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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. Thanks for your thoughts so far...it's been an education.

Not necessarily looking for scholarships (though wouldn't it be nice!), and definitely not willing to sacrifice quality of the school for a chance to play soccer. (Of course, we'll see what DD thinks/wants when she's a little older.)  Again, just want to put her in the best shape possible in case she does want to play. Right now she thinks she does, but she doesn't really know what goes into getting there.

So what about good D3 schools like[b] Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Rutgers, Smith[/b], etc.? Is it any easier to get a spot playing there? [/quote]

It's hard to respond to your question.  Your list of schools is a bit all over the map in terms of both academic selectivity and strength of soccer program (and, BTW, I believe Rutgers is D1.) And you should also know that D3 schools don't offer athletic scholarships.  So why play a D3 sport?   An athletic recruit may have an advantage in the application process -- though how much of an advantage will vary considerably depending on the school and the student.  Once they're enrolled, D3 athletes usually enjoy having an immediate circle of friends to hang out with, especially as first-year students when it's nice to know you'll have people to sit with at dinner or when it helps to know older teammates who can offer advice on professors and courses.  D3 athletes work hard, but they can major in whatever they like and go on study abroad -- options that are often more limited for athletes at D1 schools.  And sometimes alum networks of former players will be helpful in offering career advice.

That all sounds pretty good -- but the question of what you and your daughter are willing to do to get to that point is really tough to answer -- and that answer is probably going to change a lot over the next few years.  I can say, as the parent of 3 current or former D3 athletes, that we didn't do anywhere near all the stuff that other families on our kids' club teams did -- no highlight videos and no personal trainers and no driving at rush hour to practices that were an hour away.  It just didn't seem worth it to us.  But we still had to do a lot and that was costly in terms of both money and time.  My bottom line advice would be that if your daughter enjoys playing soccer and gains confidence, discipline and resilience from the sport, keep doing it.  Even more than the admissions bump, etc., that's the real benefit to playing a sport.  But be aware that an injury can end her playing career as can burnout, so don't put all your college hopes and dreams on the line.   [/quote]

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