Is it hard to do a STEM degree and play D1 soccer at a high academic university?

[Unregistered]

Let your kid go where they are happiest.Dont be one of those helicopter parents who stifles the joy of committing .Nothing worse than a parent that totally lives through their kid.

[Unregistered]

Anyone have experience or know of players doing a STEM degree or pre-med and D! Soccer at an academically highly ranked university? Is it rare or common? What seem to be the most common majors for D1 female soccer players?

STEM or Pre-Med at a high level D1 is tough, but not impossible. It all depends on the kid. My older D had some friends who had those majors and played various sports (soccer, lax, track) at Stanford, UVA and a few Ivies but these were truly exceptional kids.

My older D was on the radar for an ACC school and during a visit she met with the dean of engineering who scared the crap out of her with stats on athletes who drop out of STEM majors because of athletic commitments. She came home from that trip and decided she was better suited for D3.

That being said, her HS GPA was mid 90s-but she had to work very hard for those grades. She was in the bottom half of that school's recruiting class and wasn't going to see a lot of $ or PT. She had played on an NPL team most of her youth career and that required 2-3 practices a week and weekly games that were maybe an hour or two away at most...the D1 schedule would've been shell shock for her and she knew D1 + STEM was not a good fit for her.

[Unregistered]

Is it hard to do a STEM degree and play D1 soccer at a high academic university?

Let your kid go where they are happiest.Dont be one of those helicopter parents who stifles the joy of committing .Nothing worse than a parent that totally lives through their kid.

there is 1 thing worse: believing that asking questions on TS for valuable information and letting it ride on your kids future.

[Unregistered]

My dd has been told similar, Came close to committing to a couple high academic D1s that appeared to value the academic side and too but, after zooming with the coaches (more rosey0 and then the players(less roses0, she couldn’t pull the trigger. The players all said they were happy but soccer was basically their life other than going to class. STEM majors, internships and an overseas study program weren’t impossible, but most of the players that did them, usually ended up quitting the team, or some switched to easier majors in order to keep playing soccer.

On the flip side, d3 soccer allows for the academics but is definitely a compromise downward on the soccer end. She really does love playing the highest level soccer possible. Is also drawn to the bigger d1 experience over the typically smaller LAC d3 experience. No having your cake and eating it too, it seems.

Anyone know of a mid-major D1 school where a player (who isn’t also in a national team pool and/or Einstein) can have a bit of a social life outside of soccer(including non-soccer friends), major in stem (with top grades for grad school) and do some summer internships and maybe a summer overseas program? D1 offers felt like hitting the jackpot until the job-like reality set in.

What about club soccer at say like a Duke? Is is on par or better or worse than most d3 soccer? Wondering which is the best compromise to make. Her decision. 2020 really drove home that happiness and fit definitely the most important. Hope she can find the perfect school for her. Any advice from those that have dds who have gone down the college soccer path would be greatly appreciated.

My eldest D graduated a year ago with an engineering degree so it is possible, but not easy. The best advice I can give is know what you want going in and stick to it. My D wanted the degree and soccer, but the degree came first in her mind and it was definitely first in my mind. It is the whole point of going to college unless your D has her sights set on playing professionally or NT, in which case if she is that good then Stanford and UNC have probably already reached out to you. We were always ready to walk away from soccer if it got in the way of the degree, her mentality and me financially. The rest is to find a school with the STEM program they want and where a large majority of the graduates are in STEM both on and off the roster because then you know that the Athletic Dept, coach, etc. knows what’s up. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

I wouldn’t count out college club soccer. Some of those teams are better than D3 teams and they offer even more flexibility than a D3 team in terms of prioritizing academics. A friend’s kid wanted to play D1 but was highly qualified academically. She wanted the big school experience but her D1 offers were for school below her academic fit. She chose a D1 school and college club soccer and says many of the players on her team are better than some from her high school club team who committed to D1 schools. It is just harder to know the level of club soccer because it can change drastically year to year.

[Unregistered]

You forgot to mention that D3 does not work for all either, a good athlete is most comfortable around other good athletes.Good Colleges work hard to make sure athletes are successful on and off the field.D3 sports are well so D3.

Your kid sounds like an egotistical douche. How will they fit into the real world when college and athletics are done. Better start working in the impoetant life skills now if it isn't already too late.

[Unregistered]

P5 conferences aside, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between experiences playing for Colgate or Middlebury. Just a whole lot of boring bus trips.

[Unregistered]

STEM or Pre-Med at a high level D1 is tough, but not impossible. It all depends on the kid. My older D had some friends who had those majors and played various sports (soccer, lax, track) at Stanford, UVA and a few Ivies but these were truly exceptional kids.

My older D was on the radar for an ACC school and during a visit she met with the dean of engineering who scared the crap out of her with stats on athletes who drop out of STEM majors because of athletic commitments. She came home from that trip and decided she was better suited for D3.

That being said, her HS GPA was mid 90s-but she had to work very hard for those grades. She was in the bottom half of that school's recruiting class and wasn't going to see a lot of $ or PT. She had played on an NPL team most of her youth career and that required 2-3 practices a week and weekly games that were maybe an hour or two away at most...the D1 schedule would've been shell shock for her and she knew D1 + STEM was not a good fit for her.

What a great post. Wish more people did this. Facts, no spin.

[Unregistered]

I think you meant UAA?

One of mine is in UAA - perfect fit for him. He wanted a similar-to-D1 college experience without the job of being a D1 athlete. When he first started the process he was laser focused on D1 but all it took was talking to a few D1 coaches and players to turn him off. However, at the same time he definitely didn't want the LAC in the middle of nowhere experience either. His UAA school gives him solid soccer, great academics, more flexibility with classes, study abroad etc. He's not STEM but several of his teammates are. He was a LBB (Late Blooming Boy) so getting in was definitely nerve wracking. D1 athletes get great academic support but D3 teams often have study groups and teammates tutoring one another (ask about that when touring).

this is a decent place to start with D3 programs. As you can see, however, the vast majority are small schools that appeal to everyone. There's also MIT, John's Hopkins and Tufts, RIT (not as strong but great for certain majors).

women's 2019 standings https://d3soccer.com/seasons/women/2019/index
men's 2019 standings https://d3soccer.com/seasons/men/2019/index

Thank you. She’ll look into MIT, John Hopkins and Tufts. Hear there isn’t really any admissions support at MIT or JH so admissions would be up in the air until spring of senior year...

[Unregistered]

STEM or Pre-Med at a high level D1 is tough, but not impossible. It all depends on the kid. My older D had some friends who had those majors and played various sports (soccer, lax, track) at Stanford, UVA and a few Ivies but these were truly exceptional kids.

My older D was on the radar for an ACC school and during a visit she met with the dean of engineering who scared the crap out of her with stats on athletes who drop out of STEM majors because of athletic commitments. She came home from that trip and decided she was better suited for D3.

That being said, her HS GPA was mid 90s-but she had to work very hard for those grades. She was in the bottom half of that school's recruiting class and wasn't going to see a lot of $ or PT. She had played on an NPL team most of her youth career and that required 2-3 practices a week and weekly games that were maybe an hour or two away at most...the D1 schedule would've been shell shock for her and she knew D1 + STEM was not a good fit for her.

Thank you. My older is used to the grind and has close to a D1 schedule now with elite club and elite high school academics. Covid or getting older hasn’t dampened her love of soccer, but has increased her desire to have a more classic and “fun” undergrad experience before grad school and a stem career. Her club coach is angry with her because she has turned down D1 offers but I’m proud of her for looking for a better fit. She’s realizing she probably can’t have it all but is now leaning more towards finding her favorite colleges based on academics and student life first and then see if the soccer piece works out. Elite club soccer pushes the D1 at whichever D! at all costs so it’s hard to break out of that bubble. Reading about experiences of others on here is helping give her outside the bubble information from players who have been down the confusing college path already.

[Unregistered]

Thank you. My older is used to the grind and has close to a D1 schedule now with elite club and elite high school academics. Covid or getting older hasn’t dampened her love of soccer, but has increased her desire to have a more classic and “fun” undergrad experience before grad school and a stem career. Her club coach is angry with her because she has turned down D1 offers but I’m proud of her for looking for a better fit. She’s realizing she probably can’t have it all but is now leaning more towards finding her favorite colleges based on academics and student life first and then see if the soccer piece works out. Elite club soccer pushes the D1 at whichever D! at all costs so it’s hard to break out of that bubble. Reading about experiences of others on here is helping give her outside the bubble information from players who have been down the confusing college path already.

Part of what my D3 kid wanted was study abroad and access to quality internships. With a spring D1 schedule, many D1 athletes taking summer courses and having to be back early August for pre season, that makes much of that almost impossible. You might find a D1 coach that supports that, but I think it's pretty uncommon. Plus many will say lots of things to get you to come then not deliver. I think the majors that D1 athletes pursue says a lot.

[Unregistered]

Easy if you know how to manage your time.

You obviously never did it. I played a sport at an Ivy and was a STEM major. Very difficult to be a STEM major and give everything to both school and athletics. But if you're successful, you will have a great career ahead of you.

[Unregistered]

You obviously never did it. I played a sport at an Ivy and was a STEM major. Very difficult to be a STEM major and give everything to both school and athletics. But if you're successful, you will have a great career ahead of you.

Lots of D1 coaches will tell you being a student athlete has 3 parts - athletics, academics and social - but you can only pick two. Your team becomes your primary social outlet (which can be tough if you quit or get cut) but that also means less time other more college-y things, including internships or a studying abroad, or even just getting s**t face drunk at a frat party once in awhile. I agree it can be done, takes enormous discipline and you will have conflicts and feel torn at times. A good % of D1 athletes (at least 25% or more) don't last all four years and no doubt trying to figure out your next life chapter is a part of the drop out rate.

[Unregistered]

You obviously never did it. I played a sport at an Ivy and was a STEM major. Very difficult to be a STEM major and give everything to both school and athletics. But if you're successful, you will have a great career ahead of you.

Thank you. I think my dd might be able to pull it off and was on that path until Covid. Now she’s thinking more and more that even if she could manage it, she might not want to. Ivy athletes at least have shorter schedules, no scholarships to worry about losing and schools that put academics first. That said, ivy academics are tough enough on their own! What an amazing job you did!

[Unregistered]

P5 conferences aside, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between experiences playing for Colgate or Middlebury. Just a whole lot of boring bus trips.

And no one else in the world besides crazy soccer parents even knows or cares that one is d1 and one is d3.