<p>Think about where you would like to be if you can't play soccer due to injury etc....</p>
<p>Years ago my brother was a D1 scholarship football player. He and a few teammates sat down and figured out what in time spent was the hourly return on their time for those football scholarships. They counted time through the entire year, including the "voluntary" time, wink, wink. It worked out to about 50cents an hour back in the 70's. </p>
<p>That is why in many ways my feelings are bittersweet for scholarship atheletes. On one hand it's great they get to play in college and it's paid for. On the other hand, the time commitment, and educational choices a major college sport athelete has are limited to what the coaching staff allows and expects. You're not "free" to choose your path.</p>
<p>You can say that again. Those scholarships are great for the opportunity to pursue a sport at the highest level, but they are not "free" and the kids make far less than minimum wage for the hours put in. And, unlike a regular job, if they want a day off (like Thanksgiving or Christmas for example), they can't do a shift trade with another employee. </p>
<p>Students considering scholarships should choose a school they would like to attend even if they never play a sport there and they should also choose a school that they can afford to pay for should they decide (or the athletic dept. decides) to attend without the athletic scholarship. I have read three stories in the past month about coaching changes at schools that resulted in student scholarships being pulled and kids being left with the choice to pay full freight at the school and not be on the team or to transfer to another school.</p>
<p>If you're visiting colleges around the Philly area, I'd suggest visiting the College of New Jersey in Ewing. Great academics, and generally an excellent Division III athletic program. Beautiful campus, somewhat small, but nice. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tcnj.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.tcnj.edu/</a></p>
<p>A student who is strong academically should be careful to protect his/her academics in the process of choosing a school.</p>
<p>I might get hurt and have to stop playing. If participating in sports will have no place in my life, is this a school I really want to attend? Am I extremely excited about the academic offerings, the intellectual climate, and the caliber of my future classmates here?</p>
<p>If a student has any chance of taking/needing laboratory or studio classes (or classes requiring a work practicum, for that matter) and wants to play sports, it is crucial that he or she explore whether there could be or would be a scheduling conflict with the sport, and how such conflicts are likely to be, and have historically been, resolved. Don't just take the coach's word or vague reassurances. Research schedules very carefully, ask the question of professors and students, and try to talk with former team members. Check out the majors of the more senior members of the team -- this can be extremely revealing.</p>
<p>'whether there could be or would be a scheduling conflict with the sport, and how such conflicts are likely to be, and have historically been, resolved"</p>
<p>very important. My S made and unmade his d3 soccer team based on his fall schedule. A bio major has alot of labs and the coach didn't like that and cut him becuase of his schedule. Son's on to med school and coach moved on next year to a suny school. So you easterners can have him. </p>
<p>He'll shake your hand and ask you how it feels to watch your son play college ball.. as long as that's all your son is there for. ;)</p>