Anyone's athlete not pursue being recruited
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Anonymous
He was strong enough academically. I actually do understand it...I am sure much better than you...especially with respect to baseball recruiting. I went through it all with Ivy recruiting and know how low they will go with test scores, grades, et al. |
Anonymous
What makes sense to my kid (and our family, but it really was the athlete's decision)- Chasing goals High level competition for a bit longer Making the best friends Loving the school (a good state flagship they would have probably gotten in regardless) Support and resources for any aspect of college life and career prep Experiences (including grinding practice and travel) that are a privilege Building a resume that shows dedication, hard work, and time management (employers love athletes) |
Anonymous
Sure it happens all of the time. My kids went to a big time athletic HS which is also a feeder to top schools so I've seen most of the scenarios. Some kids need to play, that is what motivates them to actually go to school. They will choose to go to a lesser school because without playing they won't stick to school. There is also the group that is very susceptible to peer pressure and FOMO. They have to play D1 because most of their social group is going D1 (this happens if you are at a school that is ranked top 20 in the country year after year and virtually all starters are D1 caliber of a lesser or greater level) and they will feel less if they don't. I have seen what I consider to be very bad choices but who an I to judge. Other kids know what they want for a college experience and walk away from playing even if recruitable because they have an understanding of what they want in their college experience. I see kids doing that frequently as well. A completely recruitable kid from our school a couple of years ago went to Washington to study rather than continuing to play. Where she could play and the college experience weren't aligned and Washington was a better fit for her long term goal of getting a PhD. Kids drop who find that their actual level isn't aligned to their dreams. There is literally a team for everyone out there, but some kids find out that going D1 might mean Abilene Christian when they dreamed of Notre Dame and Abilene Christian doesn't cut it academically for them or their family. For many of these kids stopping is better than accepting the limits on their abilities so they rationalize 'I was a D1 recruit' but chose not to play and move on. I think that this is a good move for them. Others rather than completely dropping find their balance which is what mine did in the end. Mine started out D1 focused had very good interest turning into offers going into her junior year. Patriot League, A10, AAC (not ACC) level schools. Pretty burned out after her fall HS season she stopped the process saying that she didn't to move forward because she felt too much impact on what she wanted out of college. After giving herself a bit of space she changed her mind to 'maybe' if she could find the right balance. D3 was originally off of the table because the perceived level of play but when she started up again she started to talk to some D3 programs as well. She learned that the top D3 programs are more than competitive in many sports (there is a lot of overlap between the top D3 schools and the bottom half of D1 schools outside of sports like football and basketball) and that the top D3 schools tend to be in the NESCAC and UAA along with some others so the academics are very high as well. She ended taking a D3 offer, a couple of years later she has played in the NCAA tournament, is currently studying abroad, and is on track in her STEM studies without the types of pushback that she got when considering D1. She couldn't be happier with her choice especially as she has seen some of her former teammates struggle with their choices. She's also found that there are many kids like her both at her school and in competition who made the same choice to drop down. Let your kid work through the process and give them the support that they will need. It's a journey, but it will all work out in the end. |
Anonymous
This is exactly right. My son is at UVA and still gets emails from coaches at obscure D3 schools “hey it’s not too late for you to come and play for us!” Some of his teammates did that. Others are at UVA or another big school but not playing varsity sport. |
Anonymous
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Most common reason in my experience is kids who wanted to attend a Power 4 school with a strong sports student culture (think Penn State or UGA or equivalent)...and they were clearly not at that caliber of athlete.
Some play club, though most do not...depends how seriously the club team operates. |
Anonymous
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I know some parents would think this was crazy but it is what my child did- choose a highly ranked public over and Ivy because of the cost difference. $0 vs $96,000 was the deciding factor.
Kid is happy in both the sport and the school. |
Anonymous
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We just went the recruiting process with DS, and he did not have a lot of choices when it came down to offers . . . he had two with promised admissions support, and only one of them fit the bill for academics, overall fit, and connecting with the coach. If he had to compromise on any of those things, he would have opted out of recruitment.
Lots of kids choose to compromise, but my guess is that those who do are more likely to have regrets than those who don't. |
Anonymous
Was your kid actually offered a spot at an ivy? We went through recruiting, too. Since you know an ivy was not offering $ (except true need based money), I'd be surprised you went so far in the process as being offered a spot through an app or athletics if you knew you couldn't justify the cost. |
Anonymous
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Another parent to a male soccer player here. All State, plays on a top 10 ranked team nationally, #1 ranked team in a competitive New England state, but ultimately he chose to ED to a T20 university and is in. Stats are 1540 SAT, NMSF, etc. He had 2 offers from NESCACs which was honestly what he was hoping for all along, but he realized he just did not want to be in a rural location and wanted a mid sized university. Men's soccer is an uphill climb for 17 yr old American boys - the pool is largely older and international. It's hard seeing his teammates continue on their sports paths, but none of them had his stats and are happy to go virtually anywhere they can play.
We spent a lot of time traveling around meeting coaches and doing official visits. He definitely seems at peace with his decision, and we will enjoy these last months watching him and his team while we can. I bristled at a fellow parent who declared that all the time and money we spent for him to play his sport at one of the highest levels was a waste since he is not playing in college, but I would never trade seeing the joy it brought him all those years, and it kept him busy, out of trouble, and it gave us time together on the road. Good luck to your kiddo! |
Anonymous
Yes- got an official offer from an Ivy and then a few weeks later got official offers from highly ranked public and was surprised one was fully covered (80% athletic/20% academic) |
Anonymous
| My kid decided against playing in college (for small D3 schools), and is attending their dream college. They are staying involved in the sport through playing intramurals and coaching a local rec team. That local sports organization happens to be their nemesis during the time they played that club sport growing up. |
Anonymous
I have an Ivy sophomore who went through this. I totally get it. My kid is still grinding though. Plays UPSL and played on study abroad (made a 4th tier pro team) and had a USL offer (thinking of a year off). He plays with a bunch of 23-25 year olds that are former D1…and he does school club too…so I’m still watching him play a lot  .
If your kid finds he misses it, there is so much opportunity to keep playing. Best of luck ! |