Athletics and Law School Forum

[trackstar953]

As an undergrad I ran Cross Country and Track intercollegiately for a few years and still have about 2 years worth of eligibility remaining. I am interested in using these in law school but every admissions office I've talked to has told me that they have no current NCAA athletes within their classes. Is competing intercollegiately simply frowned upon by law school teachers and adminstrators or is it an ABA thing and not allowed all together?

[BlakcMajikc]

As an undergrad I ran Cross Country and Track intercollegiately for a few years and still have about 2 years worth of eligibility remaining. I am interested in using these in law school but every admissions office I've talked to has told me that they have no current NCAA athletes within their classes. Is competing intercollegiately simply frowned upon by law school teachers and adminstrators or is it an ABA thing and not allowed all together?

You could play. I did my MBA at a top program concurrently with being an NCAA athlete. Talk to the compliance officer at your athletic department to see about the transferring rules in your division and exactly how much eligibility you have left. NCAA athletes are rare and someone with eligibility after graduation is also rare, so there aren't many of us. Without googling, I believe a ND football player started his JD while still using up his eligibility. GL.

[Sicem007]

As an undergrad I ran Cross Country and Track intercollegiately for a few years and still have about 2 years worth of eligibility remaining. I am interested in using these in law school but every admissions office I've talked to has told me that they have no current NCAA athletes within their classes. Is competing intercollegiately simply frowned upon by law school teachers and adminstrators or is it an ABA thing and not allowed all together?

I have been looking for a topic on this for so long!

[TigerDude]

If they (pretty much everyone) recommend against students having a part-time job during 1L, the time commitment of a varsity sport probably falls in that non-recommended category.

[BlakcMajikc]

If they (pretty much everyone) recommend against students having a part-time job during 1L, the time commitment of a varsity sport probably falls in that non-recommended category.

So "they" have generalized ideas of what a 1L's day looks like, but probably weren't NCAA athletes. It's a different beast and a very manageable commitment (esp. for a sport like CC or T&F). I also played an intercollegiate club sport as a 1L and now I play at on a national level. OP (or whoever else) can PM me.

[CanadianWolf]

Cross-country/track & field should be doable--even in Division 1.

P.S. Which events ? 5K & 10K ? Steeplechase ?

[Sicem007]

Cross-country/track & field should be doable--even in Division 1.

P.S. Which events ? 5K & 10K ? Steeplechase ?

100M and 200M

[jKerska]

Nike Happe formerly of Arizona State now competes while attending Notre Dame Law School. Has run sub 4 in the mile this indoor season. Definitely less time consuming for you sprinter types

[trackstar953]

Cross-country/track & field should be doable--even in Division 1.

P.S. Which events ? 5K & 10K ? Steeplechase ?

3K, 5K, 10K, and Steeple Specialist. The longer the better for me lol

[JJ123]

Don't you have to stay at the same school you did your undergrad?

[trackstar953]

Don't you have to stay at the same school you did your undergrad?

No it works like the Russel Wilson situation. I went to a small Division II school that does not have a Law School, and since they do not offer the program I am looking for, I am free to transfer to any school without losing a year of eligibility. That's how he went from N.C. State to Wisconsin for just the one year. I was just concerned that since the ABA does not allow 1L students to have a job then they would be just as stringent about 1Ls competing for their schools's varsity athletic teams.

[star fox]

If competing is that important to you I would say to get into some whatever grad program and compete where it would be a good fit before worrying about law school. It would be a bad idea to limit your law school destination to somewhere that will let you run given the abysmal job market.

[BlakcMajikc]

Don't you have to stay at the same school you did your undergrad?

No it works like the Russel Wilson situation. I went to a small Division II school that does not have a Law School, and since they do not offer the program I am looking for, I am free to transfer to any school without losing a year of eligibility. That's how he went from N.C. State to Wisconsin for just the one year. I was just concerned that since the ABA does not allow 1L students to have a job then they would be just as stringent about 1Ls competing for their schools's varsity athletic teams.

That ABA rule is extremely specific to employment. (We'll find out in the next few years if NCAA athletes are employees [insert joke about college football/basketball and labor law].) I would also talk to the coaches at your target schools. If they are interested in you as an athlete, they will help you navigate the process.

[cron1834]

This isn't LS-specific, but I had two Division I runners in my full-time grad school program. I attended a school that's currently top-5 in the indoor rankings. I don't know about ABA strictures, but it's clearly feasible as a practical matter.

[trackstar953]

If competing is that important to you I would say to get into some whatever grad program and compete where it would be a good fit before worrying about law school. It would be a bad idea to limit your law school destination to somewhere that will let you run given the abysmal job market.

I made that mistake when I was younger (putting Athletics ahead of Academics) so I'm going to law school where I think the best fit for me academically is. It just so happens that all of the schools I am considering have running programs that I could be a part of.

To someone else's point, I've also thought of not running that first year instead of the last year to give myself time to adjust to the law school schedule, academic rigor, etc. before committing to being an NCAA Athlete again.

[JJ123]

Definitely, sitting out the first year v. the 3rd would make the most sense.

[BlakcMajikc]

If competing is that important to you I would say to get into some whatever grad program and compete where it would be a good fit before worrying about law school. It would be a bad idea to limit your law school destination to somewhere that will let you run given the abysmal job market.

I made that mistake when I was younger (putting Athletics ahead of Academics) so I'm going to law school where I think the best fit for me academically is. It just so happens that all of the schools I am considering have running programs that I could be a part of.

To someone else's point, I've also thought of not running that first year instead of the last year to give myself time to adjust to the law school schedule, academic rigor, etc. before committing to being an NCAA Athlete again.

re sitting out. if you sit out your first year, make sure you dont accidentally also give up that year of eligibility.

[Mack.Hambleton]

.

[kartelite]

You should verify about eligibility. I also was an NCAA athlete and am pretty familiar with the rules. If you ran D1, there is a "time clock" that began the earlier of when you started school or turned 20 (I think that's the age). 5 years after that, your eligibility runs out unless you have a medical waiver. If you happened to transfer during undergrad, then you have already used your "one-time transfer." I realize most law schools have D1 athletic programs, but for D3 schools, you can only compete there if you attended that school for undergrad. Also, if you received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship (I did so I looked into this), you would have to give that back to compete in grad school.

You can find the full details on the NCAA website, but it's not as clear-cut as people here might make it out to be and depends on a number of factors (particularly which division and school you're attending).

[BlakcMajikc]

Absolutely no one said it was clear cut. First post said to check with compliance (and then I even later said to use the coaching staff of the school where OP will transfer to get clear answers and navigate the process). There's like a gazillion rules and loopholes (e.g. not just medical waivers, but hardship waivers as well) and some conferences have their own rules about graduate students (e.g. the Ivy League). So it takes research and the right fit. I've been through basically all of it (had a med waiver, received the NCAA postgrad $s, looked to transfer as an undergrad, looked to complete my eligibility elsewhere after finishing my undergrad, played in grad school, and then played in law school intercollegiately for a program going varsity). Everyone's situation is different.

From a time management perspective though, completely doable.

You could play. I did my MBA at a top program concurrently with being an NCAA athlete. Talk to the compliance officer at your athletic department to see about the transferring rules in your division and exactly how much eligibility you have left. NCAA athletes are rare and someone with eligibility after graduation is also rare, so there aren't many of us. Without googling, I believe a ND football player started his JD while still using up his eligibility. GL.

[bound]

I think that it's a little ambitious to think that both are possible. I'm sure that it has been done sucessfully before, but I wouldn't guarantee that that's always going to be the case. I'm a D1/PAC12 athlete, and there is simply no way that I could have balanced both my sport and law school. It will probably come down to which school you chose to attend, the intensity of their law program, and the intensity of the track program.

[CanadianWolf]

Doable for distance runners. Consider Alabama, Georgia, Duke if they mesh with your career goals.

P.S. Your profile shows that you've applied to WFU & Kansas as well as to Georgia & Virginia. Good luck. I ran 10 miles a day & lifted weights daily. Made law school easy & enjoyable. I competed weekly. No problems. Made law review. Never went to law school parties or events, however, since I was always on the run.

[trackstar953]

Doable for distance runners. Consider Alabama, Georgia, Duke if they mesh with your career goals.

P.S. Your profile shows that you've applied to WFU & Kansas as well as to Georgia & Virginia. Good luck. I ran 10 miles a day & lifted weights daily. Made law school easy & enjoyable. I competed weekly. No problems. Made law review. Never went to law school parties or events, however, since I was always on the run.

Yeah I'm coming off of two stress fractures in my Anterior Tibias (have the damn Steeplechase to thank for those) so taking it slow and getting back into it. Also another reason why I'm looking to possibly take the first year off and run the second and third. And if I don't feel like I have time for Varsity I could always see about running club or just racing on my own when I can (though that's not nearly as much fun/rewarding as being an NCAA athlete).

[BlakcMajikc]

Doable for distance runners. Consider Alabama, Georgia, Duke if they mesh with your career goals.

P.S. Your profile shows that you've applied to WFU & Kansas as well as to Georgia & Virginia. Good luck. I ran 10 miles a day & lifted weights daily. Made law school easy & enjoyable. I competed weekly. No problems. Made law review. Never went to law school parties or events, however, since I was always on the run.

Yeah I'm coming off of two stress fractures in my Anterior Tibias (have the damn Steeplechase to thank for those) so taking it slow and getting back into it. Also another reason why I'm looking to possibly take the first year off and run the second and third. And if I don't feel like I have time for Varsity I could always see about running club or just racing on my own when I can (though that's not nearly as much fun/rewarding as being an NCAA athlete).

Running clubs are for retired athletes. Makes sense with taking the year and if you need it, you could get the medical waiver for that year. But as others have said, eligibility can be a shit-show. (Make sure you keep everything documented and work with compliance). Have fun. And the advice on the schools make sense.