Are too many making a mistake to play college softball?

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Oct 10, 2011
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My DD decided to pursue a career in physical therapy. Not enough time for softball she said. Great decision! She earned her doctorate in physical therapy. Pays much more than softball.
They've made a lot of money off my daughter!


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Sep 28, 2015
109
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Some make time for softball. Depends on how much you like softball, I guess.

Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT


My dd's dream is to be a physical therapist too. However, she would never give up the chance to play ball - it's in her heart. She has good grades (not Ivy grades though) but has a drive like not many 16 year olds I know. She never wanted to play D1 from the get go. Hopefully she make a decision soon I where she goes. As a physical therapist - would you pick a good Biology school or a Kinesiology for undergrad? Or do you think Biology/premed?


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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
If your DD chooses a mid-major to play softball over an ACC school just to be a student, would you be worried that she's making a big mistake?

The erroneous implied assumption is that ACC schools are better than mid-major schools. You are assuming that "excellent football/basketball/softball" teams somehow means the *school* is also excellent. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Academically, there are a few "elite schools"--Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkley, University of Chicago, MIT, etc. After those great schools, there is "everyone else". Included in the "everyone else" is Alabama, Florida, UCLA, Arizona, Indiana State, Ohio State, Ohio University, Louisville, Florida State, etc.

At the "everyone else" level and the undergraduate schools, they are all pretty much the same. There are may be some exceptional departments at each school...(e.g., petroleum engineering at Oklahoma State)..., basically they are all education institutions designed for mass consumption. MacUniversity is a pretty apt description of all of them.

If a kid really wants an exceptional education and can't get into one of the elite schools, there are many D3 schools provide a far better education than any ACC/Big 10/Big 12/SEC schools. (Hope College, Washington University, Carnegie Mellon).

What is the value of the college softball experience?

This question is getting into a different area. If a kid truly loves the game and has talent for the game, playing (not sitting the bench and watching other people play) is a fantastic experience.

My kids would not trade playing in college for anything in the world. They loved it. They played the sport at a very high level, and they loved every second of it.

Playing in college is a tremendous asset after college. Both my kids got interviews and perhaps jobs based upon the fact that they were collegiate athletes. People gravitate to them once they know my kids played college sports. It is really fascinating.
 
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May 23, 2010
70
0
Riseball, it means that my kids are not stud athletes. If they were, I think softball might drive their college choice. Just as if they were studs at dance, a musical instrument, a particular academic area, etc., that might influence their college choice. They might go where they could pursue that strength, even if it wasn't their major/career choice.

Since they aren't great athletes, they might enjoy playing, but it won't (or didn't in the case of eldest) drive their college choice.
 
Oct 1, 2010
159
0
Marietta, GA
This topic transcends softball and is applicable to all sports. Where would you want your kid? Spending 4 years at Yale as student where nitwits recently signed a petition to ban the 1st amendment, or playing a sport for the likes of a John Wooden, Sue Enquist, Mike Candrea, or a Lou Holz?

While you make some valid points you may want to research before taking a comment about one of the finest schools in the world out of context. And if you don't think "Yale" on your diploma beats out "played for Candrea" 99 times out of 100 you really don't know what the highest paying careers value.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
Academically, there are a few "elite schools"--Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkley, University of Chicago, MIT, etc. After those great schools, there is "everyone else". Included in the "everyone else" is Alabama, Florida, UCLA, Arizona, Indiana State, Ohio State, Ohio University, Louisville, Florida State, etc.

At the "everyone else" level and the undergraduate schools, they are all pretty much the same. There are may be some exceptional departments at each school...(e.g., petroleum engineering at Oklahoma State)..., basically they are all education institutions designed for mass consumption. MacUniversity is a pretty apt description of all of them.

If a kid really wants an exceptional education and can't get into one of the elite schools, there are many D3 schools provide a far better education than any ACC/Big 10/Big 12/SEC schools. (Hope College, Washington University, Carnegie Mellon).

You can't possibly believe that the University of Arizona is in the same class as UCLA? UCLA is right up there with your elite UC Berkeley and is highly selective, only 18% of applicants are accepted (Berkeley is 16%). Arizona accepts 75% of applicants. Also, you say Washington University (St Louis) is not elite and yet it's ranked 15 of all national universities, a list that includes all the Ivy League schools and ahead of Notre Dame and UC Berkeley. Let's get your facts straight before making wild generalizations.
 
Oct 1, 2010
159
0
Marietta, GA
Now, my thoughts which I recognize are worth every penny you all are paying for them. It's true that each situation is different and I think the financial side of things has been greatly underplayed here. Given the size of most rosters (particularly D1) and the limited number of scholarships anyone who thinks softball makes sense financially is just fooling themselves. Therefore, for some a smaller school that some would see as "lesser" may be a better value depending on other financial aid opportunities. Also, many of the bigger D1 school will not allow players to major in anything that includes labs because it cuts into practice time.

DD is at an Ivy League school and although they have no scholarships they have a huge endowment. Our tuition bill is less than if she had gotten a "full ride" to our home state school in the SEC. I realize how lucky we are and that not everyone would be in the same position.

I've been involved in softball for years and coached girls at all levels from D1 to NAIA to JUCO. Each girl had to find the best fit for her. I guess the point is that there is no "right" answer. You need to look at your daughter's feelings, the options available, your thoughts as a parent, and the financial component, then do what works for your family.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
While you make some valid points you may want to research before taking a comment about one of the finest schools in the world out of context. And if you don't think "Yale" on your diploma beats out "played for Candrea" 99 times out of 100 you really don't know what the highest paying careers value.

What did I miss?

https://youtu.be/KJVZa9_Ha5c

Regardless of what is on your sheepskin, you need to have some common sense. Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly absent in academia. But to your point the highest paying careers rarely have anything to do with where you get your undergrad degree.
 
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Oct 25, 2009
3,345
48
Some make time for softball. Depends on how much you like softball, I guess.

Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT

Sometimes the work load/schedules do not allow.

Dr. Larson is clearly an exception! Awesome accomplishments in many areas!

One of the risks I have seen is some parents believing their kids are really into something when the kids are really just trying to please the parents. There is a thin line there.

I know of a few cases where the DD was really a standout but didn't stay in softball past the first couple years. One case not even half a season and another case where she just simply told her parents she wasn't playing. And that one was a shocker to the whole local softball community.

I found out later my DD fretted a whole year thinking she disappointed me but it didn't bother me a second. I was still involved with other kids playing.

I believe some get so tied up worrying about "success" that they don't realize what success is. Some turn it into a profession rather than an amateur sport.

To each his/her own, but be careful what you do to your player.
 

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