We are in pretty much the exact same situation with our child and he is strongly leaning toward not taking the offer and rolling the dice with his first choice Ivy. He, however, doesn't care if he plays his sport in college. He would like to, but would give it up for the first choice school. It's a tough decision - I respect him for also not taking the easy way out, but going with his gut. I don't have a great feeling about the turnout, but he will have other options available.

If your DC wants to play, going with a school that wants him is key. I have a few friends who are recent grads of top d3 programs and they had fantastic college experiences. In addition, the school was a great fit for them. Some went to schools that were very competitive: Amherst; others a top program in the country such as William Smith for Soccer. As will as schools that are in the top for tennis (both Men's and Women's). Each had a great experience b/c they were able to focus in what was the right fit for them. For one - it was about the coach being committed to them. Saw the person.

Good luck

My D3 athlete remained on the team for all 4 years. He was at a highly ranked (top 10) SLAC. The benefit of a D3 is that the student can opt out without penalty at any time due to injury, lack of interest or study abroad. He graduated a few years ago and has solid friendships with some of his fellow athletes. Great bonding experience.

My DS graduated a few years ago when it seemed easier to gain acceptance. He was accepted at 2 Nescacs and his SLAC regular decision. The climate today seems more intense. Take the sure bet. Good luck.

First I would say that the 75% figure for kids not being on the team senior year is real for significantly less academically competitive schools, but not true for the kinds of schools that this appears to be. Christopher Newport will bring in 60 freshman football players, but Johns Hopkins or Chicago closer to 25. Most of the truly top D3 teams fill their rosters in this manner.

So, assume he turns it down, and doesn't get the Ivy offer, then is turned down RD. What is his next choice? If he's good enough for the school in question he's likely good enough for a lot of D3 programs. Most of D3 recruiting takes place after the season and during the ED2 period for a lot of schools. If your school has an ED2 period they will be busy right up to that deadline.

If it's a NESCAC school the big drawback is that they don't compete in the NCAA D3 playoffs. They now play 9 games but only against each other. They sound like the type of school you're talking about. Just like the Ivy schools don't participate in the FCS playoffs the NESCACs pass on the national title at D3.

If he likes the school a lot more than other D3 options then he should take the offer. If not you roll the dice on the Ivy and see what happens once the season ends. Personally I would probably take the bird in the hand.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah D3...by senior year chances are greater than 75% he won't be on the team anyway.

Curious do you have stats on this? Anecdotally, I have observed that a number of guys end up dropping a college sport after a year or two. Do you have any data to support that the attrition rate is 75%+?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coach is not being straight forward with you as the date to commit is far off. Don't play into their games of we need to know now etc. They know the rules and assume you don't.

The ED deadline is typically around October 15. It is binding.

To the OP, I would take the offer. The Ivy Leagues are crap shoots. The D3 coach will not offer this same deal during the regular decision round.

Yes, we learned this the hard way. What was a promise of admission in ED became a deny in RD (despite very high stats) because DC had obviously signaled that the school was not her first choice. They are focused on yields at that point.

Anonymous wrote:The coach is not being straight forward with you as the date to commit is far off. Don't play into their games of we need to know now etc. They know the rules and assume you don't.

The ED deadline is typically around October 15. It is binding.

To the OP, I would take the offer. The Ivy Leagues are crap shoots. The D3 coach will not offer this same deal during the regular decision round.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it EA or ED? I'd not do ED. EA? Yes, absolutely.

Can you apply to as many EA as you'd like? Or can he only apply to one EA school and then RD for the rest (Ivies)?

Many of the Ivies have restrictive single choice early action where you can only apply to ONE early but depending on school may be allowed to apply early ACTION to other public (not private) universities.

Anonymous wrote:Is it EA or ED? I'd not do ED. EA? Yes, absolutely.

Can you apply to as many EA as you'd like? Or can he only apply to one EA school and then RD for the rest (Ivies)?

The coach is not being straight forward with you as the date to commit is far off. Don't play into their games of we need to know now etc. They know the rules and assume you don't.

The only thing to consider is being an athlete at a small LAC is socially a bit constricting. If your DC likes the feel of a small school it could be great for him. Certainly the top LACS offer an excellent liberal arts education. My kid who went to a small private for high school just wanted a bigger school with a larger social scene so he turned down his D3 offer and his happy playing club sports at a larger college. It just depends on the kid and how important it is for him to play. As in all such decisions it is about fit.

Unless he is willing to give up his sport, I'd take the offer. This sounds like a pretty good outcome, since the school is near the top of his list, anyway.

My DC had to make this decision. Decided not to take the D3 offer (2 top 10 ones). Deferred/denied at Ivy ED. Ultimately chose another school and doesn’t regret not doing ED at the LACs but in this case the LACs were his 5th or 6th choices. In your DCs case I’d take the offer.

I think it really depends on the LAC in question. If Amherst, Williams do it. Davidson or Claremont McKenna roll dice.

Is it EA or ED? I'd not do ED. EA? Yes, absolutely.