My granddaughter has several colleges interested in her. She is very excited, however, there is a naysayer in the family. Every time my granddaughter brings up the subject in his presence he makes comments like, "Swimming isn't your life," or "It is a waste of time because it won't get you a job." If she says, "What if I want to be a swim coach?" He says, "Sounds like a hobby, not a job."
My question, what doors did swimming for a college/university open for you after graduation?
First off, forget the career impacts and think first about the academic impact while in college - study after study show that exercise is a key contributor to academic performance, along with general health and mental well-being.
I agree with Allen that having a team gives you an instant social group to help with the (often difficult) transition to life in college.
As for career impact for me personally, I absolutely know it can help from a hiring perspective. The guy who was instrumental in hiring me for my first job out of graduate school and who later became (& remains) a key mentor for me told me that my swimming in college while getting good grades in a demanding degree helped set me apart from other candidates. Moreover, as I've worked over the last twenty years, I have found that many of the most successful people, either in the companies I worked or my clients, had some measure of collegiate athletics in their past.
But, beyond this, swimming in college is just downright fun.
First off, forget the career impacts and think first about the academic impact while in college - study after study show that exercise is a key contributor to academic performance, along with general health and mental well-being.
I agree with Allen that having a team gives you an instant social group to help with the (often difficult) transition to life in college.
As for career impact for me personally, I absolutely know it can help from a hiring perspective. The guy who was instrumental in hiring me for my first job out of graduate school and who later became (& remains) a key mentor for me told me that my swimming in college while getting good grades in a demanding degree helped set me apart from other candidates. Moreover, as I've worked over the last twenty years, I have found that many of the most successful people, either in the companies I worked or my clients, had some measure of collegiate athletics in their past.
But, beyond this, swimming in college is just downright fun.
