What to expect when you get to college?

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Oct 19, 2009
1,277
38
beyond the fences
I have a sophomore DD playing at a very competitive D3 school. Beginning this semester they practice 6 days/wk, normally in the evening, last
week, practiced Friday 5-9:30 pm and Saturday a.m from 7:30-10:30. Some of her friends at D3 practice 2-3x weekly- so, this shows that coaching has a great influence
on the level of commitment expected from the team. Coach pushes the girls hard and last season, they reaped the reward of appearing in the D3 world series for
the first time in program history. My DD loves the program and the team, schedules the more difficult course load in the fall and the easier in the spring
due to the schedule etc. At her college, the class of 2016 started with 6 freshmen and finished with 3 on the team due the academic rigor etc.

One thing to keep in mind during the recruiting process; make sure she likes the school for academics as it is not uncommon for coaches to leave the schools
for various reasons during her 4 years. Coaching needs to be a distant 2nd when choosing schools.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Dusty, I won't bore the others here with a repeat of what I once posted. If you are still reading this thread, a simple request for me to bore everyone again and I'll be glad to explain my dd's experiences both high and low.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
I'd like to see it keep going as well. I appreciate the information that others have shared so far.

DD is a 2018. She is focused strictly on D3 schools and wants to stay within a 3 hour radius of home. She has recently chosen a major to pursue and is very concerned about the time commitment and juggling her classes with softball (it is a science field). Her grades have always been outstanding, but we realize that college is completely different. She does realize that her choices are limiting her options.

To be more specific, her focus is Physical Therapy. Her goal is a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program. If anyone has stories concerning balancing a similar major with a college sport, I would be interested. Thank you in advance.

CB -- I am always interested in hearing stories about your DD's journey. She is an excellent role model.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
To be more specific, her focus is Physical Therapy. Her goal is a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program. If anyone has stories concerning balancing a similar major with a college sport, I would be interested. Thank you in advance.
DD is in same field. There is a program at DD's school called the Jefferson Program that I believe junior year is your last sports season. Program is off campus. DD takes her harder classes/labs in the fall and a lighter schedule in the spring. In order to be available for games and practice a student really needs to work and pay attention to their work load. DD has to 'shadow' upper classmates in her major at sporting events/practices off campus 'working' as a trainer.
 
Feb 19, 2009
196
0
Dusty, I won't bore the others here with a repeat of what I once posted. If you are still reading this thread, a simple request for me to bore everyone again and I'll be glad to explain my dd's experiences both high and low.

Ya got me Cannonball, I can't resist bait like that. Besides, I missed it the first time around so it's new to me.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
For my dd, her freshman year was horrific. Even that adjective doesn’t describe how bad some of it was. My dd called about a month in and wanted to not only quit, but also come home. I sent the lyrics to the song "Dream Big" and told her that after she listen to that song and read those lyrics, if she wanted to come home, she could. Long story short, she did not come home. When someone says 6 a.m. weight room, keep in mind that this means up at 5:15 to get to the weight room and get ready to start exactly at 6. They lifted until 8. My dd’s first class started at 8 so, she had to do a sprint to class which, thank goodness was close. When it became apparent that my dd was going to take the starting spot of a senior, they made my dd’s life a living hell. I’d tell her just about every week to knock one of them out. It got so bad that one of the seniors that did like her actually said to her, "BB they won't kill you and we are not going to die today." My dd cried a lot that freshman year. There are so many things you don't know about college softball when your dd goes to play. For my dd, "punishments" were the worst. She was never punished for what she did but rather the team was punished for a few that broke the various rules and constantly did so. In fact, during her sophomore year, she almost died during a punishment. She had to run a few miles, then jump into the pool and swim a couple of miles and … She cramped up during the swim and went under. Thank goodness one of her fellow sophomores was a life guard and so she dove in and pulled my dd out. When it came time to actually play, that was such a relief when dd got on the field and showed what she was capable of. Believe it or not, even though the studies were so much harder since they were on the road a lot, the drama of the off season ended.
Your dd is going to be so tired. More tired than they could ever believe that they could survive. My wife and I lived close enough that we would go pick up her laundry and do it so that she could study on her days off. When they say the team is your life, it is. BTW, you want your dd to go to a school that takes academics seriously and monitors "team study groups." My dd went to such a school and the tutors were so important. You want your dd going to a school that will provide escorts out to the cars for evening classes. Believe me, your dd will probably have to take one or two or three in their time in school. My dd did.
My dd took her room and took 5 inspirational sayings and posted them on the wall. I’m talking they took up the entire walls. She started every day with those quotes.
As the sophomore campaign started, my dd decided that she would host “taco night” for all of the freshmen. She also decided that she would protect them. For the next 3 years, every Thursday night, my dd hosted taco night for all of the freshmen. I think that was very important to the building of those teams.
I’m getting too long here and so, I’ll have to leave a lot out. DD’s team went from a program that no one knew about to one that was ranked as high as #1 in the nation in D-II. The parents changed from some of those that rooted against the success of various players to ones that pulled for everyone’s dd. Those parents will be some of my best friends for the rest of our lives. If your dd can survive that first year, they will be so much stronger. My dd had a heck of a career. She holds several school records, was a 2 time All American and an Academic All American. In fact, she was the 11th Academic All American in the history of the school. She has her picture on the university’s “Walk of Fame.” This past Sunday, she came home. While home, 3 of her former teammates called to talk. She was in a place watching the Cardinals play this summer and a bunch of players from a conference rival team came up to talk to her. They swapped stories about what they all thought about her. Now, she hangs out with them a couple of times a month. My dd now coaches softball at the 14U level and has coached these young ladies since they were all 9. They are really good. Dusty, I hope I answered your OP. My family and my dd would never change a thing. She loves her former Coach and her teammates. She has a degree to be a teacher and that is what she has always wanted to do. She has some other stuff happening that might be real neat but I’ll have to wait to mention that.
 
Feb 19, 2009
196
0
My family and my dd would never change a thing. She loves her former Coach and her teammates. She has a degree to be a teacher and that is what she has always wanted to do. She has some other stuff happening that might be real neat but I’ll have to wait to mention that.

That's all I could bring myself to read given the scrunched down, no paragraphs nature of your post but that's all I need. Thanks :D

JK- I did actually read the whole thing and I'm sure you've got that locked and loaded in cut and paste mode for the next Dusty drifter that comes along.
 
Last edited:

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Dusty, my time here has run its course. Still, I love following some of the members here and their dds. I wish you the best. College will be exactly what your dd wants it to be. My dd went in naive about people but came out strong. She got an exceptional education at a school that really values her achievements. We were so blessed. Again, I wish that for you and yours.

Take care,

Darrell
 
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
For my dd, her freshman year was horrific. Even that adjective doesn’t describe how bad some of it was. My dd called about a month in and wanted to not only quit, but also come home. I sent the lyrics to the song "Dream Big" and told her that after she listen to that song and read those lyrics, if she wanted to come home, she could. Long story short, she did not come home. When someone says 6 a.m. weight room, keep in mind that this means up at 5:15 to get to the weight room and get ready to start exactly at 6. They lifted until 8. My dd’s first class started at 8 so, she had to do a sprint to class which, thank goodness was close. When it became apparent that my dd was going to take the starting spot of a senior, they made my dd’s life a living hell. I’d tell her just about every week to knock one of them out. It got so bad that one of the seniors that did like her actually said to her, "BB they won't kill you and we are not going to die today." My dd cried a lot that freshman year. There are so many things you don't know about college softball when your dd goes to play. For my dd, "punishments" were the worst. She was never punished for what she did but rather the team was punished for a few that broke the various rules and constantly did so. In fact, during her sophomore year, she almost died during a punishment. She had to run a few miles, then jump into the pool and swim a couple of miles and … She cramped up during the swim and went under. Thank goodness one of her fellow sophomores was a life guard and so she dove in and pulled my dd out. When it came time to actually play, that was such a relief when dd got on the field and showed what she was capable of. Believe it or not, even though the studies were so much harder since they were on the road a lot, the drama of the off season ended.
Your dd is going to be so tired. More tired than they could ever believe that they could survive. My wife and I lived close enough that we would go pick up her laundry and do it so that she could study on her days off. When they say the team is your life, it is. BTW, you want your dd to go to a school that takes academics seriously and monitors "team study groups." My dd went to such a school and the tutors were so important. You want your dd going to a school that will provide escorts out to the cars for evening classes. Believe me, your dd will probably have to take one or two or three in their time in school. My dd did.
My dd took her room and took 5 inspirational sayings and posted them on the wall. I’m talking they took up the entire walls. She started every day with those quotes.
As the sophomore campaign started, my dd decided that she would host “taco night” for all of the freshmen. She also decided that she would protect them. For the next 3 years, every Thursday night, my dd hosted taco night for all of the freshmen. I think that was very important to the building of those teams.
I’m getting too long here and so, I’ll have to leave a lot out. DD’s team went from a program that no one knew about to one that was ranked as high as #1 in the nation in D-II. The parents changed from some of those that rooted against the success of various players to ones that pulled for everyone’s dd. Those parents will be some of my best friends for the rest of our lives. If your dd can survive that first year, they will be so much stronger. My dd had a heck of a career. She holds several school records, was a 2 time All American and an Academic All American. In fact, she was the 11th Academic All American in the history of the school. She has her picture on the university’s “Walk of Fame.” This past Sunday, she came home. While home, 3 of her former teammates called to talk. She was in a place watching the Cardinals play this summer and a bunch of players from a conference rival team came up to talk to her. They swapped stories about what they all thought about her. Now, she hangs out with them a couple of times a month. My dd now coaches softball at the 14U level and has coached these young ladies since they were all 9. They are really good. Dusty, I hope I answered your OP. My family and my dd would never change a thing. She loves her former Coach and her teammates. She has a degree to be a teacher and that is what she has always wanted to do. She has some other stuff happening that might be real neat but I’ll have to wait to mention that.

Thanks for including that post. I think it was really cool that your daughter hosted the "taco night" for the incoming freshman to make them feel more at home and part of the team. That says a lot about your daughter how she did not want others to go through the difficult situation that she had to deal with.
 
Oct 10, 2011
3,117
0
It's so true about the team punishments. I had taken out some things that were in my earlier post regarding it because you never know who will read this. I'll leave it at that.
Dusty, I did want to mention that I just talked to my daughter, and out of nowhere, she said she'll be playing there next year. Things are getting better for her (Except for having the flu right now and a manditory 3 days away from classes etc...)
 

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