As everyone above has said, playing a D3 sport while studying in a pre-professional program is absolutely do-able. Almost all D3 schools (and coaches) make the point that student athletes are students first and academics comes first, and the good ones actually live up to that idea. Once you are in the admissions/recruiting process, you will have the chance to meet with the coaches, and that should help to reassure your mom. If you are serious about playing D3 soccer, that probably means trying to get recruited, as you can’t really rely on being able to walk on in that kind of sport. There is a ton of information on CC about the recruiting process, including soccer in particular, so I recommend you take a look at those and also talk with your current coach. My son plays a different sport, but I recall that the soccer recruiting process, which is position-specific, starts pretty early. Another alternative to varsity soccer would be club soccer. At many schools, the club sports are also highly competitive.