Question about athletics..

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>I am a 'recruit' for one of the Rocheter sports teams. To be blunt, I am very good at the sport I play and have the opportunity to play for teams that have been competitive for (and have won) the NCAA Division 3 Championship. </p>

<p>Money aside (I got a great financial package from all three schools I am considering!), will Rochester be unbearable for me? My high school team is great, but from what the coach has told me I would be the best (by far) on the Rochester team.</p>

<p>I love the academic aspect of Rochester - especially the open curriculum - but am worried that I wont be able to tolerate the lack of competitiveness and student support.</p>

<p>Can any currect athletes, prospective athletes, or current parents comment? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Class of 2016 here. I was in the same situation before committing, but still chose Rochester. Honestly, I am still extremely nervous about it, but I keep telling myself that I will need to focus on my academics, and that the time of focusing equally on school and my sport is over. I will not be going pro in my sport, and I can only spend so much of my life on it before it becomes just an unproductive use of time and energy. I cant imagine my first employer/grad school will care much about how I did in my sport during college. At UR it will be more of a fun activity, as apposed to trying to win championships. If, like me, you decide that academics are by far your biggest priority, I think UR would be a place to find a healthy balance.</p>

3

<p>UR isn’t terrible at soccer. They were 9-5. I can’t in any way evaluate the difference in playing between that and being at the top of that NCAA division. Or how much you’ll enjoy or not enjoy that.</p>

4

<p>Oh, I’m not looking to play soccer. Probably should have made that clear - my bad!</p>

5

<p>Apologies. I think I was bringing my family’s experience to this. One of my nephews was recruited for a Div 3 soccer program and probably thought about that. He was very good in a good high school program in a big metro area. Decided he wasn’t into it in college. Wasn’t as good at the college level as he hoped but mostly found he had other priorities. Those paid off and he’s doing very well in his career. I can’t speak to your concerns.</p>

<p>My other experience is with Div 1 athletics. Not personal, of course, but through some close exposure. I have a strong dislike of them. Schools make huge concessions to make that work and it has a cost beyond the dollars spent on everything from facilities to tutors. I know that’s not your thing.</p>

<p>I think UR has a good approach. I don’t know about the other schools you’re considering.</p>

<p>My only other observation is that you need to weigh competition on a list which includes cost of school and where you want to go. It’s part of the pro-con list but, as URHopeful says, you need to put it in the perspective of the rest of your life.</p>

6

<p>soccercrazzy,</p>

<p>As a former 2-sport Varsity Athlete and as the founder of the “Fill Fauver”, “Pack the Palestra” school spirit initiative, I think I can weigh in here… I care a lot about Rochester Athletics, so I’ll put the Admissions Counselor role to the side and speak to my former athletic experiences at Rochester.</p>

<ol>
<li> I was not a “top athlete”, but I very much enjoyed playing Varsity Tennis and running cross country and track at UR. I’m sure that you spent some time with the UR Varsity team that you’re interested in, so hopefully you got a taste of the team dynamic. My teammates became my best friends, my study mates, and a big part of my social life at Rochester (in addition to my circles of friends within my residence halls, my Residential Advisor friends, Student Government, etc.). So I guess the first point is that you should go to the school that you felt most comfortable at. You probably stayed overnight at multiple schools. Did you feel more comfortable at one institution than another? You are going to be around your teammates nearly every single day, so your gut feeling really should come into play here. Sure, your Rochester team might not be competitive for the National Championship next year (depending on what team you’re joining, I know a few teams at UR that are really poised for greatness), but it sounds like you will have the chance to be one of the impact players on one of our teams. Does receiving significant playing time freshman year matter to you? It sounds like you’d get a lot at Rochester. The facilities are awesome, the gym is great, and you will have fun playing at Fauver Stadium. Your teammates will be dedicated and driven both on the field and off the field at UR (yay Div III).<br></li>
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<p>Come to UR and break some records! You’ll probably be highlighted in the Campus Times frequently. <a href=“http://www.campustimes.org/[/url]”>http://www.campustimes.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<ol>
<li><p>School spirit happens here. I started “Fill Fauver” in 2008-2009 in an effort to increase attendance at sporting events throughout the year. The program is still happening, but the success of the program depends on the yearly leadership. If you personally encourage your hall mates, campus friends, your hall D’Lions and RA to show up at your games / matches / races, they probably will. If you don’t ask anyone to show up, Fauver stadium might be empty. Certain sports draw bigger crowds then others, and this happens at every school. UR basketball and soccer are traditionally well-attended sports, while the others require additional effort. Crowd attendance can be heavily swayed with minimal effort. I once organized a tennis match between the two worst players on the team (myself and another friend) and got 50 people to attend the match through the power of facebook. I also brought over 1,000 students to a UR soccer game (vs. St. Lawrence) and helped the U of R have the 10th highest soccer attendance numbers for Div III schools in 2008 (once again, thank you facebook and Go 'Jackets). </p></li>
<li><p>You’ll get competition. Depending on what sport you play, you’ll be up against some tough competitors. The UAA and the Liberty League have schools vying for National Championships in nearly every sport. </p></li>
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<p>[University</a> Athletic Association<a href=“more%20traveling”>/url</a>
[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.libertyleagueathletics.com/]Liberty”&gt;http://www.libertyleagueathletics.com/]Liberty</a> League<a href=“NYS%20traveling”>/url</a> </p>

<p>Stepping back into my Admissions Counselor role…</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Definitely don’t forget about the open curriculum. You and your teammates will be pursuing your academic passions fall semester freshman year. 95% or more of the other schools out there will force General Education Requirements upon you. If you want immediate independence, don’t forget about UR.</p></li>
<li><p>The Take-5 Program. Let’s say you’re so busy with sports that you run out of time to pursue your passion in Music, or Political Science, or Sustainability… Well, you’re in luck because you can spend a tuition-free 5th year on campus (or abroad) to study anything outside of your academic major. This can also help if you get injured and you want to play one more year on your team (not a valid reason to apply for Take-5, but certainly an additional benefit).</p></li>
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<p>The key words here, once again, are “tuition-free” [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/college/ccas/TakeFive/]Take”&gt;http://www.rochester.edu/college/ccas/TakeFive/]Take</a> Five Scholars Program : Center for Academic Support](<a href=“http://www.uaa.rochester.edu/]University”>http://www.uaa.rochester.edu/)</p>

<ol>
<li> Don’t forget about the access to undergraduate research, the small (4,500 student) residential campus, and the fact that there are 248 other student life organizations to join on campus. <a href=“https://sa.rochester.edu/clubs/[/url]”>https://sa.rochester.edu/clubs/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
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<p>In the end, I’m sure you’ll choose the school that’s right for you. Best of luck with your decision!</p>