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If track and field is not relevant to what you are applying for, and is only something you do in your spare time, then what good reason is there to put it on yo

If track and field is not relevant to what you are applying for, and is only something you do in your spare time, then what good reason is there to put it on your resume?

ak217 14y ago
I think you missed the point of the article, or are you trolling? How about: in addition to being a well-rounded person, someone who has been on a Division 1 track and field team knows how to push him or herself beyond the limits and endure discomfort few people can comprehend, is dedicated, disciplined, and knows how to handle competition. Actually, having been on a D1 team in a demanding sport is some of the best proof of these qualities that I can think of and is a stellar thing to put on a resume.
- 001sky 14y ago
  Faculty at universities are notoriously biased on this subject, tho. They hate d1 athletics, for the most part. This is worth knowing, if at least in passing. Its not at all impossible that that might color an application review. Either (a) they think the student expects to get a break/has already benefitted etc; or (b) they just don;t want to listen to another view. TLDR any "too red-blooded"activity (track, foot/basket/ball, etc) is not academic. This kind of petty/banal stuff is pretty typical for academic politics. (Not supporting, just explaining).
  - Xcelerate 14y ago
    Yeah, I realize there's a lot of academics that hate athletics. But it's good for me if they let me know this up front, so we don't end up working together. I should mention though, they miss out on a lot of good people. On the men's track team, there were about 4 people who had 4.0's (which is very rare at a top 5 engineering school). One of these guys ended up doing some really amazing research in grad school. In fact, the whole track team average GPA was higher than the school average. If you can manage these grades plus 3 hours of practice each day, I would think that would be a positive trait. But to each their own I guess.
    - slurgfest 14y ago
      If you are applying for a job in (say) mechanical engineering, your experience in track and field should not outweigh greater experience in mechanical engineering. This isn't a bias against track and field, it is simply an observation that track and field has no demonstrable link to being better at mechanical engineering.

If track and field is not relevant to what you are applying for, and is only something you do in your spare time, then what good reason is there to put it on your resume?

ak217 14y ago

I think you missed the point of the article, or are you trolling? How about: in addition to being a well-rounded person, someone who has been on a Division 1 track and field team knows how to push him or herself beyond the limits and endure discomfort few people can comprehend, is dedicated, disciplined, and knows how to handle competition. Actually, having been on a D1 team in a demanding sport is some of the best proof of these qualities that I can think of and is a stellar thing to put on a resume.

001sky 14y ago
Faculty at universities are notoriously biased on this subject, tho. They hate d1 athletics, for the most part. This is worth knowing, if at least in passing. Its not at all impossible that that might color an application review. Either (a) they think the student expects to get a break/has already benefitted etc; or (b) they just don;t want to listen to another view. TLDR any "too red-blooded"activity (track, foot/basket/ball, etc) is not academic. This kind of petty/banal stuff is pretty typical for academic politics. (Not supporting, just explaining).
- Xcelerate 14y ago
  Yeah, I realize there's a lot of academics that hate athletics. But it's good for me if they let me know this up front, so we don't end up working together. I should mention though, they miss out on a lot of good people. On the men's track team, there were about 4 people who had 4.0's (which is very rare at a top 5 engineering school). One of these guys ended up doing some really amazing research in grad school. In fact, the whole track team average GPA was higher than the school average. If you can manage these grades plus 3 hours of practice each day, I would think that would be a positive trait. But to each their own I guess.
  - slurgfest 14y ago
    If you are applying for a job in (say) mechanical engineering, your experience in track and field should not outweigh greater experience in mechanical engineering. This isn't a bias against track and field, it is simply an observation that track and field has no demonstrable link to being better at mechanical engineering.