Will Athletics help me get into a College?

DrZwizzle
Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:20:04 +0000

I have been looking at liberal arts colleges, which are mostly Division III NCAA schools. As a Track and Field sprinter, and after doing some research, I realized i could be competitive in the DIII league. For example at Swarthmore, the fastest 400 meter sprinter ran around 49 seconds. Last year in my Junior year I ran a 50.8 seconds on the 400 meters, and I am very hopeful to go under 50 seconds.
Swarthmore is just an example, however most other Liberal arts colleges have their fastest 400 meter sprinter at around 49 seconds. Swarthmore is a college that I am interested in, but my scores and grades may not be good enough.
I have a 3.75 unweighted GPA (Full IB, IB Diploma Candidate) and a 2240 SAT. i also have my share of EC’s, not super impressive but I think they’re adequate.
I also know that DIII schools rarely or never give out athletic scholarships, however my question is if my athletic achievements will help me get into a college where my GPA may be a bit below the standard. Will my talent in Track and Field balance out my grades or are athletics not even considered when admitting students?