Sports at college and how it impacts job placement

Applying to College
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And plenty of successful people also have done other notable things that are not sports.

Neither of our kids were really athletes. But both were outstanding musicians. Takes a lot of teamwork to play an orchestral piece, or swing in a choir.

One of my kids was a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2010-2012 and that has been a source of interview discussion ever since for every.single.position.

I think this student needs to look at the broad picture. Some colleges have club sports that compete interscholastically, and these programs are very robust.

Do any of the other colleges have strong club sports in his sport of interest? It’s just a thought.

And I will add…my DH was a varsity swimmer at his first college…and it’s one of many reasons that college didn’t work out for him.

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Yes, being a college athlete is often looked at very favorably by future employers. This isn’t my opinion, we know this to be a fact based on friends/colleagues who specifically look for this, as well as personal, first hand experience. Being a college athlete tends to indicate good time management, being a team player, being cooperative, being able to take direction, being a leader, etc.
That said, while it’s a definite ‘plus’ in terms of future employment, it shouldn’t be the sole reason a student attends a school if they vastly prefer other schools and don’t really want to be a student athlete…RPI is a great school, but he has to love it. Can he connect with current team members, plan additional visits, connect more with the coach?

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I happened to have been part of sorority that had a lot of engineers (one joined, asked her friends, they joined, etc.) This was in the 1970s when only 10% of the engineering school was women, and I have to say these were outstanding women academically (NASA engineer, one with several patents, national award winners), but on the whole rather shy. Being in the sorority taught them the skill of the 5 minute conversation (Rush, meeting alums, working on committees). So there are ways to tackle this.

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My daughter was a D2 athlete and is an engineer. While in college, her sport was a large part of her life. Academically she did well, but her resume wasn’t full of top internships but she was captain of her team for 2 years, started every game for 4 years, went to the NCAA tournament for 2 years.

She was very young and shy. We practice for the interview with the regular questions about goals and course work, how she liked to get instruction and direction, etc. ALL they wanted to hear about was her sport (which none of them knew anything about), about what her day was like, how much time playing and practice took. She got the job after one interview and is still with the same company 6 years later (although in a different office). It probably didn’t hurt that she is a woman and a minority in a company full of white men.

I do think playing the sport helped her in many ways. It made her stand out at the interview, showed her ability to work in team, to lead a team, and that she could manage her time.

Playing also helped her while in school, academically and socially. She was required to do study tables for her first semester (or until she made grades, so some kids were always in study tables). She learned to set a study schedule and she really stuck to it. Her coach knew her grades before she did. Once a professor reported her for missing a class and the coach was right on her (but she’d just gone to another section that day). She met a friend on another team and he missed class every Wed so she taught him the lesson at study tables and she learned that TEACHING the lesson was better than just learning it passively.

So I’m very pro sports and do think it helps when it is time to interview, but that’s because it has helped while a student. Of course you can get those skills in other ways, and it will only help if you enjoy the sport.

My daughter is getting married in a very small ceremony. Both played the same sport at the same school. I think of the 20 guests, 5 were teammates (although one is also the groom’s brother), 2 sorority sisters, and 2-3 just other friends from school. Sports were a big part of her college experience.

She and her BF play for fun as adults, although my daughter did play on a national team for a while (while working as an engineer for $$$, not paid for playing on the team).

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My son started at a similar school (WPI) as a D3 athlete (he rowed crew). He had an amazing experience his freshman year with the crew team, was able to keep his grades high and do well in his classes (he’s a civil and mechanical engineering double major). But he had no time for anything else. He made an offhand comment about how his roommate had gotten all these random t-shirts and he didn’t. I didn’t understand the comment and said I could buy him t-shirts if he didn’t have enough. “No mom, Ryan gets shirts because he can go to all the activities. I miss all the activities because I’m too busy with crew and homework. I do nothing outside of that. I want to experience college and go to the things.”

Posted too quickly…

So after his first year, he stopped his D3 sport, and picked up a different club sport. He’s still getting the athletic outlet he wants, but the time commitment isn’t as crazy.

If your son wants to play a sport, and that’s really important to him, then RPI may be a great way to achieve that and get a great engineering degree at the same time - they certainly know how to make sports work for engineers, since they have so many. But if he wants to have an active participation in college outside of sports, it’s really hard - with any sport I think - for an engineer to manage it all.

I do think collegiate sports is helpful for future recruiting. But it’s not the only thing. Here’s my son’s activities from the school year - and he kept a 4.0 all three years while double majoring (below). Yes, employers are interested in the varsity rowing, but the manager at his internship last summer was just as interested in the club rugby, and this year’s hiring manager for his summer internship noted that they were particularly interested in how well rounded he was as an asset for the position they needed filled.

Freshman year - Varsity Crew - year round, came in 4th at National Championship, competed at the Henley in London, England; Fraternity member

Sophomore year - Club Rugby, Fall and Spring Seasons; Teaching Assistant in Seminar Course on Engineering and Global Environment - two seven week terms; Fraternity Member, Chair of New Member Recruiting (Fall), Chair of Brotherhood and New Member Fellowship and Activities Planning (Spring); High Power Rocketry Club member; Volunteer Neighborhood Food Pantry (1 hour/week).

Junior year - Club Rugby, Fall and Spring Seasons; Research lab assistant - cement lab; Fraternity Member, Chair of Brotherhood and New Member Fellowship and Activities Planning (Fall); High Power Rocketry Club member; Volunteer Neighborhood Food Pantry (3 hours/week); Term long research project on sustainable agriculture.

So all that say - if he wants to play the sport and wants to go to RPI, great! But if he really thinks he’ll miss the big college experience at one of his other choices, then that’s ok. He can play a club sport or do something else that will also be interesting to employers. He’s got great choices either way and can craft a solid path forward with either option.

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Thank you so much for the responses and the various views on the topics. Appreciate all the inputs. This is exactly the predicament that my kid is in. They have not been able to do lot for last 9 years as sports took all the time (weekend, weekdays, travel, etc) so on one hand they are excited for college and not being an athlete and being able to have time to explore all the other opportunities/activities but on the flip side, being part of a sports team has made them the person they are and have truly benefitted from it. So, moving forward 1) not be a D3 athlete - will they be able to find the next “activity or activities” and continue to grow and learn and challenge themselves or 2) be a D3 athlete - continue down this path of being an athlete but with sacrifices. It’s a decision no one can make for them. I do think there will be a learning curve and challenges along the way - no matter which path they take. Being part of something for so long has given them an identity and belonging and when that is no longer there, it will be interesting to see how they react to the changes. As a parent, I want them to not lose the focus and the drive and hopefully they can find success. Thank you again - will certainly be sharing all of these perspectives with kid to aid in their decision making.

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Absolutely, but hopefully whatever path they choose, they learn and grow from having to face those challenges. In that sense while there is no obvious right answer to this question, there is no obvious wrong answer either, and I think there is a very good chance any of these paths can work out well in its own way.

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Your comment is very thoughtful.
My student is D3 athlete and is happy about playing his sport, but it was the last piece of the puzzle once the choice to attend this college was made.

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My d3 athlete was able to participate in lots of other activities and keep his grades up while playing his sport. Although a STEM major he was not studying engineering (which is probably more time consuming/difficult).

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I might be reading between the lines here but I am going to take the opposite approach. To me it doesn’t sound like your child wants to continue playing sports in college but he is “expected” to play sports in college. Forget about all the who gets job’s or internships. Lots of active students on campuses do. Not just someone playing sports. If you can show your doing something with your time and making a difference then companies want to talk to you.

My friend’s D3 pitcher was the guy in a very tough travel league in high school. He wanted a small school. Long story short he was sorts promised to make the rotation. He did until he didn’t. He sat on the bench and it destroyed his grades and attitude and dropped his pre med major. He had a great scholarship that he gave up Junior year I believe. He was much happier to join clubs and be a “normal” student.

We told our kid’s in college you can be whomever you want to be. You don’t have to the same person that you were in high school. Bet on yourself and go out of your comfort zone.
My daughter was a BFA theater major and was sought after, she went to a Pre Professional known high school. She got burned out after 2 years and transfered schools and 180 degree major change. She flourished and made her self known on campus leading research on Indian reservation mounds. Went to Indonesia a few times for research, spoke at a national conference etc. Couldn’t do that if she stayed in her major.

My engineering son didn’t play sports in high school but was recruited. Decided to stay with chess team. At college he formed a major tech club that helped set himself apart with getting up to $15,000 in grants as a freshman. He always wanted to umpire in high school. All the good baseball players were sought after to do so in middle school but he was always doing something else in the summer like engineering camps etc. Not the same as you’re deciding but he got a job freshman year to referee upper classman games in flag football. Softball and basketball. He loved it. They all called him sir. Lol. He also made tons of connections /networking with college staff and upperclassmen. He ended up playing flag football on Sundays at 10:30pm. That was the time he could get. He had a ball!! He played intramural softball. He said his team sucked BUT they had loads of fun. All while taking 17/18 credits for engineering at a top big ten school for engineering etc.

I can go on but my point is what kind of experience does your child “really” want.

At lots of schools there are different levels of intermurals. Some are pretty competitive and some are coed and some are less competitive. All seem to be really fun.

I would have your child look at all the things at college that they might “want” to do. Make a list. See if it makes sense. Tons of club’s and activities they might want to partake in but can’t do to their commitment to their sport.

Just looking at this through a different lens. Good luck to your child.

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It’s not unusual for a student to start as a recruited D3 athlete and then decide after a year or two that it’s enough already. So that might happen. But even if it does, maybe RPI will give him everything he needs as an engineering student? It’s one way to think about things.

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Yep. We all want for our kids. But if they don’t continue in sports , they will take that drive and focus to something else. They are just built that way. I treat lots of high school /college sports kids. I hear the stories all the time. The international award winning competitive dancer that is killing it at college and just joined the dance troupe for “fun”. Teaches kids at the local middle school dance routines.(lots of dancers go into PT or PA school)

Many different ways for them to take a different direction and still stay focused and to challenge themsleves . Trust me, engineering is challenging enough.

I would think if they really wanted to do their sport you would know that by now. But I get it. It’s the what if.

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And that won’t change - everything that has shaped them—the experiences, people, and upbringing from birth through high school graduation will remain with them in college and beyond. If they decide not to continue as a D3 athlete, they will find new opportunities and fulfillment, continuing to learn and grow. The benefits of sports don’t disappear when playing days end.

If, as you said, Virginia Tech is their “top-choice, super excited” school, RPI may not measure up, and you can be confident that stepping away from competitive athletics will be okay.

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So much of recruitment is becoming automated as AI screens resumes. I think, unfortunately, that this might mean GPA and keywords for the role will be what gets a candidate through the first round.
If an interviewer has had any contact with sports and athletes they might consider being a college athlete a real asset. However, if you ask most non sporty people they have no idea about what an athlete in college really means and the qualities these students have which are transferable to the workplace. Internship/work experience counts more than anything else.