Anonymous wrote:If you have your child playing a sport in hopes of getting a scholarship, you are in it for the wrong reasons.

We are lucky enough to afford to have our kids play club but they are nto the best on their team they enjoy the higher level of play, meeting new friends from other schools, and improving as a person and player.

At the end of their playing days, they will look back and have a love for the game for a lifetime, probably play club teams well into thier adulthood like many former players do as part fo their social life.

+1

If you have your child playing a sport in hopes of getting a scholarship, you are in it for the wrong reasons.

We are lucky enough to afford to have our kids play club but they are nto the best on their team they enjoy the higher level of play, meeting new friends from other schools, and improving as a person and player.

At the end of their playing days, they will look back and have a love for the game for a lifetime, probably play club teams well into thier adulthood like many former players do as part fo their social life.

Good advice, 7:51.

There are lots of levels of college soccer -- three ncaa divisions and naia. The top Div I schools will be the most competitive, but there certainly are Div III teams that could easily beat weaker Div I teams. The key is to find a school that works academically, athletically and socially.

The poster above with their son who was communicating with coaches at 2 schools and ended up not getting a scholarship offer from either school illustrates the need to be in control and proactive. It sounds as though their son may have been strung along in the recruitment process as a kind of "plan b" for the coaches while other kids they were more interested in were deciding.

Moving away from that specific poster's situation which I know nothing about except what the poster noted -- once you have figured out if there is some real mutual interest do not wait to bring up the commitment. Coaches will not be insulted. Ask specific questions about what is being offered and get/give a firm commitment. Yes -- nothing is binding until the national letter of intent in a kid's senior year, but -- college soccer coaches do honor their commitments as the failure to do so will make recruiting next to impossible. There are things that can change the offers, of course, e.g. the kid getting into trouble, not maintaining grades, and possibly getting injured. Be specific about what happens in the event of an injury.

Don't be shy about addressing the specifics of an offer. Don't be shy about confirming that it is a commitment by the coach. Do not let the coach string your kid along without knowing the specifics. Maybe your kid is willing to wait to see if a spot opens, and maybe your kid's "plan b" will wait as well. Just be sure where everyone stands.

My son has been on the ODP Regional team and is the starter in his position on a club team that is consistently among the top 15 in the country. He has gone to Nationals. He's a 4 year varsity starter and has made all-state and all-conference teams for two years running. He is in the top 5% of his class, takes all honors and AP classes. He's got everything coaches want - the ability, the experience playing at the highest level and in high-pressure situations, the academics - and has been told to his face by head coaches that he was the #1 choice in his position in his year at two different D-I schools that are ranked in top 25 - and both chances went away. One coach was good enough to tell him he was not getting the slot (and why), one coach simply stopped answering the phone and emails after months of visits, camps, phone calls and emails, asking my son not to make a move without giving him (the coach) the chance to top any other offer. Be aware that college coaches hold all the cards, and until you sign your letter (National Letter of Intent - a binding 1-year contract for D-I schools), nothing is guaranteed. If they can get a bigger/faster/better player, or a player who doesn't need a scholarship, or a player with better grades who will bring up the GPA of the recruiting class - they will, and they won't think twice about anything they have told your child up to the point the NLI is signed. They won't necessarily even tell your child they are no longer interested.

This whole experience has been eye-opening, to say the least.

(DS is now applying to the schools he's most interested in and plans to play club soccer - which, at top schools, is similar to good D-III soccer: great competition but academics come first. If another offer to play in college comes his way, he will certainly consider it - but he knows his education will last longer than his competitive soccer career.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks OP and PP, this has been very interesting and helpful. I have a HS freshman who has dreams of playing soccer at a Div 1 school. Realistically I think he might have a shot at Div 2 or Div 3.

Boys who are on Academy/top-rated teams or who are on regional ODP teams and make HS Varsity as a freshman and remain standouts for all 4 years, are typically the ones who might get scholarships to play Div. 1.

I'm the person you quoted. Yeah, my son hasn't made it past state level ODP. This will be his 3rd year trying.

PP here. If he's on the state team, he's still in a pretty good position.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks OP and PP, this has been very interesting and helpful. I have a HS freshman who has dreams of playing soccer at a Div 1 school. Realistically I think he might have a shot at Div 2 or Div 3.

Boys who are on Academy/top-rated teams or who are on regional ODP teams and make HS Varsity as a freshman and remain standouts for all 4 years, are typically the ones who might get scholarships to play Div. 1.

I'm the person you quoted. Yeah, my son hasn't made it past state level ODP. This will be his 3rd year trying.

Anonymous wrote:For boys, soccer scholarships are obviously more difficult to obtain, but grades again can be a big help. First, there are not as many mens soccer teams as womens soccer teams as lots of schools attempt to partial meet their Title IX obligations by cutting down non-revenue mens sports and soccer is one of the casualties there. Second, per ncaa rules, Div I mens' teams can only offer 9.9 scholarships. Again, most teams will have about 30 kids on a roster. So, the odds of a freshmen getting anything approaching a full scholarship are very slim.

I should add there are additional positive to playing a sport in college. These would include, but not be limited to, (A) getting priority in scheduling classes (B) greater access to academic tutoring and other student services such as academic and career counseling(C) additional dining options (often necessary because of travel or practice schedules that may conflict with meal times) (D) easier access to health care (E) athletic swag and laundry service if you are willing to live in team issued clothing.

A serious negative is that some majors can be very difficult to pursue. In particular those that may require large amounts of preparation or practice time (music/arts) and those that have a lot of lab class requirements. Missing class for a team event is going to be "excused", and many if not most profs are pretty accommodating. However, if a class only has X number of labs and a student can only miss 1 and still get credit -- if those labs conflict with travel schedules you can't take the class. It really becomes an issue when required courses are offered in sequence and you can't take part one because you are playing your sport when it is offered. It is something to talk over with the academic counseling folks before deciding on a school. In the same way -- art and music majors can have problems because of time and travel. It is impossible to practice an instrument on the bus or in a hotel, just as it is impossible to bring your sculpture to work on while you are on the road.

Take the $4k/year from U9-U18 and put it into a 529. If you can afford the $4k think of it as exercise and a channel for your kids.

The soccer schools aren't always the best academically. The amount given is usually a pittance.

MAJOR DISADVANTAGE to Div 1 sports---the 'college' experience. I missed out on a lot for a sport I was never going to earn a living on.

Anonymous wrote:For boys, soccer scholarships are obviously more difficult to obtain, but grades again can be a big help. First, there are not as many mens soccer teams as womens soccer teams as lots of schools attempt to partial meet their Title IX obligations by cutting down non-revenue mens sports and soccer is one of the casualties there. Second, per ncaa rules, Div I mens' teams can only offer 9.9 scholarships. Again, most teams will have about 30 kids on a roster. So, the odds of a freshmen getting anything approaching a full scholarship are very slim.

I should add there are additional positive to playing a sport in college. These would include, but not be limited to, (A) getting priority in scheduling classes (B) greater access to academic tutoring and other student services such as academic and career counseling(C) additional dining options (often necessary because of travel or practice schedules that may conflict with meal times) (D) easier access to health care (E) athletic swag and laundry service if you are willing to live in team issued clothing.

A serious negative is that some majors can be very difficult to pursue. In particular those that may require large amounts of preparation or practice time (music/arts) and those that have a lot of lab class requirements. Missing class for a team event is going to be "excused", and many if not most profs are pretty accommodating. However, if a class only has X number of labs and a student can only miss 1 and still get credit -- if those labs conflict with travel schedules you can't take the class. It really becomes an issue when required courses are offered in sequence and you can't take part one because you are playing your sport when it is offered. It is something to talk over with the academic counseling folks before deciding on a school. In the same way -- art and music majors can have problems because of time and travel. It is impossible to practice an instrument on the bus or in a hotel, just as it is impossible to bring your sculpture to work on while you are on the road.

NP here. I wanted to say thank you, PP! This is such great information. It's really good to know about conflicts that might preclude certain majors.

For boys, soccer scholarships are obviously more difficult to obtain, but grades again can be a big help. First, there are not as many mens soccer teams as womens soccer teams as lots of schools attempt to partial meet their Title IX obligations by cutting down non-revenue mens sports and soccer is one of the casualties there. Second, per ncaa rules, Div I mens' teams can only offer 9.9 scholarships. Again, most teams will have about 30 kids on a roster. So, the odds of a freshmen getting anything approaching a full scholarship are very slim.

I should add there are additional positive to playing a sport in college. These would include, but not be limited to, (A) getting priority in scheduling classes (B) greater access to academic tutoring and other student services such as academic and career counseling(C) additional dining options (often necessary because of travel or practice schedules that may conflict with meal times) (D) easier access to health care (E) athletic swag and laundry service if you are willing to live in team issued clothing.

A serious negative is that some majors can be very difficult to pursue. In particular those that may require large amounts of preparation or practice time (music/arts) and those that have a lot of lab class requirements. Missing class for a team event is going to be "excused", and many if not most profs are pretty accommodating. However, if a class only has X number of labs and a student can only miss 1 and still get credit -- if those labs conflict with travel schedules you can't take the class. It really becomes an issue when required courses are offered in sequence and you can't take part one because you are playing your sport when it is offered. It is something to talk over with the academic counseling folks before deciding on a school. In the same way -- art and music majors can have problems because of time and travel. It is impossible to practice an instrument on the bus or in a hotel, just as it is impossible to bring your sculpture to work on while you are on the road.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks OP and PP, this has been very interesting and helpful. I have a HS freshman who has dreams of playing soccer at a Div 1 school. Realistically I think he might have a shot at Div 2 or Div 3.

Boys who are on Academy/top-rated teams or who are on regional ODP teams and make HS Varsity as a freshman and remain standouts for all 4 years, are typically the ones who might get scholarships to play Div. 1.

Thanks OP and PP, this has been very interesting and helpful. I have a HS freshman who has dreams of playing soccer at a Div 1 school. Realistically I think he might have a shot at Div 2 or Div 3.

I think the discussion about the time commitment for college athletes is a good one. It is also one that kids do not necessarily think of exploring when they are looking at competing in college. Just the day to day logistics can be daunting. Kids really need to understand that if they play a sport in college, and in particular at a competitive Div I school, their college experience will be dominated by that sport. It will be who they are and what they do.

My impression is that pretty much everyone expects that during their sport's competition season they will be very busy and the time demands will be high. What was a surprise to us was how much time was required in the off-season. For a Div I sport the ncaa allows a coach to have contact with his/her athletes up to 8 hours a week in the off season. Fitness training, if voluntary, does not count towards those hours. My kid plays soccer but those rules would apply to the other sports as well. What it means is that in the off season she would practice 4 times a week for a couple of hours. The team also had voluntary fitness work 3 to 4 times a week of about an hour each session. Add to that is the time required to get to and from the practice facility and the time spent changing into and out of practice gear. At the two schools my kid was focusing on -- and I doubt they are unique -- had mandatory freshmen study table of a certain number of hours each week (5 at one school, 6 at another - at both schools no longer mandatory for upper classmen with a gpa over 3.0). Realistically there is no free time. That is fine for lots of kids, but it is a very structured life style for a college student. I would add that is a particularly rough lifestyle for a kid who may be riding the bench.

I think the article missed the boat though with the discussion of the limited number of scholarships available, and with the discussion regarding the percentages of kids whoW get a scholarship.

In terms of the number of scholarships available the article needed to explain the difference between "head count" sports and "equivalency" sports. Div I Head count sports -- football (FBS only), mens and womens basketball, womens volleyball, women's gymnastics and women's tennis are sports where every scholarship given must be a full scholarship. Equivalency sports allow a school to divide up a specified number of scholarships. So, for example, a Div I school that fully funds its women's soccer team can offer up to 14.9 scholarships. A typical college team will have about 30 kids on the roster. The coach might give 20 percent scholarships to 5 new players and 80 percent scholarships to 5 older players who see a lot of playing time. A super recruit might get a 100 percent scholarship while other kids might get nothing or a very small amount. It is all up to the coach.

The article missed a real opportunity to push the value of getting good grades. The ncaa has grade and standardized test score benchmarks that student athletes have to hit IF they want to stack academic money with athletic money. That can be a very big deal because academic money at many schools is much easier to qualify for than athletic money. My kid graduated HS with a 3.7 "academic" gpa (art/gym etc. do not count) but she did not have a great ACT score (24). At a top academic school she would have gotten little to no academic money, but she was not looking to go to a Stanford, et al We were looking at a mid major school where she would fit academically, had programs she was interested in, and she could play soccer at. At her first choice school (cost $22,000) her gpa qualified her for about 9,000 in academic money. The coach was willing to give her a 20 percent athletic scholarship - call it $4400 - with the promise that it would go up if she played regularly. That ability to stack meant the first year cost for her would be about 8,600. The ncaa gpa benchmark is 3.5 in academic classes. If my kid had a 3.4 gpa with her same test scores she still would have qualified for about 6000 in academic money, but she could not have used it, because, per the ncaa rules, it would have counted against the team's scholarship funds since she would not have met the benchmark level. The coach would not have allowed that to happen and she would have ended up with just a 20 percent athletic scholarship.

Finally -- the percentage discussion is not very helpful. Again, take girls soccer as an example. The percentage of girls playing high school soccer who will receive some scholarship offer is indeed very small. However, those kids are not looking to play in college. The percentage of girls playing high level competitive club soccer who will receive a scholarship offer is much higher. My kid played for teams that were never the most competitive in the state, but probably were always in the top 10. Out of her sophomore and junior year teams (when most of the recruiting goes on for girls soccer) I would guess that 50 to 75% of the kids received an offer and many received multiple offers. Whether they were from schools they were interested in attending is a different question. Parents who have teens who may be seriously considering playing in college need to understand where the schools are looking for their prospective recruits. Outside of football which has no club equivalent not much recruiting is done at the high school level. (Although I am very much in favor of kids playing for their high school teams.) One of the regrettable changes in high level youth soccer in recent years, in my opinion, is that the top level of play for boys (called "Development Academy") does not allow kids to play for their high school teams.

My two or three cents worth this morning.

Good article about the truth of college sports scholarships

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101980451#.