<p>I am senior in high school and am very involved in extracurricular activities. I have been a swimmer for the past three years, and have been all-conference and all-state all three years. In the past year, however, I have begun to seriously dislike swimming. Also this past year, I began to seriously love theatre and singing. I tried out for the musical and got a big part and now am not able to attend many swim practices. I want to quit swimming now since I don't have time for it and I don't like (I see no reason to spend time doing something I really dislike), but my mother won't allow me to quit because she told me that it looks bad on application to do an activity for 3 years and then quit your senior year.</p>
<p>Is this true? What do you recommend I do in this situation?</p>
<p>I am planning on applying to a few Ivy Leagues and Stanford and some other prestigious schools. Will this hurt my application?</p>
<p>If there's any more information you'd like to know please let me know.</p>
<p>i play baseball and the seaon starts in spring and apps and results will be in by then. what if i happen to quit? i dont want to cause i played for like 12 years but if i want to go to school i have to work…i am not sure if i will yet so i put 9-12th. (did not submit yet)</p>
<p>will the colleges know? if they know, will they rescind their offer?</p>
<p>I just don’t find swimming fun anymore. I don’t really know why exactly. I think it’s because I have to work out on my own since I have musical rehearsals after school, and working out on my own isn’t fun.</p>
<p>Why is it so devastating to an application to not do all four years of a sport?</p>
<p>Devastating (or so goes general wisdom) because colleges like to see commitment. I would advise you to talk about your waning interest for swimming and growing interest for theatre and singing in the ‘Additional Information’ section of the Common App and just do what you want to do. You will regret pushing yourself to do swimming when you don’t to.</p>
<p>Admissions is not everything. Besides, it may make a good essay topic as well.</p>
<p>If you are good enough to be recruited (and it seems as though you are with All-state team), you should get in contact with coaches and see whther you could get recruited for swimming.</p>
<p>If you don’t get recruited, its perfectly fine to drop swimming and do theater if you want but make sure you really don’t want to do swimming.</p>
<p>Yeah I have been recruited, but I don’t want to swim in college so I haven’t responded to any of the letters I have received about swimming. I am hoping to play men’s volleyball in college, though. I like the idea of talking about it in the Additional Info section of the common app or in an essay.</p>
<p>My son quit a sport after three years. He still competed in two others. He was awarded numerous merit scholarships including a full ride. General rule of thumb is not to quit- but I think it’s more about don’t quit and not do anything else. I think Greekfire has a good idea. Your new interests will be good fodder for short answers and essays. Just make sure you don’t regret giving up a sport that you have put so much time into - and the chance to do well in your senior year at state, etc.</p>
<p>Part of the reason I am not as enthusiastic about swimming this year is because I can’t go to state. The weekend of the state meet is the opening weekend of the musical, and since I have such a big part I have (and want) to be there.</p>
<p>So, what you are saying is that I am ok quitting as long as I quit and do something else? I obviously am replacing swimming with the musical, and I am also planning on doing tennis this spring (though that will be after I apply to schools), so I should be ok? And then I should talk about my changing interests in my short answer questions on my applications?</p>
<p>Most people who quit an activity senior year do so because college apps are in and they didn’t like the activity to begin with. You’re quitting one high-level EC for another. Discuss the reasons for your quitting in the additional information section and elaborate on it in any interviews.</p>