D3 is not a different story at NESCACS, some of them are more competitive than MANY D1's. And academically the NESCAC is much more grueling than many D's. Important to do your hw and look at stats for the various schools.

Let's talk about D3. NP here. My kid will play varsity for four years at a small private hs but lost interest in the USTA tournaments in middle school (was ranked around 25 or 30 I think). Don't think he much wants to play in college, but if he falls in love with a SLAC that is a reach, would it help him get in to commit to play for the team? Is D3 tennis a giant time commitment? He probably would not want a bigger time commitment than high school tennis.

For DI -- top student/top athlete...someone who has competed nationally and sometimes internationally. DIII is a much different story pp.

OP: Thank you PPs - interesting!

I'm the PP who asked about D3.

My son walked on to a D3 men's varsity tennis team at a small liberal arts college that used to be all women. He had never played seriously, just done a one-week summer camp a couple of times years before, then with some relatives a bit when we visited them once a year. That's pretty much it.

He was in the lineup all 4 years (usually #6) (just graduated) in singles, and sometimes in doubles as well. It was a great experience for him. He never developed a strong serve, unfortunately.

So, just presenting a different viewpoint. There were a few exciting wins & upsets; mainly losses but still all the benefits of teamwork, going on a spring break tournament trip, etc. And, some study hall depending on GPA.

A lot of talent My niece plays for a top NESCAC school and was top 50 in the northeast and I think about 150 in the country. She was a five star athletic recruit. Grades are super important for the top schools. She was supposed to be going to an Ivy but her SAT scores were short so she ended up going D3 and playing for a top NESCAC school. She had a lot of interest but it comes down to obviously talent, and grades. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean Division III?

OP: Yes, or even non-NCAA conferences.

Do you mean Division III?

Does anyone have advice or insight they would be willing to share about "what it takes" to play college tennis? Is a fairly strong USTA L4 tournament player good enough to play college tennis somewhere? Thank you!