Colleges/Universities with high academic standards (engineering)

[sbmom19]

Obviously nursing is completely different then engineering but it's frequently said if you go to nursing school you can't play softball. Maybe some of these schools would have the same openness to engineering and playing softball

List of Nursing Friendly Softball College Programs

Known Nursing Friendly Softball College Programs: Fairfield U (CT) - D1 St Francis (PA) Red Flash - D1 Liberty (VA) - D1 South Alabama (AL) - D1 Alabama (AL) - D1 Dominican College (NY) - D2 Concordia - Portland (OR) - D2 Holy Names (CA) - D2 Willliam Jewell (MO) - D2 University of Charleston...

www.discussfastpitch.com

My DD when into college knowing she was going to study nursing. She picked a college with a great nursing program, knowing that she would only realistically be able to play 2 years of softball if she wanted to graduate in 4 years. She ended up only playing one year and transferring to another college and didn't play softball again. She graduated in 4 years (2020), is a NICU nurse and assistant varsity softball coach at the biggest HS in our area - and they made it to state this year.

 

[Coach Caz]

I did a search and came up short. If this has been covered please direct me to the thread.

We have started looking at colleges/universities for DD. She would like to play softball at the college level. Not sure what level she'll end up at and we are casting a wide net in our search. We are hoping to identify multiple schools at each level (D1, D2, D3, NAIA) to investigate and target over the next couple of years.

She is currently thinking engineering as a major (mechanical or aerospace), though I recognize this may change over the next 3+ years. There are obvious choices for schools with that field of study. What I was hoping to get from the collective knowledge on DFS is identification of schools that might not be easily recognized. Specifically smaller schools that have softball programs. Even better if there is first hand knowledge that playing softball and enrollment/success in the engineering program is compatible. We have already talked to one school where the coaching staff was not sure if an athlete could do both.

Hopefully my request makes sense. DD preference is more towards the west coast but we are not ruling out any location at the moment.

Thanks!

I run the Team Nitro Long Island Fastpitch Org and we direct all of our players to leverage the Naviance system first and foremost. This is a system available to all students here in Long Island High Schools. This system or one like it should be available to you free of charge through your school system as well. Here is the website...

Naviance: College & Career Readiness Technology Solution​

https://www.naviance.com

This is the Best place is to start as you can put in all the criteria you are looking for, type of school, type of studies, school size, school location, etc. This will provide you with a list of schools along with their median scores to get in so you can understand if its a school that is a stretch for her GPA, in her sweet spot or one that is a safe school.

Then once you get this list, you can then visit their website to find out more about their softball program. Make sure to look at their roster and anticipate what type of players they will be recruiting by the time your daughter would enter.

Then start the showcasing process by writing to the coach on a regular basis, first send them a short introduction, then regularly send short comms to really show that you are extremely interested. If you can get in front of them, do so otherwise send them short video clips of her mechanics. Do not send highlights, coaches need to see mechanics, so best for player to record her swings/fielding, etc at her practices or lessons.

Best of luck!

 

[fastpitch91]

I did a search and came up short. If this has been covered please direct me to the thread.

We have started looking at colleges/universities for DD. She would like to play softball at the college level. Not sure what level she'll end up at and we are casting a wide net in our search. We are hoping to identify multiple schools at each level (D1, D2, D3, NAIA) to investigate and target over the next couple of years.

She is currently thinking engineering as a major (mechanical or aerospace), though I recognize this may change over the next 3+ years. There are obvious choices for schools with that field of study. What I was hoping to get from the collective knowledge on DFS is identification of schools that might not be easily recognized. Specifically smaller schools that have softball programs. Even better if there is first hand knowledge that playing softball and enrollment/success in the engineering program is compatible. We have already talked to one school where the coaching staff was not sure if an athlete could do both.

Hopefully my request makes sense. DD preference is more towards the west coast but we are not ruling out any location at the moment.

Thanks!

Harvey mudd in clarmont Ca I think has engineering. Wash U in St louis does. Case Western IN Ohio does. MIT does. University of Rochester NY, does. I believe Carnegie mellon restarted their softball. I believe there are number of the Univ - Wisconson smaller schools that have engineering. Most D1 programs re big schools and have engineering schools but D1 sports and engineering will be tough. Engineering is tough at any program as most require 120 ish credit hours versus 100 for a AB degree. Most of the other ones have been mentioned already.

 

[Bryce]

Harvey mudd in clarmont Ca I think has engineering. Wash U in St louis does. Case Western IN Ohio does. MIT does. University of Rochester NY, does. I believe Carnegie mellon restarted their softball. I believe there are number of the Univ - Wisconson smaller schools that have engineering. Most D1 programs re big schools and have engineering schools but D1 sports and engineering will be tough. Engineering is tough at any program as most require 120 ish credit hours versus 100 for a AB degree. Most of the other ones have been mentioned already.

Definitely look at the McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU. WashU does a great job of supporting scholar athletes and the softball coach is a former Olympian. McKelvey does not offer Aerospace EN, but does have a strong relationship with Boeing.

 

[DryHeat]

If she is thinking mechanical or aero on the west coast, include Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ. Highly rated, NAIA, smaller town (40k) if that's interesting to her.

 

[Orange Socks]

Definitely look at the McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU. WashU does a great job of supporting scholar athletes and the softball coach is a former Olympian. McKelvey does not offer Aerospace EN, but does have a strong relationship with Boeing.

Gotta have Super Strong ACT/SAT GPA to get into WASHU.

 

[Sweet Lou]

A couple good ways to find Universities that have softball programs and engineering programs would be to first look at the academic schools your daughter is interested in.

Then go to their softball web pages and view their schedule.

Make a list of schools on their schedule that they play and then visit that other schools webpage to look at their academic programs.

You can often pull up player bios that list majors of players and find which schools have engineering majors on the team.

Some schools that have probably been mentioned along the way as I haven't reviewed all the posts might include: WPI, RPI, MIT, Rose-Hulman, Carniege Mellon, most of the Ivy league schools - these are ones where schooling probably comes before softball and engineering and softball are probably compatible.

If you want a good D1 softball program and major in good engineering program I'm guessing your daughter needs to be quite exceptional at both softball and academics as you've probably learened that at some schools the softball program might not let that combo evven be an option. It can be done as I have seen engineering majors at the WCWS from time to time, but I think that is much more the exception than the rule.

 

[Sweet Lou]

If she is thinking mechanical or aero on the west coast, include Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ. Highly rated, NAIA, smaller town (40k) if that's interesting to her.

Cal-Poly Slo has a very good mechanical engineering program, my son was employed withing 4 months of graduation. The campus is absolutely beautiful and the waether can not be beat (excpet move in week when it is hot as hades but that's only a short time). But if you are going mechanical, plan on 5 years at Cal-Poly due to the number of core credits required in mechanical engineering and the impaction of the program and that was without playing a sport. Scanning a few player bios they have at least a couple who are doing engineering.

 

[_MIA_]

But if you are going mechanical, plan on 5 years at Cal-Poly due to the number of core credits required in mechanical engineering and the impaction of the program and that was without playing a sport.

Is the program designed for 5 years (which would be unusual unless a Co-Op) or is this an N=1 situation..Most Engineering programs are between 120 and 130 credit hours..(and they kind of have to be due to ABET)

 

[Sweet Lou]

Is the program designed for 5 years (which would be unusual unless a Co-Op) or is this an N=1 situation..Most Engineering programs are between 120 and 130 credit hours..(and they kind of have to be due to ABET)

I'm just relaying our experience with Cal-Poly mechanical engineering which was not atypical among other mechanical engineering friends he had. He carrier a full schedule for 4 years then a lighter one his 5th while he did his senior project. Some other engineering programs at SLO like materials engineering had a much higher 4 year graduation rate but mechanical was pretty close to a 5 year program for the majority of graduates in that major at that school.

The program is designed for 4 years but due to the impaction of the program it is quite difficult to get all the course requirements in the 4 tear time frame. I belive the 4 year graduation rate was around 47%. So doable, but not guaranteed.

It never hurts to ask the 4 year graduation rate FOR THE MAJOR at the school as they can vary quite a bit for the overall published statistics of the entire university.