Hi,
I am a high school junior and I have played JV volleyball the past two years. I decided not to play this year and am thinking of playing badminton. I’m planning on applying to highly selective colleges and I was wondering if not playing a sport looks detrimental or should I do badminton. I have other extracurriculars for volunteering and I work if that helps.
Thanks so much
Do what you like,but do something.
By do something do you mean a sport?
i never played a single sport during my high school career, and i still got accepted to a good school. don’t play a sport solely because you think colleges will want to see that. if you want to play volleyball, play volleyball. if you want to play badminton, play badminton. do what you like.
Unless you are looking at a service academy, there aren’t many schools that require a sport. Do what you like. If it is a sport, great.
I thought Michelle Obama had a good requirement for her kids. She required one team sport and then one individual sport (tennis, golf) per year.
Thanks so much, but how much would sports aid an application?
If you aren’t a recruited athlete for that sport, it is considered like an EC. One admissions officer might like it better than Model UN, another might like robotics more than golf. The admissions officers are looking at your level of activity, whether you are involved in something and if not, why not. Are you working,are you playing fantasy football, are you taking online classes? They are trying to get to know you through your application not checking off activities.
Like everything else, it shows you have broader interests than just academics. It shows that you are active and involved and won’t just grow mossy in the library basement. It shows you can interact with teammates, possibly in a leadership position. But what “it” is is specifically is not nearly as important as finding something you enjoy and doing that. There’s no difference between badminton and volleyball in that regard, so follow your joy and let that come through on your app.