Please remind me that it's not true only athletes get into college.

[Momtwice]

Even though I know tons of nonathletic people with degrees, like me!

Please remind me that the all the people in my community who keep saying your kid HAS to play a sport to get into college are wrong.

Thank you.

[moondiapers]

well colleges would be pretty small if all of their students were athletes.

[MsElle07]

SO not true. I went to a big ten school (50,000 students) and only a tiny fraction were athletes.

However, a well rounded schedule of extracurriculars (athletic or otherwise) DOES help give you an edge over the competition -- particularly if applying to a very selective college.

[fek&fuzz]

that's one of the oddest things I've ever heard. No one in my family played sports and we've all gone to college, even "very selective" colleges.

[Cassiopeia]

That's a totally bizarre thing to say.

[aprilushka]

I think some kind of extracurricular activity is expected by most colleges, but not necessarily sports. It could be band, clubs, etc. In fact, starting one's own club or leading one is more impressive than just playing on a team for the sake of it, I would think.

[pumpkin]

That's completely bizarre. I've never heard anyone imply you need to be an athlete to go to college. I certainly wasn't.

Now good grades and lots of extracurriculars certainly help getting into a good school, some of those extracurriculars can be sports, but they don't have to be.

[jkpmomtoboys]

And I know lots of people who have gotten into very good schools (e.g. Stanford, Harvard) having no extracurriculars...

Saying you have to have a sport is inane.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by MsElle07

However, a well rounded schedule of extracurriculars (athletic or otherwise) DOES help give you an edge over the competition -- particularly if applying to a very selective college.

Yes -- and the reason is that colleges and universities are looking for students to add to their environment. Having students with diversified interests is a good thing.

Even part time jobs that are used for saving for college can also be highlighted for consideration in the application process. Volunteer work is also good.

[34me]

My sister is a total brain and her college barely had a football team - they couldn't get enough players to go out for it one year and had to cancel. Now me I went to a school where 80% of the students played on a team. That is a bizarre supposition. Only one of my kids would get into college...........

[Momtwice]

Thanks everyone!

I think what is really happening is that there happen to be a lot of gifted athletes in our community, not something that's going to happen in our gene pool! and the moms I've been hearing from are worried about their own kids' prospects and the competitive nature of getting into some schools.

[elizam]

I Was GOing to Ask of You Lived

somewhere where there is a lot of emphasis on sports. Since you added that there are a lot of gifted athletes, I better understand now. Where we live, I am not sure how many dc actually are so grat they get scholarships based on their athletci ability, but there does seem to be a heavy emphasis on sports, starting and younger and younger ages, and really a big to-do by middle school.


When I was a kid, hardly any elementary aged dc played sports, and there were no school teams till ninth grade.

Maybe it's changed a lot, but I would think that academics and the arts and even just plain old community service, a few typical high school clubs would suffice as "extracurriculars."

I got a nice little scholarship to a private Christian college based on grades alone. I had As and Bs and maybe one C in high school. I never played any sport or had any musical ability.

[BrooklynDoula]

I work at a U and that is such a myth. Folks think that is the wayy but frankly, it is like playing the lottery to get rich (there are a LOT better, more likely ways to prepare yourself for college). Getting involved in community is HUGE though and there are lots of scholarship and acceptance potentials in doing some good old fashion volunteer work.

(Megan, who put herself through 11 years of college (BA, BA, MA, PhD) on scholarships and never played a sport in my life)

[Flor]

Lots of colleges don't give athletic scholarships. . . so who goes there??

from,

a very non-athletic chick who went to college on scholarship

[lauriem33]

I thought you had to be smart to get in to college, not athletic. Lucky for me that's how it was where I went because I had no talent for sports but still got big scholarships.

[Emmeline II]

*

[sadean]

I agree that extracurricular activities help with demonstrating that a student is well rounded, but I also agree that it doesn't have to be sports. I went to very good school (top of tier two...so not Ivy League, but highly competative ), and I doubt that I got in there because I played sports (poorly) in high school. And in fact, the school claims to not do any sports recruiting, that it is all academic ("and if someone has some athletic ability, all the better"). I find that a little hard to believe considering that they have one of the top tennis teams in the nation, but the rest of the teams are generally mediocre, so perhaps it is true.

And the reason I played sports in high school was to appear "well rounded", and more importantly because it was required of all students to play something (small, private college prep school).

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by sadean

I doubt that I got in there because I played sports (poorly) in high school. And in fact, the school claims to not do any sports recruiting, that it is all academic ("and if someone has some athletic ability, all the better"). I find that a little hard to believe considering that they have one of the top tennis teams in the nation, but the rest of the teams are generally mediocre, so perhaps it is true.

My university used to be like that; then they decided to recruit athletes, give sports scholarships, and jack-up the activity fee from $12 to over $100 .

[DoulaClara]

I'm the least athletic (but enthusiastically try!) person I know, and I went to college just fine (SUNY Geneseo- hello fellow SUNY grad!)

I did do some volunteering at a state group home, and joined clubs that I was interested in, as well as had a part time job. I think colleges just like to see that people follow their interests, and do something that is non-mandatory. Self-motivated people, rather than someone who only does something because they have to, YKWIM?

Clara

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by DoulaClara

I'm the least athletic (but enthusiastically try!) person I know, and I went to college just fine (SUNY Geneseo- hello fellow SUNY grad!)

Clara