Hello, I’m about to be a junior in high school and I’m debating on the classes I want to take this upcoming year.
I think I have an idea of what I want to do in college, that being a major in pharmacy and a minor in business. I am deciding on participating in clubs like HOSA and DECA.
The problem is that I’m debating if I should take soccer. I enjoy soccer, but I will not be playing in college. I know colleges look at extra curriculum, so I thought soccer would benefit me that way if i committed. But idk
Should I stay in soccer? Will it help me be more attractive to colleges, or is being in HOSA and DECA good enough?
(If I don’t take soccer, I will be replacing it with an AP class)
@MN1007 One way to pay for college is soccer scholarship so if you are good enough to get a scholarship then continue with soccer. If you know you definitely don’t want to play in college then drop it. Yes it is more attractive to colleges but there are other ECs.
From the little info in the original post, it sounds like a college scholarship to play soccer is extremely unlikely. The OP would have to be playing club soccer at a high level at this point; and/or have been singled out for statewide soccer honors to be in the running for a D1 scholarship. If the OP is male, the odds are even more unlikely.
Play soccer because you love it, OP, but don’t plan on soccer being a way to fund your education, especially in these times.
Agree with @cinnamon1212. You absolutely will not get a college soccer scholarship. There are very, very few scholarships, and are highly competitive. They go to kids who have been high-level competitive players for many years.
However, I think you should continue with soccer if it helps you to stay fit, healthy, and balanced. Do not make every decision about your life right now based on what’s good for you for college. Think about your overall workload, and what will make you a healthier, happier, person. If you are really light on course rigor, then, yes, take the AP class. But if you’re doing okay in that regard, I would advocate to stay with soccer. Just please don’t do it because you think it’s going to get you a scholarship.
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I don’t think this is relevant to the OP, but to clarify, soccer scholarship liklihood is extremely dependent on what type of schools you are looking at and your gender. Male scholarships are much harder to come by. Female D1 scholarships are hard to come by. Female NAIA or D2? Not nearly as difficult. They have to balance out the football scholarships somewhere, and women’s soccer has been a beneficiary of that. My daughter’s team has had several people go this route. They are solid players, and did play club soccer, but none had statewide honors. They mostly did play club, it is a local club but does make a couple trips a year to surrounding states.
To OP: grades and curriculum are most important, although EC’s are too. Lots of it depends on what type and selectivity level of college you are targeting. The generic advice is to do something besides school. If DECA floats your boat, go for it. But involvement means actual involvement, not just having your name on a list and spending 5 hours a year on a club.