College Softball and Nursing

[Greenmonsters]

Schools perhaps, but not coaches.

In general, true, but not for the cases I described because a coach isn't going to end up at one of these schools without fully understanding the challenge. If a coach realizes that they are in jeopardy of losing players due to academic priorities, they will have to make accomodations. I'm not saying that its the best way for a marginal player to try to win playing time! While its likely not a stepping stone to more prominent programs, some coaches might consider it an ideal situation, they need to be competive, not necessarily dominant, and make sure their kids graduate. I would suspect that they learn quickly that the smarter the kid they can get, the easier their job is as that kid typically needs less external motivation and less time to learn, whether its in the classroom or on the field. The ironic thing is that they'd probably get fired much faster for a poor grad rate than a poor W-L record.

 

[chinamigarden]

The more stories I hear like these, about kids being funneled into easier majors, the happier I am about my choice to not limit my DDs activities. I hear how she needs to specialize now if she is going to play in college. I would much rather her have the sports experience that she wants now, and the academic freedom later. She works to get all As. I don't want her options limited later on just because she can throw a ball fast.

 

[starsnuffer]

It's still possible. My daughter's hitting coach graduated from Princeton with a major in international trade and development. While there she also interned with a company doing business development, was a student residential adviser, and tutored english learner students at local schools. Oh yeah, she played softball too. Her senior year she made First-team All-Ivy League as a utility player ... finished her career as the program's career home run leader, with 38 ... was team's most-used pitcher her final season, at 124 1/3 innings ... led the team in batting average at .310 ... co-led the team with 40 hits ... second on the team with nine home runs ... had 12 multi-hit games ... ect.

So, while I'm lucky enough to have this extremely bright Ivy League grad teaching my daughter how to swing a bat, one also must wonder what an Ivy league grad is doing giving softball lessons. Truth is this kid wants to work overseas with developing nations and I'm sure she'll be successful in whatever she puts her mind to.

So perhaps the moral of the story is that D1 schools are still sub-par American educators and if you really want an academic institution, you need to make it into an Ivy League school or just move to England.

-W

 

[MsDinosaur]

My 11 year old's dream is to play for Mizzou...and then maybe the US Softball team or the NPF. :-D

However, now that I've been reading the posts here, my college dreams for her run more to softball being the extra that gets her into a school like a D1 Ivy or a strong academic DIII like my alma mater, Wash U., or to her not playing softball at all, but simply attending a good school and concentrating on her studies.

College is still a long way away, but I want to thank all of you for sharing your knowledge and advice. I hadn't ever given much thought to the demands and limitations a sports program at one of the big D1 schools would put on a student athlete.

 

[jacketsfan]

My DD was talking to Ivy's and Patriot League schools. Even there, they can recruit kids with harder and more time consuming majors, or not. So, just because you qualify academically, doesn't mean the coach won't recruit a biology or english major over an engineer or pre-med major. (Please - not saying there is anything wrong with those degrees, but it was suggested to her that she switch to Biology more than once because it is less time consuming).

When we started the recruiting journey, we fantasized that a very strong academic record would open lots of doors. It did. However, what we learned in visits is that she would have to give up her desired degree to play D1, and she wasn't willing to do that.

It was hard for the old man to drop the recruitment by some of the D1's, but her degree is what matters most.

On a softball skill level, we have watched some of the Top 20 D3 schools this year, since she will be competing against them next year. I have no doubt that some, if not most, of the top D3 teams would have their way with some of the mid-lower tier D1's. So, the quality of the competition for her will be comparable, I think to what she would have experienced in soem of the academically elite D1's.

A good friend's DD is being recruited now as a junior in HS by some prominent D1's. She is having the same problem. She wants to be pre-med, and they are telling her no. At one school that everyone has heard of, she has an offer (academic and athletic combined are at about 75%) if she will change her major, but she is trying to convince them to let her keep her intended major - to no avail. She will likely decline the offer if they won't let her get the degree she wants.

 

[StacieM]

Thanks for asking this. Nursing is one of the things my DD (also a high school freshman) is interested in.

 

[starsnuffer]

Golf isn't a sport, it's a game. Like chess, or yatzee.

-W

 

[chinamigarden]

Golf isn't a sport, it's a game. Like chess, or yatzee.

-W

Careful, you are sounding like a baseball parent talking about girls softball

 

[cheerios]

My DD is in a DII school back east and in the nursing program. She is also a pitcher batting over .300. It is more than possible with a DII school as long as the nurising dept and the coach is on the same plane. We met with both of them together to see how they can make it work. There are many schools with nusing majors on them, those would be my first picks.

 

[coachdan]

My DD is in a DII school back east and in the nursing program. She is also a pitcher batting over .300. It is more than possible with a DII school as long as the nurising dept and the coach is on the same plane. We met with both of them together to see how they can make it work. There are many schools with nusing majors on them, those would be my first picks.

Cheerios, can you PM me the name of the school. I'm from the east and would like to know of any schools that allow this.