<p>Reez … we capitalize Ivy for the same reason we capitalize Big 10 and Big East and NESCAC … it’s the name of the league.</p>
<p>I just finished up my 4th season as a swimmer in DII, and overall it was a rewarding experience. The amount of practice and weightlifting we did could be frustrating at times to do that on top of everything else in college, and it sucked going to class sore all the time. The team experience was very fun though, as was being able to compete at a collegiate level. Our coach did let us put academics first as well, as no scholarship money was given out for our sport.</p>
<p>^^Haha sorry, I meant the entire word, like when people write IVY. I think it’s odd, that’s all. Sorry for being unclear.</p>
<p>I can only speak for D1 golf as that is all I know currently… But it is VERY common for a coach to reduce, raise, cut, alter, not only $$ but sometimes spots on the team. Because in golf you score, it is very easy to see who is performing and who is not. There have been players let go on the team due to poor performance, losing their swing, or sometimes for just not working hard enough. Bottom line is if you are on a team, its not a gift you have to work hard to keep your spot, make the lineup or whatever. It is hard? Of course!!! And if you are receiving money then add tons more pressure to that athlete to perform because the $$ is on the line. It appears each year at least with my sons team that one or 2 players either leave or are let go on a roster of only 10. We have full ride to walk on (no money) players.</p>
<p>I have 2 Ds, one who swam Ivy and quit after 2 years, one who will be going D3 next year. My second daughter was more actively recruited, and could have gone to a D1 school on scholarship. We had watched swim friends of my first daughter regret their choice, however, and had not felt able to quit due to the $. When it came time for D2 to look, we encouraged her to look at the school, and ask herself if she would be there even if she was not swimming. She fell in love with Emory, both the team and the school, and we will see next year if she has made the right choice. We think she did. Regardless, I do know that money will not be an issue in her decision to swim or not to swim, and we like that fact. </p>
<p>As for athletic scholarships, they are for 1 year only, and each year it is determined what will be offered the next year. We have known quite a few highly recruited and successful swimmers who have been asked to reduce their $ the next year “for the good of the team” to get someone else in. They usually comply rather than face the pressure of the coach. </p>
<p>I like the fact that she will swim because she wants to, not for money. I also like that she will go to school with a built in support system and friends that have similar interests and goals.</p>
<p>I believe the wrong conclusion to draw from this discussion is that Div. 3 is somehow a kinder and gentler option for every athlete. If my D had gone to a Div. 3 program, in most cases she would started out from day 1 as the top performer in her events on the team. There would have been no easing into the college athletic experience, and certainly no lack of pressure to perform. After spending 4 years of high school as the best on her team and the best in her conference, she needed a break from always being expected to win and lead her team.</p>
<p>D’s college program is intense and it’s a big step up from high school. But for that very reason, the coaches don’t expect freshmen to contribute right away. If a freshman can adapt quickly and contribute, the coaches won’t say no, but there’s little pressure the first year. Also, at this school D will not be the best at her events any time soon, or probably ever! Not having to shoulder the burden of that responsibility is a relief for the time being. Many freshmen Div. 1 athletes redshirt their first season, or don’t see much playing time. This can be a negative, but it might also reduce wear and tear at a time of transition in the student’s life. </p>
<p>There might be added physical risk from a higher level of training and competition in a Div. 1 program. The flip side, though, is that there is also a higher chance for reward as far as one’s personal level of performance and athletic future, national visibility, and scholarship money.</p>
<p>My son had D1 offers and decided to play D3. School plays D1 teams and offered the competition he wanted but also the flexibility to put school first. Some club teammates went to D1 programs and few played. Some are on academic probation. My son got to start and was lucky enough to be named an All-American. As a parent I couldn’t be happier. It’s a nice blend of able to play a sport, but the school puts academics first and that was what is important to me. So glad he made this decision.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore D1/Ivy rower majoring in Engineering and he would not CONSIDER quitting. Loves it too much and is also aware of how good it is for him on multiple levels.
He’s in amazing shape, crew keeps him from partying too much and, as he told me during a particularly hard stretch of classwork this winter, “the only time I’m NOT thinking about computer science is when I’m at practice.”</p>
<p>D ran XC for a DIII school freshman year, switched to Ultimate Frisbee this year and LOVES it. Keeps her in shape, physically and mentally, easier on the pre-med schedule, but the Frisbee team actually travels more extensively. Could even make the NCAA tournament (yes, there is one for Ultimate!!)</p>
<p>frisbee is a ncaa sport?</p>
<p>Again, I’m not sure why people insist that there’s this firm dichotomy between Div. 1, where the student is an athlete first, and Div. 3 where the student is a student first. This might be the case for helmet sports or certain big state univ. programs, but I can tell you that D is doing well in her studies at her Div. 1 university and among her teammates are plenty of engineers and pre-meds. D’s classes are definitely not the dumbed-down “Rocks for Jocks” type of courses and she has to work very hard. Still, she has found time to attend lectures and special academic events. Just last week she went to luncheon with a famous journalist who lectured in one of her classes. Three weeks ago, she attended a dinner event with a former White House staff member. This summer, after only having completed her freshman year, she will be doing paid research with a professor which will result in a publication (her own) and eventual book (his with a citation for her). I fail to see how going Div. 1 is hurting her.</p>
<p>There is a chance that D’s GPA would be higher if she weren’t an athlete. She is putting in a lot of hours, to be sure. But other kids are also putting in a lot of hours for their EC’s and their social lives, including Greek involvement which is a substantial commitment. If D weren’t an athlete, she might put the extra time to good use to study, or she might squander it watching TV or partying. It’s hard to say.</p>
<p>I should add that there are quite a few distribution requirements that every student has to take, and there are obviously requirements for each major. Also, the NCAA requires that athletes make progress toward a degree each semester. I don’t understand how, even if you wanted to, you could get off easy at D’s school just because you’re an athlete. At other schools, there might be easy jock majors which D’s school doesn’t have–don’t a lot of NCAA football players major in communications?–but couldn’t you just forbid your child from choosing those majors?</p>
<p>Also, it’s not as though that many student-athletes have strong enough stats for places like Amherst or Middlebury such that we’re always talking about a choice between an Ivy or top LAC and some big state U. The differences are probably subtler and big state universities have rigorous programs too that the athlete could choose.</p>
<p>D was a 2 time All American in HS, all time leading scorer in her HS, academic all american and player of the year as determined by the biggest newspaper in the city. Because of her size, although she was recruited by a number of D1 schools, she ultimately selected a very academic and prestigious D3 school. </p>
<p>Although she appeared in every game as a frosh for between 8-15 minutes per, she did not get a legit opportunity to show what she could do. This season as a Soph. she has played more however, the team is Junior laden and these Juniors will be there again next year. She is averaging around 20-25 mins of playing time this season, is contributing and is having fun. </p>
<p>As a parent, it is frustrating to see your D on the bench when you know that she should be on the field, however, having just gone through the admissions process with our second D who (like D1) has great grades, EC’s and solid test scores but is NOT an athlete, we are thankful that D1 got into such a great school and is doing well in her chosen field of study (chemical engineering). </p>
<p>As the TV Ad says: " most of us will go pro in something other than our sport"! </p>
<p>In the end, if a sport gets you into a great school and if playing your sport in a positive experience and it fits in with and does not detract from your academic experience then our position is do it! If the sport becomes a job or a negative drag on academics and other important aspects of college life, then it must be assessed and determined whether it is worth it!!! Good grades come first!</p>
<p>If you dont mind me asking theGFG which sport please? Maybe we should have a sport(s) played attribute in the profile so that readers can understand the context a little better…</p>
<p>D is involved in cross country and indoor and outdoor track. So while running is not a big time cash sport, nonetheless as a distance runner she is in season all three seasons. She will have far fewer meets a season compared to the number of games a soccer player will have, for example, but given that she is in season the whole year, I would think any time or travel commitment difference probably balances out.</p>
<p>As a high school student planning to swim in college, I find this thread very informative and interesting. I have friends already swimming in college some at D1 schools and others at D3. My friends at some of the bigger D1 programs have found that they were unable to come home for breaks, leaving campus for a weekend during the season is literally impossible and they are athletes first and students second. Some of them also found that their teammates like to party heavily whenever possible…for some that was OK, for others less comfortable. My friends in D3 have had very different types of experiences - those in the UAA (Emory, U of R, Wash U, Case, CM, Chicago) train like D1 teams starting with captain practices in September with the season going through NCAAs in March, doubles, weight training, etc…but academics really do come first. Some of my friends have said that some swimmers actually choose to study abroad their junior year; something I believe is frowned upon by many D1 schools. The NESCAC schools (Williams, Hamilton, Midd, etc.) don’t start official training until November 1 but I am not sure what they do prior to that date. They are fabulous schools academically. Both of these conferences have many swimmers who could swim D1 but choose not to.Some of my friends swim at lesser known or less robust D3 programs which seem more like a high school swim season than a college program. But that works for some.
I am leaning towards D3 - either UAA or NESCAC and am looking forward to learning more about the teams, the training, coaching philosophies, etc. I know I want a serious swim program but also want a great education. I am not ruling out D1…I hope I will visit a school and everything will point to it being a great fit.
Thanks again for a great thread!</p>
<p>One of the biggest differences between D1 and D3 is the cost. Good players, not to D1 scholarship level, are locked out of playing their sport if they don’t have the funds to pay the LAC tuition. Very few state universities (meaning affordable) compete at the D3 level. To incur debt to play your sport is a big decision to make. The just good student, good athlete, middle class (or lower) income kid stops playing after high school. They don’t get to quit half way through college.</p>
<p>My son is getting recruited to play tennis at a number of D3 schools. He hasn’t really gotten on the radar of D1 schools. Do tennis coaches look at rankings – is that their main data for recruitment? Would love to hear your thoughts. As an aside, when I was trying to find information on getting recruited for tennis, I found this informative and yet rather funny video that you may find amusing. Thank you for your help and I look forward to your answers to my question.</p>
<p>[Informational</a> Videos](<a href=“http://www.theivycoach.com/informational-videos.html]Informational”>http://www.theivycoach.com/informational-videos.html)</p>
<p>^ What year is you son? Is that the sophmore who is interested in sciences you mention on the other thread? If so, a good place to start is to look up all of the colleges with mens tennis (varsity) and then cross reference the science programs. That will give you a list to begin with for your search.</p>
<p>Lots of references above about normal college activities that college athletes sometime have to miss - our final one is graduation. D’s team will be competing over graduation weekend so the seniors have to miss graduation. I am very sad to miss such a big event. Fortunately for D, she doesn’t care. The school has scheduled a special ceremony for the 4 seniors on her team but it will be on a Tuesday at noon the week after the regular graduation. Sigh…</p>