Should I quit Cross Country?

It’s my senior year, and I can feel the pressure of incoming college and scholarship applications. I have a lot to do, and not enough time to do it. I want to take 3 SAT Subject Tests and bring my ACT Writing Score up from an 8 to hopefully a 10+. I attend a small highschool (19 average ACT, <400 students) in a “far off” town, and everyone here who goes to a 4-year college goes to an unselective nearby college, so I never knew about how competitive applying for college and scholarships can be, until recently, when I started doing research myself. The main reason that I don’t have enough time to do what I want to is because of cross country. Due to the combination of school, tutoring, cross country, and chores at home, I only have 30 minutes or less of “free” time on the weekdays, which is not enough time for me to do I want. I’ve been considering quitting cross country because it’s definitely not my passion, and I’d rather spend my time learning/studying, figuring out what I want to major in, typing application essays, researching colleges, and tutoring. However… I’ve earned All-State for cross country in my division in the 10th and 11th grade and Track MVP in my region of the state. I’ll most likely win the state race in my division this year because everyone who beat me were seniors, even though I’ll be about 10th in the state when comparing across all school population divisions. I don’t want to slash my chances of getting scholarships by quitting cross-country, even though I really do not enjoy the sport much and would rather spend my time doing other things I find more important and enjoyable. Any advice about how I can improve my situation is welcome.

So that you can better judge my situation, here’s my profile:
• 35 ACT
• 1st in state for Agriscience competetion
• 2nd in state for FBLA economics competition — I never had economics, if that adds any merit
(I didn’t know anything about how extracurriculars can give such a boost to applications, how beneficial they can be to the student, and didn’t know what was available to me other than what the teachers talked to me about, so I never put a lot of effort into academic extracurriculars)
• Top 10 (two years) for cross country — these would be in the 20’s - 30’s if compared to all competitors throughout all divisions
• state track qualifier for three years
• I do free ACT and homework tutoring after school
• no AP classes or tests (I didn’t even know about them until recently)
• got a black belt when I was 14 but quit afterwards, if that matters

I think you should if it’s taking up all your time! Enjoy your life - youre a senior! One sport isnt gonna make a difference

Unless your being looked at for college to run with a scholarship… Do what makes you happy. Don’t regret your decision. Make sure your coach is not one of your recommendations. Also don’t worry about the written portion. Most colleges are dropping that requirement anyway. You didn’t state your grade point but keeping your grade point up through out your senior year is more important. Some schools want to see your midterm grades. This alone is a reason to focus more on studying VS running. Lots of people won’t understand but it’s your future not their’s.

I disagree. You’re going to win state? You should not quit because you don’t have free time. Our S19 is a XC/track runner with high scores and grades and rigor. He has no free time at all on weekdays. Home by 6:15, shower, eat dinner, and homework until midnight. Stinks but it’s temporary. He has a little free time on weekends but honestly not much with meets and homework. XC season runs through end of October and then they still train but it’s not as intense until February again. So I get your pain.

Colleges look at senior year. They don’t want kids quitting stuff- certainly not a state champion runner. You’ll want that on your applications. What kind of schools are you targeting? Why do you need three SAT 2 tests? It’s kind of late to be taking them but the good news is that so few schools require them. You should check. Are coaches contacting you? If you are at the level of a state champion, you would be hearing from coaches and, if you are not, you should be filling out recruitment forms on your colleges’ websites.

Maybe you can share more about your list and we can try to get you more advice. But I would not quit XC.

My daughter has friends who got great D3 scholarships for cross country and were not 1st or 2nd in their state. I would also think long and hard before quitting.

Lots of colleges dropping the writing portion requirement of the ACT. With a 35, I would not bother taking it again. That is a super, super score.

Wow, I agree - I would not drop out at this point. Winning a state race is something you will always keep with you! My son and his teammates won the state race in the 4x800 relay and even set a state record. This was 9 years ago. The record still stands and people remember it.

Yes, do not spend more time on ACT. I would cut back on the free tutoring until XC is over.

I should have added that I know running helped get my son admitted to more schools than he would have otherwise. He got into Amherst and Wash U with good stats, but not top ones.

I think taking the ACT is counterproductive. You have a 35 already. Very minimal bump for a 36 or higher writing score, which send to be ignored because very few trust that it has much value.

Unless you after applying to Georgetown, no need for 3 subject tests, and many good schools don’t require any.

I think quitting senior year looks bad. I would find some other way to free up some time.

Do you want to run XC in college? My son quit Varsity XC his senior year because of similar concerns - wanted to focus on college apps and really just wanted to enjoy his last year of HS AND, he had no interest in running in college - he ran b/c he was good at it and loved his team, not b/c he liked to run. He did have other activities - a couple clubs in school that he participated in for 4 years, a business he started/maintained outside of school, outside of school hobbies, etc. He was accepted into all schools he applied - even his top, selective school. So my concern for you quitting XC is that you don’t have much else on your “resume” other than XC, only do so if you have other activities that strengthen your application.

Other points:
- No need to re-take ACT with a 35 and an 8 on writing
- No need for 3 Subject Tests, most top schools only want 2 - unless there is a specific school you are looking at

that wants 3? When are you going take these?
- Are you looking at any ED applications? Do you need a scholarship from XC to afford college?
- Do you have a college counselor that you can talk to about your Common App and get advice?
- Have you talked to your parents about cost of college and your goals? Are they supportive of you quitting XC?
- How you fill out the Activities section of the CA will be very important - you need to sell yourself, get some help
on that area…

I don’t want to run XC in college. I run for the same reasons as your son, which are because I’m good and some of my friends run too, not because I like to run.
I want to increase my ACT writing score because some scholarships I want to apply for at LSU (my state’s top public school) require it, and I want to be more competitive for merit scholarships overall. I want to take the SAT subject tests because I have had no AP classes or tests, and for the same reason to be more competitive for merit scholarships.
The colleges I want to apply to include FSU, University of Florida (my parents are moving to Florida from Louisiana when I graduate), LSU, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Swarthmore, Brown, and a few safety schools. I’m also open to suggestions as to some good colleges that I should apply to, and if it’s even really worth the money to go to “better” schools. I almost definitely won’t be able to attend any colleges that will cost more than $10,000 per year.
The main reason I want to quit cross country isn’t to have more free time, it’s to have more time to fill out college and scholarships applications, research colleges and majors, and study. However, I don’t have any activities or community service outside of Cross Country other than the tutoring, which I why I still tutor even though I don’t have much time (and because it helps people). I’m thinking about starting a club to host practice for FBLA and Literary Rally (similar to FBLA but in all high school subjects), to inform students about opportunities available to them in high school, and to organize community service projects. I am in BETA and NHS, but they do literally nothing… not even community service. I’ll go talk to the guidance counselor about it, but I doubt she can help me much, considering that the closest someone has come to my ACT score here was 9 years ago when someone made a 33.

I would not worry about starting up a new club as a senior unless it’s something you are super passionate about. It won’t make any impact on your application and it sounds like you are already limited on time.

If you are short on ECs, it’s another reason to stick out XC, not try to start something new.

@Uncomfortable YOu need to go onto those schools websites and run a Net Price Calculator for each one. You can find it in their financial aid sections. You’ll enter some financial info about your family and then you can see how much they will (mostly likely) expect you to pay. Do that first. I don’t know if any of those schools will come in under $10,000.

You need to keep XC in order to be competitive at the most competitive schools on your list. I still suggest you keep it. I understand that you want/need time to research scholarships, study for SAT2s, etc. I don’t think any of the schools on your list require them. If they do not, then I would suggest to just keep your grades up and work on those essays. They need to be stellar. Again, our son is loaded with APs, still writing essays for his apps, and is running XC (as well as three or four other ECs). He is BUSY. All of his friends shooting for Top 20 schools are living that same life right now. You can do it too.

Do not retake the ACT. Schools really do not care about that ACT essay and your 35 is amazing.

I’ll keep XC then. Thanks to all of you for your help and kindness!!

Another xc parent here… Very similar experience to @homerdog and I agree… The season will be over before you know it, and just in time to reap its benefits for college admissions. Even at D3 a college coach can advocate for you and while there may not be athletic scholarships, having someone in your corner when you have the test scores and grades will only help give you an edge competing for academic scholarships.

Agree with other XC parents. The season is short and the potential accolades you will gain will reap benefits.

Just to clarify–There are no athletic scholarships in D3. If they got scholarships it was merit based or financial aid.