What Sports Look Good on Your College Application?

June 21, 2023 by Staff

When your grandparents were growing up, it was normal to play a sport for enjoyment for four years, maintain good grades, take the SAT without any preparation, and anticipate getting into a top university.

Those times are long gone, with Ivy League institutions reporting admission rates in the single digits today. But the modern-day youth often asks us which activities on a CV appear best on college applications, specifically which sports.

Sports participation can benefit you in many ways, and it is a great way to demonstrate to universities that you are dedicated and prepared to put in the effort necessary to succeed. Participating in team sports like football or basketball shows universities that you can contribute to a cohesive unit.

In this article, we discuss the best way to plan your extracurricular activities. If you're determined to try sports for your college admissions, you can check our admissions consultants' reviews for more insights and expert advice when applying for college. These guys can help you with any questions you might have about college admissions.

Why Are Extracurricular Activities so Important?

First, let's talk about why extracurricular activities matter on a college application before we get into specific sports. Grades and standardized test results (if submitted) are the most crucial aspects of a university application.

However, competition for higher education is at an all-time high, so every advantage must be taken. Each elite institution has hundreds of applicants vying for the same position with excellent GPAs and test scores. The things you do outside of school are what set you unique.

Does this seem decent for college?— is a question we hate to hear (We'll delve into that later). Does this fit in with my goals and interests in life?— it could be a better query.

Our Key Advice #1: Succeeding in All of Your Activities

Consider holding a leadership role in mind when you choose your extracurricular while making your decision. We don't advise joining the booster club for its own sake. You ought to lead the country. You should pick extracurricular activities related to your academic area or the subject you intend to study in college rather than merely having a leadership role in any old organization.

Consider your time in high school as a period when you are developing your brand, which you will then attempt to market to universities. The more particular, the better. If you went to military school, even better.

Thus, how do sports come in? Therefore, sports participation does not always "look good for college." There are several exclusions. Playing athletics while in high school makes sense if you want to get recruited to do so in college. It fits with the goal you want to pursue in college and is a part of your brand.

If you're very talented in a particular sport and have a fantastic connection with your coach but aren't at the stage where you're being recruited, you may want to participate in sports during high school.

We advise our kids that part of the purpose of a college application is to reveal your personality traits that aren't readily apparent from your GPA. If you're truly into sports, you may show that you have leadership skills by holding the position of team captain since your sophomore year.

Our Key Advice #2: Loving What You Do

This is a cliche, and it sounds like one. Nonetheless, we want to emphasize that making decisions only because they "look good for college" is probably a formula for failure. Kids don't give them all when they do something they don't really like or even love.

You should put all of your efforts into your extracurricular activities since you can be sure that your opponent is doing the same thing. Your extracurricular activities should progress from year to year.

So, you must always commit to endeavors in which you actually believe. Do not engage in any activity only because you feel you ought to or because a college may find it appealing. Authenticity is required to support it.

Let your résumé follow as you pursue your hobbies. Just remember to start with one single intellectual topic that you like and stay with it.

The Most Popular Scholarship Sports

More than 40 institutions in the US now provide sports scholarships. Here are the top 3 sports you can consider: (In no particular order)

1. Baseball

Baseball is a popular sport in the United States, and many adolescent and high school comedies center on young athletes striving to win over a coach in the hopes of earning a college baseball scholarship.

This sport is, without a doubt, the most well-known and widespread of its kind. The likelihood of receiving a scholarship is greater than for athletes in other fields. There are more high school baseball players than there are college baseball spots. Quite a large percentage, about 35%, of division players get scholarships.

2. Lacrosse

If you play lacrosse, you can acquire an athletic scholarship relatively easily. Due to its U.S.-centric popularity, lacrosse plays practically little international competition. According to the statistics, there were over 110,000 high school lacrosse players and over 14,000 collegiate players.

Hence, more than 1 in 10 graduates from high school continue their education. In comparison to other sports, this number is astronomical. More than a thousand scholarships are available in Division I men's lacrosse. There are around 3,300 athletes competing at the Division I level at the same time. On that basis, 30% of students will be eligible for a scholarship.

3. Hockey

It grants more scholarships than other sports while being more competitive. Recent statistics show 1,800 Division I men's hockey players. Almost 1,000 scholarships are available. International students, club players, and junior leaguers compete more in the sport. They all compete for college slots.

Analytical data may help you predict your college sports scholarship possibilities. Hence, you must consider the proportion of high school athletes who proceed to college, scholarships, and division players.