Will a non-academic passion help me?

Hey guys, I’m a really avid tennis player, but I’m definitely not good enough to play college. I have spent at least 8+ hours a week, sometimes 12+ playing tennis. I know people talk about finding your passion and really displaying that passion in your application, but I was wondering if my passion for tennis would help me with my application. I do really like math and computer science, but I have spent a lot more time playing tennis and I enjoy it more.
Thanks guys, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

It could make an interesting essay.

Colleges like students that do things outside of the classroom so to that extent having tennis is a good thing. Since you are not a recruited athlete, your tennis will be viewed similarly to any other EC that students do.

“Passion” doesn’t replace the right actions and commitments, incl outside school. What do you do in your community besides tennis? Where do you see your “stretch?”

Hey guys, I guess I should rephrase my question. Tennis will help me as an extracurricular of course, but often when talking abt admissions, people tell me to develop a “spike” that shows that you can focus and work hard in one thing. Would tennis be able to fulfill this “spike” or does it have to be an activity where you are practically world-class at? Thanks for the input.

Well, think of all the kids who are playing tennis just as hard as you are. I really don’t think it’s much of a spike.

Spike is misunderstood. It can refer to insufficient other pursuits, only focusing on what most interests you, not showing the openness top colleges want.

No, tennis is not enough. Everything needs to add up. You have a few hs clubs, the rest, incl vol, is tennis. The only math-sci is math team, but you want a stem major. You will compete in a pool of kids who did more, took on responsibilities in and out of the hs.

Dont let your understanding of what a tippy top expects be just from forum whst orhers say.

Check out “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport.

“The basic message of the book is this: Don’t wear yourself out taking as many classes as you can and being involved in every club and sport. Instead, leave yourself enough free time to explore your interests. Cultivate one interest and make it into something special that will make you stand out among the other applicants and get you into the toughest schools, even if your grades and scores aren’t stellar. Newport calls this the “relaxed superstar approach,” and he shows you how to really do this, breaking the process down into three principles, explained and illustrated with real life examples of students who got into top schools: (1) underscheduling—making sure you have copious amounts of free time to pursue interesting things, (2) focusing on one or two pursuits instead of trying to be a “jack of all trades,” and (3) innovation—developing an interesting and important activity or project in your area of interest. This fruit yielded by this strategy, an interesting life and real, meaningful achievements, is sure to help not only with college admissions, but getting a job, starting a business, or whatever your goals.”

http://www.examiner.com/review/be-a-relaxed-high-school-superstar

As of this morning. OP is aiming at Princeton or Cornell. That changes the game.

whether the OP wants to go to Stanford or Princeton or Cornell, at very selective colleges they are going to be looking for leadership and/or accomplishment in ECs. Merely spending a bunch of hours doing something (whether it be playing tennis, video games, or building up volunteer hours) is not going to be very competitive against the rest of the applicant pool.

The advice Cal Newport gives in his books and blog is useful, the OP should take a look. There was a thread a while back by a Ivy interviewer discussing strong ECs. The thread is at http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/2646596 The OP can take a look and decide where her/his ECs fall.

Just saying, that’s 2006. I wish OP could look into what these colleges say today. Newport is also 2010. I like his approach but kids need to balance it with knowledge of their targets.
Newpory has a recent blog on why the mantra to follow passions is bad advice. Its about jobs but interesting.

Tennis is not your spike. It could be, when your skills approach those of Venus & Serena Williams. You may be passionate about it, but passion is not the only thing that makes a spike (a true spike also requires proven mastery, expertise and recognition). If you are not on your high school team and are “not good enough to play in college”, then you are basically doing recreational tennis. There is nothing wrong with that. Tennis is as good as any other EC. To present your activity in the best light, you should consider how you can show growth and development in it (maybe start to teach tennis or work in a tennis club - or even better, work it into your computer science interest by developing a tennis-related app).

Gotcha, thanks for all the replies