Varsity Sports/Swarthmore?

<p>My son just was accepted at Swarthmore early write and has been recruited as a Varsity athlete at Swarthmore. For student athletes past and present at Swarthmore is it possible to balance sports and academics?</p>

<p>Most of the Rhodes Scholar winners do it, so clearly possible. But sports do require a big commitment, so something's gotta give. Might be that new activity a student has never done before.... I guess I'm saying playing college sports can be a limiting activity in some ways.</p>

<p>kuaimom:</p>

<p>Your son should feel free to talk to members of the particular team for specifics. Go straight to the horse's mouth, so to speak.</p>

<p>My strong impression is that athletes at Swarthmore are Swatties first, athletes second. They live in the same dorms with non-athletes. Take the same courses. Get the same grades and, are generally-speaking indistinguishable. The only difference is that their varsity sport is their main extra-curricular activity that soaks up their free time as opposed to whatever else Swatties may do.</p>

<p>The most recent faculty report on Varsity Athletics (12 member, just 3 coaches) cites as strengths of the program the job coaches/admissions do in finding academically qualified recruits and the job coaches do in understanding academic scheduling comes first.</p>

<p>Other than the fact that some of the varsity teams tend to be frat members and "visible" in the school's social scene, I've really never heard any complaints about a fissure in the campus culture, or athletes that can't keep up academically, or any of that sort of thing. These issues have been raised at other points in the school's history -- most notably after the head coach was fired after taking the football team to an undefeated season in the 1980s because the team was perceived as being totally divorced from the campus culture. There just has been none of that talk, from any quarter, over the last eight years that I've followed the school. </p>

<p>My daughter lived freshman year with a number of varsity lacrosse players (stereotypically the "meatheads" at a school without football). She got great advice from them on the Honors program, on taking a math/statistics oriented load in the social sciences for grad school, on choosing professors, on how to prepare for class participation.</p>

<p>I think the question of whether Swarthmore focuses enough on varsity sports is a legitimate question for a recruited athlete. Whether athletes are fully incorportated in the academic life of the school is not an issue I've seen raised. I think athletes vary. Some do get involved in study abroad and hard-core academics and ease back on one or more sports after a couple of years. Others do fine with both.</p>

<p>From the cross country and track perspective, the coaches are terrific at balancing the sport and academics. From what I hear from these coaches, these athletes are so hard on themselves academically that at times they expect the same stellar performance athletically as well. The pressure is from the student on themselves, not from the coach, generally speaking. I'm sure some of the team sports with a more rigorous game schedule in season is more demanding, but that means the athlete won't have as much time for additional activities beyond their sport and academics. Actually I think some athletes find the structure of practice makes them more productive and a better student in-season than out. Really depends on the person. Good luck to your son. I'm sure he'll enjoy his sport as part of the Swat experience.</p>

<p>Tell your son to just play rugby at Swarthmore. They can balance everything in one day. Wake up: Go to library. Noon: Game against opponent. Three p.m: Drunk with opposing team.</p>

<p>This women's track team member seems to have done OK:</p>

<p>
[quote]
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Swarthmore senior Cait Mullarkey earned All-American honors Saturday afternoon, finishing fifth in the mile at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships held in the Rose-Hulman Sports and Recreation Center.</p>

<p>Mullarkey (Wilmington, Del. / Ursuline Academy) posted a time of 5:00.16 in the finals, becoming the second Swarthmore female to be All-America for indoor track, joining Imo Akpan ’02, who received the honor for 400 meters in 2002.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>She's also on the women's soccer team that won the regional champsionships this year. Graduated as an Honor Biology major (definitely not basketweaving for jocks!) and just was named a Rhode Scholar:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Mullarkey, an honors biology major, has already received a host of accolades in 2008-09, both in the classroom, and on the field and track. The 30th Swarthmore student to win a coveted Rhodes Scholarship earlier this fall, Mullarkey captained the Swarthmore women’s soccer team to a second consecutive E.C.A.C. South Region Championship after becoming the first defender in Centennial history to make First-Team All-Conference all four years. A three-time All-Region performer on the soccer field, Mullarkey was named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America, Scholar Athlete by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (N.S.C.A.A.) and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Star. She has twice been named Centennial Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week, and posted NCAA provisional qualifying times in both the mile and the 5,000 meters during the 2008-09 indoor season.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Athletics</a> News Blog Archive Mullarkey Earns All-America in Mile</p>

<p>It does sound like she did have to make one concession to her academics. She gave up a third varsity sport (women's basketball) after one season.</p>

<p>Amazing.</p>

<p>I'm a parent of a very happy Swat athlete who does plenty of other things besides. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.</p>

<p>As for academic/athletic balance in particular, click around on the various teams' home pages - you'll see plenty of DIII Academic Honor squads, Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Stars, Academic Performer(s) of the Year, and a lot of students on their sport's Academic Honor Roll. I think the 09 Field Hockey team had the highest team G.P.A. in all of Division III.</p>

<p>10 of the current (08-09) RAs are varsity athletes, just for one example of balance in other areas as well.</p>

<p>Here's a list from last spring, re the conference academic honor roll: Athletics</a> News Blog Archive Fifty Swarthmore Athletes Named to Centennial Academic Honor Roll</p>

<p>Note that the list isn't tweaked to include high-GPA kids who don't play much:

[quote]
To be named to the Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher in class standing and a starter or key reserve on his or her team. The student must maintain at least a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Would someone be able to compare the Centennial League to NESCAC? My jr daughter plays field hockey and wants to know how Swat compares, to say, Middlebury? Thanks</p>

<p>NESCAC is the most competitive league in Division III sports, with powerhouses Williams, Amherst, and Middlebury dominating most sports. I’m not familiar with the Centennial League.</p>

<p>I know about NESCAC! That is why I was asking about the Centennial Conference of which Swarthmore is a member.</p>

<p>NESCAC is definitely stronger overall. </p>

<p>Still, the Centennial is a competitive conference. It’s strong in women’s lax (usually three or four of the teams are nationally ranked, and F&M has won the DIII title twice in the last three years) and men’s (at least two teams nationally ranked) and in men’s and women’s soccer. Women’s soccer, for example, has had three teams nationally ranked (including Swat’s) for much of this season; men’s has had two (Swat and Hopkins). </p>

<p>Over the last past two seasons, the Centennial has placed more men’s soccer teams in the NCAA tournament than any other conference. </p>

<p>Field hockey in the Centennial is quite strong. Right now three of the teams are in the top twenty nationally, with Ursinus at #3. As in women’s lax, Swarthmore’s team is not at the top of the heap (Middlebury’s is a much better team), but the competition is amazing.</p>

<p>Thanks Harriet!</p>

<p>

A few suggestions … check out the league’s web-site (I assume they have one) … check out <a href=“http://www.ncaa.org%5B/url%5D”>www.ncaa.org</a> to see how the conference does at the ncaa level … check out the relevant sport site … <a href=“http://www.d3hoop.com%5B/url%5D”>www.d3hoop.com</a> … <a href=“http://www.d3soccer.com%5B/url%5D”>www.d3soccer.com</a> … etc (not sure in which sport you are interested)</p>

<p>yes, I did that, thanks so much!</p>