How big of an impact do varsity sports play in college admissions? I’m not interested in getting into a college exclusively based on sports, like a scholarship. Just curious how they affect a student trying to apply normally. Thanks 
They can stand as a solid extracurricular if you’re passionate, however I don’t recommend going and trying out for a sport just to put it on a résumé. Recruitment is the only big hook associated with athletics.
It is considered as a good EC.
Colleges understand that athletes have to use good time management skills to not only practice but also to compete and spend time away from home/school.
Certain sports have HUGE time commitments and the colleges know this.
No, you don’t need to be recruited by a college, but the universities are impressed by athletes who get really good GPA’s, SATs and who are busy varsity players and tri-sport athletes.
Sports teach teamwork, discipline, deferred gratification, and how to lose as well as win gracefully. They are valuable for these reasons, above and beyond a college application.
There is no ‘plays a sport’ box to be checked on the common app. It’s an EC like any other. If you like sports, that’s wonderful. As snarlatron says, it can be a great way to develop all kinds of important life skills. But so any playing an instrument in the orchestra or marching band, volunteering regularly at a nonprofit, or doing any other hobby or activities that enables you to stretch yourself in ways that the classroom doesn’t.
Unless you are a recruited athlete, sports are considered to be a good EC, nothing more, nothing less.
I tend to agree with Aunt Bea…so assuming there are 2 applicants with absolutely identical stats, etc., but one is committing 15-20 hours per week at a varsity sport and with good success. The other applicant doesn’t have this
sports commitment.
Would the sports applicant have the advantage.
Assuming everything else is equal.
No. You simply cannot draw that conclusion.
@Zebra11 Assuming the other applicant is also committing 15-20 hours per week at [insert meaningful activity] with good success then the sports applicant absolutely does not have any advantage.
If you mean 15-20 hours at a sport vs. twiddling your thumbs all afternoon then yes, the sports applicant has an advantage but that’s because it’s EC vs. no EC, not because it’s athletics.
Brown…yes, sports vs. twiddling. That’s what I meant.