<p>Do colleges differentiate between an applicant who played varsity sports from a school of 3000 people and someone who played varsity sports from a school of 25? How can the college know if you are actually good at a sport? I know a lot of sports at my school pretty much accept everyone so will that look the same on apps as making a 12 person varsity basketball squad out of a tryout of 100 people?</p>
<p>I’m curious about this too.</p>
<p>For example, at my school many girls have been on varsity soccer for 4 years, it is relatively easy to do… On the other hand for boys football, baseball, and basketball making varsity as a freshman is very special and requires a huge commitment and a great work ethic. Would these two students be viewed the same, because no offense but that would be bull****</p>
<p>Or the 4 year letter at a school of 25 vs. 4 year letter at a school of 3000-4000</p>
<p>So the question is differentiating between different sports and between different schools</p>
<p>I don’t think there is any way for colleges to know this unless you tell them. If it is very important to you, include it in an essay or short answer.</p>
<p>^I definitely agree. My common app EC short essay was about my last putt (20 footer) that I made in my last golf tournament ever. In that essay, I included how passionate about the sport I was, and it was pretty much implied that I was good. </p>
<p>The only other ways I can think of is in your teacher or GC rec (but you’d probably have to tell them), or your ability and devotion could be gleaned from the hours you put in AND the awards you’ve won.</p>
<p>If you’re good at your particular sport, hopefully you have something to show for it, ie competition/invitational wins, all-star/mvp awards, etc. If you’re good but don’t have any of that, you may want to use an essay or a coach rec to convey it. Mostly, however, I don’t think colleges care too much about your athletic ability if you aren’t recruit potential. They will probably care more about your commitment than your skill set.</p>
<p>try getting recruited. that makes a HUGE difference.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Differentiating between making a team in one school versus another? Not something they care about. That you are on a team is interesting to them and they will factor in the time commitment for the respective sport. Naturally, someone involved in any activity for multiple years shows a sustained interest and is a plus. </p>
<p>If you are really good, reach out to the individual coach at that school and express an interest. If it is a Division One school, you need to register with the NCAA. Colleges that have Division III sports DO care about their sports. No one wants to lose to a rival in any competition. So, while they will not be giving out athletic scholarships, the coaches will all have their lists they give to admissions of the kids they are interested in. This is a great hook to get into a selective school where your grades (by themselves) may not be enough. </p>
<p>Take golf for example (but this will work for many other sports). It is real easy to check the golf teams out at schools you are interested in. If you see that of the top five kids, three are freshmen, it’s an indication that the coach can be quite choosy for a while. Naturally the reverse with three seniors - this is a coach that may be looking quite aggressively for replacement talent. </p>
<p>E-mail the coach and express an interest. Tell him about your interest in the school (first) and then tell him about what you’ve done citing tournaments and scores. Ask him if there are any special tournaments he will be scouting saying it would be great to meet him. If that’s not in the cards, ask him if he would have time to meet with you during a campus visit. For rising seniors, do this now, not in the Fall. In the Fall, send him an update on your progress as well as confirming visits and your continued interest in his school. Take it from there.</p>
<p>If a Division III school has early decision, coaches that **really ** want you may press you to go early decision as they want to lock you up. I don’t blame them, it’s competitive and they need to do what they can to get talent. Whether that is in your best interest or not is still your decision. If a coach actually talks to you about going regular decision, that could mean that he may not be as strongly interested in you as you may be with them. But don’t make too much out of this. The golf coach may also be the football coach and he may need to tie up some football prospects before worrying about golf. It happens. </p>
<p>If you are a top prospect in your region not to worry, they will contact you.</p>
<p>Definitely let the coaches at your prospective schools know about you. If you want to play college sports, you’ll need to register with the NCAA clearinghouse. My sister was a recruited athlete back in 2002-2003 in a sport that didn’t have scouts: equestrian. She made a video of herself riding and sent it with other materials to the equestrian coaches at various schools. That was the only reason she got admitted to Texas A&M. The guy at admissions told her that even though she scored higher than he did on the ACT/SAT, her rank was lower so she wouldn’t get admitted. Her high school is very competitive. He suggested that she approach the athletic department, which she did, and got in that way. In fact, she was on the team before she had applied to A&M!! The coach told her to send her application to them at the athletic office and they’d process it. She ended up not going to A&M, or anywhere else for that matter, and she seems to regret her decision to throw away that wonderful opportunity. </p>
<p>Anyhow, athletics got her into A&M. Check it out at the schools you’re interested in. I hope it works for you too!!! :)</p>