<p>How much do they honestly matter? Supposing you had a 2250+ SAT and a 4.0 GPA with a lot of well focused APs and not a long list, but rather, a somewhat small list of extremely focused and interest based ECs, and a commitment to volunteering at a hospital to the point of 100 hours+.</p>
<p>You would probably be accepted at the majority of schools in the country. Go for it.</p>
<p>thanks 
im wondering about like ivy leagues though. And lol this is all speculation, im still a freshman over-achiever with top notch grades(i hope it stays tht way xD)</p>
<p>I think if you ask 10 different admissions officers this question you may get 10 different answers.</p>
<p>I think in general schools are looking for well-rounded individuals. Sports is definitely 1 aspect of that. If you are competing for a spot with many other individuals who are more well-rounded, it could hurt you.</p>
<p>I know there are kids at my son’s high school that participate on sports teams for the sole purpose of making them better college applicants. Some of the kids are on a team, but sit the sideline and never play. They are fine with that, because their ultimate goal is their college resume.</p>
<p>The same is true about clubs, volunteer activities, student government, etc… There are plenty of kids that participate in those for the purpose of making themselves better college applicants.</p>
<p>^yeah that’s the thing I don’t want to do, I enjoy doing things that interest me and I wanted to do swim team, however due to budget cuts, they are cutting that AND Track, which would’ve been my second choice. Everything I do in school is all based off of what i enjoy, so I don’t get bored. And I enjoy reading, math, and science. I also enjoy swimming but if they cut that, i feel i won’t have a sport so i’m in a predicament here. What other opinions do u guys out there have?</p>
<p>I think you should just pick the next sport that you can possibly perform well in. I play both high level hockey and lacrosse inside and outside of school year round and I feel like not only are sports beneficial for your application, sports are also essential to life. Some of the biggest and most important life lessons will be learned through sports. Plus just go play a sport, its fun, you make some friends, you can achieve good health, and who knows you might just excel at it.</p>
<p>I can’t make try-outs for the other sports -_- im a little overweight, i tried out for basketball and I didn’t make that team lol Also, i really don’t enjoy other sports much. I enjoy badminton, but its not offered in our school. If swimming and track get cut il be very :(. sorry about the rant lol stupid budget cuts. gotta hate 'em.</p>
<p>Maybe if you can’t make the school teams try other outside of school leagues/organizations for swimming? I’m sure your local swimming pool has teams. Also another idea could be that you can start your own “club” or intramural badminton or basketball. Not only do you get the benefits of playing a sport, although not at the varsity level, you will be looked upon as a leader for taking an initiative and doing something.</p>
<p>that’s a good idea, and could you explain the term “intramural”?</p>
<p>I am not really sure of how the whole intramural system works but its basically casual sports. All the people who play it is just it in it for fun but I am pretty sure its kind of like a club or student run org. in which students just organize amongst themselves to create teams… I am not sure about the whole process you might want to talk to your school principal.</p>
<p>oh, ok thanks that’s a good idea I am still open to all other opinions</p>
<p>It’s more the depth of your EC’s that count. If you don’t like sports, then don’t do them. Just focus on what you like and become really good at it.</p>
<p>^^ Suppose I participated in things like Academic Team, Waksman Student Scholars Program(you take a summer microbiology course and lead a club in DNA sequence analysis), Key club, and Science Research. Would that be depth enough? Like I am interested in all things math, science, and humanitarian. What kinds of ECs are ggod for that kind of thing?</p>
<p>I know people who got into Ivies this year without playing a single sport in high school (of course they were very well-rounded in other areas, though). You should be OK.</p>
<p>^thanks im only a freshman in all honesty, and although im aiming for a 2400, its safe to say i may only get a 2250 or so, etc etc with achievements. but you can never be too careful :)</p>
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<p>For the Ivy-caliber schools, 2250 should be enough since it falls smack in the middle. I think your EC’s would be typical of good Ivy League candidates. By depth I meant by competing in state/national level Academic Team, or using that scholar program/research to start your own organization to spread that knowledge/teach or something. Basically, you want to not only participate in established activities but go a step further and show initiative, creativity, and talent.</p>
<p>Yeah that’s a good idea, basically, how it works with the scholar program is that you head a Waksman Science Club that actively DNA sequence analyzes after creating the sequence where it can actually help with certain diseases and medical discoveries after the research is reviewed by Rutgers University. So yeah, i also want to try to participate in the AMCs or USAMO. Thanks for all of the great help/advice!</p>
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<p>This is not what top colleges are looking for! They strive to create a well-rounded class, meaning they’d prefer you to have a specific interest than twenty. In general, if you’re not recruitable, sports may be more of a time suck than they’re worth (unless you’re performing at a remarkable level).</p>
<p>^^Yeah I had thought that as well. So do you think it would be enough if I had excellent grades, good extracurriculars, and great SATs? Also with good volunteering.</p>
<p>bump</p>
<p>10 char</p>