<p>Does anyone have an opinion whether or not it is just as advantageous, after all is said and done and one is looking for a job, if one has received a degree from a small liberal arts school and majored in business and played NCAA DIII Basketball or if one has recieved a business degree from a large public school like Maryland or NC State and not played sports. Any business people out there have an opinion? Or just anyone who wishes to opine.</p>
<p>D1 is playing DIII sport. She loves her LAC and was able to receive big merit aid. She is a good student but not a top student. I really think her sport and good academics combined to equal a great scholarship amount. Have you considered that?</p>
<p>what does playing a sport have to do with getting a job?</p>
<p>Many employers are quite impressed with college athletes. It shows an ability to balance academics and the demands of a varsity sport. It also shows a commitment to a team and working with others.<br>
I think D1 athletics gets you a little more of an edge, but a top DIII program would carry some weight.
If the sport is a passion, the kid should pursue it.</p>
<p>Absolutely. It’s impressive to play a sport and graduate within five years. It could be compared to working full-time while going through college. DIII athletes are impressive because they receive no compensation for the time they put in at their sport (no athletic scholarships- only academic/performance). In any case, it’s something that makes you stand out. The size of the school you get your degree from only matters in that an employer from out-of-state may not have heard of a small LAC, but the vast majority of employers recognize a school that has a DI football team.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you. That seems to be the consensus on and off the boards.</p>
<p>I think it is safe to assume that any college athlete will be at an advantage if the hiring party was also a college athlete.</p>
<p>Funny coincidence…ACT essay question on Saturday concerned value of ECs. D2 was decompressing afterwards and listed the goal setting, time management, team work, etc. that is gained from participating. Same is true at upper level!</p>
<p>I’ve found that if you have college baseball/softball experience and the person reading your resume is on the company softball team you’ll get MAJOR points!</p>
<p>i’ve read somewhere that student athletes that graduated college make higher avg. salaries… something like 20 percent perhaps? you might google and see what more you can find on that.</p>
<p>My Son is a sophmore in high school. Is there a thread or can someone point me in the direction of information on playing Divion III baskeball?</p>
<p>Should my son be writing to coaches? What else should a high school sophmore be doing?</p>
<p>Yes, there are threads.
Around here kids need to be playing on strong AAU teams for being recruited, especially if HS team isn’t that strong. I would put together a player profile and start sending it out to coaches in jr. year. I have a D in another sport who has verballed for DI and jr year has been the big yr for emails back and forth and then visits on campus. There are kids who wait until sr yr for DIII and do just fine. Just depends on how strong the team is and how much the coach wants you.</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota - Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>S#1 is a D3 athlete. When he was in the recruiting process, a number of coaches shared with him that they get many calls from companies and/or alumni looking for athletes to recruit for jobs in their company. It was explained to us that these employers like to recruit college athletes as they know they are:
Organized-can manage a busy sports schedule and class work
Accustomed to teamwork, can take direction from the coach
Know how to win, know how to lose</p>
<p>I see this with the seniors on my son’s team–despite the poor economy many have good jobs lined up after graduation</p>
<p>This thread is timely since we had a similar discussion with our D recently. If she decides on a D1 school, she will probably not run, but will definitely seek either a club sport that is competitive (ultimate frisbee, rugby, etc), seek a leadership role in the campus outdoors/wilderness group if there is one (she LOVES that stuff), or continue her individual winter sport on her own. There are a lot of options out there other than varsity athletics that will look just as impressive on a resume. Good luck to the OP whatever decision you make…</p>
<p>Unless you actually have a shot at a professional sport, I would go with a DIII over DI in most cases. The benefit of playing a sport in a DIII school is that it forces the athlete to have good time management. Playing DI, however, can force the student to spend so much time on the sport that the benefits of time management are eliminated. In other words instead of managing your time to get everything done (DIII), you are eliminating school activities and replacing them with sport activities (DI).</p>
<p>As to playing a DIII sport or going to a DI and not playing any sport, I would go with DIII and play a sport. The reason is that time managment often results in better grades, (all other things being equal).</p>
<p>Skip the sports rating and concentrate on the academics. Some D3 schools have the top academics and some D1 schools are so-so. Look at the other facets of the fit of the campus. Son is at a D1, often national championship school for running, and gets to participate in D3 runs through the track club. He chooses how hard to work out and which races to participate in. At some point one has to realize it is the end of being on the team, letting go of childhood- is yours ready to move on? There are plenty of HS sports stars who move on- and still casually participate through clubs/intramurals.</p>
<p>DD cannot do any sports due to a small injury. BUT she is the statistician for two club sports at her school. The time and commitment to that is also good. And it takes terrific organization to keep the stats. We HOPE that some future employer will notice…</p>
<p>How can my DD let college coaches, of the schools she is interested in, know that she wants to play? She plays tennis and will be starting in Fall '09.</p>
<p>My D plays D3 tennis at a LAC. Interviews with the coach were part of the interviews at college visits. Otherwise, I’d email staff members to learn the name of the coach, or coaches and go from there. She’s not a great player, but loves continuing her HS sport. </p>
<p>In addition, my S rowed crew at a school where crew was a club sport, though they competed against schools up and down the East Coast. Had it been a team sport, would have been D1. It took ferocious discipline to stay with the practices and regattas. But he picked up a fitness habit that I’m hoping will carry him through the rest of his life. He did get one job, instantly, when the interviewer saw he’d rowed crew. Called his cell as he drove home from the interview, as anyone who rows is in great shape and knows how to work hard.</p>