I don’t really need to decide now, but if I am going to break the NLI, I think I should do it sooner rather than later so the coach at the D1 school has time to fill my spot.
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It is not Clemson but its out that way
This is the most important sentence in any of your posts, in my opinion.
Sleep on it and make a decision by a deadline you set for yourself.
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hmmm - a 5 year BS/MBA is not great in my opinion. In fact, it’s terrible.
It completely eliminates the possibility of what people use MBAs for - either to pivot from a career that they don’t love to something else.
Or for earnings potential.
If you go straight through, you get maybe another $5K.
If you work two years plus and then get an MBA, depending on the school you go to, you can be a double or even triple of salary.
The payback on an MBA years out is far greater than getting a straight through MBA. And you’d lose it.
Those we hired at my last company got $5K more than the undergrad hires. And they were hard pressed to even pay that.
Look at an IU, as an example - a great b school - make in the $60s on average as an udergrad and $136K for MBA. I use them because they easily post both.
Or go to a lesser ranked school like my MBA (ASU). $56K undergrad and $146K MBA.
I know some schools - like Bama - has a STEM to MBA - where people want to be engineers or scientists and they do the 5th year MBA and some believe in it - I don’t.
Getting an MBA immediately after undergrad is great for the colleges (more student revenues) and a terrible deal for the students.
So I’d encourage you to not give that thought…nor include that in your decision. Go to the one that - you can see yourself excelling at on a four year basis. It may or may not be the one you envisioned during years past - people change and it’s ok if you do too.
That’s at least my take.
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As someone who has met with prospective athletes touring campus, I always advise them not to just pick a school for the athletic program. Being in a D1 is desirable, but if you get injured and can’t play or fall out of love with the sport, you still want to feel like the school is your home. You want to be happy there. So if you cannot see yourself being happy somewhere, then it may not be the place for you. You need to be with your “kind of people”. And frankly, I would rather get playing time on D3 than sit on the sidelines of D1. Be a big fish in a smaller pond. Good luck.
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Totally agree. The D3 school my D24 is committed to would be her first choice regardless of whether she plays her sport or not.
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I agree with this completely, which is why I would consider going there to try it out and transferring if I do not like it. Because of social media, though, I have been able to see various things about both schools. A lot of the stuff I see about the bigger school, I really do not like or relate to. However, I can relate and I like a lot of the things I see about the smaller school. I know I can’t base all of my opinions off of what I am seeing online, but it does impact what I’m thinking. I have also talked to some of the girls that are at the bigger school now, and they have confirmed some of my cons. I’ve never really liked being a small fish in a big pond, and I feel like I would feel lost at the bigger school
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I’ve always said d3 hero instead of d1 bench LOL! Honestly, my parents really wanted me to go to d1. I got the d3 offer first, but they did not let me commit even though I wanted to. They wanted me to wait to see what other offers I would get. If I could go back in time, I would commit to the d3 easily.
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I’d add that these 5-in-4 programs also eliminate the possibility of going to grad school somewhere else. I’m a big ‘variety is the spice of life’ person so, even if I adored my undergrad - which I did - I’d want to go elsewhere for grad school. Which I also did and am glad I did.
Regardlesss - OP it seems like your heart is at the D3 school. Trust it.
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OP: I know the D-1 university and I understand your uncomfortable feeling.
Between the two current options, the D-3 school seems to be better suited to your preferences. However, I agree that pursuing an MBA degree without any post-undergraduate full-time work experience is not wise.
The relationship issue does raise a concern. Is there a third option ?
In this case then, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to be wishy washy - you have a clear preference.
So apologize to your D1 coach and move on.
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Ok, thank you! My other options are trying it out and transferring if I don’t like it (I would have to stay the full year if I wanted to transfer to another lacrosse program), going to a school purely for academics and not playing D1 lacrosse (I’m not sure if I can give lacrosse up completely), or trying to find another D3 I could get into and play at. Because I was mainly recruited by D3 schools, I have seen a lot of them and there are a bunch that I do not want to go to. That being said, the majority of the other D3s I would be interested in are NESCAC schools. I have a very strong and diverse resume, lots of honors and awards, and a 3.9 weighted GPA, but I am not sure that I could get in to any NESCACs (even though I had an offer from one of them)
Reading your posts, it is obvious what you want to do. Not all of your reasons for your choice are compelling, but the point is, your heart is in a place that you have been accepted to. Doing D1 sports is very time demanding, stressful and of course, a risk because your whole life is so tied up in that one activity (since it is also your social life) that all it takes is an injury to derail your experience. It is still potentially worth it if it is your dream. But it is not your dream; if anything, it is your parent’s dream. You have not presented any compelling reason to give up your dream school for your non-dream school: if you decide not to do the 5 year MBA once you’ve started, you don’t have to. There is the risk you may not like your dream school but you may also not like the other school. One thing you know for sure is that your you non-dream school is far away and it’s not getting any closer. Follow your heart. If it doesn’t work out, you can transfer. But it doesn’t make sense to literally choose something you have a bad feeling about that has no obvious upside.
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Sounds like you got caught up in the excitement of being wooed by a D1 and now the reality is hitting you. Choose the D3. If you are not 100% committed to being a full-time athlete (which entails giving up much of your social life, choices to experience new things and attending a school that isn’t the right choice for you) the D1 is not the right choice.
Good for you for realizing this before you made a final decision. If you really wanted to play D1 sports, you wouldn’t let any of the other factors get in the way.
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Hugs to you, OP. You sound very similar to my son, currently a senior in HS committed to a D3 for men’s lax. He always wanted a small LAC, and D3 lax. He had some D1 interest and went on a visit, and the school was everything he didn’t want. He was able to recognize that on his own and even though he had a couple more D1s come calling this past summer, he stuck to his guns and waited till the end of club season and committed D3.
I agree you should choose option 3. D1 is a full time job, which is great for some kids but not others. Mine knew it wasn’t for him. You sound like you know it, as well. Good luck, and please let us know what you choose.
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Thanks for the help and kind words, everyone! As much as I am completely stressed out by all of this, I am going to take a little time to think through everything (even though I really only have until January 15th, depending on what I decide). While I would love to go to the D3 mentioned above, the boyfriend thing does complicate it. I wish he wasn’t going there because then I definitely would be lol. I don’t want to make my decision based on him, but part of me kind of wants to let him have his own thing, you know? I’ll keep thinking about it, but I’m unsure. However, I’ve come up with some other D3s I might want to pursue (academically and for lacrosse, just not sure what the rules are with contacting the D3 coaches while in an NLI). And, I could always play club or try to walk on somewhere if things really don’t go in my favor. My family seems to lean towards the idea of the other D3 schools, and the idea of going to the D1 and transferring if I don’t like it. Anyway, I’ll keep thinking and when I decide, I’ll post something here. Thanks again!!!
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That’s no problem, but you should tell the coaches that engage with you the deal. Obviously don’t lead with that, but as you build relationships that will be important info to share.
I understand wanting to take some time to decide, and also that the boyfriend going to the D3 complicates things. Hugs to you as you work thru things.
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