This past weekend we ran into friends whose son was a very good high school basketball player and a good student. His parents told us he enrolled in a smaller D3 college where he was recruited to play. He had acceptances at some larger and more academically competitive schools but turned them down so he could play ball. He is now a junior, and in hindsight, both the kid and the parents regret the decision.
Years ago, I had a similar situation where I ended up at a smaller school because I thought I had a chance to play a sport. I turned down two other larger, more prominent schools because of it. My athletic career didn’t last long, and when I was at the school, it really didn’t register with me. In retrospect, if I had a do-over, I probably would have made a different choice. I wondered what other experiences have been like and if anyone has had a similar situation, good or bad.
Our local high school produces numerous college athletes at mostly smaller schools. A certain number of these kids use the sport as a “hook” to get into a school they might not have been accepted into on academics alone. We know a couple of kids where this had worked out well and another situation where the student was academically over their head and ended up transferring. Also was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience like this.
I don’t have an athlete but my opinion is that kids should pick a school where they would be happy, socially and academically, if they could no longer play their sport. You never know what will happen - a serious injury, burnout, loss of playing time etc. It’s great if kids get a leg up at a school where they might not be admitted otherwise, but I know a couple of very smart kids who selected colleges, solely because they could play their sport, that they would not have ever considered otherwise.
It really depends on the student-athlete. Best is to consider academics, sports, and fit. To most serious athletes, playing their sport in college is an important consideration.
I’m not an athletic family - but if I wanted to play basketball, I’d have done what the student did.
Just like in D1, not all end up a happy story.
It’s always easy in hindsight but he made the best decision at the time.- And if he thought he’d have a promising athletic career in school, he’d likely do it again.
And 95% chance he’ll end up in the same place in life vs. going to another school - but that will be encumbent upon him moreso than where he attends.
Wouldn’t this all be easier if we all had crystal balls. Some of the folks who weren’t happy might have ended up happy…or they could have ended up even sadder at a different college.
It’s sort of like changing majors…some folks stick with what they start with and others switch. You do the best you can with the info you have.
I guess for those who stop playing the sport, there could have been the option of transferring when they stopped playing.
But it’s so hard to second guess these decisions…you just do the best you can…
There is so much value in playing college sports. It is not for everyone, but the leadership and friendship kids can develop can be an amazing experience. Kids need really honest feedback on their ability to compete at any level of college athletics. Kids need to be very aware of the commitment level to play at any level as well. I played at a D3 school and have no regrets. Big and better schools aren’t always better. You can get a great undergraduate education at many schools.
I guess it is impossible to have a one size fits all answer to what is the right decision. in my case, I didn’t want to stop playing, I had always been on a team, and the idea of being a college athlete was a huge deal.
No regrets from our club families. Playing sports was their kids’ route to college and, whether that was at a JUCO or D1 program, they took it. Because of established relationships with coaches, club leadership was pretty good at determining fit which probably helped minimize regret.
We made a different choice and chose the selective college/non-sport route. We just couldn’t get the academic and athletic pieces to fit. Kid shed a lot of tears over the loss of that part of their identity.
My son landed at a school they really like with a team they really like. We’re lucky, but it’s still freshman year. He had options at high academic schools but chose what he thought was the best fit for him.
Everyone should do what is best for themselves, but they also should truly understand what they are getting themselves into.
First I will if a sport can get you to a school that otherwise you might not be able to get in or afford and you really want it to better yourself in life then go for it. Let’s face it some kids can’t afford certain schools without a scholarship. Second let’s talk scholarships, if you are getting a scholarship even if it is just partial you have a job with the university. You get to do something fun, but it is still a job. You are are going to spend XXX hours per week on your sport. Are there perks? Yes there are. Early registration for classes, but only ones that don’t get in the way of your sport. Are you going to be on a different schedule than about 80-90% of the kids at school? Yes. You will have weights or conditioning at early hours. Depending on the sport you will have travel that easily can be early or late in the day.
Will you make lifelong friendships with teammates? There is a good chance that will happen, but if you don’t like your teammates let’s hope you can coexist with them because you will be spending a lot of time with them. Remember these are the same people you are competing with for playing time.
Coaches. Are they always looking out for your best interest? Maybe, but oftentimes they are looking to move to the better program(college). You are only good to them if you can produce for them. Are all of them like this no, but you will have to be with them for four years.
What is your situation if you just can bear to play any longer for the team? Can you afford to still attend that school? Would you still want to?
Lastly remember 95%+ of all college athletes end up stopping with their sport after college.
If my kids would have gone that route I would have supported them in it, but I would want to make sure they knew what they were getting themselves into. That being said I wouldn’t advise playing D3 for no scholarship.
My daughter used an athletic scholarship to pay for the college she wanted to go to. Could she have gone to another school and not played? Sure (her sister did) but if she wanted to go to certain schools, she needed the athletic scholarship, and for the school she picked, other funds too (she used a merit scholarships, the state scholarships - both merit and resident, plus some other FA). She played almost every minute of every game for 4 years. She was recruited to other schools CCers would consider more prestigious, but not all of those schools had engineering and she really didn’t like LACs. She could not have gone to big Flagships and played lax (Maryland, UVA, Stony Brook) so those were off the table.
She had friends who used lax to get into some pretty nice schools. It is always a balancing act of going to the school you want, where you can play, where you can afford. One went to BC but only played for 2 years (and barely played). I don’t think she regrets going to one of the top teams at a top school, but would have liked to play more.
I don’t think many college athletes play professionally after graduating, but at least among my daughter’s friends many are still involved either through playing in rec league level or through coaching (while they have their day jobs). My daughter played in the women’s world championship last year and it was one of the best experiences of her life.
I remember when my kid was a senior, and his team made it to states. They lost in the second round in a very close game, and you see the reaction from the seniors as the reality sets in that this is my last game. For so many kids growing up playing competitive sports, it’s a huge part of life. He never really had a realistic opportunity to play at the college level and is happy with intramurals, but I still think he misses being part of a real team.
My daughter wanted to pursue her sport in college. It’s a very niche sport so she had only a few choices. On the advice of another mom, we made her apply the “broken arm” test: if you broke your arm and couldn’t do your sport, would you still be happy at that school? She chose wisely!