Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea? Forum

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peterb0y

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Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by peterb0y » Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:41 pm

I have the opportunity to do so... is this just asking for disaster?

About me:
Goal= Biglaw in NY, School= NYU, Sport would be Tennis...

flexityflex86

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by flexityflex86 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:45 pm

peterb0y wrote:I have the opportunity to do so... is this just asking for disaster?

About me:
Goal= Biglaw in NY, School= NYU, Sport would be Tennis...
Maybe not so bad.

1.) They're not such a sports heavy school so you prob. won't be competing ridiculously.
2.) You'd likely have an hour a day fitness plan any way so maybe this could also help out with that. I think exercising would have more benefit than doing a job as it won't burn you out, and might help keep you attractive, which is also an important, albeit less important, part of interviewing.

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Punisha20

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Punisha20 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:23 pm

FWIW, A buddy of mine was in a Part-time program and ran varsity track last year. He told me that he really hated his life, and felt overwhelmed. Granted his team was D1 and he was one of the best in the nation, but track practices are probably the most flexible schedule wise of any sport.

splitmuch

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by splitmuch » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:28 pm

I have a friend at a the major football undergrad university who did. That said he had a legit NFL shot. while he did alright, if there's no professional future, it doesn't make sense to seriously compromise you actual professional future (though non-football/basketball sports probably have less of a time demand).

goodolgil

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by goodolgil » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:32 pm

Notre Dame had a 1L as an offensive lineman last year. Pretty crazy.

It really depends on how much time you have to dedicate to it, and specifically how much you'll have to dedicate around finals time.

EDIT: This is the guy http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnis ... wart_N.htm
Last edited by goodolgil on Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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scrowell

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by scrowell » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:33 pm

I'd do it, you only have the chance to play college sports for so many years. And like someone else said, it's NYU (D-3) tennis. It's probably not that demanding, especially in the off-season. (Although you would probably know how demanding it will be better than us, haha)

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Glock

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Glock » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:36 pm

scrowell wrote:I'd do it, you only have the chance to play college sports for so many years. And like someone else said, it's NYU (D-3) tennis. It's probably not that demanding, especially in the off-season. (Although you would probably know how demanding it will be better than us, haha)


Yup, you get once chance to play college sports and many years regretting it in your career prospects. 1L isn't as hard as some make it out to be, but is also isn't something you can treat like undergrad. If your school makes accommodations for you it might help.

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eandy

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by eandy » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:45 pm

Tennis involves a lot of entire weekends away. That sounds horrible for 1L year.

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Cade McNown

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Cade McNown » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:48 pm

In the smaller sports (by roster size), the competitive differences between NCAA divisions is considerably smaller, so I wouldn't expect that you'll be off easy just because you'd be competing for a Division III program for a smaller school. Any collegiate athletic schedule will require much more of you than your typical hour-a-day workout routine.

You should instead think of NYU Tennis as a part-time job. Would you spend 20-30 hours per week working construction during 1L?--It would keep you in shape just like Tennis after all.... I'm not telling you to skip it necessarily, but understand that collegiate Tennis would be a significant burden.

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smokyroom26

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by smokyroom26 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:10 pm

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Do woodchucks chuck wood?

Renzo

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Renzo » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:11 pm

Only if you're interested in getting a job.

peterb0y

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by peterb0y » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:22 pm

Renzo wrote:Only if you're interested in getting a job.
In no way would a sport boost my resume?

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scrowell

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by scrowell » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:27 pm

If you're still considering it, especially after everyone is saying you're dumb for even considering it, you probably love tennis. I think you'd regret not playing. Worst case, just quit if it becomes too overwhelming.

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bruinsbaseball

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by bruinsbaseball » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:30 pm

I played D1 baseball. There is no way whatsover I could have balanced that and my first year of law school. I would have been half ass at both and dissapointed myself in the class room and my teammates on the field. If you have a shot to play, you must've already played competively before, so would it not already be on your resume?

That said, baseball is one of the most time consuming college sports, so maybe tennis will be different.

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ndirish2010

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by ndirish2010 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:33 pm

Time commitment for D3 isn't like D1, but it is still major. Unless you're Chris Stewart, I would advise against it (I don't even know what his grades were like in the fall, but he was in my crim and contracts class and always seemed prepared).

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scrowell

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by scrowell » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:36 pm

bruinsbaseball wrote:I played D1 baseball. There is no way whatsover I could have balanced that and my first year of law school. I would have been half ass at both and dissapointed myself in the class room and my teammates on the field. If you have a shot to play, you must've already played competively before, so would it not already be on your resume?

That said, baseball is one of the most time consuming college sports, so maybe tennis will be different.
Did you play for UCLA?

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BackToTheOldHouse

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by BackToTheOldHouse » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:39 pm

I plan to play a club sport that practices two nights a week and competes on weekends. I sometimes think I'm crazy for doing so. I couldn't imagine playing on an actual (non-club) team.

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jdhonest

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by jdhonest » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:48 pm

Step 1: e-mail a coach and ask about the schedule.
Step 2: e-mail a non-returning player and ask about the schedule
Step 3: compare information from both sources
Step 4: ask strangers on the internet for advice ; p

Out of curiosity, how and when did you realize that you could play at NYU? Did you play any years during undergrad?

FWIW, I think playing first semester of 2L year, sadly, would be damn near impossible.

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thesealocust

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by thesealocust » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:51 pm

This would be an awful idea. If the sport matters that much, go find a school that will pay for a masters in basket weaving or something to use your eligibility. 1L is an extremely taxing experience that will make you feel more overwhelmed than you are, and adding an intense sport to it will be double-plus ungood.

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Cade McNown

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Cade McNown » Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:56 pm

scrowell wrote:If you're still considering it, especially after everyone is saying you're dumb for even considering it, you probably love tennis. I think you'd regret not playing.
...says the guy responsible for this thread <http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=123652>

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Kronk

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Kronk » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:17 pm

I would do it if you can get away with only playing tennis / working out 2-3 hours a day. I would imagine you could at the D-3 level.

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Geist13

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Geist13 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:30 pm

the biggest "game"-changer with D3 sports is the amount of traveling you'll do. Look into their past schedules: what's the ratio of home-games to away games (hint: if there is a ton of home games one year, there may be close to that many away games the next year)? How far away are their conference opponents? How far away do the non-conference opponents tend to be? Ask the coaching staff about next years schedule. Also What sort of off season requirements are there (a full 4-6 week off season session full with traveling to scrimmages, or just work-out requirements)? What time of day are practices (i.e. can you even attend both the practice and your afternoon course)? Just some stuff to think about. Most of this was the reason why I quit two years in.

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by NotMyRealName09 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:42 pm

I'll say this:

If you show up to OCI in the 25th percentile and your varsity sport on your resume, I'd think - "dumbass, you blew it. If only you'd focus on your studies. That error in judgment will have long lasting repercussions, and my clients cannot afford to hire lawyers with such poor judgment."

If you show up to OCI in the 10th or higher precentile and your varisty sport is on your resume, I'd think - "what a badass."
So, are you a dumbass or a badass? Only you and your racket know the answer. If I were a gambler, which I am not, because I am risk averse, I'd gamble you're going to be a dumbass.
Last edited by NotMyRealName09 on Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Renzo

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by Renzo » Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:42 pm

peterb0y wrote:
Renzo wrote:Only if you're interested in getting a job.
In no way would a sport boost my resume?

If you were being sued for all your money, would you rather hire a lawyer that was good at law school or tennis? Yeah, firms too.

jdhonest

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Re: Is playing a varsity sport 1L year a terrible idea?

Post by jdhonest » Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:49 pm

Renzo wrote:
peterb0y wrote:
Renzo wrote:Only if you're interested in getting a job.
In no way would a sport boost my resume?

If you were being sued for all your money, would you rather hire a lawyer that was good at law school or tennis? Yeah, firms too.
A lawyer who was good at being a LAWYER.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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