As college admissions grow increasingly competitive, some students are turning to unconventional sports; not for the love of the game, but for the edge they may provide in a crowded applicant pool.
Sports like fencing and crew require specialized equipment, trained coaches and a small community of fellow athletes, making them far less accessible than mainstream options like basketball or track. That limited accessibility, combined with a commitment to the sport, is what some student-athletes use to set themselves apart in the recruiting and college admissions process.
For sophomore Jack Wilson, the decision to join crew was not initially strategic. After quitting water polo, he was simply searching for something different.
“I was looking for something that I hadn’t tried before,” Wilson said. “Now, it’s really become a big part of my high school career, and I think it’s something that I’ll definitely try to incorporate when I’m applying to college.”
Still, Wilson is careful to draw a line between true, authentic dedication and what he calls “resumé farming” — signing up for a niche sport simply to list it on an application.
“You can’t just do it to do it, go through the motions, only sign up for college applications and not try at the sport,” Wilson said. “If you’re gonna do something that’s differentiating your profile from other people’s, you really need to commit yourself.”
That same tension between strategy and passion comes up for sophomore Hamzah Salman who started fencing over four years ago after his friend first brought him to practice. Unlike many fencers, who may only choose to continue with the sport for its potential benefits in the college application process, Salman’s dedication to the sport is rooted in passion and appeal.
“I was really into Star Wars, so I liked fighting with blades and all that,” Salman said. “My friend nearby was fencing, so then I kind of just went to fencing with him one day, and I started loving it.”
Salman acknowledges that fencing’s rarity does carry benefit in the admissions process, but he argues the sport’s deeper value lies in the mindset it builds: determination, resilience and discipline. He compares the mental demands of fencing to a more familiar game.
“(Fencing) is a lot like chess: if you have the right concept, then you can basically put those concepts together and build out a good result,” Salman said.
For students weighing whether to pick up a so-called “niche” sport with college in mind, Salman’s advice is straightforward.
“You should do it only if you’re not just doing it for the college application,” Salman said. “You should have a passion for it, because if you’re just doing it solely for college apps, you probably won’t succeed because you’re not thinking with the right goal in place.”
