<p>A recruited athlete is different than an athlete in general -- by definition, being "recruited" is going to increase one's chances of admission greatly. The recruit has the advocacy of an athletic coach who is promised a certain number of slots; plus the benefit of extended contact with the coach. </p>
<p>Being involved in sports is not going to give the same advantage as being recruited. </p>
<p>Thumper, I don't think its a matter of how much "fun" the EC is - I think it's a matter of what it will contribute to the college. Colleges don't usually have much in the way of academic-type competitions, so the college isn't getting much value added when they accept a mock-trial winner. They do have sports - and theater - and orchestras -- so the kid who comes in with athletic or artistic accomplishments and talent is offering something extra of value to the college. </p>
<p>And you really can't draw conclusions based on anecdotal information from one school, in any case. There could be a dozen different reasons why the class sal was chosen over the val at your school -- it could have been essays, recs, etc. It could have been the proposed major. If you haven't seen both application packages, you simply can't know.</p>