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Why would you say her skills are "mediocre"? Were you a high school superstar or something?
WOW!
At least they know their kids own skill level. Sure beats all these other parents that think their little johnny or princiess suzie is the end all, be all and the best at everything and better than anyone else that in reality is not worth a flip and won't be getting any awards for their lackluster talent.
My child is in 10th grade and is a fencer. She just made the switch from recreational athlete to competitive over the summer, but to me seems to be making very little progress. Coach assures me she's advancing in skills, etc. but she has yet to place very high in a tournament or earn a rating. We are in the Dallas area and the competition is keen. It is hard to break into the elite cadre of fencing here unless you're very, very good.
This is my question - how will a mediocre sports career look to a college admissions panel? She spends 4 days/week fencing and is participating in tournaments 3/5 weekends a month. Besides belonging to one school club and National Honor Society, she isn't involved in any other school activities due to fencing commitments. I am worried she'll never advance and have nothing to show for all her hard work, such as winning X tournaments and having a Y rating, come college application time.
So, would a college admissions panel see her fencing career as foolish and quixotic, or as an example of her "stick-to-it-ness" and depth of character? Should I encourage her to give up fencing which she will never be great at for something she might be able to excel in (although I have no idea what that "something" is?)
I don't think the college will care that much about fencing. I never had to mention extra curricular activities on my applications.
I'm the OP. Wow! These are great answers to my questions. I'm happy to hear that perseverance trumps achievement. To answer your questions, yes, she really enjoys her sport and she gets good grades.
That's all that counts. If you want to see how the different schools stack up in terms of admissions, check out parchment.com. The extracurricular activities become important only at the schools where everybody is presenting straight As. What did I do in high school? I went to high school. Besides being an A- student, I didn't get involved in other things. It wasn't an antisocial thing. I wanted to get back to my suburb, which wasn't close by. That would have precluded being admitted to some hoity-toity schools, so I didn't even bother to apply.
It's interesting how, in some 20 years, some state schools have become that much more competitive. As for UT-Austin, I had a friend from Texas who said she knew a girl who went to UT-Austin who sounded like she was more interested in her hair and nails than in learning anything or in her subsequent job in Dallas.
If this is accurate, it admits 47%. Then, looking at the SATs, the bottom 25%-ile was admitted with a 530 in V and a 570 in M. That means 1/4 of the students got in with LESS than that. After looking at this, your daughter would be a shoe-in at ANY school in Texas, with the exception of Rice.
At least they know their kids own skill level. Sure beats all these other parents that think their little johnny or princiess suzie is the end all, be all and the best at everything and better than anyone else that in reality is not worth a flip and won't be getting any awards for their lackluster talent.
Exactly what I was thinking. Some parents are in denial. This parent is not.
I don't think the college will care that much about fencing. I never had to mention extra curricular activities on my applications.
Times have changed. Getting into even a "good" college is very competitive. They want to know EVERYTHING including the students EC's and volunteer activities as well as club participations. I have a HS senior and it is CRAZY competitive now.
If this is accurate, it admits 47%. Then, looking at the SATs, the bottom 25%-ile was admitted with a 530 in V and a 570 in M. That means 1/4 of the students got in with LESS than that. After looking at this, your daughter would be a shoe-in at ANY school in Texas, with the exception of Rice.
That means nothing when it comes to getting into UT. In Texas we have the top 10% rule now. That means that the top 10% in a graduating class get automatic admission to any state school, EXCEPT UT. Because UT is highly desired the cutoff changes year to year and usually hovers around 4-7%. Her kid could have knockout SAT scores and GPA but if she is in a highly competitive HS where even a high GPA does not mean a high ranking, it won't matter. Another student in a less competitive HS could be in the top 5% of their graduating class and have low to mediocre SAT/ACT scores and get in.
My child is in 10th grade and is a fencer. She just made the switch from recreational athlete to competitive over the summer, but to me seems to be making very little progress. Coach assures me she's advancing in skills, etc. but she has yet to place very high in a tournament or earn a rating. We are in the Dallas area and the competition is keen. It is hard to break into the elite cadre of fencing here unless you're very, very good.
This is my question - how will a mediocre sports career look to a college admissions panel? She spends 4 days/week fencing and is participating in tournaments 3/5 weekends a month. Besides belonging to one school club and National Honor Society, she isn't involved in any other school activities due to fencing commitments. I am worried she'll never advance and have nothing to show for all her hard work, such as winning X tournaments and having a Y rating, come college application time.
So, would a college admissions panel see her fencing career as foolish and quixotic, or as an example of her "stick-to-it-ness" and depth of character? Should I encourage her to give up fencing which she will never be great at for something she might be able to excel in (although I have no idea what that "something" is?)
My older son is a fencer. He did not start until he was in college, but he still fences and enjoys it though he has never achieved a high rating. After he graduated he started a club in his home town. It's a great sport that can be continued forever.
Every fencer also learns how to referee a bout, and every tournament has to be organized, from registering fencers to setting up the pools and arranging for armorers. These are areas where she can participate and learn skills that could help her application. Mentoring younger fencers is also a great idea.
As others have said, commitment to one activity is probably more attractive to an admissions committee than dabbling in several. She's enjoying it, it's a sport where everyone participates, and she will improve if she keeps at it.
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