Reply to D1 athletes - do they need other EC’s to get in a good college?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, but he will need good test scores and captian/lessons linked to the sport helps.[/quote]

I have two kids at T20 schools. Both athletes. Both great students. They both made choices. One dropped his sport - or rather went from varsity to low key AAU - so he could focus on ECs that were more likely to help get him into highly selective universities. He knew he wasn't going to get recruited. The other kept competing. Recruited by D3 schools. But he did not want to go to a D3 school. Fortunately he was a top student - 4.7 and a 35 - and had some national awards in his field of interest. Got into his school of choice. Talked to a coach and trained with the team freshman year but did not compete. Will compete on the varsity squad sophomore year.

In both cases, they prioritized academics to get where they wanted. It's a better bet than relying solely on sports to get into a good D1 school. There are a million great high school athletes out there. Getting those D1 athletic scholarships is incredibly competitive.[/quote]

I 100% agree with this. My son was intent on full-on competing in his sport and getting recruited. Aware of just how difficult that really is I encouraged him from the high school to be a student first (which is needed for recruiting) and to even spend a tiny fraction of time in his academic field of interest, not only to keep his hand in the regular college process but also to give him something for his self-esteem when the pressure to perform in the sport becomes overwhelming (as it often does when recruiting time comes around).

He was really happy with the result - significant accomplishments in the academic interest sustained him in those tough moments and I believe even helped his athletic results, as he could compete with the confidence that he didn't have all his eggs in one basket. He kept his grades and scores top notch, and the academic accomplishments gave him confidence as a future college student. Did he sacrifice a few athletic opportunities in the juggle? Totally, but I believe they were more than worth it for a more balanced high school experience.

In the end, son had a strong D1 offer but decided to apply in the regular process and was accepted to a school that offered exactly what he wanted academically and athletically. And even if that hadn't worked out, his profile was such he had strong likelihood of admission at a number of colleges that offered similar opportunities.

I write all this because I've seen too many kids and families burned financially and otherwise by what can be an extremely stressful, and even toxic, environment. Try not to get caught in the rat race for that D1 offer.  [/quote]

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