The phrase “An athlete will die twice, the first time at retirement” will ring true for many athletes. After years of investing so much time and energy to the sport, they’ve created lasting memories, built lifelong friendships, and developed personality traits during the peaks and troughs of their career. The extensive personal sacrifice required often molds an identity that is tied to being an athlete, so facing the reality that a sports career is over is difficult for many athletes.
As a former college athlete, I can relate to this. I received an athletic scholarship to row for UC Berkeley’s Division 1 women’s crew. Having spent all four years of high school training, fighting to come back from multiple injuries, and balancing academics with athletics, I will never forget the day I received the call from the Cal coach asking me to join the team, or when I signed my letter of intent. Rowing at Cal was one of the best decisions I ever made—I made lifelong friends while striving to continue the program’s streak as the number-one team in the nation. That experience has served me well over the course of my adult life—and especially while applying to and attending business school.
I promise you that life after your sports career can be exciting! The business world wants (and, frankly, needs!) you, and your identity as an athlete will empower your career in business. Some schools have built programs with athletes in mind, such as Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, which helps NFL players advance in their post-NFL career, as well as Harvard Business School’s Crossover Into Business program and Dartmouth Tuck’s Next Step program.
If you’re a former athlete who’s targeting an MBA but unsure how to leverage your athletic career when completing your application, let me first assure you that your athletic experiences are directly applicable to your business school success. Translating those experiences to business isn’t always easy, but I encourage you to demonstrate what you learned in specific situations and show how it’s helped you grow as a person.
As a first step, think about the personality traits and skills you’ve displayed as an athlete. If this doesn’t come easy, ask your former teammates and family members what three words they’d use to describe what you brought to the field (or court, track, etc.). Once you gather your list of personality traits/skills, look at each word on the list and come up with some examples that describe (through “show, not tell” examples) how you’ve demonstrated this characteristic.
Here are some additional tips to help you leverage your sports experience during the business school application process:
Include your sports experiences in your essays and resume.
When applying to business school, I wove my athletic and academic achievements into my resume. Be sure to include any notable stats and honors (team captain, scholarships earned, athlete academic awards, school/league/state/national records held, etc.). This shows leadership, teamwork, and dedication. In my Columbia Business School (CBS) application, I even talked about trying to start up a CBS Rowing Club—if my classmates were willing to wake up pre-sunrise to paddle around the Harlem River.
Do the research and pitch yourself.
In high school, I trained hard, went to rowing camp at schools whose teams I admired, and eventually, once eligible, made a “rowing resume” (2k PR, height, GPA, additional sports played, etc.) and sent it off to coaches at my desired programs. I visited campuses (and their boathouses) and made overnight visits to get to know the team’s culture (and training facilities!). Looking back, this prepared me quite well for future business school research. If you can visit schools or admissions fairs, or even attend virtual visits, you can make connections with the school community and develop a better sense of why it would be a good fit for you. It’s also helpful to have a good handle on your “elevator pitch”—why you want to go to business school, what your career goals are, etc.—and be able to tailor it to each program.
Learn how to manage your time and prioritize.
As a rower on the UC Berkeley women’s crew, I woke up at 5 a.m. and practiced between three to six hours a day, six days a week, rain or shine. When injured, I added trips to the school trainer and physical therapist. Balancing that with academics and a social life was no easy feat! Living away from my parents for the first time, I was forced to come up with good habits for time management and prioritization quickly. These skills can come in handy as you are balancing GMAT/GRE studies, application deadlines, interview prep, and the rest of your professional and social life. My advice is to develop a workback calendar and dedicate focus blocks throughout the week to business school–related tasks so you’re not rushing any point in the application process.
Cite examples of leadership and being a team player.
Business schools love to see applicants who have led clubs and teams, have been a collaborative team player, and have school spirit or embrace school culture. These resonate as traits of active students and alumni who will continue to support the school and its students after graduation. Some forms of leadership are more formal than others, but all leadership experiences can provide fantastic learning opportunities regarding your personal leadership style, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, some athletes lead their team’s off-field gatherings, such as organizing team meals before a big game or even putting together an off-season training regime. Are you more of a vocal leader in the locker room, perhaps helping freshmen/rookies acclimate? Think about your leadership style and roles. How have they manifested in your professional life?
Demonstrate your resilience, grit, and persistence.
Sometimes athletes are sidelined by injuries or don’t make the cut to compete in a given game or season. Showing how you overcame these setbacks is beneficial for many reasons! Most schools encourage you to have a parallel path or take a different approach to pursuing your long-term career goals. In addition, these are great stores to share during your interview when asked how you handle pressure or adversity.
Network!
Your undergrad team might have a good database of alumni, or you can try to leverage LinkedIn to find people who played on your team or played your sport who could be good resources for building your knowledge and network for a school.
What you learned in your athletic career has taught you many lessons. Admissions committees want to hear about those lessons, how you learned them, and how you’ve applied them in your early career. If you can make this connection, your athletic career can help you gain admission to the MBA programs of your choice and propel your business career.
For more guidance on preparing for your MBA journey, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with a Stratus admissions expert today!