Hi All, our kid has focussed on Karate for 8+ years , mathematics and chess. He loves soccer and is good in tennis and ping pong but has very poor stamina due to his severe Asthma. Despite his dedicated efforts, he finds himself excelling in a very good range but not reaching greatness.
Are there any sports he can pursue with his medical condition which in your practical experience have been easy on the kids physically and yet valued during college applications?
Which angular skills can he focus on before high school starts?
Any activity, even non-sporting activities, are valued for college admission. Unless one is a recruited athlete (which is rare) sports are no more or less valuable than any other activity. If he likes karate or any of the other sports that he does now that is great and he can continue – if not he can do something else. Some high schools have math teams and/or chess teams which he could pursue if interested. As a general rule, I recommend your child do the activities he enjoys and can eventually make a contribution to.
As a bit of unsolicited advice, it sounds like your S had not yet started HS. I would not even be thinking about college and what activities might be good for college yet. High school should be a time of learning, growth, exploring new interests etc. so allow your son the freedom to do just that. When the time comes (junior year), seek out a group of colleges to apply to which match your son’s profile and interests rather then try to tailor his profile to what someone may think colleges want to see.
I would suggest that you read the “Applying Sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site. As I understand it, the recommendation is that each student do what is right for them, and do it very well. This approach has worked well for our family. However, what was right for me, what was right for my wife, or what was right for either daughter, were entirely different things.
Karate is a good activity. Having done it for 8+ years shows a dedication and willingness to stick with a constructive activity. He does not need to be competitive. Chess is another very good activity, and in fact was one of my main activities that did help me get accepted to MIT. Mathematics seems like an academic subject to me, but a very interesting and good one (I was a math major at MIT).
Exactly.
Each student should do what is right for them, and do it well. Then find a university that is a good fit.
Also, there are hundreds of very good universities in the US. In nearly all cases graduates from highly ranked universities work next to graduates from a very wide range of other universities and no one cares where any of us got our degree.
Honestly, if he loves what he is doing, persevering through adversity will make a better story. It’s much easier to stick things out when your are great. Dedication simply for the love of it is much more rare and compelling - no greatness required.
I generally agree with @TonyGrace’s statement but would augment a bit. First, I would focus on activities that really play to his strengths. Second, for admissions, I would seek to focus/label the activities in a way that shows his success.
