Are DII and DIII sports a big scam to get parents to

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're not talking about elite LACs, then you are talking about schools that give merit aid. Many athletes at these D3 schools are getting merit scholarships. And of course they can qualify for and receive financial aid just like any other student.

For some it is a great deal. My DS was recruited by a T30 DIII school to play his sport and was given over $20K a year in merit. This is a school he would be thrilled and fortunate to attend regardless of playing his sport. It worked out well for him.

[Anonymous]

This thread is SIX YEARS OLD.

[Anonymous]

No, they are not a scam. The majority of parents are not sending their child to a small private DIII school just so they can play sports. My oldest is headed to a small college in the fall and will be playing a sport they love. For my DC, sports have been a lifesaver. They have ADHD and a learning disability and high school sports gave them the structure, physical activity, and self-confidence they needed to be successful. When we looked at colleges, we were looking for a small private with a good reputation for supporting students with disabilities. We also knew that our DC was solid enough in their sport to play at a DIII college, which we felt would provide structure, along with a coaching team that would be one more source of support in college.

For our younger DC, who is actually more skilled in the same sport, we are already encouraging them not to take sports into account for their college decision. They are also more successful academically and able to manage and structure a good schedule independently. We've told them there will be opportunities to continue playing their sport at most colleges through club sports, and if they end up at a good fit DIII where they would be able to play that would just be a bonus. They recognize that their older sibling needs more support and structure, and understand why we are encouraging a different approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, they are not a scam. The majority of parents are not sending their child to a small private DIII school just so they can play sports. My oldest is headed to a small college in the fall and will be playing a sport they love. For my DC, sports have been a lifesaver. They have ADHD and a learning disability and high school sports gave them the structure, physical activity, and self-confidence they needed to be successful. When we looked at colleges, we were looking for a small private with a good reputation for supporting students with disabilities. We also knew that our DC was solid enough in their sport to play at a DIII college, which we felt would provide structure, along with a coaching team that would be one more source of support in college.

For our younger DC, who is actually more skilled in the same sport, we are already encouraging them not to take sports into account for their college decision. They are also more successful academically and able to manage and structure a good schedule independently. We've told them there will be opportunities to continue playing their sport at most colleges through club sports, and if they end up at a good fit DIII where they would be able to play that would just be a bonus. They recognize that their older sibling needs more support and structure, and understand why we are encouraging a different approach.

Yes, this exactly!!! This post is a perfect example of how sports can serve certain kids in ways you can’t imagine. Not about “bragging rights.”

[Anonymous]

I've seen kids go from a DIII hopeful prospect at sophomore year to a DI prospect by senior year. And I've seen plenty of them pick DIII over DI just because of the school.

This is baseball, by the way.

[Anonymous]

D3 schools need to fill just as many rostee spots as D1 schools. Majority of the top SLACs are in excellent conferences ( NESCAC, UAA, Centennial, etc). The recruiting is just as robust, and being a recruited athlete is just as much as an admissions hook. It's very competitive at the coveted SLACs level.

[Anonymous]

For HA D3 a sport is often used as a tip in.

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP. The answer is yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost nobody at the no name D3's as you call them is paying full cost. They may not give sports scholarships, but they give plenty of "merit" money.

Okay, so instead of $30K-65K you're talking $20K-55K ... so your child can pretend to be an accomplished athlete?

Might the student have other reasons for attending, such as a good program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost nobody at the no name D3's as you call them is paying full cost. They may not give sports scholarships, but they give plenty of "merit" money.

Okay, so instead of $30K-65K you're talking $20K-55K ... so your child can pretend to be an accomplished athlete?

My son doesn't want to play D1 or D2 sports because he also wants to be able to take whatever courses are necessary for his chosen technical major. He's also getting interest from colleges he wouldn't necessarily get into easily because he's an athlete. So, if he can go to Swarthmore for not much more than a state school, why would that be bad? My kid knows he isn't going pro and that he needs to have a real occupation when he leaves college, but he also loves to play basketball.

Swarthmore only offers a handful of highly selective merit scholarships, so a huge discount other than financial aid is unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a student from VA playing a sport at Wesleyan. Probably had the grades to get into UVA or W&M. I didn't speak with the parents but it seems likely that the choice to pay the extra $40k/yr was driven by the sport.

What's your point? Wesleyan is arguably a better school academically than UVA and certainly better than W&M. So what exactly did the kid sacrifice by going there......a couple of bucks? Who cares.....it met their criteria.

Who thinks that $40K is equivalent to a couple of bucks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost nobody at the no name D3's as you call them is paying full cost. They may not give sports scholarships, but they give plenty of "merit" money.

Okay, so instead of $30K-65K you're talking $20K-55K ... so your child can pretend to be an accomplished athlete?

My son doesn't want to play D1 or D2 sports because he also wants to be able to take whatever courses are necessary for his chosen technical major. He's also getting interest from colleges he wouldn't necessarily get into easily because he's an athlete. So, if he can go to Swarthmore for not much more than a state school, why would that be bad? My kid knows he isn't going pro and that he needs to have a real occupation when he leaves college, but he also loves to play basketball.

Swarthmore only offers a handful of highly selective merit scholarships, so a huge discount other than financial aid is unlikely.

It is true that people are unlikely to get much pseudo-athletic merit $$ from top D3s like CalTech, MIT, Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, Chicago, or Hopkins (still possible at almost all of them for a very small number of truly amazing students who are also athletes) but plenty of the other very good and good D3 schools will find a way to get aid to their athletes. Leadership related $$ can easily get funneled to athletes, which not shockingly have displayed leadership as captains (among other things).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen kids go from a DIII hopeful prospect at sophomore year to a DI prospect by senior year. And I've seen plenty of them pick DIII over DI just because of the school.

This is baseball, by the way.

Interesting! Is it possible to develop at that rate in lacrosse? Better question for lax thread, I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen kids go from a DIII hopeful prospect at sophomore year to a DI prospect by senior year. And I've seen plenty of them pick DIII over DI just because of the school.

This is baseball, by the way.

Juco and D2 ball is littered with dudes with pro tools that are rare to find in d3

Hungry dudes also - have that dawg in ‘em

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen kids go from a DIII hopeful prospect at sophomore year to a DI prospect by senior year. And I've seen plenty of them pick DIII over DI just because of the school.

This is baseball, by the way.

Interesting! Is it possible to develop at that rate in lacrosse? Better question for lax thread, I know.

It happens with soccer. My kid. Late growth spurt. He filled out and grew from 5’4 to 6’1” freshman to senior year. He had the skill/iq the growth spurt/puberty gave him the muscle/speed.