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Originally Posted by XutvJet
Are there parents on this forum with current or former college athletes? If so, I'm looking for your experiences, wisdom, etc.
My 15 y/o daughter is volleyball player. She plays on one of the highest ranked club teams in the US for her age group, played varsity 6A for a major metro area as a freshman and was a starter, and has been invited to be part of the Under Armor Next Camp which is nomination/invite only. She's been requested by a few D1 programs to complete recruiting questionnaires which she has done. She's also identified about six other D1 programs she's interested in and currently researching. She is driven and very focused on playing college at this point. She will be registering with the NCAA Clearinghouse (edibility process) this month.
My wife and I are completely new to this process and learning quickly, and admittedly a bit overwhelmed. Our club is exceptional with helping in the recruiting process as most girls that play for the club go D1 or D2 if that's their goal. I am also a competitive VB player and know many local club coaches and current/former D1-NAIA VB players and they've been helpful too.
We are not helicopter, living-through-your-kid parents, and know that she needs to lead the way and be in charge of this. Our job is to help in the background with proofreading and such prior to her sending questionnaires, intro emails to college coaches, etc. and helping her understand her options, research schools, etc.
An education is priority #1 and she is a 4.0+ student. She knows she needs to find schools that have the feel and degree she wants and then evaluate the VB program. She is also aware that most athletes don't have full rides and that merit scholarships can help fill the void.
The summer of 2025 is when she can establish full contact with college coaches and we want to be comfortable with the process well in advance of that so that it is not overwhelming. With all unsubtle dad-bragging out of the way, I'm looking for any input, experiences, wisdom, etc. we can use. Thank you in advance.
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Parent of two D3 athletes, both now graduated. Son was captain his senior year.
D1 is a full time job. It will be stressful and challenging to maintain top grades and a D1 athletic commitment. And consider whether the scenario would be acceptable, where the athlete doesn't get much or any playing time. Financial benefit would be there, at a significant cost in time, effort and stress.
D3 was great from a parent's point of view. Fun and mellow vibe with the other parents. Great athletic performance and competition from the athletes. Travel wasn't too far so we saw lots of games, both home and away.
Some financial "packaging" came with athletic participation. Enough to be appreciated, not so much to make a meaningful difference.