Sports vs. Academics Dilemma

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>So the problem is I've been contemplating on whether to drop swim and just focus on my academics.</p>

<p>Swim in our school is very demanding, probably the most time-consuming sport out of all the sports.
We don't have our own pool so we have to go to another school and swim in theirs. We have 6am-8am practice because of this arrangment. Since I practice in the morning and go to school right after, by the time I get home I'm already miserably tired. I'm so tired that by 7pm, I already feel sleepy and I haven't finished all my homeworks. </p>

<p>I'm taking 3 AP's this year and 1 Honors class. I'm pretty sure all you CC'ers know the amount of homework given each night when you're an AP student. My grades have dropped drammatically since swim season started. I have a 71% in AP Chem and 82% in APUSH :( It's because I don't have the time to study. Also, since I'm a junior this year, I want to actually pass all of my AP tests (I didn't pass bio and euro last year). I want to actually study for them, unlike last year.</p>

<p>The thing is, I'm scared of the consequences that will result if I drop swim. Will it somehow affect college acceptance? I know that colleges want commitment. But, I only joined swim last year as a sophomore. Does it matter if I only have 1 year of that sport? I've been playing tennis since freshman year and I made varsity this year. With tennis, it wouldn't really matter if I quit swim, right?</p>

2

<p>Unless you would be a recruited athlete, your schoolwork should come first. If I were your parent, I would tell you to drop swimming now. Both of my kids were serious ballet dancers, 15-20 hours a week, but we always had an agreement that if their grades should drop then they would need to cut back. No amount of good ECs is going to make up for low GPA.</p>

3

<p>Colleges care more about your grades than your ECs. Drop swim and focus on your studies, especially if you have other activities like tennis.</p>

4

<p>The other posters have really said all that there is to be said; the sad truth is that swimming should be put on the back burner for now.</p>