If your dc is an athlete (potential recruit) - how are you/dc navigating the sport versus academics?

[Anonymous]

He could do club at the D1. I wouldn’t take the D3 if he would not be happy there

[Anonymous]

DS’s older teammate who was recruited at a T5 didn’t have a good freshman year. Told some kids at our school he didn’t get to play all year and the academics is tough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To go back to the original question- our recruited athlete wanted a big school over a small D3. Luckily she was recruited by many good, large D1 programs. She decided on a well ranked (top 30) state university because it fit her personality and she would be happy there even if she wasn't doing the sport. She was offered spots in higher ranked schools but they weren't a good fit from the sport standpoint.

In the end- she picked the place she felt was the best fit for her.

Sounds like you did things right and made a choice based on the best fit.

That isn’t the norm for DCUM where the “right fit” for most parents is the school that has the most prestige in their social circle regardless of what the child actually wants.

Op here I’ll agree with that. Many people I know IRL assume dc will try to use the sport to go to X prestigious LAC or smaller school, and are a little taken aback that ‘no, dc isn’t interested in X school, it’s not a great sports program’. I’m sure they think he’s dumb/I’m dumb if we don’t follow that path. I have to get over that.

I think the primary issue is that he is not choosing between D1 and D3 offers. He doesn’t have D1 offers. So either take the D3 or don’t play at all. That’s fine if he wants to turn his nose up at the level that wants him, but please do not allow him to operate under the assumption that he will walk on at a D1.

You’re totally right. He doesn’t have d1 offers for the most part, or rather he has a few but they’re not his ideal D1 and they have other issues.

I’m trying to warn him about walk on issues too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS’s older teammate who was recruited at a T5 didn’t have a good freshman year. Told some kids at our school he didn’t get to play all year and the academics is tough

Unless you are a Power 2 recruit or higher (meaning you are one of the better freshman across the entire country)...why would any Freshman expect to get playing time in any sport other than they throw you in at the end of either a blow-out or a trouncing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS’s older teammate who was recruited at a T5 didn’t have a good freshman year. Told some kids at our school he didn’t get to play all year and the academics is tough

Honestly that sounds like a little like jealousy snark from your dc.

Of course he’s not going to get a lot of playing time freshman year. Of course school can be challenging. Ok

[Anonymous]

Most D1 schools automatically red shirt a freshman so there should be zero expectation of playing time or participating in a meet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I’ve seen on here, most parents seem to care much less about the sport and more about the boost to admissions (no flames if that’s not you, it’s just what I’ve seen).

But what about if your dc feels the opposite? The sport and the team is the primary focus, with the ‘rank’ of the school being much less important? Think academic d3 versus d1. My dc is not interested in academic d3s because their teams are not that great.

Thoughts? Btw if you/your dc think sports is pretty much mostly just an admission hook, please move on. Also I’m aware many kids quit their sport, etc. And I’m aware of the commitment to a d1 versus d3. Money etc.

My kid started out "D1 or bust". Until the D1s that she would have thought of as fits began to fall off the list . Then, we started visiting remaining D1s and she realized that the high academic D3s were the right fit all along. Committed to one and is very excited for the opportunity. Give the process time and encourage a wide net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

There is. Have him do a 5th year at IMG Academy or any number of places. The thinking is that they become that much of a better athlete that they do attract the offers they want. I guarantee you there is a place where you can do this for any sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

Honestly, at least from my kid's perspective (admittedly warped), the reason to play for a Patriot or Ivy for his sport (baseball) was that they do participate in pre-season games against Power 4 schools like Duke or Florida State et al.

He really couldn't give a shit about competing against Lafayette or Lehigh or Bucknell or whomever. You also will only attract like 5 students to watch a baseball game at those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to throw this out there, but in dcs experience there are lots of d2 out there and they express a lot of interest and offer $. I know a dc who ended up at a d2 and is playing his heart it and loving it. These schools are not known as top academic schools obviously but I assume there are some decent ones.

D2 is the near wasteland of college sports with weak academics and relatively weak sports. There are a few CSU schools which are exceptions but in general it is weak on both vectors. NAIA is the true wasteland though.

Funny I don’t think this dc is unhappy. Was very happy to play and now going to grad school

That's great!, I'm glad things worked for her but if yo know that environment then you fully understand that it is not a fit for your typical high academic athlete, especially one who is good enough to play in the UAA or NESCAC.

Oh so everyone a typical high academic athlete? I didn’t know that.

The OP's question was for a high academic D3 athlete. Feel free to start another thread.

There are kids who are not super academic kids who nonetheless get recruited by academic d3….

Not exactly. There are kids for whom a school would be a mild reach that are recruited and admitted (as my kid was). At least in her case, the coach and admissions did good leg work to determine that she could handle the academics. But, you aren't going to see kids with directional school academics recruited to NESCACs, Liberty League, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

There is. Have him do a 5th year at IMG Academy or any number of places. The thinking is that they become that much of a better athlete that they do attract the offers they want. I guarantee you there is a place where you can do this for any sport.

Ha, dc asked about IMG at one point and I said he!! no. It’s 90k a year.

Are there other cheaper options? I was thinking more like letting him compete abroad for a year (he got a random inquiry) or even attend community college and then try to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

There is. Have him do a 5th year at IMG Academy or any number of places. The thinking is that they become that much of a better athlete that they do attract the offers they want. I guarantee you there is a place where you can do this for any sport.

Ha, dc asked about IMG at one point and I said he!! no. It’s 90k a year.

Are there other cheaper options? I was thinking more like letting him compete abroad for a year (he got a random inquiry) or even attend community college and then try to transfer.

You have to tell the sport. There are options for literally all sports, but it's pointless to say do a 5th year at a NE boarding school which would be a great option for hockey...but not really other sports.

There are 4 or 5 other options for baseball just on the East Coast, including a place like PDG in Fredericksburg.

IMG is "easy" in that they have virtually any sport except the winter sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma. No one posting here likely has a future NBA or NFL athlete. So you choose the best fit - academics, vibe, community, and finances. If there’s a scholarship - incredibly difficult in the non-revenue sports today - or generous “merit” that is gifted them, you take that under consideration. But the point is to have a good college experience that prepares them well for whatever they want to do next.

Op that’s a parent’s perspective though. That’s the issue. A kid who is so dedicated to their sport that they want to continue doing it at a D1 level might not feel the way you or I do. As example, two of my dcs older teammates are now at schools- one at a top 15 LAC. One at a state school ranked 75 of universities, 35 for public u.

Which one would you want dc to go to? If you had to guess, who is the better athlete? (I guess that’s obvious, right?).
I will give you a hint- it’s not even close.

A state school ranked in top 75 is still a great school and I would presume it is a flagship and Power 4. It's not really any stretch that of course a great athlete would take that flagship over a top 15 LAC D3.

Better comparisons quite honestly are kids going to non-Power 4 D1s that aren't Ivy/Patriot. Kids going to UMBC or Boise State (not for football) or Middle TN State.

That is when the dilemma hits...that I agree that kids are fixated on D1, so it's hard for them to ever turn down a D1 school for a D3 school even though they didn't even know Middle TN State even existed until a coach said they were interested.

Op yes, you’re right. I guess from my nerdy academic high school perspective, I wouldn’t have realized that a flagship u was the better choice over a well known LAC. The kid at the flagship is more of an elite athlete compared to anyone else we know… including my dc, although he aspires to it.

And yes, that’s a dilemma.

Dc does have some limited interest from patriot league schools. They’re not his dream, but if one of them worked out, it could be a nice compromise.

Sometimes I wish there was a path for him to just do this sport for a year or so, get it out of his system, and then do college afterwards. I guess that’s not how it works for this sport at his level (he’s certainly not going pro) so it is what it is.

Anyway, people have been shockingly nice and thoughtful on this thread which I appreciate

There is. Have him do a 5th year at IMG Academy or any number of places. The thinking is that they become that much of a better athlete that they do attract the offers they want. I guarantee you there is a place where you can do this for any sport.

Ha, dc asked about IMG at one point and I said he!! no. It’s 90k a year.

Are there other cheaper options? I was thinking more like letting him compete abroad for a year (he got a random inquiry) or even attend community college and then try to transfer.

You have to tell the sport. There are options for literally all sports, but it's pointless to say do a 5th year at a NE boarding school which would be a great option for hockey...but not really other sports.

There are 4 or 5 other options for baseball just on the East Coast, including a place like PDG in Fredericksburg.

IMG is "easy" in that they have virtually any sport except the winter sports.

The sport doesn’t matter. There’s no world I’m spending another 70k+ for an unnecessary year of school.

I meant free or low cost options.