<p>As far as I know not many people play chess, and most of those who do claim they're good but in reality sucks really, really bad and understand little about how the game is supposed to be played.</p>
<p>So would chess be a good "hook" that sets you apart? (Long devotion, winning many tournaments and awards, etc.)</p>
<p>If you can get across how you’re really passionate and took the initiative, that is, and how deeply you understand the game.</p>
<p>naw, sorry to burst your bubbles but a lot of people play chess. And if you are an asian chess player, you fit the stereotype perfectly ;P</p>
<p>What do you mean by “a lot”? Pretty much 90% of people play chess but don’t compete and probably only knows how to move the pieces…</p>
<p>I used to be involved in competitive chess and was sponsored by my county to play at nationals back when it was in Nashville years ago. Coming from that standpoint, I would say it is as popular as competitive debate (and rather similar too). If you’re good and committed, I’m sure a college would love to see it (demonstrates passion), but at the same time, thousands of people are involved across the nation. I mean if you’re winning nat’l tournaments, just like with debate, it helps a lot more and can be a “hook”, but if your USCF rating is like a 1200…meh, just another “activity”.</p>
<p>I won florida regionals + invited to Florida Invitational Superstars in high school so I’m good.</p>
<p>Definitely not a “meh, another activity.”</p>
<p>UCSF rating?</p>
<p>It’s not a hook.</p>
<p>If you are exceptional it might be for some schools like UMBC where it is one of the major activities. Otherwise, just another EC.</p>
<p>A hook is defined as something the college definitely wants. Excellent chess players, while able to add to the freshman diversity, does not mean that colleges are actively searching to fill a “chess player” gap.</p>
<p>I’m not as serious in chess as I was last year anymore. </p>
<p>This game is hard as hell and it’s super time consuming. I can’t believe people don’t realize that this game carries a lot more weight on creativity and critical thinking skills and keeping composure, not flipping out when losing a tournament game, etc. etc. It teaches you everything that playing sports would about life, losing, not giving up, playing chess from 9 to 5 in tournaments and thinking until your brain IQ drops to ape level. I don’t play tournaments anymore because I don’t have time right now; they last three days (the ones I play in), Friday night, saturday, sunday. How many games? 5 only! Every game lasts from 2-4 hours usually and it kills your brain by sunday night. I can’t do this when I got so much freakin’ homework. </p>
<p>Chess taught me more about life and who I am than anything else I’ve ever done. I used to play to win (and I DID win) until I realized that this game is impossibly hard to get to the top with and requires tremendous amount of talent and time to get to grandmaster level. </p>
<p>Too bad colleges don’t realize this game is really, really underrated. Winning at chess is not even easy, especially at tournament levels. Doesn’t matter if I got a bunch of trohpies in my room. Doesn’t matter if I trashed over half of them. This game is IMPOSSIBLE and incredibly underrated and HARD AS HELL TO GET BETTER AT!</p>
<p>I doubt it’ll be a hook unless you’re really, really, good on the national (not high school national) level. What is your USCF rating?</p>
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<p>No offense, but to me you sound like someone who devoted a lot of time to an activity but you’re starting to realize that it won’t automatically get you into college. </p>
<p>I know how hard playing “real chess” is. The problem is that a lot of people that play tournament-level chess are intelligent people with good grades. There are more qualified applicants who play tournament-level chess than room that colleges can “reserve” for them. As T26E4 said, colleges don’t “need” good chess players.</p>
<p>By the way, regional tournaments I’ve played in last one day. I only play in adult tournaments so the only reason I ever joined High School Regionals was to go in, bash the hell out of arrogant high schoolers who think that by being #1 in their high school means they’re some kind of hot shot at chess, walk out with 1st place trophy, have a fake smile when they take a picture, walk out of the tournament with a “what a joke” smirk and never think about it again. Those people know absolutely nothing about chess to begin with.</p>
<p>In short, I do it to decorate my college application resume… Wasted my time, now I realize.</p>
<p>Agreed, DwightEisenhower, so I’m not really relying on chess. This game is useless to me now that I’ve learned all I can about life and crap from this game. The only thing I can ever learn from chess now is how to form better strategies, make better moves, plan more effectively, etc. etc. etc. etc. ETTTTCCCCC.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what is your USCF rating?</p>
<p>100 </p>
<p>:-d</p>
<p>I don’t boast, and I don’t care about chess anymore. My chess rating sucks. I don’t know if I’m making this subjectively or objectively but it doesn’t matter. Everyone sucks until they reach 2200, and I have not. Therefore, having a 100 rating and 2199 don’t mean anything.</p>
<p>University of Texas – Dallas is the “chess house.” They got the best chess team in the country. Lots of talented young players. Probably the only school that cares about chess players, but I’m not going there because as soon as I set foot on college campus this game is history.</p>
<p>My only college-related advice to you is to not sound so much like a dick, because college interviewers tend to dislike dicks.</p>
<p>numbers don’t lie melin. what’s the highest rating you held at some point in your life? One of my close friends was ranked #6 in Canada and he only got into NYU with decent everything else. Now that guy is legit- had a u of chicago professor as his sponsor and competed in tournaments around the world. And yet, NYU, not saying that’s not a good school.</p>
<p>Yeah I got that handled. I’m only like this when it comes to chess. Thanks for giving me another reason to quit this game. I just hate how people don’t give a crap about this game and think that they know everything about chess when they know absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>^the same can be said for every game though lol, from basketball to World of Warcraft</p>