Rankings seem to be important to you so go with that.
We went with the best fit in 3 areas: sport, academics, finances. My daughter picked a school with a new team for her sport. She liked the academics and took a chance on the team. She did not care about rankings and turned down some schools with much higher academic rankings because she didn’t like LACs or the fit of those schools that were offering. She also turned down D1 schools for a D2 school. I really think she got the best of both worlds as she got to major in engineering and was a starter (started every game for 4 years). At her school and with her coach, academics came first. The coach would delay leaving for an out of town game so they could take tests on Friday mornings. No team had practice or games on Thursday nights because the math department (and they all took math) had exams.
No regrets. When she went for interviews all they wanted to talk about was her playing, her winning awards, her being a captain. The engineering stuff was there on the resume but what made her stand out was her sport.
You have to go with what feels right to you. I personally would choose the better school with a long term view, but then I’m not actually an athlete. If going that route means you’d forever regret not playing your sport in your college days, then go with the sports school. (If you get injured and can’t play again…then transfer out if you want, you’re not stuck there for 4 years.)
FWIW, I don’t agree with the pessimism “they” express over graduate school/career prospects. If you’re academically strong enough for a T20, you should be able to do very well at a “middle of the road” college, and a combination of high class rank and college sport is attractive on a resume.
@twoinanddone, I have reread your post a few times. This is great perspective! Big school names are important to grad schools, med schools and employers. It is all this forum talks about. I think your daughter is still at a very good academic school and they put academics first. The sports school I am considering is a big sports school, 2nd tier academics (in ranking and in reputation). I worry it won’t get me in grad/med school. But at the same time I am not sure if I am ready to walk away from the sport yet. In hindsight, maybe I should’ve accepted one of the other offers at better schools. But in the midst of recrutiing all I could think of is to get on the best team that I can (plus I got weird vibe from both other schools). There was definitely a disconnect in my thinking when I was deep in that process. That process is very high pressure and it sort of consumes you, and all during AP classes, daily practices, SAT prep, and community commitments.
@SJ2727 Thank youI thoughtful reply. I have considered the transfer option if I don’t get to start (my recruiting class is crazy talented), get injured, or not getting what I need to prepare for grad school. However, my research tells me that it is really hard to transfer from a 4-year university to a top school. The transfer preference is usually community college for reason of wanting to have more non-traditional students in their profile or along that line of rationale. Maybe you have some insights you can share?
I am so stressed right now, I am literally changing my mind daily. 12 more days to go.
I know two athletes who chose sport over academics. One wasn’t happy and ended up transferring to a better academic school. The other wrecked her knee spring season of freshman year and after rehab found her spot had been given away. She rode the bench for a year and spent the next year as a secondary player battling her way back to a spot.
I know some spectacular HS athletes who played for 4 years in college and feel like it’s part of their identity. I know others who dropped their sport altogether or played club.
Would it be possible for you to walk on at the T20?
If the rigid routine and physical release you derive from intense training is something you feel would help with your transition to college life I would go with athletics.
@Sue22 They were done recruiting by the time I decided to pursue recruiting in junior year and they have an unusally large recruiting class including walk ons. They were recruiting at 8th grade. My mind was on high school at 8th grade, not college, and I didn’t even know if I wanted to do college sports then. I was lucky some schools had spots open up due to transfers, injuries, etc. Those experiences you cited are not very positive - I feel bad for them. Were they happy after the transfer? Was it diffiuclt to transfer to another school?
@GKUnion - I think you’re right, being on the team will definitely help me transition. I am more worried about the lack of opportunities in the future.