Parents Question about pursuing athletic scholarship

[mcaggie]

For my dd, there’s a few things at play.

She is likely to be lucky enough to have a choice. She’s talking to Ivies, liberal arts colleges, navy (!) and a few others.

Firstly is her sporting goals. She intends to continue competing elite, aiming at international level. The choice of programmes offering that level, who will allow her to continue representing her country (we are not US), becomes much smaller.

Secondly is academics. While an Ivy is obviously very prestigious, she is worried that balancing such a high standard of academics and sport may be too much. She’d rather take a more relaxed academic programme so she can get a good education and reach her sporting goals, rather than try and spread herself too thinly and not manage to do her best in either.

Thirdly so far a lot of choosing a college on a sporting scholarship depends on things like do you click with the coach, do they offer the courses you want to do, do you want to live in x place for 4 years, is it a campus, what is the accommodation like etc.

Dd did really click with one of the Ivy coaches and was all set to visit this year. A change of head coach and she wasn’t getting the same vibe, and didn’t feel their goals aligned in the same way. They still want her, but she doesn't think the new coach will work for her.

It isn’t quite as straightforward as finding the best, it’s the “best fit” for each athlete.

Thanks

 

[rlm's mom]

Another perspective I have: My DD16 is a has not put her all into her high school studies. She is not learning disabled or low ability, she has just missed quite a bit of school, not had much time to spend on homework and hasn't taken extra lessons and clubs like many of her classmates do, because she does many hours of gymnastics. She takes her time in school seriously and gets pretty average grades. When she goes off to college I know it will be a culture shock from a studying point of view. I want her to do her best in the major she chooses and I don't want her to compare herself to the top brains in the country! So not particularly interested in sending her to a top academic school, I want one where she feels she belongs.

 

[bookworm]

Another perspective I have: My DD16 is a has not put her all into her high school studies. She is not learning disabled or low ability, she has just missed quite a bit of school, not had much time to spend on homework and hasn't taken extra lessons and clubs like many of her classmates do, because she does many hours of gymnastics. She takes her time in school seriously and gets pretty average grades. When she goes off to college I know it will be a culture shock from a studying point of view. I want her to do her best in the major she chooses and I don't want her to compare herself to the top brains in the country! So not particularly interested in sending her to a top academic school, I want one where she feels she belongs.

This was sort of like my oldest ... she actually was a pretty good student but didn't take any AP classes and did very average on her SATs...when it came time for recruiting, Stanford was in the mix ...she had a friend there (who was the valedictorian of her class), they wanted her (had come out to see her twice) , she liked it enough BUT she didn't have the SATs they wanted and they encouraged her to take them multiple times "until you get the scores" and I asked the coach if there was any wiggle room on this and she was honest and said "no...but so and so took them 13 times and finally got admitted" ....well I didn't want my daughter to be that "so and so" cited years down the road so I ended it ... i said "thanks for your interest but she's going to pursue something within her realm of talents. thanks for your time" ....and we moved on. with well wishes from that coach. I also didn't want her 3000 miles away doing ok with her sport but potentially struggling academically.

She ended up at a school she loved and got a great education, went on to get her Masters at a different college where she was the intern for their gymnastics team and now works in higher ed at a university so it all worked out.

 

[mcaggie]

Another perspective I have: My DD16 is a has not put her all into her high school studies. She is not learning disabled or low ability, she has just missed quite a bit of school, not had much time to spend on homework and hasn't taken extra lessons and clubs like many of her classmates do, because she does many hours of gymnastics. She takes her time in school seriously and gets pretty average grades. When she goes off to college I know it will be a culture shock from a studying point of view. I want her to do her best in the major she chooses and I don't want her to compare herself to the top brains in the country! So not particularly interested in sending her to a top academic school, I want one where she feels she belongs.

Another perspective I have: My DD16 is a has not put her all into her high school studies. She is not learning disabled or low ability, she has just missed quite a bit of school, not had much time to spend on homework and hasn't taken extra lessons and clubs like many of her classmates do, because she does many hours of gymnastics. She takes her time in school seriously and gets pretty average grades. When she goes off to college I know it will be a culture shock from a studying point of view. I want her to do her best in the major she chooses and I don't want her to compare herself to the top brains in the country! So not particularly interested in sending her to a top academic school, I want one where she feels she belongs.

The high hour requirement is what I dislike gymnastics. It makes kids hard to focus on schools and other school life. It seems you all are happy if the kids are doing what they love and study whatever they want. Do you ever take financial outcome into consideration when encouraging kids to pick up their majors?

 

[mcaggie]

This was sort of like my oldest ... she actually was a pretty good student but didn't take any AP classes and did very average on her SATs...when it came time for recruiting, Stanford was in the mix ...she had a friend there (who was the valedictorian of her class), they wanted her (had come out to see her twice) , she liked it enough BUT she didn't have the SATs they wanted and they encouraged her to take them multiple times "until you get the scores" and I asked the coach if there was any wiggle room on this and she was honest and said "no...but so and so took them 13 times and finally got admitted" ....well I didn't want my daughter to be that "so and so" cited years down the road so I ended it ... i said "thanks for your interest but she's going to pursue something within her realm of talents. thanks for your time" ....and we moved on. with well wishes from that coach. I also didn't want her 3000 miles away doing ok with her sport but potentially struggling academically.

She ended up at a school she loved and got a great education, went on to get her Masters at a different college where she was the intern for their gymnastics team and now works in higher ed at a university so it all worked out.

Your kids are really talent.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The high hour requirement is what I dislike gymnastics. It makes kids hard to focus on schools and other school life. It seems you all are happy if the kids are doing what they love and study whatever they want. Do you ever take financial outcome into consideration when encouraging kids to pick up their

Financial outcomes are also driven by the cost (debt) of an education as well as the major.

And you could actually have a “good” financial outcome without college.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Financial outcomes are also driven by the cost (debt) of an education as well as the major.

And you could actually have a “good” financial outcome without college.

And of course what is your definition of a “ good“ financial outcome.

I know a 22 yr old kid. Works full time in a grocery store. Doing college on line at an “ordinary” college. Owns a Tesla (outright) and has over 50 grand in his 401k. I have no doubt he’ll be having a good financial outcome.

 

[rlm's mom]

The high hour requirement is what I dislike gymnastics. It makes kids hard to focus on schools and other school life. It seems you all are happy if the kids are doing what they love and study whatever they want. Do you ever take financial outcome into consideration when encouraging kids to pick up their majors?

Oh I definitely encourage my kids to keep up with school. I wouldn't want them to fall behind in education because they are too busy with gymnastics. The lessons they learn through gymnastics are pretty important and will help them in life more than perfect grades in school. I don't feel every child is made to sit through 6 hours of lessons and then a few more of homework at 8 years old. Let them so do something active, healthy and enjoyable!!
ETA: It's not which major they choose that decides the financial outcome its how they apply themselves to whatever they choose.

 

[Lurker]

The high hour requirement is what I dislike gymnastics. It makes kids hard to focus on schools and other school life. It seems you all are happy if the kids are doing what they love and study whatever they want. Do you ever take financial outcome into consideration when encouraging kids to pick up their majors?

You do realize that not everyone has the aptitude to become a Dr., Lawyer, or whatever other high paying Career field you are implying. Everyone brings a different skill set. We need educators would you tell someone who has always wanted to be one they shouldn't because it's not prestigious? Of course you weigh pros and cons but sometimes being happy with your work and life outweigh the monetary gain.

 

[mcaggie]

Financial outcomes are also driven by the cost (debt) of an education as well as the major.

And you could actually have a “good” financial outcome without college.

True, there are people who are financially successful without college. However, statistics show people with college are better off than people without, so I would rather to go with the one with higher odds.

 

[mcaggie]

You do realize that not everyone has the aptitude to become a Dr., Lawyer, or whatever other high paying Career field you are implying. Everyone brings a different skill set. We need educators would you tell someone who has always wanted to be one they shouldn't because it's not prestigious? Of course you weigh pros and cons but sometimes being happy with your work and life outweigh the monetary gain.

I got your points. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

True, there are people who are financially successful without college. However, statistics show people with college are better off than people without, so I would rather to go with the one with higher odds.

I know many a college grad with pretty poor financial outcomes relatively speaking. I have one nephew went to a very prestigious school. 40 grand a semester. He and his mom are still pay for that over a decade later. He works in a youth hostel and occasionally a surf shop. Her other son on the other hand who went to community college and a state school. No school debt. He’s good with his money though He was able to pay for his moms new car when the old one got wrecked. Another nephew also graduated from a very expensive known college degree in political science. 6 yrs out of school. Worked at an ice cream shop. Now a animal care person at a research lab for a whopping 17 bucks an hour. 28 and thinking about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Parents are paying for his loans as the pushed him into that college

”Good” college really doesn’t guarantee a thing.

 

[mcaggie]

I know many a college grad with pretty poor financial outcomes relatively speaking. I have one nephew went to a very prestigious school. 40 grand a semester. He and his mom are still pay for that over a decade later. He works in a youth hostel and occasionally a surf shop. Her other son on the other hand who went to community college and a state school. No school debt. He’s good with his money though He was able to pay for his moms new car when the old one got wrecked. Another nephew also graduated from a very expensive known college degree in political science. 6 yrs out of school. Worked at an ice cream shop. Now a animal care person at a research lab for a whopping 17 bucks an hour. 28 and thinking about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Parents are paying for his loans as the pushed him into that college

”Good” college really doesn’t guarantee a thing.

Thanks for the information. It’s kind of the reason I asked if you consider the financial outcome when choosing majors. Unless you are super passionate to it, I don’t think political science is a good major to be in. The job market for it seems limited.

 

[Tmacs]

You can get a great education at many colleges and universities. And once you begin working that matters more then where you went to school.

Any of my career moves, that I have the degree is important not where it’s from. But my work experience matters more.

My daughter will not be heading to school as an athlete. But when it comes to choosing schools. I’m sure she’ll have quite a few to choose from but it will come down to which is the best fit of the ones we can afford.

Yes. My husband co-owns a well-established company and they could care less what college people attended... they want good work ethic, a strong desire to grow and learn, and an ability to be a team player. You can learn that anywhere and I would argue that playing sports in college would show employers those traits more than just attending a highly selective school.

 

[gym_dad32608]

A couple of comments. First, I can tell you that the trend in the US is away from undergraduate education towards graduate education. Perhaps as someone international you might think that an undergraduate degree from a prestigious university is the end game. Right or wrong, in the US, it is graduate school. I can also say with confidence, that D-1 athlete coming from any university is going to garner serious consideration from most if not all graduate programs including those top tier programs that ultimately lead to the financial success that you allude to. The same traits that created success in the gym are the ones that these programs are looking for (yes, scholarly aptitude is required, but all things equal). In this paradigm, it might make a smarter move to get a "free" undergraduate education saving for the expensive graduate school.

Second, while we always want the best for our children, and have much more experience to share with them, we can't live their lives for them. In spite of all our advice, they sometimes choose their own path. I am sure some might strongly push their child to a particular school, and that is their choice as a parent. I think when most of us come down to it, we are not going to force our children to go somewhere they do not want to go, especially if they are fortunate enough to achieve that accomplishment after so much sacrifice and hard work.

Bottom line, as many have said, there are many different roads to success. The results that you are mentioning from going to a stronger academic school only really apply to graduate programs with the exception of perhaps a few Ivies (Harvard, Yale, Princeton).

 

[mcaggie]

A couple of comments. First, I can tell you that the trend in the US is away from undergraduate education towards graduate education. Perhaps as someone international you might think that an undergraduate degree from a prestigious university is the end game. Right or wrong, in the US, it is graduate school. I can also say with confidence, that D-1 athlete coming from any university is going to garner serious consideration from most if not all graduate programs including those top tier programs that ultimately lead to the financial success that you allude to. The same traits that created success in the gym are the ones that these programs are looking for (yes, scholarly aptitude is required, but all things equal). In this paradigm, it might make a smarter move to get a "free" undergraduate education saving for the expensive graduate school.

Second, while we always want the best for our children, and have much more experience to share with them, we can't live their lives for them. In spite of all our advice, they sometimes choose their own path. I am sure some might strongly push their child to a particular school, and that is their choice as a parent. I think when most of us come down to it, we are not going to force our children to go somewhere they do not want to go, especially if they are fortunate enough to achieve that accomplishment after so much sacrifice and hard work.

Bottom line, as many have said, there are many different roads to success. The results that you are mentioning from going to a stronger academic school only really apply to graduate programs with the exception of perhaps a few Ivies (Harvard, Yale, Princeton).

Thanks for the input. It's good to know the new trend. When I was in a STEM graduate school, more than 80% of students are internationals at that time.