Hi guys, i was planning on doing cross country and track my senior year ( i would have been a varsity runner for both sports) but i suffered a massive knee injury at the conclusion of my junior year of cross country. I was varsity junior year. because of my injury i was forced to quit track junior year and my injury is preventing me from doing cross country my senior year. it’s likely that i wont be able to run track my senior year as well.
My question is this: because of my injury and the effect that i has on me not being able to continue on (these two sports are my two main ECs) running, does that ruin my chances at a top tier, prestigious school? My gpa is a 4.0 UW and a 4.8 W. Im top of my class in a size of 564 with a 30 on the ACT. 6 passed AP tests and 5 tests planned during senior year.
Any comments would be so helpful; i’m very anxious!
I highly doubt it. But you should mention somewhere in the college app (perhaps in the “extra info” section) that you had an injury that prevented you from continuing.
My friend actually went through a similar experience with lacrosse, and she was able to continue to be on the team. She wasn’t able to play due to her injury but she made sure she was at every game to cheer on her teammates. Granted, I go to a really small, tight-knit school, so it was almost expected that she would be allowed to stay on the team and she wanted to still be at every game supporting her teammates.
Colleges want to see who you are as a person. In my opinion, if you can show that even through an injury you stuck with your team and supported them, that would show a lot of dedication and make up for your inability to actually compete.
If I were you, I would make sure to mention it in an essay- maybe tell the story from the perspective of the bench, describe how much you learned about running when you saw it from a different angle, and describe how you became a better teammate. Again, I don’t know if your school/coaches would let you stay on the team, but I think it’s worth a shot to continue to participate in the team aspect, even though you can’t compete.
Those are just my two cents, but hopefully that helped in some way. Sorry about your injury and good luck!
@CDOESenior2k16 saldy i talked to my coach and he told me that i would be unnecessary stress for him. im going to channel my energy into starting a gay-straight alliance at my school and (hopefully) put in some volunteer hours at a local hospital. im definitely going to talk about how running has changed my life for the worse and better. thanks for your comments!
One of my good friends who just graduated HS with me, a basketball player, has to take a postgraduate year because he tore his ACL in the summer before junior year. He’s a very good player and one of the most genuine and humble people I’ve met, so I truly feel bad for him.
Sorry about the injury. Hang in there. I know someone who had a bad concussion that forced her to quit a sport, and she wrote about the issue in one of her college essays. Used it to show how she overcame adversity. Got into great school.