Reply to Is playing a sport in college "worth it"?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]My son is a recruited D3 athlete.  Now that he is in college, I'm looking at his workload and the other extracurricular and social activities and I'm wondering whether playing a sport which he does love, but even at the D3 level can be a big commitment, is "worth it" in the end.  I know that this is basically a moot question as my son loves the sport so much he won't give it up anytime soon.  So I guess I'm looking to hear from parents to tell me all the wonderful things playing a college sport can do beyond  the admissions bump.   Anyone out there with relevant experience?[/quote][/b]

Congratulations to your son.  I hope he is enjoying his college experience.  My DC, also a recruited D3 athlete, is my third kid to go to college but my first athlete.  I can tell you that all kids have to learn how to juggle workload, social life, extracurriculars, etc.  Sometimes that can be a bumpy road.  As I look at DC's experience, here are the benefits I see from athletics:
 [list]Structure: S/He had a sense of what the time commitments were going to be from the outset and had to make a plan about fitting everything in.  It also helped to 
                       have extra eyes on (coaches, etc.) to remind about studies, etc.  DC has gotten very good at scheduling and time management.  And there is less time
                       shenanigans.
[/list]Friends:   DC walked in with a ready made social group.  Not that these are the only friends DC has, but it was a much easier transition to walk into a place with
                       7,000 strangers and already have an in-group.  This DC had less angst about belonging and fitting in than my other DCs had.
[list]Confidence: I saw it when DC played sports in HS that it gave a bump to confidence in other areas, too.  I believe continuing to play continues to build a sense of 
                         mastery and potential for success.  I've been surprised to see how sport can open doors--putting DC in contact with folks that s/he otherwise might not
                         ever have met, gives common ground to folks and talking points.   A few times in HS when DC was facing a big challenge, the attitude I heard was: "If 
                         I can do [grueling sport requirement], I can do this, too."

I think your kid knows what he's doing.  [/quote]

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