Reply to Advice needed: Sister-in-law’s touring dozens of no-name colleges with student-athlete daughter

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So my niece can continue to play her sport in college. The issue is two-fold.[b] Her daughter is simply good not great at her sport (which her parents refuse to accept) [/b]and the family is only middle class. They have no college savings, so debt will fuel this. Is it sports obsessed parents’ egos that refuse to let it go? They can’t admit ten years of sports efforts simply conclude in 12th grade?

Is there any way to convince them they’re about to make a terrible financial decision? The family is going to end up with a lot of debt, their daughter will likely quit the sport once she can do what she wants, and likely, the daughter hates the no-name private college where she knows nobody. Isn’t that how this usually plays out?[/quote]  If you are so knowledgeable about this sport and about her ability level, then you should know that many kids play for D3 schools through great financial packages.  And have great experiences at those schools.  I know a few myself.   Clearly, you have no idea what you are speaking of. Don't embarrass yourself by bringing up this nonsense to your SIL.[/quote]

Why are you using the strange phrasing “great financial packages”? You know there are no sports scholarships at d3. And you know there is no free lunch. They dupe these student-athlete parents into attending with fake scholarship discounts and end up costing gullible middle class families a boatload of money and loans. And most kids quit the sport. And often the kids transfer out. It’s setting a middle class kid up for disaster to go to some random school solely to continue a sport. There are far more resources for such a student at a selective state university.[/quote]

You really don’t know what you’re talking about. Several of DD’s friends went to D3 schools to play their sport. They received academic merit money or needs based assistance and their out of pocket expenses were significantly less than their state university costs would have been.  Every one of them played their sport all 4 years, loved their school, and either got good jobs after undergrad or went directly to grad school. It’s not for everyone. But for plenty of kids it’s a great path. Hardly a disaster. [/quote]

All of your daughters’ student-athlete friends shared their intimate family net worth and household income with you and you helped them fill out FAFSA and saw their “scholarship” letters? I find that hard to believe. And also, travel sports people lie to make the obscure school sound too hard to pass up. The reality is people are paying and taking out loans so their good not great athlete kid can keep playing a sport. It’s a disaster for middle class parents to get caught up in that.[/quote]

I’m not the PP but I volunteer to help kids whose parents don’t have any experience with college applications get through the process. So, I see the scholarship letters and I help with the FAFSA and application. These are middle class and lower middle class kids for the most part. I’ve seen this across a wide range of kids.

The bottom line is that the D3 athlete kids often get enormous packages of merit aid, particularly if they have good grades. It’s usually competitive with in-state and often better. Many kids pick lower-ranked small colleges because it is the best financial option.

And there is another intangible: for families new to the college system, the kids feel really wanted by the school. They aren’t just numbers, they aren’t just a cog. Professors reach out after they are accepted. They get personal tours by the admissions office. They get assistance figuring out the dorms. It can be a very rewarding process for families that don’t have system experience.

Are you OP? Because you sound more truly ignorant with every single post. It is genuinely shocking how little you know. [/quote]

I am the OP. If she can get into UVA, she will be showered with means-based financial aid and attend a world class public university, where she can study whatever she wants. But the family is obsessed with obscure no-name private colleges solely so she can play a sport there. It has nothing to do with how charming the school is. These are colleges she’d never entertain if sports weren’t involved. It is reckless and indulgent, especially when you don’t have money.[/quote]

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