hi y’all! i’m a rising senior who is planning on going pre-med. i am also being recruited by some moderately selective (think 10-30% acceptance rate) colleges for my sport. i’ve narrowed down my list to colleges where i have heard positive things about being a pre-med student athlete from current team members (being able to do research while being on the team, flexible practice times, study groups). decision time is coming up very soon, but i am still undecided about whether i should actually commit if i am given an offer. my father knows a thing or two about med school admissions and says that being on an athletic team is typically a green flag and may give me an edge if i am able to manage my time well in college. however, my mom is not a fan of any of the colleges that i am on the short list for because they are not prestigious enough for her. she’s of the mindset that ivies >>> everything else. i don’t want to be hit with an offer and panic because i’m not certain of what i should do. any input would be really appreciated!
I cannot give you advice on what to do or your question.
But, I wanted to say thank you for posting this. As a parent it is helpful to be reminded from time to time of the stress that our kids are experiencing in this process and it can be unfair to further burden them with some of our (the parents) expectations.
That said, I am impressed with the level of self-awareness you express in your next to last sentence and your seeking advice ahead of time so as to avoid foreseen issues as best as possible. Having that skill will benefit you greatly in this process and life in general.
Right now, I would stop thinking about what either one of your parents thinks. This is some time for introspection.
How do you like the colleges where you’re being recruited? Do you think you would be happy to spend four years at any of those schools if you broke your leg on the first day and never play a single second of your sport?
Secondly, how do you feel about your sport? Do you still like playing? Do you want to keep playing? If you want to continue playing (because it pleases you, not because of any potential green flag effects on a possible med school admissions committee), would you have the opportunity to play at schools where you’re not recruited? Would you be happy with that level of play or the amount of time you’d be able to play?
Thirdly, have you visited any Ivy League schools? Did you like any of them? Did you like any of them more than you like of the places you’re being recruited?
Any school with an acceptance rate of 10-30% is going to offer strong academics and a lot of opportunities. Right now what it comes down to is what is important to you. You are the one who will be walking on campus, sleeping in the dorms, eating the food, socializing with the students, researching with the professors, etc, day after day, year after year, for four years. You need to be happy with whatever place you land.
If you find that you do prefer an Ivy League school to your other options, then it’s okay to go for that choice and talking to coaches about the possibilities of a walk-on spot or similar if you are accepted RD. But you should also remember that the odds of anyone being accepted to an Ivy League school are extremely small. They turn down most of the amazing kids that apply because there are simply too many awesome applicants and too few spots at the schools. You may want to think about how you would feel if you don’t get into an Ivy AND you don’t get to play your sport. If you’re good with that, then that can help provide clarity as well.
10-30% is selective. No moderately selective there.
You can go to med school from anywhere. But you have to be top shelf.
Can you manage the academics and athletics ? Can you be happy where you’d end up, Ivy or otherwise ? Not happy likely means you don’t do as well.
You will be somewhere four years, day after day.
Mom will be too but at home, not on campus.
It’s their money but your experience.
Tons of kids purposely choose lower ranked schools over high ranked schools. If you make the choice and bust tail in life, then you’ll be successful.
One last thing - athletes don’t always make it 4 years. So pick a school you’ll like, regardless of if you’re on a team.
Good luck.
You are probably in a sport with later recruiting, but for many sports Ivies are done recruiting by this time of year. I don’t say this to cause anxiety, but to say don’t hold out for an offer that may never come.
Agree that a 10 - 30% acceptance rate is extremely selective.
The doctors who I know have said that the other doctors in their MD program came from “all over the place” (this is an exact quote from one of them). My daughter who is in the forth year of a (highly ranked) DVM program has said essentially the same thing. The various other students in her program got their bachelor’s degrees at a very, very wide range of universities. Roughly three years ago I listened in to the welcome reception for her program and noticed the same thing – it was relatively rare to notice two students who had gotten their bachelor’s degrees at the same university.
There are hundreds of colleges and universities in the US that can prepare a student very well to apply to MD programs. You definitely do not need to attend an Ivy League university to get accepted to a very good medical school. You do however need to do very well in tough classes, and have very good related experience, and have very good references.
Also, premed classes will be very demanding at any of a very wide range of universities. You might be surprised at how tough the classes will be and how strong the premed students will be for example at a university that is ranked somewhere around about 100 in the US.
A college or university with an acceptance rate less than 30% is a very good and highly selective school. You can attend a university with a 60% acceptance rate and find premed classes that are very tough and that are full of very strong students, and be very well prepared for MD programs.
I think that you should be looking for a school that is a good fit for you.
And medical school admissions will be based on what you have accomplished, not on where you did it.
Finally, whether or not you continue your sport through college is up to you. You might want to think about whether you want to do this, with the understanding that medical shadowing, plus tough premed classes, plus playing a sport, adds up to a very major commitment of time and effort. If you do not continue your sport, then I am assuming that athletic scholarships go away. This plus the cost of university plus the cost of medical school is also something to think about.
You can continue as an athletic recruit until you have to make a decision to do something like apply ED to a school, either for the athletic spot or to a school where you’d rather attend then play the sport (assuming the higher ranking schools are not recruiting you).
Being recruited may get you into a school that you really like but that’s hard to get into without that hook.
I wouldn’t say it is a green flag to get into med school, but many grad schools and employers do like to admit/hire athletes. When my daughter went to her first interview, we practiced a few questions and how she’d answer them. When she came back from the interview (for an engineering job) she said all they wanted to talk about was her team, what it was like to play, how the team was doing that year, etc. It takes a lot to stay organized with studies and athletics, but thousands of students do it every year and it can show organizational skills.
I say play if you enjoy it, drop it if you don’t. Either way I don’t think you have to drop it right now but can wait until farther into the fall. If a coach makes you an offer and you don’t want to play at that school, tell him that and he’ll either more on or give you more time. It really depends on how much the coach wants you.
If you are a varsity athlete in college, the time constraints are such that it will be very hard to get into medical school without taking a gap year. However, the majority of medical school matriculants take a gap year or 2 anyway.
thank you all! i don’t want to name the schools i’m considering but maybe describing their pros and cons would help.
- school A: my top choice for my sport, top 5 choice even without my sport. cons are that scholarship money is hard to come by and this is the school where the coach is least interested in me.
- school B: very similar to school A in feel, but just less of a brand name (still an awesome school!) i am guaranteed a scholarship that covers at least 2/3 of my tuition. my campus tour gave me off vibes but maybe that was because i was jetlagged
- school C: very different vibe to school A and B. most expensive school out of all of them, but the team vibe was my favorite! i would be less inclined to go here without playing my sport but i think i would still be happy.
also, here are some clarifications:
i will be applying to all three schools regardless if i am a recruit or not. if i am not recruited, i would not ED to any of them.
as of now, i am really enjoying my sport! i see it as a pre-scheduled time for me to be active and do workouts. all the schools i have talked to practice for the same amount of time i practice currently.
this is what i am worried about: i have heard that colleges will give you a very short amount of time to decide whether you want the spot on the team or not. i don’t want to regret my decision.
yes, they are done for my class in my sport. if i were to attend an ivy, i would play club. i am only looking at d3 schools for athletics; i should have said this from the start. any scholarship money i get will stay with me even if i quit my sport, because i will only be receiving academic scholarships.
i honestly just would like to discuss my options with someone who hasn’t known me for 10+ years.
Money is hard to come by you say at School A but B covers 2/3 of tuition.
So first question is, do you have a budget and does School A make the budget? Doe school B with 2/3 off tuition make the budget? If it’s a $65K school, that still means $40K with room and board.
So what do mom and dad say? What can they spend and more importantly, what are they willing to spend? i’m assuming you are full pay.
School C is a risk - in case you don’t play your sport. But truth is, many people end up at schools they vibed with less for whatever reason and when they leave four years later, couldn’t imagine having been anywhere else. So it could be wonderful - but again, the budget comes into play - are the parents willing to pay if school B might be $40K less?
So you’re going to apply to all three - so does that mean budget doesn’t come into play even though you noted option B would be cheapest?
So, what’s your top choice school without the sport? The three schools you mentioned don’t even crack your top 5. (One is #1 for your sport). But academically/vibe, what’s your favorite? Or top 3. Focus on those.
yes, i’m incredibly lucky that my parents were able to save enough money that cost isn’t a concern. i am an only child. however i can be swayed by merit scholarships and coa would be a tiebreaker for me. if for some reason my parents decide they don’t want to pay, i will be perfectly happy at my state flagship as well.
i like brown’s open curriculum and numerous undergrad research opportunities. it has been my dream school for a while. aside from that, i haven’t ranked the rest of the schools i am applying to because i am equally excited about all of them. if i were given a spot at my first choice sport wise, i would simply be even more excited to attend that college than i already am.
my main question is how valuable is being a college athlete post undergrad? there are some schools that have told me that if i can get into the school myself, i would be able to walk on the team with my stats. should that factor into my college decisions and applications? i apologize if i’m being unclear.
You may be able to walk on - you may not.
If you got into Brown and did not make the team, would you still be happy?
There are research opportunities at most every school - but if you want an open curriculum, are you also looking at Rochester, Vassar, and others that have this option - even Kalamazoo?
Some jobs seek athletes - it shows teamwork, time management and more. Many sales jobs like the “outgoing” aspects of performing. But in life, you’ll find non athletes that are very successful. And athletes that aren’t.
ON the flipside, being an athlete will offer you less time to do other things.
In the end, you’re going to have to make the decision for yourself as to where to apply and who to prioritize.
Best of luck.
It sounds like you would be happy doing club sports in your preferred sport. So…that being the case, I would look at the other characteristics about each school that are important to you.
Are any of your other colleges still recruiting for your sport? If not, you can’t really continue as a recruit.
Lot to unpack.
I would not choose a school based on sport. So many things change, including injuries, coaches, teammates, your interest. So would you really be happy at C?
Is school A even going to offer you? If it is a top 5 choice without your sport, definitely still apply. The question is if B offers and requires you to ED.
Maybe you need to visit B again during the school year to see if your feelings about it change in terms of vibes.
In terms of walk on prospects, it is very team and situation specific. If the team is already very strong and has strong frosh and sophomore classes, particularly in your position if a team sport, it may be hard. Club is a great alternative. I would also caution that D1 and D3 are different animals in terms of time commitment.
Unless you are pro-caliber in a sport that actually pays something, I’d focus on which school will give you the overall best experience, with being able to play a sport as one of many factors.
This seems important to me. For my son, the structure that his sport provided during his college career had real value, as did the camaraderie with his teammates and coaches. Pre-med is not an easy path, but it’s not necessarily the case that playing a varsity sport will make it harder for you. I don’t have direct experience with med school applications, but it is my understanding that, in that process, test scores and grades are substantially more important than school ranking. So it matters more how you do than where you go. If I were you, I would look at things like the school’s med school track record and the school’s/coaches’ approach to student athletes (academics should have a clear priority), as well as the availability of merit money (med school is expensive) and then decide where you would be happy to study and compete for the next four years, where you feel you can compete effectively both athletically and academically.
First off, if your dad knows a thing or two about med school admissions I’d value his opinion more than internet strangers.
Beyond that, I wouldn’t advise a recruit choose a school they wouldn’t otherwise want to attend just based on the sport (unless they are particularly passionate about continuing, or competing at a very high level; neither seems to describe how you feel about the sport).
I also wouldn’t pursue a sport for four years just for a med school boost, but that’s me.
Brown might or might not be a realistic option for you. It’s a tough admit for everyone. But in analyzing that I’d consider concrete differences beyond some vague notion of “prestige”.
Seems pretty straightforward to me: if you’d be happy at your state flagship and that’s a near certain admit, then the question is what advantage a near guaranteed admit as a recruit to these other schools offers. And are you willing to give up that advantage to play the Ivy/Stanford/etc lottery?
I think with that recruit option you need to “do the math” with the assumption that the coach leaves, you’re injured or don’t get to compete, or you just decide you’d prefer to spend your time doing other things. Also consider the possibility that your interests will change and you’ll drop the pre-med track.
As noted above, med school admissions for athletes can often mean taking a gap year, which isn’t unusual.
There are a lot of changes going on right now that will affect the class of 2025 as it pertains to athletics (google House Vs. NCAA). Although it applies to D1 schools, there is some expected trickle down effect for D3 and others. Essentially there will be mandated roster limits in the Power 4 programs and it will trickle down. So it is possible that college athletics will continue to get more and more competitive for roster spots, and some programs could also cut certain sports. My advice is to pick the school that you would be happiest at and would go to without your sport. If you still want to consider the athletics or keep the door open, you could always accept the spot up until it is time to formally commit (early decision etc). I think coaches really want to make sure you want to be at their program, if they sense some hesitation thet might not offer and go to the next recruit with demonstrated interest. Good luck!!
I don’t think you can quantify it in money value, or even if it will open doors on Wall street. The value is in how much you enjoy playing, wanting to be on a team where you’ll make lots of friends, the skills it teaches you. Can you get those opportunities in other ways? Sure. Maybe your freshman roommates mom is a doctor or dad is on the board of a bank. Maybe you get on a research project that opens doors. Being on a team is one way, and a successful way, to open doors but not the only way.
Do you want to use athletics as a hook? I don’t think playing a sport is valuable if you don’t want to do it or if you don’t want to go to that school. Apply to the top schools you want to attend and see if you get in. If you’d be happy going to. your state school, you have little to lose by trying for Brown or another Ivy. without a hook.