Girls D3 recruiting question??

[Unregistered]

The issue comes in when you think your child might receive merit scholarships. Some schools will add $25k in merit money to the right student. If your child has the grades to compete for that, knowing whether they will get it makes a big difference in how high that school is on their preference list.

Let's be honest here. A school that offers you 25k in merit money is probably not that desirable when that no doubt means the kid can get in far better schools. Not to mention that few elite schools offer merit aid beyond a few in the Midwest. To bring home the point, is an ISL kid gonna take the 25-30k at Ursinus or pay full price to Wesleyan or Bowdoin for a better school and likely significantly better soccer? The kids who will be thrilled to go to Ursinus, Muhlenberg and the like won't be getting significant merit aid. Money as a reason to play soccer, regardless of the the form that money comes in, ultimately is not a great reason.

[Unregistered]

Let's be honest here. A school that offers you 25k in merit money is probably not that desirable when that no doubt means the kid can get in far better schools. Not to mention that few elite schools offer merit aid beyond a few in the Midwest. To bring home the point, is an ISL kid gonna take the 25-30k at Ursinus or pay full price to Wesleyan or Bowdoin for a better school and likely significantly better soccer? The kids who will be thrilled to go to Ursinus, Muhlenberg and the like won't be getting significant merit aid. Money as a reason to play soccer, regardless of the the form that money comes in, ultimately is not a great reason.

You sound like someone who won't have much trouble sending multiple kids to college. As a state school grad who makes the same income as ivy grads in my field, I could care less about prestigious schools. Save it, and the loans, for grad school. As an undergrad take some honors classes, play soccer, make friends, have fun, enjoy college. If merit money means avoiding undergraduate loans that's great for the kid. And FYI, there are plenty of top student athletes at regular old town high schools. They don't all go to ISL's.

[Unregistered]

Women's soccer hardly "does more" at any level, BTNT. In a country of over 300 million people, almost no one cares--except for a couple weeks every four years during the Women's World Cup and the Olympics, after which almost everyone goes back to not caring. But keep holding out hope that your daughter, like a handful others, will become a superstar millionaire via playing D1 soccer. Talk about foolish parents chasing a brass ring.

Hehehehehehe😂😂😂. So true. The D1 crowd is just as crazy as the ones they call crazy👏👏

[Unregistered]

Let's be honest here. A school that offers you 25k in merit money is probably not that desirable when that no doubt means the kid can get in far better schools. Not to mention that few elite schools offer merit aid beyond a few in the Midwest. To bring home the point, is an ISL kid gonna take the 25-30k at Ursinus or pay full price to Wesleyan or Bowdoin for a better school and likely significantly better soccer? The kids who will be thrilled to go to Ursinus, Muhlenberg and the like won't be getting significant merit aid. Money as a reason to play soccer, regardless of the the form that money comes in, ultimately is not a great reason.

Most kids going to college aren't ISL kids, nor are that many looking at small elite east coast liberal arts schools. Try expanding your viewpoint beyond your narrow experiences. For many families, scholarships of any kind are the only way to afford college without taking on substantial debt. Many careers now require grad school. To graduate with less debt to be able to afford grad school or buy a small house or travel before settling down is a good thing.

[Unregistered]

You sound like someone who won't have much trouble sending multiple kids to college. As a state school grad who makes the same income as ivy grads in my field, I could care less about prestigious schools. Save it, and the loans, for grad school. As an undergrad take some honors classes, play soccer, make friends, have fun, enjoy college. If merit money means avoiding undergraduate loans that's great for the kid. And FYI, there are plenty of top student athletes at regular old town high schools. They don't all go to ISL's.

Easy (and anticipated) response on an anonymous forum. Please give even a couple of examples of kids who are legit Bowdoin level admits choosing a low 2nd or 3rd tier D3 because of merit money. Haverford and Ursinus are 30 miles apart. How many Haverford admits do you reckon pick Ursinus because of merit money? The kids who would be thrilled with Ursinus and the like aren't the kids who will be offered large merit money. Btw, MY kids did go to public school, which for top students can have advantages above and beyond the 125-200K saved.

[Unregistered]

Women's soccer hardly "does more" at any level, BTNT. In a country of over 300 million people, almost no one cares--except for a couple weeks every four years during the Women's World Cup and the Olympics, after which almost everyone goes back to not caring. But keep holding out hope that your daughter, like a handful others, will become a superstar millionaire via playing D1 soccer. Talk about foolish parents chasing a brass ring.

All this may be true about the general interest in soccer in this country but it is rather amusing how cavalierly some in this crowd brush off spending close to $300,000 in after tax dollars for an education. The reality is in this area that means earning roughly $450-500,000 just to be able to pay that tuition and given the cost of living in this area that all adds up to a pretty big number so my bet is there is even less numbers in this country interested in paying that number for a liberal arts education that their kids may or may not be able to parlay into a high paying job than are interested in watching soccer. Now if your kid actually does have the level of soccer playing ability that you are alluding to and can parlay soccer into a high quality education for free or at least deeply discounted and then start off making a slightly better wage than the average college grad playing professional soccer not only do the economics end up looking significantly better but also the resume and that tends to bode well for things like grad school and future life. No wonder you have so many lining up to give their kids a shot at it. It also explains quite a bit of the bitterness on this site from people who clearly spent the money for their kids to take that shot but came up short.

[Unregistered]

Easy (and anticipated) response on an anonymous forum. Please give even a couple of examples of kids who are legit Bowdoin level admits choosing a low 2nd or 3rd tier D3 because of merit money. Haverford and Ursinus are 30 miles apart. How many Haverford admits do you reckon pick Ursinus because of merit money? The kids who would be thrilled with Ursinus and the like aren't the kids who will be offered large merit money. Btw, MY kids did go to public school, which for top students can have advantages above and beyond the 125-200K saved.

all around loser

[Unregistered]

The issue comes in when you think your child might receive merit scholarships. Some schools will add $25k in merit money to the right student. If your child has the grades to compete for that, knowing whether they will get it makes a big difference in how high that school is on their preference list.

The key word is "STUDENT". At the D3 level soccer has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of merit money a family may receive and it is a huge error for anyone to believe that the money they spend on club soccer will enable them to earn any money from the school towards the tuition. The days when words like ECNL or DAP carried any weight as an extra curricular are gone because those environments have become so watered down they are no longer perceived as representing a "spike" in the admissions process so there is actually very little participating in club soccer can do for college admissions below the D1/D2 levels.

[Unregistered]

Easy (and anticipated) response on an anonymous forum. Please give even a couple of examples of kids who are legit Bowdoin level admits choosing a low 2nd or 3rd tier D3 because of merit money. Haverford and Ursinus are 30 miles apart. How many Haverford admits do you reckon pick Ursinus because of merit money? The kids who would be thrilled with Ursinus and the like aren't the kids who will be offered large merit money. Btw, MY kids did go to public school, which for top students can have advantages above and beyond the 125-200K saved.

all around loser

The way both the athletic scholarship and merit money work out, as a general rule the higher you are in the selection pool the more money you get. You actually get more by going backwards in the rankings, so for a family who has the normal financial restraints the decision the person outlines above that they feel is so far fetched is actually quite a normal one. $20-30K a year can make a huge difference in how families look at schools and given the high cost and the low returns that education now yields there are many more that will discount the prestige of a schools name in favor of their pocket book.

[Unregistered]

All this may be true about the general interest in soccer in this country but it is rather amusing how cavalierly some in this crowd brush off spending close to $300,000 in after tax dollars for an education. The reality is in this area that means earning roughly $450-500,000 just to be able to pay that tuition and given the cost of living in this area that all adds up to a pretty big number so my bet is there is even less numbers in this country interested in paying that number for a liberal arts education that their kids may or may not be able to parlay into a high paying job than are interested in watching soccer. Now if your kid actually does have the level of soccer playing ability that you are alluding to and can parlay soccer into a high quality education for free or at least deeply discounted and then start off making a slightly better wage than the average college grad playing professional soccer not only do the economics end up looking significantly better but also the resume and that tends to bode well for things like grad school and future life. No wonder you have so many lining up to give their kids a shot at it. It also explains quite a bit of the bitterness on this site from people who clearly spent the money for their kids to take that shot but came up short.

And look who rushes in.

Why aren't apps and matriculants at elite D3s plummeting???

[Unregistered]

The way both the athletic scholarship and merit money work out, as a general rule the higher you are in the selection pool the more money you get. You actually get more by going backwards in the rankings, so for a family who has the normal financial restraints the decision the person outlines above that they feel is so far fetched is actually quite a normal one. $20-30K a year can make a huge difference in how families look at schools and given the high cost and the low returns that education now yields there are many more that will discount the prestige of a schools name in favor of their pocket book.

Got some real-life examples, BTNT?

[Unregistered]

All this may be true about the general interest in soccer in this country but it is rather amusing how cavalierly some in this crowd brush off spending close to $300,000 in after tax dollars for an education. The reality is in this area that means earning roughly $450-500,000 just to be able to pay that tuition and given the cost of living in this area that all adds up to a pretty big number so my bet is there is even less numbers in this country interested in paying that number for a liberal arts education that their kids may or may not be able to parlay into a high paying job than are interested in watching soccer. Now if your kid actually does have the level of soccer playing ability that you are alluding to and can parlay soccer into a high quality education for free or at least deeply discounted and then start off making a slightly better wage than the average college grad playing professional soccer not only do the economics end up looking significantly better but also the resume and that tends to bode well for things like grad school and future life. No wonder you have so many lining up to give their kids a shot at it. It also explains quite a bit of the bitterness on this site from people who clearly spent the money for their kids to take that shot but came up short.

Where's the bitterness you allude to, BTNT? Almost none of us have given one thought to professional soccer? What a distorted narrative you spin.

[Unregistered]

The way both the athletic scholarship and merit money work out, as a general rule the higher you are in the selection pool the more money you get. You actually get more by going backwards in the rankings, so for a family who has the normal financial restraints the decision the person outlines above that they feel is so far fetched is actually quite a normal one. $20-30K a year can make a huge difference in how families look at schools and given the high cost and the low returns that education now yields there are many more that will discount the prestige of a schools name in favor of their pocket book.

Low returns+need for grad school in many professions. Saving $20K a year is SUBSTANTIAL to many families, not to mention the huge bonus if it means graduating with little or no debt. Yes going to a top school may open more doors initially out of school. But it doesn't mean doors are closed if you do not. Make the most out of your college experience with internships and leadership roles and you will have opportunities. A few years into a career and no one knows where you went to school - work hard, seek opportunities for advancement, get a post grad degree if necessary.

[Unregistered]

And look who rushes in.

Why aren't apps and matriculants at elite D3s plummeting???

Because international applications are up. Why are applications to better state schools way up? Because it's all many families can afford

[Unregistered]

All this may be true about the general interest in soccer in this country but it is rather amusing how cavalierly some in this crowd brush off spending close to $300,000 in after tax dollars for an education....

When you're done trying to amuse yourself, BTNT, don't worry about our financial situation. We're not wealthy. But we're focused on Ivies and top NESCACS, unless Northwestern comes along (unlikely). The former group may offer quite generous financial aid for demonstrated need--roughly along the lines of what you used to brag was available from ISLs for sought players.

As is public information on this board, your views about college and career in relation to girls' soccer are extremely idiosyncratic. Let's leave it at that so you can resume your ranting in a never-ending effort to rationalize your values and choices. You're obviously very frustrated and resentful about things that go way, way beyond girls' soccer.