<p>OMG Don't take sports! Seriously, it's not a big deal!! When I was a freshmen, I thought I had to take sports to, to stay competitive but as you grow and develop your passions, you'll realize what a fool you were for trying to wedge into a niche that is clearly not for you. </p>
<p>So what if everyone at your school does sports? If it's not your thing and you don't feel good about it, then you will never excel at it and THAT will hurt you. However, if you are super passionate and dedicated, even if you are not a strong athlete, your dedication will show off in some way( Most Improved,etc.) </p>
<p>From what you've written, it doesn't appear to be the latter. You seem like a confused freshmen who wants to get into a good college, doesn't care that much for sports( or isn't that great at it), and feel a bit intimidated by your peers who are athletic + ambitious.</p>
<p>Here's the truth and the best way to get the best EC's: you have to find yourself, and find your passions. Seriously, it sounds so trite but once you let go of the "I should's" and start doing a little bit of the "I want's", you'll see what I mean. Those are generally the people who win awards or show an exquisite depth and passion for the things they are involved in- it allows them that realm of creativity. Even if you are a triple varsity sports person, possessing that inherent appreciation for the sport will translate itself onto paper- especially if the student is a good student and great writer. </p>
<p>Once you find or start to develop your niche and come out of all the debris, you will find ways to contribute to your community and cultivate your interest. For instance, just looking at a girl on CC- she loves art and writing. So, she writes a lot- for academic journals, scholastic awards, magazine, scored an internship with ABC news, developed an art portfolio for art contests, uses her art to help her community-art charity shows to raise money for conflict situations, galas, tons of student activism related to art and consequently, numerous humanitarian awards,etc.,etc. The list goes on and on and on but you can see how she really cultivated her passions beyond just the one dimensional realm. THe problem with getting trapped into your mentality is that you won't know how to expand or where to go- if you are passionate about something, you are constantly on the hunt for new opportunities, new ways to continue doing what you love doing. If you stick to the ordinary and just what's available to you without fully making use of it, you don't stand out period. </p>
<p>There's a lot of tricky ways to maneuver the college process but the top schools really identify with students who are focused, insightful and have really gone on that self-identification journey.</p>
<p>If you don't know what your 'niche' is right now, don't worry. I didn't really start figuring things out until end of sophomore and arguably, not even until junior year! My best advice for you, right now, is to really put yourself in places you haven't been before- not just joining clubs and finding which ones interest you, but go beyond that. Tutor at a unique place. Intern somewhere. Look at the classes you enjoyed or the ones you hated. Evaluate. Assess. Read a LOT of books- in MANY different genres- it might seem to be wierd advice, but reading a lot really encourages you to probe deeper and get thinking about life. And, on the plus side, it helps you develop reading comprehension, verbal, analytical, and vocab skills that come in handy for school, esp AP classes and the SAT. </p>
<p>Join the sport. See if you like it. Freshmen year really is the searching, searching year. No pressure, but try to really develop your interests because then you can hone down on what clubs and outside leadership activities are suitable and then you can really start racking in those leadership roles and responsibilities by the time you become a junior. Watch the news. Attend leadership conferences. Just pretty much put yourself into all opportunities that come your way and then you'll start to see what you like and what you don't. </p>
<p>When I was a freshmen, I thought I was going to be a doctor so I joined the math team and tried to get into that whole science/math thing. Ummm...three years later and I intend to major in international relations with an emphasis on near eastern Arabic studies. </p>
<p>See the flip? And the thing is, if I had stubbornly, or naively, stuck with the math/science route, I would have failed miserably. I would have a list of forgettable, limp EC's- it's just not the field for me! But, instead, I took a different route and now I have some pretty major national stuff-I was on tv last week! </p>
<p>So the point of this insanely long ramble is find your passion(s). It will take a lot of soul searching but you can do it! And don't get caught up in the status quo and what you think you should be doing. Colleges don't want a thousand kids who all play sports. They want individuals.</p>