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Does playing Division 1 soccer limit you to certain majors in college?

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    Does playing Division 1 soccer limit you to certain majors in college?

    Specifically heard that it might not be possible to play Division 1 soccer and study something like exercise science with the goal of eventually becoming a physical therapist. Any actual knowledge on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    Specifically heard that it might not be possible to play Division 1 soccer and study something like exercise science with the goal of eventually becoming a physical therapist. Any actual knowledge on the subject would be greatly appreciated.
    My daughter (pre-med) was told by a Big East coach that any science major would be difficult because of the extra lab hours. Each lab (many science majors have 2 a semester) adds 4-5 hours a week of in class time (never mind out of class) which is hard to add to the D1 training commitment. Plus labs are hard to make up when you travel off campus for mid-week games.

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      #3
      Anything is possible. The big variant is the kid themself. The absolute truth is a person has to be insanely motivated and driven to be become a doctor without a sport involved in the first case, so with a sport it is even crazier. It can be done though. I have several former teammates and my kid has several former teammates who are either doctors or on their way to be one. The coaches will always dissuade a kid from a tough major because they selfishly want the focus on the sport and in their defense they are paying the freight via the scholarship money for the right to have that expectation. As long as the player keeps their sport their top priority through it all though, most will allow a kid with the obvious proper motivation and drive to take on whatever major they want. When you get right down to things, it’s no skin off their back what the kid does away from the team. After all kids who only want to study are a heck of a lot easier to manage than those who only want to party. This is where the value of the D1 academic supports come in. The can and do help a kid accomplish top end academic goals but it always comes back to the kid really wanting to pay the price for their dreams.

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        #4
        It can be done but not without many challenges. The primary challenge is the coach and their attitude towards athletics vs academics. Sure you can talk with them about this issue when you meet, but beware they often are used care salesmen telling you what you want to hear. Take a good look at the declared majors of the players. If you see very few science majors and lots of "sports management" or "communications" majors that is cause for concern. It also is a good idea to talk with department heads at schools when visiting to get their perspective. Don't ever forget that since PT requires grad school, getting good grades in those science classes matter a lot more than a general liberal arts history class.

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          #5
          Thank you for thoughtful replies.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Thank you for thoughtful replies.
            Looking at declared majors is great advice. If you do find a senior who is a science major, I would have your kid talk to that senior. It was eye opening for my daughter who realized she would have almost nothing outside of soccer and school, even missing out on 'team' activities due to workload. Then add in the likelihood they may not even get a lot of playing time. That realization in light of what college life has to offer overall, was not so appealing despite her love of the game. Do your homework and look out for the best interest of your kid.

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              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Thank you for thoughtful replies.
              My son plays is a Jr and premed . Most of the players are business majors which is an easier path, but three are BioMed majors with the eye on med school. They have been able to have the labs in the evenings of few nights a week and only have to miss a few. It can be done but free time is limited for sure

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                #8
                Many D1 coaches will tell you college athletics has three aspects - athletics, academics and social. You only get to do two.

                Also keep in mind D1 schedules can limit internship opportunities and makes study abroad nearly impossible. That can be deal breaker for a lot of kids who are looking towards their futures.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  Looking at declared majors is great advice. If you do find a senior who is a science major, I would have your kid talk to that senior. It was eye opening for my daughter who realized she would have almost nothing outside of soccer and school, even missing out on 'team' activities due to workload. Then add in the likelihood they may not even get a lot of playing time. That realization in light of what college life has to offer overall, was not so appealing despite her love of the game. Do your homework and look out for the best interest of your kid.
                  It really is good that your kid had her eyes opened. If a kid doesn't have the proper motivation and drive, being a D1 scholarship athlete will absolutely drive them to dark places, especially when the playing time situation isn't favorable. Too many on this site haven't the first clue what the life of a D1 college athlete is really like and seem to push their kids into situations where the likelihood of failure is extreme. You see it in all of the college recruiting discussions with the nitpicking emphasis on academic rankings. Parents like to project that their kids as superhuman scholars when the simple truth is exhaustion makes cowards of us all. If a kid isn't super motivated in the classroom to begin with, they'll be even less motivated after a day of hard physical work and pressure. It's not easy but it is doable if a kid wants it.

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                    #10
                    YES!! It absolutely limits you! Everything revolves around soccer/sports. You cannot plan anything cause coaches change their mind and they own you! My d wanted to do electrical engineers g at a dub 1 school and that was out of the question. And any major that does involve labs they will miss an it’s difficult to try and make those up. Been thru it , still going through it. Very stressful and consumes your life for 4 years!

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Specifically heard that it might not be possible to play Division 1 soccer and study something like exercise science with the goal of eventually becoming a physical therapist. Any actual knowledge on the subject would be greatly appreciated.
                      I heard that many coaches try to steer engineering majors to another major because of complexity of it and the labs (time missed or rescheduled practices around). Heard this from a former Stanford coach (who actually won a Nat'l championship).

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        I heard that many coaches try to steer engineering majors to another major because of complexity of it and the labs (time missed or rescheduled practices around). Heard this from a former Stanford coach (who actually won a Nat'l championship).
                        On this major, I also heard that some kids have to take classes all summer to make up for what was missed during the season. Not many kids want to go to school year around without a break.

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                          #13
                          Also, there are some schools that don't have all the majors that may interest your child. So, your kid may like the school, the program, the coach, but doesn't want to settle as far as educational goals.

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                            #14
                            Would you please stop with your assault on D1 athletes? Enough already. There is nothing that stops a D1 athlete from studying what they want, they just have to want it enough. Not really all that different than the people who work a full time job and go to school in the evening. You have to be super motivated and willing to sacrifice. What do you think, everyone should just get what they want without having to work for it?

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                              #15
                              My daughter stopped playing in Div 3 after her sophomore year due to her major. She is required to clinicals on top of her class schedule. Made it nearly impossible to play soccer and graduate on time. Rather than graduate in 5 years if she continued to play soccer she choose the smart route (in my opinion) and just focused on school, to graduate in time.

                              This is just Division 3 and my other child plays Div 1 and it's a full-time job on top of schooling. It's not for everyone.

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