<p>Hi! Just a quick question. How do academic-related extracurricular activities such as Model United Nations or Junior Statesmen of America look to colleges in comparison to varsity sports?</p>
<p>Colleges don’t care which you choose…they want a mix of all kinds of students on campus. But, whichever team (academic or sports) you choose to be on, colleges want to see your real contribution to the team, and what you do with your opportunities. Of course, what top colleges want to see are students that excel in both kinds of activities. And there are plenty of students who do.</p>
<p>@boysx3
Thanks for the nice response.</p>
<p>I participated in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track freshman year and cross country and indoor track this year (sophomore year). My grades dropped a lot this semester because of the time I had dedicated to the running (I was in the top ten in school history at the two mile in a program that is well known for its domination in the distance events). </p>
<p>Since my grades dropped, I quit the running, but I want to participate in other extracurriculars that I don’t have to spend as much time in so I can qualify for National Honor Society. Model UN is an example, but would it be OK if I participated in the activity without doing any competitions on weekends? Some of the trips cost around $450 dollars and there is no way I can afford that, but I am very interested in the activity…</p>
<p>It sounds like you have significant sports talent in the distance event. Can you limit your sports participation to cross-country instead of quitting altogether?
I don’t see the point of participating in Model UN without competing. What are your other extracurricular options?</p>
<p>@siliconvalleymom
Yes, I am somewhat talented at distance running, but I think it’s mostly because of hard work. I don’t think I’m good enough to be recruited by a college purely for the sport, though.</p>
<p>My cross country coach also coaches distance for indoor and outdoor track. He is a bit of an irritable, my-way-or-the-highway, all-or-nothing kind of guy. Absolutely brilliant at forming outstanding athletes, but not the kind of guy who is ever willing to compromise. Anyway, so I tried talking to him about that, the possibility of doing cross but not track, and he wouldn’t have any of it. He said either I’m in or I’m out, because he’s the kind of person who wants full control of his runners.</p>
<p>Like I said, he’s an outstanding coach, and an endearing man, but he wants distance running to be the only thing in his athletes’ lives. Practices are every day after school into the night and also weekends. With homework and studying and volunteer work and piano (I’d like to double major in piano performance and math or economics or something academic), etc., I just don’t have time for that much dedication anymore.</p>
<p>Other extracurricular options. Well, there is Junior Statesmen of America (which I also plan on doing), Math Team (I’m on it already), Chess Team, Science Team, Academic Team, a bunch of religious organizations (I go to a Catholic school but I don’t want to do those because I consider myself pretty Atheist right now), newspaper, yearbook, a literature magazine for the school, and there’s more but I can’t think of it right now.</p>
<p>Oh, there’s also a program for something along of school representatives. It’s not student council, but you pretty much give tours of the school to prospective families and host all-day school events to recruit the families. I’m considering doing this as well.</p>