<p>Hello all, this is my first post here. Let me tell you guys a little bit about myself. I am a current junior pitcher talking to some coaches about the possibility of playing for their program. Some of the schools I've been in contact with are Georgetown, Davidson, Bucknell, Dartmouth, and Princeton and other schools like this. Up until this year, I was 100% sure that I wanted to play college baseball, however, I am not so sure anymore. I've been doing my research and the time commitment seems huge. Especially at the good academic schools I'm looking at, it doesn't seem like baseball players have much of a social life (this is based on countless posts on this website and others detailing the everyday life of a student athlete at a high level academic school). I'd like to party and have fun in college a fair amount. If I do not play baseball however, a lot of opportunities to go to high level academic schools close. This has been causing me a lot of anxiety and I'm worried that if I play I will be unhappy and regret it. My parents (Dad especially) is very aggressive towards me playing. He showed me my summer schedule today and I have no days off in June and July. Parents of players and players of high academic level D1 schools, is it worth it? Or is it just too much on your plate?</p>
<p>Try posting in the athletic recruit forum, lots of people there to give advice - </p>
<p>[Athletic</a> Recruits - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/]Athletic”>Athletic Recruits - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Nevermind, I see you already did!</p>
<p>To get something, you give up something. It is a personal choice. There is no doubt that your team mates are more than likely going to be your college social friends. It s good that you realize now that it is a sacrifice. It is a personal decision. If you are good enough to be a recruited athlete, it may help you gain admission into a school that you might otherwise not have as an option.</p>
<p>If you are not being “paid” through a scholarship at the Ivys such as Princeton, can you play one year and if you don’t like it, not play afterwards? I know my Nephew played soccer at Harvard (which helped him get in along with his good grades) and he contemplated not playing his junior and senior year because of time commitments, coach problems etc. He ended up playing, BUT I remember my sister saying that he had this choice because he was not on scholarship. If this is true and you can afford it, pick a school where you are not “losing” anything if you decide not to play after your freshman year. If you are choosing a school that “pays” you with a scholarship, just consider it your job and go into it with that attitiude. Like all jobs, sometimes you love it and sometimes you hate it, but its something you have to do.</p>
<p>I don’t understand what you’re doing that you don’t have a day off in two months of summer.</p>
<p>I think playing sports in college is worth it if:</p>
<p>a) You love the sport and have a burning desire to continue it in college.
b) You love the school enough to endure the sport so you can go there.
c) You need an athletic scholarship in order to pay for college.</p>
<p>I know college athletes who fall into each of those categories. Whether they love their sport or hate it, they all they say the same thing: being a varsity athlete is basically a full time job. And yes, much of their social life revolves around their sport and teammates. For some people, that’s actually a big plus; you begin college with an automatic group of friends and there’s less of a struggle to find your “place.” Another benefit is that most schools provide their athletes with a personal advisor and/or tutor who makes sure you get all the help you need academically… definitely a nice perk!</p>