Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Hi,

I'm from Sweden and I'm currently thinking about applying for college in the US next fall. I was, however, starting the process last year, before I decided to take a year of for poker, and was suprised as to how many questions about extra-curricular activites and other stuff you had to answer in your application. See, in Sweden we don't actually have a lot of "clubs" and stuff in high school and I don't know anyone (in my age) that has done volunteer work and so on.

So my question is, basically, if you think that I should mention being a succesfull poker player in my college application? The reason to why I'm asking is that this could be seen so differently from country to country and I don't really know how it is in the US.

Hopefully you'll sort this out for me... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Please dont. There are schools that to try block gambling sites from dorm and library internet access. Its not looked at as a good thing.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Being foreign is extra-curricular enough. Avoid poker, a lot of people don't consider being succesful at poker a good trait.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Pretty much a no-brainer. Same applies for job applications as well.

Poker is still frowned upon as a shady, rigged game by the general public regardless of the current boom. It's changing, but not enough to draw positive vibes from it.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

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Please dont. There are schools that to try block gambling sites from dorm and library internet access. Its not looked at as a good thing.

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Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

don't mention poker. poker involves no skill and all luck, and everyone eventually loses all their money, becomes a degenerate gambler, and lives in a cardboard box. right?

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

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don't mention poker. poker involves no skill and all luck, and everyone eventually loses all their money, becomes a degenerate gambler, and lives in a cardboard box. right?

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Don't forget that it also turns straight A students into bank robbers.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

I think they rob little old ladies instead, to feed the cocaine habit they developed from partying too much.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

The problem is that they're likely to assume that you're a gambling addict, so I wouldn't make a big deal of poker in your application.

I mentioned poker in mine because it was starting to sound really nerdy, so I talked about hosting poker games at my house and stuff.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Ok, thanks guys! That's what I was afraid of but I still thought that it might be different in the US somehow...

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

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Ok, thanks guys! That's what I was afraid of but I still thought that it might be different in the US somehow...

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The US is looking at banning internet gambling/poker. No, it's not different. [censored] government

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

Bad idea when applying for college. With jobs, it depends on the boss.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

It really does depend on what type of job you are applying for; however, mentioning that you are a successful poker player demonstrates patience, self-control, self-motivation, competitiveness, and experience with taking well thought out risks. It may also separate you from the other pack of boring people applying for the same job.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

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It really does depend on what type of job you are applying for; however, mentioning that you are a successful poker player demonstrates patience, self-control, self-motivation, competitiveness, and experience with taking well thought out risks. It may also separate you from the other pack of boring people applying for the same job.

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It only demonstrates that to people who understand the game. Most don't.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

I mentioned it in one of my college application and they accepted me...I wrote something like through studying the game by reading the books and participating on online poker communities, I was able to improve my game blah blah made enough to cover tution blah blah.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

if you took a year off before going to college, i think a lot of colleges will want to know why. if you want to talk about poker, talk about it in that context

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

I wonder how different this would be if someone either won or final tabled at a major tournament.

Re: Mentioning poker when applying for college?
 

I don't think that they really care about me taking a year off before going to college. Since I'm Swedish (college is free in Swe) I'll just tell them that I had financial issues and had to work to get some money for college. Also, I'm looking for a soccer scholarship so I guess the coach will help out a little with my application. But still, I didn't even know if I should tell him about the poker thing so...