(I posted this again because I really need more feedback)
I am a freshman that plays college soccer for a private liberal arts NCAA division 3 school and I was wondering if I should transfer this year to play Division 1 or wait one more year to transfer as a sophomore?
Throughout my first college season I managed to play in 14 games out 19 and start 2. I registered 5 shots and 1 assist as a freshman.
Here is the situation, initially I wanted to transfer after my sophomore year because i had tore my ACL prior to college which slowed me down last season however a recent head coaching change to my dream school which is D1 (there ranked about 75 in the D1 college rankings and they won their conference but had a .5 win percentage) caused me to start rethinking if I should leave this year. Also they have a lack of recruits (only two right now, a goalie and a midfielder, that’s confirmed) and are very behind on there recruiting right now because of the coaching change which gives me an unusual window of opportunity, I can also tell they are because they have a camp at the end of the February in order to maybe salvage some recruits. I can’t contact the coach of the school yet because I would have to ask for my release from my current coach because of NCAA rules and if I don’t end up going I would mess up my relationship between my coach. I am in a tough spot since I’m not 100% sure if the coach would offer me a walk on tryout for next season (I’m pretty sure though considering the lack of recruits) and if I contact him and he says no then I’m screwed with my current coach. To be honest though I don’t really like the school I am at currently but I love the team at my current school and the coach really values me as the future of his program but it would be my dream to play at this division 1 school since its a state school and alot of my friends go there. With the schools lack of recruiting this year and with alot of seniors leaving and with the alot of the players on the roster being redshirted in the past it gives me a very good chance of making the team if offered a walk on tryout. I don’t even mind being reshirted since I would still be on the team of my dream school. However I could wait one more year and transfer as a Junior to my dream school and play D1 but I believe right now the window of opportunity is perfect and maybe next year I might not have that good of a chance since the coach might bring in more recruits and more quality recruits. Another problem I have is that when I applied to my dream school as a senior I got wait listed for months and then denied so I’m not sure if I would get accepted this time around with 3.1 GPA so far at my current which academically is actually a pretty good school. Since I would be applying I a transfer I don’t know what my chances are for being accepted this time around.
What should I do? Should I take this chance and go for it? Or wait and transfer after my fall season? I’m struggling with this decision and I don’t have much time left. Please help. It would really help if someone had experience with transferring and trying to “walk on” at a D1 school for soccer.
This question is a difficult one for strangers to answer, and more importantly, a dicey one to rely on a stranger’s advice for the answer. Despite your soccer success, despite the fact that you like your team and coach, you are looking for something else. I think you should think very hard about what it is that you are looking for and why you are looking. Dreams are meant to be followed, but also to be reevaluated as life goes on.
My guess is that you are evaluating dream school without soccer (or with club soccer) or D3 school with soccer where you could make an impact. Which one do you like better. Your call, not some one else’s call.
Finally, the issue is moot if you can’t get into your dream school, which it sounds like you will have to do on academic merit alone. It is true that transfer admissions are different than freshman admissions. For some schools with a lot of attrition, it is easier to be admitted as a transfer. For other schools with little attrition, it is much harder to be admitted as a transfer. If you want more information, you probably should call the admissions office of the dream school to see if you have a shot.
He’s (she’s?) said that he’s looking at a D1 school, but currently at a D3.
OP, I think you should talk to your coach. Tell him why you are unhappy with the school, but not with him or the team. Tell him what thought process you are going through, considering SCHOOLS, not teams. Tell him you want to play D1. I think you’ll be surprised at how understanding he is. He wants what is best for the players as well as the team, and having someone unhappy isn’t best for the team. What he wouldn’t like is to find out you are going behind his back, looking for other teams, not being honest.
Are you sure you aren’t able to contact D1 teams under the NCAA rules? I wouldn’t do it without asking permission from your current coach, but I’m not sure if it is a violation of NCAA rules.
What is more important to you…PLAYING Soccer or BEING on a DIV 1 team? On you current team you will be
starting and will be the star of your team in a couple of years. If you transferred, without the coach being interested, then you most likely would not start, may not get on the team. If all of these other kids are redshirting, you have to ask yourself, WHY?
You applied to the Div 1 school but did not get in. Was the coach even aware of you? If yes, then clearly you are either not up to the academic or sport standards. If no, then you seem to be wanting to live a fantasy…you weren’t able to work within the normal recruiting process and you think that somehow showing up will get you on the team?
Also a 3.1 is nice, but is it good enough for you to transfer?
I agree with goingthruaphase this is a tough question/situation for a stranger to answer. If you were my son or daughter, I’d probably want to know:
How would this change impact your education?
What are the financial implications from D3 to D1?
Why you think the “grass would be greener” at the D1 as most likely playing time would decrease?
What is the end goal? Is there a plan to play professional soccer after college? If not, why make the change.
After being around my son’s D1 college sport the last 4 years the single biggest issue among players is playing time. There is always somebody wanting to take your job or your playing time. Coaches encourage competition. In his sport (not his school) it was a very common practice for a new coach to bring in lots of JUCO transfers to jump start or restart a program. If the OP transferred, he/she could be caught up in those changes.
My son was fortunate enough to get his share of playing time, and start his freshmen year. The OP seems to have received a pretty fair share of freshmen playing time, and I’m having a really tough time understanding why they would want to give that up for something that is unknown (new coach, new school, new situation) to start from scratch. If the goal is to improve skills and play professionally then I understand the end game. But if that is not the case, I’m at a loss based on what has been shared.
I agree that this is a tough question for anyone her to answer without knowing the whole picture. Assuming that you are D1 material, there are still too many unknowns: do they need to fill your position on the team, does the coach see you as a key player, do you “fit” with the team, etc. The only one who can answer those questions is the D1 coach. As a new coach, it is his chance to mold the program to his liking and he may already have recruits in mind that you don’t know about. You just may not fit into his vision. If you love playing soccer, it seems you have a sure thing where you are, and nothing concrete in any way with the D1 team. Since you were waitlisted at your dream school the first time around, it is safe to assume that you still may not be accepted with a 3.1 GPA, especially as a sophomore. There is no reason to assume that even if you were accepted and did a walk-on, that the new coach would even be interested.
If you really don’t like your current program academically and that is your priority, than by all means transfer, but be willing to take a chance that you may not make a team at whatever school you transfer to. In any event, it might be wiser to stick it out where you are for one more year, try to get your GPA up and get more soccer experience, and then look at your options.