the local middle school teaching kids how to debate and speak in public. Also, my coach has basically told me that I will be accepted on to the leadership for my junior and senior years.</p>

<p>My main fault (that I know I should have fixed earlier) is that I am not involved in any sports. I hate being on a team, and doing most physical activity. I know that this will be my downfall when I start to apply for college, so I want to fix it now. Does anyone have any ideas about extracurriculars I can do that will adequately replace this, or some physical alternatives to joining a sports team?</p>

[cwdjpjd]

<p>Also, I am taking 4 APs in my sophomore year, and plan to take at least 13 by the end of high school. I make high As in all my classes (including APs), and plan on being in the top 3 of my class.</p>

[jomarch]

<p>Not participating on sports team should not hurt your chances during admissions. The compelling aspects to universities of sports include team work, leadership, dedication, and excellence. All of these aspects can also be found in other ECs like debate, band, choir, dance, yearbook, etc. It seems like you’re heavily involved in debate AND enjoy/excel in this activity. That will definitely show!
I know that colleges like to have athletes for their school but to say this is a major factor in application consideration is extremely ableist! Some people physically cannot participate in sports. Others just don’t enjoy it. Either way, dedication, enjoyment, work ethic, and learning experience gained in ANY activity is 100% more important than the mere ability to throw around a ball.</p>

[mikemac]

<p>

My main fault (that I know I should have fixed earlier) is that I am not involved in any sports. I hate being on a team, and doing most physical activity. I know that this will be my downfall when I start to apply for college, so I want to fix it now.

How did you come to “know” this? However you did, it’s wrong. </p>

<p>The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html&lt;/a&gt; and is a sticky at the top of the “What are my chances?” forum.</p>

<p>As you will see from that link, at the most selective colleges they are looking for depth more than just participation. Stanford, for example, says

Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which one participates. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact you have had on that club, in your school, or in the larger community, and we want to learn of the impact that experience has had on you.

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