D1 v D3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the adults on this forum, the formula is simple. Go to the best possible school that your kid can get into and that you can afford without going into unnecessary debt. That may be with or without soccer, because it's a handful of years until no one gives a shit about about your highlight reel.

D1 for mens is a pipe dream for many due to title ix (money for mens sports is in football and basketball and many schools don't even have a program. SEC anyone?) and internationals, now you have the portal to deal with.

D3 has some awesome options like schools in the NESCAC, but that's going to cost you 60-100k/year. Some may give you a little academic money, but if you live in the dc area and make an average living, you won't get any needs based money.

D1 for women...that's a great pathway. Title IX helps prioritize soccer high on the list of women's sports. You don't have internationals to contend with.

D3 for women, pick you school and maybe play on the team. With so many options at D1, you didn't get an offer you're probably just borrowing time.

So for girls, it depends. If a school like Bucknell costs more money than Washington & Lee after scholarships, which do you choose? Same goes for Richmond. A lot of these D1 Academic schools have less money for scholarships than some D3s do. Also, the commitment required for D1 is MUCH heavier, especially in the Spring.

Comes down to the player. Do they want to sit the bench for two years if they know they are a borderline or low level D1 player? Do they want a life outside of the pitch and weight room? If soccer is a priority, then yes. If soccer takes a backseat to education, partying, influencing, or other outside interests, than D3 is probably the answer. Let's not forget what happens if God forbid, the player is injured and out for at least a year and may never come back the same. Are they happy at VCU or would they have been happier at W&L? Only the player knows and how much the decision is worth. It's not easy for players who are not at the very top of the recruiting class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the adults on this forum, the formula is simple. Go to the best possible school that your kid can get into and that you can afford without going into unnecessary debt. That may be with or without soccer, because it's a handful of years until no one gives a shit about about your highlight reel.

D1 for mens is a pipe dream for many due to title ix (money for mens sports is in football and basketball and many schools don't even have a program. SEC anyone?) and internationals, now you have the portal to deal with.

D3 has some awesome options like schools in the NESCAC, but that's going to cost you 60-100k/year. Some may give you a little academic money, but if you live in the dc area and make an average living, you won't get any needs based money.

D1 for women...that's a great pathway. Title IX helps prioritize soccer high on the list of women's sports. You don't have internationals to contend with.

D3 for women, pick you school and maybe play on the team. With so many options at D1, you didn't get an offer you're probably just borrowing time.

So for girls, it depends. If a school like Bucknell costs more money than Washington & Lee after scholarships, which do you choose? Same goes for Richmond. A lot of these D1 Academic schools have less money for scholarships than some D3s do. Also, the commitment required for D1 is MUCH heavier, especially in the Spring.

Comes down to the player. Do they want to sit the bench for two years if they know they are a borderline or low level D1 player? Do they want a life outside of the pitch and weight room? If soccer is a priority, then yes. If soccer takes a backseat to education, partying, influencing, or other outside interests, than D3 is probably the answer. Let's not forget what happens if God forbid, the player is injured and out for at least a year and may never come back the same. Are they happy at VCU or would they have been happier at W&L? Only the player knows and how much the decision is worth. It's not easy for players who are not at the very top of the recruiting class.

D3 can only give you needs based or merit based scholarships, so it goes back to the original post. Go the best school you can afford, D1-D3 designations are just for athletics. They call it the broken leg test, if you are forced out of the sport will you still be happy at the school?

[Anonymous]

I watched a lot of friends go to small D2 or D3 schools to play sports and then quit to return to the big state school with all their friends. I’m wary of making the commitment to play a sport at a D2 or D3 school if you wouldn’t go there otherwise. If it’s your dream school, and you also get to play, or you get in bc you play, then great, but don’t have your kid go to some small, random school just to play a sport.

[Anonymous]

My kid went to a smaller D1 school, loves the campus, loves the program basically has a full ride and got 40 minutes a game playing time. She could have accepted an offer to a larger D1 possibly a P4 school. What she found out is there is way to much hard work to ride the bench, she truly enjoyed the playing time. She said she was glad she did not go to a school she would ride the pine. Plus from what I have seen college coaches are less interested in letting a kid ride the pine for 2 years then start junior year. If you are not getting playing time freshman and sophomore year, good chance you will not get playing time on that team junior and senior year with new recruits and transfer portal.

Go where you can play, its way to much work and commitment to ride the pine of any D1 team

[Anonymous]

Juco then transfer to D1 or top D3. I see some kids take this route. Lower costs and guaranteed playing time all 4 years.