<p>I've read some threads on sports vs. academics, but I really want some advice for my situation.
I play tennis at a D1 level and I was a walk on. I am basically at the bottom of the team and I only play exhibition matches from time to time. I am currently a sophomore, but I am behind on credits. I love my sport, but my grades have been very average. My GPA is around 3.3 and I am fulfilling pre-med requirements with a Chemistry major. As any other D1 team, my coach does not allow us to do any homework during match time, which can be almost 4 hours not including travel time. I am very frustrated about having such low grades and that I have not had much time to get into research or do many other extracurricular activities or volunteering. I am conflicted because I want to quit the team to pursue research, shadowing, and volunteering, but I do not want this to be held against me when I apply to med schools. I also wish I could strengthen relationships with professors instead of giving them a travel letter and being absent half the time. </p>
<p>To add to stress, because I am at the bottom of the team and I dedicate the rest of my time to studying rather than hanging out with my teammates, I am also disrespected, which I try to brush off, but it can be difficult to do every day. This isn't a major factor, I just wanted to mention it. </p>
<p>I am thinking about quitting soon, but I want to make the most objective decision as I can. </p>
<p>If I sound like I am whining, I apologize. I've been going back and forth with this for almost a year.</p>
<p>Current MD/PhD and former (I did stick with it all 4 years but I wasn’t even a consistent starter) D1 athlete here</p>
<p>quitting a varsity sport won’t be held against you. Some schools hold varsity athletics in a separate category from other ECs because it’s an extracurricular that shows lots of commitment - but you still need to be getting good grades, ECs, and everything else for it to really “mean” anything. If you don’t feel like you’re doing enough for pre-med stuff (and I would say a 3.3 GPA is low) you can certainly quit. Does your school have a club team? That sounds like it might be ideal for you.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input. I agree that 3.3 is a low GPA and my grades are taking a hit. I just fear that they might interpret my quitting as a sign that I couldn’t handle a varsity sport and academics. My school does have a club team, and if I did quit varsity, I would most likely join the club team or just take on volunteering/research.
I really want to strengthen my grades and include other ECs.</p>
<p>but you are having trouble managing the two. There’s nothing wrong with that - many people can’t. The issue is that while varsity sports is nice, it’s not as important as the things you are lacking.</p>
<p>DD did a club sport which participated in National level competitions, so they were intense, though allowed to miss a practice, if need be. They also did not get the tutors and schedule priorities the varsity teams in other sports did.</p>
<p>She did no research and only a couple of minor ECs with about a 3.5, senior year she dropped the sport, did much more shadowing and other ECs and got a 4.0 to bring up that GPA.</p>
<p>Can you get at least a 3.5-3.7 for now and do the other work senior year? Trying to get the most out of all the opportunities.</p>
IWBB…Do you know which schools evaluate the candidates differently? D will be applying this cycle. She’s done her sport since she was five (rising college senior at top 25 school – D1). She was appointed captain last year as a junior (first time coach had apptd. junior in this position) and will be captain next year as well. She spends ~21 hours/week (full year sport), so her time is limited but does have shadowing and volunteer hours, research at top summer SURP, and other leadership positions on campus. She has a 3.9 GPA (will find out MCAT today – most likely 31-33). I guess my question is does participation in college sports help (sets applicant apart) or hurt (applicant spent so much time with sport, doesn’t have as many research, volunteer, shadowing hours as others)?</p>
<p>no. My school - which I won’t mention - said to me at my interview that they did. I also noticed the powerpoint from texas that WOWMom posted in the holistic admissions thread had varsity athletics as a separate EC category. Between that and all the questions I got on my interview trail I assume my school is not unique in valuing it.</p>
<p>Also, to be clear: It is not that athletes are evaluated differently. It’s just that varsity sports might be in a different category from other non-medical, non service ECs.</p>
<p>Could you play club? My D. quit her sport, even club was way too time consuming. However, she was into too much during her school year, could not get ECs in a summer. She has no regrets about quitting. Was in competitive sport from age 5 all thru graduating from HS, and still holds many team records at one of her teams, she was way beoynd average, was pusued by few college coaches, but instead decided to attend on full tuition Merit award. Well, we all hope that in some future she will go back to her loved so much sport, but now she has no time, even no time to use it as a work out, although it is the best by any measure, the best sport out there.</p>