<p>Our daughter is considering playing d2 or d3 soccer and has the talent to do so. She also has strong academics (730/730/730 SAT, top 10%) and qualifies for many automatic merit scholarships. Money is a factor because she is contemplating continuing on through a doctorate degree. The ideal situation would be finding a college that offers competitive mid-level varsity soccer AND strong pre-med program AND generous scholarships between athletics and merit. Thus far it has been elusive. She is a senior in hs so time grows short. Any suggestions, particularly from someone who has been through something similar, are greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Talk to the coach. They usually have connections to help in finding appropriate teams with slots available.</p>
<p>Moving your thread to the athletic recruiting thread, hopefully you will get more responses</p>
<p>D2 offers athletic scholarships, D3 does not do athletic scholarship, only merit aid (if available) and financial aid. I would suggest focusing on the academic programs that offer the best merit money for your kid, based on stats, and then build list from there, looking at soccer programs. As a soccer parent, we have been referred to the Bennett rankings for soccer, ranks men’s and women’s programs, D1-D3. Those lists can help at least categorize the strength of the soccer program so you can see where your kid might contribute. </p>
<p>You mentioned doctoral programs as a reason that conserving out of pocket costs now matters. As a faculty family, our experience is that Ph.D. students get admitted with full financial support, including a basic living stipend. If a student does not get that support, then they are often a second class citizen in the program and have to fight for attention and opportunities. Ph.D. students are not typically full pay so that may be less of a constraint on costs than you think right now. However, you also said pre-med, and in that case, reducing undergrad debt is a primary consideration so high merit is a priority. </p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter, it is a busy time of year for a soccer player. </p>
<p>D1 athletics & Pre-med are a challenging combination to juggle. Both take many hours each day. There are a few parents on here who have/had athletes go thru Engineering etc. They may chime in after the holiday weekend.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>True – I’ve heard that labs often difficult with afternoon practice/game travel during the week. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. @Threesdad - we quickly shifted away from D1 in our searches for the very reason you described, plus the fact that D would not see much playing time at most large D1’s. We seem to be shifting focus toward the big merit aid schools (anyone know anything about SEMO?), but it would be nice if she could continue in soccer as well. Trying to find the perfect school that wants an aggressive student and aggressive attacking mid…</p>
<p>@poppasmurf: Good Luck. Soccer isn’t my area of expertise, though I love to watch and am a Red Bulls and ManU fan…field or softball I may be of more use.</p>
<p>Doctoral is almost always full tuition plus stipend, lately around $20,000+ for the stipend which most students can get by on.</p>
<p>She should get a list of schools together and email coaches ASAP. Also do searches on recruiting camps in the fall. If she plays club soccer (and she better if she wants to play soccer in college, IMHO), her coach or club might be able to help.</p>
<p>Or maybe do you mean medical school, not a doctoral (Ph.D.) program? That would be different and is almost never free ride unless the student is in a service program.</p>
<p>Definitely put together a highlight video and get it out to coaches ASAP. Put together a list of colleges she is interested in and email those coaches inviting them to come watch her at any tournaments that she will be playing in. In addition, you might look into Club Teams at any colleges that she is interested in. Most are extremely competitive and often include players that are good enough for D1, 2, or 3, but don’t want to make that time commitment. </p>
<p>Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wa is an excellent liberal arts college, gives merit aid, and is an exciting young team with a great new coach. High admissions standards make this a niche recruiting school but reach out to coach about your daughter. Past performance prior to this season is misleading. New coach and excellent underclass players bode for an exciting future.</p>
<p>Multiple pre-med majors on Whitman team. Check put the BBMB major</p>
<p>@PoppaSmurf </p>
<p>GPA is extremely important for med school, so D3 is probably the way to go considering the higher (and more importantly, binding) athletic commitment when on an athletic scholarship in D1/D2.</p>
<p>As for a “strong pre-med program”, I wouldn’t worry about that. Pre-med requirements are quite basic, so you can complete the reqs at nearly any school. The net cost/EFC is often the deal-breaker for med school hopefuls.</p>
<p>–Will she qualify for need-based aid?
–What ballpark EFC (Expected Family Contribution) can you afford?
–What state are you in? Is she willing to travel anywhere for school?</p>