Hi,
I am a rising senior in high school and I am currently looking at Wake Forest, U Richmond, Bucknell, Clemson, and UMD-CP. I was wondering if including the following would hurt or help me on my application:
Founded and captained school’s first competitive e-sports team (Dota 2) and led them to rank 5 in our high school league out of 80+ teams. Taught me leadership stuff etc etc (not gonna actually say etc on resume/app), how to manage 4 other people and get people there on time for our matches.
It’s just that I spent literally thousands of recorded hours into producing this team, and I hope that it isn’t too weird of an activity for the schools I’m looking at.
Thanks!
Sure, any commitment is fine for you to list on there. If you’re very passionate about Dota 2, then you should definitely include it.
Make sure you present it the right way, and I think you’re looking at something most admissions personnel would see as unique. From personal experience, a commitment to e-sports can really positively affect leadership “etc etc” and actually academics in some ways. Especially if you’ve clocked in over a thousand hours haha. Go for it!
Managing and leading any team successfully is a big plus on a resume, whether for academic or for professional applications. It only needs to be presented concisely, with 2-3 points showcasing your leadership, time management, brainstorming and other similar activities. Just ensure that the resume does not become about Dota 2, but about leading a team to rank 5th out of 80.
Why would it hurt? Sounds like leadership, creativity, and commitment to me…
I think it’s a very interesting activity and it will help your application a lot. Really what the whole EC thing is about is demonstrating passion for something and leadership. Organizing a new club like this is quite an accomplishment and speaks to your drive and passion. Just make sure it’s clear what the club is about
Thanks for the responses! I’ll work on a way to present it correctly. This is only an addition to an already strong resume, so this isn’t the only EC I got going for me.
If you don’t mind me asking what is e-sports? This is the first time I have heard of it
shawnspencer, they are competitive video games. I know it sounds really stupid and unorthodox, which is the reason I asked. It’s no big deal, but it’s turning into a huge industry, with top players getting paid 6-7 figure salaries.
@shawnspencer Video games, often those played in teams like League of Legends. There are pro players and seasons/championships, like regular sports. They’re gaining popularity.
@shawnspencer E-Sports are basically sports in the form of videogames. Whereas usually its basketball or baseball played professionally, many videogames (Dota 2, League of Legends, Starcraft, Counterstrike) have also been played professionally as well with big tournaments, huge fan bases and everything. They’re very similar to the athletic sports in the US, but they’re obviously not physical sports, but electronic sports.
Basically, its as if he was captain of his 5 man basketball team and the team went on to win 5th in a league tournament.
Wow lots of responses there. Thanks guys! You learn something new every day