Can anyone share their D1 experience?

[Comp]

My daughter played D1 ball, got a bachelors in history with a minor in political science. She had to take some summer courses but got her degree the summer after her senior year. She came home and got her masters in secondary education 18 months later.

 

[KCPRK]

My daughter played D1 ball, got a bachelors in history with a minor in political science. She had to take some summer courses but got her degree the summer after her senior year. She came home and got her masters in secondary education 18 months later.

That's how its done! One proud dad I bet Comp

 

[iMlearning]

We are using a recruiting service for DD. Part of why we decided to do it was for their Math and SAT prep courses whose headquarters are close to where we live. It is also a convenient way to keep track of everything. Anyway, after reviewing a lot of video of hitting and fielding (and we left in all of the ugly stuff), they gave us their recommendation on her playing level for college on what they see at the moment. They said it could change based on her improvement in certain areas. She certainly won't grow any taller
They recommend, if she actually wants field time, to play at a "competitive D2 or lower level." Above that, they have Very Selective D2, and various levels of D1. They said she certainly could make the roster of small to mid size D1 teams, but she might not see much action. Her current school of choice is a mid level D1 team and they have shown some interest based on her performance at their Elite Clinic but it is hard to tell at this point. She did say that she is thinking she might want to go there even if she doesn't get recruited.
I know that the education is the most important part of college, so I'm trying to get as much information as possible to help her decide the direction she should take.

 

[Comp]

That's how its done! One proud dad I bet Comp

Thanks, she worked very hard and most of her summer school was due to credits that didnt transfer from juco. As someone stated, there were a lot of 5 am mornings, 2 a day workouts and road trips to fit all the school work in around but somehow she managed to do it. It really helped that her team bus had wifi on it so she had internet access to do her homework while she was on the bus traveling. It was a struggle at times especially her senior year when one of her instructors told her she could not pass the class with the number of days she would be absent for ball. He told her she was going to have to make a decision as to how important ball was to her as compared to school. She told him ball was pretty important as she was on scholarship to which he asked how much of her school it was paying for. He changed his tune when she told him, ALL OF IT!

 

[JAD]

Yeah, that is pretty much the college life of my DD. However, to the OPs point that regimen it is not reserved for D1. It can be found wherever there is a competitive, intense program. There is this myth that because a program or athlete is "D1" it implies some high level competitiveness or skill. There a some D1 programs that have a striking resemblance to rec-ball. Before signing your NLI you better do your homework and know what you are or are not getting into. DD's team started with over 20 players. They are down to about 14. Some just could not handle it.

I wonder what players would come up with as a $/hour if they add up the total value of their scholarship and divide it by the number of hours dedicated to the sport.

 

[29dad]

I played 4 years of D1 hockey (that's ice hockey for those of you in the south) and 1 year of D1 tennis. But hockey was my main sport. Overall I had a great experience. Unfortunately I was injured a bit (broken collarbone, separated shoulder, fractured wrist, etc.) but I can't imagine the college experience without athletics. It's tough to balance all of your responsibilities, but having said that, I think if I just went to school and was accountable to nobody but myself, i think I would have been a complete failure.

And the full scholarship didn't hurt. I've seen and heard people talk about "full rides" and then discover that they meant "tuition only." In my world, a full ride means tuitiuon AND room and board. Heck my junior and senior years I even got money for books. So coming out of college debt free was a huge bonus. But then like an idiot I went to law school so I did get to fully experience the hell of student loan debt. But I digress.

To sum it up, it was very hard at times, but I made great memories and had fantastic experiences. We beat the University of North Dakota in their own building the year they won the national championship, the only team to do so all year. I'll never forget that. And then my senior year, after hockey was over, i approached the tennis coach and asked for a tryout (I had been an excellent junior player). Not only did I make the team but a week later I was inserted into the lineup at number 6 singles vs. Purdue, and I won my match. I'll never forget that either. Anyway, I really hope my kids get to have similar experiences, but obviously that will be totally up to them.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Long days, short nights, alot of pressure to preform, both in the classroom and the field. Fighting to keep your position in the lineup. Fighting to find the time to do home work, study for finals, get a bite to eat and then some sleep. Leaving your last game in California st 2pm, shower get to the Airport then 6 hours traveling. Trying to do homework on the plane but decide youll never get a better chance to sleep, And then be back in the classroom at 8am the next morning.

Playing on National tv. Having a group of 10 year old travel ball players wait on you after the game for autographs and pictures. Having a handicapped child tell you..... you are their hero.

Knowing that only 1% of players that play our sport will ever get the chance to play at this level, to face Escobedo, Renfroe or Nevins.

These are just a few of the things my dd said that stood out to her.

 

[riseball]

I wonder what players would come up with as a $/hour if they add up the total value of their scholarship and divide it by the number of hours dedicated to the sport.

From a dollar per hour standpoint you would be ahead of the game behind a counter asking if you want fries with that. But she will tell you the experience is priceless.

 

[riseball]

This may ruffle some feathers but for a college athlete the education is secondary. Yes you get a degree, the exact same degree as everyone else gets. But the biggest payout is the experience. The discipline, learning to work as a team, learning to function under pressure, etc... As a former hiring manager one of my favorite questions was "Tell me about a time when you produced great results while under pressure?". That would have been my Junior year. We were in the last inning... Who will get the job the one with that story or the one that starts out with One time at band camp...

No offense intended to those with music degrees as you typically make much better analysts than athletes.

 

[Greenmonsters]

This may ruffle some feathers but for a college athlete the education is secondary. Yes you get a degree, the exact same degree as everyone else gets. But the biggest payout is the experience. The discipline, learning to work as a team, learning to function under pressure, etc... As a former hiring manager one of my favorite questions was "Tell me about a time when you produced great results while under pressure?". That would have been my Junior year. We were in the last inning... Who will get the job the one with that story or the one that starts out with One time at band camp...

No offense intended to those with music degrees as you typically make much better analysts than athletes.

Hard to argue with the part in bold. You should create an e-sig so that readers are aware of your perspective when they read your posts. However, the bolded statement is entirely untrue for a college student-athlete.