College Athletic Scholarship

[phoenixphantom]

Do any of you have any experience with your child getting either a partial of full athletic scholarship?

My DD has been doing her sport since she was 3, she is 16 and we have been told that she has scholarship potential, however it is very expensive in her sport and we are thinking of having her quit and give up any chance of a scholarship. She is OK with this because she understands that it is very expensive, but she does not want to quit.

Her coach is of course telling us she should continue, but we are all realistic and know that many things will come into play in the next two years that can affect a chance at a scholarship. However, if she were to continue and get the scholarship, it could have a signification impact on her financial future.

There are ways that I could skimp to get her through the next 2 years, but her little sister would like to sing and act and deserves to try to fulfill her dreams also, and her older sister is in community college and getting no financial help from us, at least not for school, she does live with us, we pay her cell phone and her car insurance. We have always spent more money on the athlete than the other two, but she works so hard and is a good student and really responsible.

Should we go into more debt and hope for the scholarship? or just pull her out and let her pay for college like so many other kids have to do. The whole collegiate athletic scholarship thing seems very complicated to me and I am not sure it is a good idea to spend more money than we have and hope we can pay it off after she graduates. I don't come from a family that has ever had a student athlete and my husband and I were the first from our families to go to college. Am I short changing her because I don't know anything about this? am I being penny wise and pound foolish?

I would love to hear from any of you that have been through the process and if you feel it is worth it.

 

[undertheradar]

I think you will get more responses to this on the community board.

 

[CowboyCO]

My nephew was a D-1 scholarship diver. What sport is your daughter in?

 

[vitfamily]

DD had a Golf scholarship and DS is a sophomore in college now with a Wrestling and Academic scholarship. What do you want to know. What sport is she in?

 

[MrsPete]

I can't answer this question from a parent's point of view, but I can tell you that in my 20 years of teaching, I've only seen a handful of my students receive an athletic scholarship. They're very rare. I personally know more girls than guys who've received scholarships, and most of the athletes I know personally have received something along the lines of tuition-only scholarships (not to knock that amount -- I'd be very happy for my daughter to be given tuition-only -- but I'm saying it's not full-ride or nothing).

Aside from the financial aspect, athletes do get some special treatment in college: Often they're housed together with their teammates, they're fed special meals, they get priority registration. These intangibles are nice.

If she wants to continue the sport, I say do it because it enhances her life. Don't assume that any financial benefit'll come from it. I personally wouldn't go into debt for her to partake in a sport; that would be a dividing line for me. However, you also don't want her to live with "could I have?" in the future.

This sounds like a tough call. I'd look for advice from her coach (though he/she may not be an impartial observer because he/she likely wants to keep a good athlete on the team) and from colleges that you think might interest her.

 

[Allison]

Who is telling you she has scholarship potential?

 

[Debbie7452]

Personally, if my DD still wanted to do the sport and was excelling, I would continue. Can't the other child sing and act through school channels like choir and theater? I wouldn't go into debt for it, but I would "scrimp and save" as you mentioned. Your almost to the finish line with your DD.

 

[HM]

I think I'd keep her in her sport. Kids in sports do better in school as a whole and that will affect her potential with a school even more.

Before you decide though, do some research into schools that support her sport, and find out what kind of scholarships they offer to students and what kinds of students have been getting them in the past couple years. It may help you decide whether it's worth it.

 

[Anastasia]

What year is she in school? I don't know a lot about this, but I do know that really outstanding athletes are being offered scholarships in their junior year of high school.

I would have further conversations with the coach and with the guidance counselors at school. Find out if she really is a scholarship candidate. To me, it would be foolish to have her do the sport until the age of 16, and then give it up right before she becomes eligible for scholarships.

 

[CowboyCO]

My DW is a HS teacher and has had many srudents get athletic scholarships, but the vast majority are not D-1 scholarships. They are to Div II or Junior college. These scholarships can save a lot of money, but obviously it reduces choice of school. If you child loves the sport, then encourage them to continue and try to make it happen if you can afford it.

My nephew worked hard to get the D-1 scholarship, but he didn't love the sport. His passion was rock-climbing. As soon as he got to school, he found out that athletics was #1, school #2 and rock-climbing was forbidden by the athletics department. He dropped the scholarship after just one year.

College sports can be very tough. They get up early and go train, go to breakfast and class then go to practice. Their diet and time is strictly controlled. For some, this regimented life is great and prepares them for success. For others it can be too controlling.

 

[Swimalie]

Don't depend on scholarships, either. A team mate of mine (I swim on a team with kids) just signed with the Univ of Maryland to swim. Full scholarship! The next day the Univ cut the swimming program, as well as other sports. It was backed by the President of the Univ today. My team mate is devastated and now has to start the whole process over, without her favorite place and she's a senior so she doesn't have much time.

 

[eliza61]

To answer your question. No, I would not continue the sport in hope of getting a athletic scholarship.
My brother got a basketball scholarship to LIU and they are far and few between. Now I don't know what sport your daughter plays but for the popular sports if she has real scholarship potential outside folks will let her know. People like college recruiters.

But I totally agree with the other posters. sports and extra curricular activities enhance a kids life in a bunch of ways that are not monetary. If I could swing it and my kid had a passion for some thing, I would definitely try and make it happen.

Good luck.

 

[akcire]

Don't depend on scholarships, either. A team mate of mine (I swim on a team with kids) just signed with the Univ of Maryland to swim. Full scholarship! The next day the Univ cut the swimming program, as well as other sports. It was backed by the President of the Univ today. My team mate is devastated and now has to start the whole process over, without her favorite place and she's a senior so she doesn't have much time.

The kid needs to get a lawyer to review the letter she signed. She may still be able to get a free ride, but of course to a die hard swimmer---the thought of no team would be devestating.

OP--I had a full ride to college. My parents actually paid a lawyer to review the contracts offered to me, to be certain I was covered for college. My program allowed athletes 5 years of full tuition and 4 years of living expenses, medical, and a stipend. (They give 5 years since many athletes can not finish in 4 with all the travel). Since I went to college with about 20 college credits, I was able to get an undergrad and a graduate degree with my 5 years of tuition.

I just had to make certain I did not become elidgible for my undergraduate degree before I completed my 4 years of playing so I stayed elidigbile (I attended a state school and intentionally waited to complete my gym requirement) to play (some NCAA rule). I literally waited to apply for graduation until my last game, despite having been taking a mix of graduate level classes for the previous 12 months.

I think the big question everyone has is what sport? The sport makes a difference. The more high profile the more scholarships. This is not a dig on the cross-country kids, but they had the least amount of scholarship money at my school. Their sport is not exciting for people to watch---it happens over miles, and miles, and miles. I could never do what they did.

Also my parents paid very little for me to participate in my sports--if it is an incredibly expensive sport like ice skating very few schools will have programs. Now I know that swimming has become more more expensive in the past 10 years with the swimsuit technology, but I don't know what other girls sport is that expensive. The big 3 are vollyball, basketball, & softball for scholarships. A select few schools have active gymnastic programs with extensive scholarships.

Without knowing your daughters sport I can't give any real advise. Is it possible there are lower cost options for her to continue to play?

 

[lastminutemom]

Most athletic scholarships are not full rides at all. Many are just partial at best. Without knowing the sport, but given that it is $ and she is a girl, I am guessing that it isn't football or basketball, both of which are known as revenue sports and give out the most scholarships.

I cannot advise you won how to proceed, I would recommend that you go to this website and ask some specific questions:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/

Also take a look at this link as well...

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/pursuing...-is-costly-for-players-parents-130930598.html

 

[almburr]

DD17 has had several offers from different schools for Athletics some are better than others. We did not search these schools out they came to her. She is making her final choice soon. Her sport is Shot put and Discus.

 

[Debbie7452]

Girls' Volleyball and Softball are really good for scholarships too. Quite a few girls in our town get scholarships for them (esp. Softball, our team has been getting a lot of attention lately).

 

[MineMail]

The NCAA restricts which schools can offer athletics' scholarships, so some other schools might offer the athletic recruits "merit" scholarships to compensate. In any case, only the best students get the full scholarships at my college. Your daughter should really choose the school based on what she wants to major in and the school's reputation for academics, rather than focus on sports scholarships. There's a movement afoot to stop the pandering to athletics in US colleges and focus on academics and affordable education. While the Big Three might be left untouched, more and more smaller sports are getting hit with major cuts or elimination. It's really shaky to make that a college finance plan at this point.

Friends of mine who received partial athletic scholarships for swimming, basketball and soccer, gave up the scholarship and sport after their first year. They grow so much in college and are so challenged with school and sports, that many students change their minds. Some even changed schools because the sport influenced their choice and once they knew what they wanted to major in, they found the school didn't offer it as an option.

You have to take things coaches say with a grain of salt unless they can prove that your DD has real potential. Any athlete will improve with more intense training and playing time, but that doesn't have to involve breaking the bank. The most important thing is to talk to your daughter: is she willing to make the sacrifices needed to reach these levels? A lot of well-meaning parents push their kids in sports because they're dreaming of scholarships, and the kids resist it. "I dont' want to get up for practice!" "I hate doing weight training." "I want to go hang out with my friends, not go to the game/meet/competition." To pursue those levels, a lot of them sacrifice friendships, fun and other activities. Not that you would do that necessarily, but it's something to be aware of along the way. If they're not enjoying it, it's a moot point. They won't benefit from the training if they're resentful and sullen.

I don't think you should take her out of the sport, but find ways to scrimp and save so that she can stay in and enjoy her life now, before real responsibilities and choices take place. It's really important for her to start "giving back" by volunteering, either within the sport or elsewhere - that's important to present a "well-rounded" profile to any university.

The focus should on getting outstanding grades and test scores so that merit scholarships are more of an option than the athletic ones. It's just more sure and consistent than athletics, where not making the team or getting injured could cause the scholarship to be lost.

 

[phoenixphantom]

My daughter is a gymnast, she is a sophmore, and she is competing level 9this year. Many girls that get full rides will already be level 10 or elite by this year, however there are definitely d3 and d2 schools that she could compete for and possibly even some lower d1's. I would be thrilled with a D3 and a partial scholarship.

It costs between $7-10,000 a year and that does not count the gas and time it takes to get to the gym which is 45 minutes away! Yes she could go to a lesser gym and just finish out the 2 years and have a good time, but the gym she is at is known for getting girls scholarships. That being said they don't all get them and they don't all want them. We are full committed for this year so I guess we will see how she does this year and if by some chance she does real well, then we will reevaluate.

Thanks for all of the feed back, many good points have been addressed. Many I knew but others not, especially about getting a lawyer involved. I know that a promoter is recommended but that is several thousand more dollars. It all seems like a huge gamble!!

 

[finz2left]

My daughter is a gymnast, she is a sophmore, and she is competing level 9this year. Many girls that get full rides will already be level 10 or elite by this year, however there are definitely d3 and d2 schools that she could compete for and possibly even some lower d1's. I would be thrilled with a D3 and a partial scholarship.

It costs between $7-10,000 a year and that does not count the gas and time it takes to get to the gym which is 45 minutes away! Yes she could go to a lesser gym and just finish out the 2 years and have a good time, but the gym she is at is known for getting girls scholarships. That being said they don't all get them and they don't all want them. We are full committed for this year so I guess we will see how she does this year and if by some chance she does real well, then we will reevaluate.

Thanks for all of the feed back, many good points have been addressed. Many I knew but others not, especially about getting a lawyer involved. I know that a promoter is recommended but that is several thousand more dollars. It all seems like a huge gamble!!

Very few schools have gymnastics programs! I teach at a D-1 univ with a tremendous sports influence. Our gymnasts are all amazing (a top program), but even lesser schools have top notch gymnasts. Track and Field, and rowing are two areas where there are often unused scholarships and walk-ons. I have several students in both who were good athletes in high school, and for Title 9 reasons, the Univ. game them scholarships to those sports...which were UNFILLED when the season began.

 

[carone0318]

My dd is also a gymnast and is doing a 2nd yr of 9 (due to an elbow surgery in June).

The main goal at this point would be to make it to Easterns/Westerns for her. Small D1s may show interest, but D2 or D3 are quiet possible, definitely to walk on & compete, but not so sure about scholarships. I'm hoping though for my dd that her sport will help her with schools because although she is a good student she would probably be considered an average student at best, so at least she would have something else to offer.

As a sophomore, she should probably have a website and start communicating with some of the schools she is interested in. She will need to sell herself 100% because she is not the elite or Top 10 JO at 10 Nationals.

I'm not sure where this sport will lead my dd, but she just keeps chugging along. Her goal this year is to introduce a new skill to her routines on every event because she has already been to Easterns/Westerns and she needs to show the college coaches that she is still progressing regardless of her level. It's hard for her because she has had surgery, but she is almost back to where she was before the surgery and on some events she is ahead of where she was.

Good luck to your dd this year, meet season's about to begin!