Most of the conversation on this site and others like it seems to be about the recruiting process for pre-HS to HS age girls but there doesn't seem to be much discussion about what these girls lives are like once they get to college and are playing ball and attending classes full time.
My oldest DD played HS and travel ball but decided early on not to pursue college softball and is currently a college sophomore. She has stayed in touch with her travel teammates since then and of the ones that went off to play college softball all of them said that they expected college softball to be demanding going into college but found it even more demanding than they expected. One girl, who went to a D3 school, reportedly was getting straight A's in the fall but dropped to straight C's during the spring season and transferred out after her freshman year to a school that doesn't even have softball. Another girl who was among the hardest working and most dedicated players on DD's travel team is still playing at a mid-major D1 but indicating that she may drop out after her sophomore year to focus on graduating within four years.
Which brings me to my youngest DD who is a '18 grad and pitcher. She has gotten interest from several mid major D1s, a D2 and several D3 schools. She and my older DD are very close and she is also friends with my older DD's former travel teammates. She is a very good student and also very competitive athletically and I think she would be better prepared mentally than many of the other kids we played 12u travel ball with who ran off to pursue college softball scholarship glory via nationally recognized travel teams. She and my wife and I do share the concern that if she does play college softball that she may end up biting off more than she can chew.
I know the YMMV acronym is very much in play with a topic like this. I suspected the girl who fell out with the D3 program might have that result partially from what I knew about her but also because the D3 coach has a reputation for behaving as though the school is a P5 conference D1. The other girl had tough luck with injuries early on and may yet finish out her D1 playing career and graduate on time from a school that is highly regarded academically.
So please chime in with your experience. Naturally I'd like to hear from girls that played or are still playing college ball on any level what a typical week is like? How do you work class, exam schedule around road games that require flights to get to? Are certain majors off limits to play and is joining a sorority or having a part-time job out of the question? Since I'm sure most on this site are parents then please chime in with your DD college playing experience or if you're a travel coach who's kept in touch with your players how did it turn out for them?
My oldest DD played HS and travel ball but decided early on not to pursue college softball and is currently a college sophomore. She has stayed in touch with her travel teammates since then and of the ones that went off to play college softball all of them said that they expected college softball to be demanding going into college but found it even more demanding than they expected. One girl, who went to a D3 school, reportedly was getting straight A's in the fall but dropped to straight C's during the spring season and transferred out after her freshman year to a school that doesn't even have softball. Another girl who was among the hardest working and most dedicated players on DD's travel team is still playing at a mid-major D1 but indicating that she may drop out after her sophomore year to focus on graduating within four years.
Which brings me to my youngest DD who is a '18 grad and pitcher. She has gotten interest from several mid major D1s, a D2 and several D3 schools. She and my older DD are very close and she is also friends with my older DD's former travel teammates. She is a very good student and also very competitive athletically and I think she would be better prepared mentally than many of the other kids we played 12u travel ball with who ran off to pursue college softball scholarship glory via nationally recognized travel teams. She and my wife and I do share the concern that if she does play college softball that she may end up biting off more than she can chew.
I know the YMMV acronym is very much in play with a topic like this. I suspected the girl who fell out with the D3 program might have that result partially from what I knew about her but also because the D3 coach has a reputation for behaving as though the school is a P5 conference D1. The other girl had tough luck with injuries early on and may yet finish out her D1 playing career and graduate on time from a school that is highly regarded academically.
So please chime in with your experience. Naturally I'd like to hear from girls that played or are still playing college ball on any level what a typical week is like? How do you work class, exam schedule around road games that require flights to get to? Are certain majors off limits to play and is joining a sorority or having a part-time job out of the question? Since I'm sure most on this site are parents then please chime in with your DD college playing experience or if you're a travel coach who's kept in touch with your players how did it turn out for them?