<p>Background:
female
9th grade
4.0 student
honors student (next year 1 or 2 AP classes)
i am very sure i will be in ASB in 11 and 12th grade (hopefully 10th grade too)
i am in class council
started my own club and have joined other clubs(key club, NHS, CSF,)
Plan to get more involved in school and take internships
i want to go to stanford
i want to become a doctor (physician or orthodontist)</p>
<p>currently i am a 2nd degree black belt in tae kwon do. i have city and regional recognitions so far and plan to get more. i also plan to start volunteering to teach classes to younger kids. This is not a school sport so it doesnt show up on my transcripts. however i plan to get a recommendation letter from my grandmaster(9th degree black belt and 3 time world champion) and my counselor said that he would mention it on my recommendation letter. I am really happy with my sport and think that it gives me an edge over other students.
HOWEVER, my mom wants me to join basketball because it is a team sport and she thinks colleges like to see team sports. However if i start basketball i will have to stop taekwondo because of conflicting schedules and basketball is really demanding so it may impact my grades. also i dont think that i will ever get really good at bssketball if i dont have a real passion and i will be playing with people who have played their whole life(my friend is on the team and she says half the players have played for almost half their lives). My mom says i should do it because colleges like to see this sport because it is school sponsored (and therefore will appear on my transcript) and because it is a team.
i do not plan on playing a sport in college and dont think i will become good enough in basketball compared to everyone else to be recruited
So basically which one would colleges like to see? a sport that i am dedicated to and have accomplishments in or a school sponsored team sport?</p>
<p>Tell your Mom that people called “Coaches” have the final say on who is on the team, not Mom’s that are looking at ECs!</p>
<p>But serioulsy, do what is important to you. I am sure you will do enough “official School Activities” to show you are not anti-social, so it really doesn’t matter - unless you’re @ 6’5"+, can dribble and dunk, with a sweet 3point smoothie. Then you are talking all-expenses paid to Big Time College Basketball, and probably a trip or two to the Final Four.</p>
<p>I’d go with tae kwon do for sure. You obviously have a passion and dedication for it, and it shows in the various ways you’re involved in your sport (awards, service, etc.). I wouldn’t worry about it not being “school-sponsored”; a sport is a sport, whether you participate inside or outside of school. Don’t join a school team for a sport you have no passion for simply for the sake of showing colleges that you’re participating in something sponsored by the school (in fact, don’t join anything simply for the sake of impression colleges at all). You won’t enjoy it as much, and it sounds like you’d pretty much be starting from scratch. Not very worth it, in my opinion.</p>
<p>And plus, tae kwon do is cool! Now how many kids do you see with a passion for THAT?</p>
<p>Sorry, but your mom is dead wrong. What colleges look for in ECs is EXACTLY what you have with taekwondo – long-term commitment, growth, leadership, accomplishment, service. I’m not sure where she got the idea that colleges want to see team sports, but there is no such expectation. There’s not even an expectation that your ECs be something offered at school. </p>
<p>Also, colleges are most definitely NOT impressed by students choose their ECs based on what will “look good” – and believe me, they can tell. The whole point of ECs is that it tells them who you are, and you are taekwondo.</p>
<p>You can also tell her that colleges will see a zillion athletes, but very few taekwondo’s. It will make you stand out. :)</p>
<p>thanks i was just really worried because it wasnt a team sport but i guess it really doesnt matter. and i would rather be really good at an individual sport than ok at a team sport and i will definitely try to get involved at school it other ways that build good teamwork as well.:)</p>
<p>You sound like you are on track. Good job! Sports become more important if you are a potential recruit. I hope you and your mom can relax a bit and enjoy the years together.</p>
<p>What do you mean by a 4.0 student? Do you mean in high school? How many weeks have you been in school?</p>
<p>Team sport vs individual sport – there is no requirement that you be involved in ANY sport unless you’re going for an athletic scholarship. My college-age daughter never set foot on an athletic field of play at all. She had really had only one major extracurricular, a performing art, outside of school. But she had done it since the age of 3, she became very accomplished at it, she won awards, she used it in community service, she became a leader. </p>
<p>Colleges are looking for depth. They don’t want students who dabble in a lot of different things, or students who do things just in order to please admissions offices. They want students who pursue something because they love it.</p>
<p>Come on. Almost every Korean seems to have a Black belt these days. It is not even that hard to get it. I personally have a 3rd degree black belt, but keep in mind, I started when I was like 5 in Korea and got my first black belt in Korea. I actually had to report to the Korean Tae Kwon Do Federation to receive my black belt. Psh, it is literally just paying for it now days.</p>
<p>You do not need to play a sport to get into college, but high school is an excellent time to try new things, develop good exercise habits, make friends and learn how to be a valuable member of team. Playing on a team will not negatively impact your grades if you are already a good student. If basketball doesn’t excite you, how about soccer, volleyball, softball or field hockey. You won’t have many other opportunities or time to play on a team if you don’t do it in high school.</p>
<p>do what you LOVE. Your mom can go away (some people would replace away with a different phrase). Don’t do what you “think” colleges like. You’ll literally leading yourself to destruction.</p>
<p>tae kwon do - it is interesting and you will be able to show that you have a long-term passion for it. Basketball matters little unless you are a recruited athlete at the schools that interest you.</p>
<p>My husband (caucasian native Californian) did not play a single sport in high school and still got into Stanford. Yes, I know things have become a lot more competitive, but as long as you have ECs that you are passionate about, no one will care that you did not play a team sport. Very few high school athletes even make the team in college.</p>