I am currently a junior in high school and play 3 sports (meaning a sport every season). I was wondering how colleges view sports as extracurriculars. Are they viewed the same as doing a club or a community service? I see a lot of people on here who do so many ec’s/volunteer work but its simply impossible for me. Granted, I do participate in volunteer work through my church on the weekends, but the few clubs I am in meet before school. I cannot do clubs after school when I spend three hours every day on the football field practicing. Do colleges understand how much time goes in to high school sports?
Agree with skieurope. Sports are an EC unless you are aiming to be a recruited athlete. And yes, any EC to which you are highly committed will be very time consuming.
And that is why, on the college application, they ask for an estimate of how many hours/wk you put into each of your ECs.
@N’ s Mom I agree. HS sports add another level of texture to your application, while being a recruited athlete can be an actual “hook” for application.
If you are not a recruited athlete, then sports are generally considered to be a good EC. If you are a recruited athlete it can be a big advantage in admissions.
Plus, be sure to include the volunteering through your church as an EC. Activities outside of school count just as much and seeing that you are active in your church as a volunteer in addition to doing sports will add an extra dimension to your application.
Ucbalumnus, just curious what your opinion is on the athlete that does three seasons and falls into category number three? Do you think the colleges lump all three sports together as one annual EC? Is it better to diversify your resume with one sport and other extracurriculars where you can possibly have leadership roles? Id be curious what your opinion is on the subject because i liked your answer.
@educateddarcy@ucbalumnus I am definitely number 3 haha. I’m not all-state/nationally ranked but I still enjoy it. Hopefully colleges will understand I am doing what I like.
The percentage of student-athletes on a given high school campus is usually shockingly small; less than 35% usually and often less than 10% of the student body. Student-athletes are known to be disciplined, focused team players who have experience with time management and with managing conflicting priorities. They are considered in a different light than participants in any EC that absorbs hours.
You may wish to point out the qualities that you sharpened in the course of the sports- how you have grown, learned to advocate for yourself and form relationships with adults; and how you have disciplined your behaviors in the ways that were needed to accomplish your goals and how that translated into your schoolwork.
“Colleges,” or more accurately, workers in the admissions department, have extensive experience with students your age and what it means and what it takes to be a student-athlete. Trust that they will understand what you tell them.