Playing D3 sport or going to a flagship

twoinanddone
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 21:58:42 +0000

My daughter had the same choices. When we were looking at schools, she wanted a smaller school but really didn’t like the D3 LACs we looked at. Even she thought they were too small (and she’s a STEM kid, didn’t (doesn’t) like humanities at all). She could have played D1 but those schools were small too (she was not being invited to play at UMd or Northwestern), and she liked them even less than the D3 LACs. She hit the sweet spot at a 3500 student D2 school and continued to love playing. She visited friends at a FSU during her freshman year and admitted she could have loved that school too, but she couldn’t have played lacrosse - no team - (and she couldn’t have played at UF because at the time UF was ranked 4th in D1 women’s lax, and she wouldn’t have made the team or even the bench).

She continues to like lacrosse and coaches younger kids now, but is still playing too. She’s playing in the Women’s World Championship this summer (big brag from Mom)!

I think she really benefited playing a sport in college. It made her be organized, it made her accountable for grades (her coach knew her grades before she did), it gave her a lifetime group of friends (she’s been to about 6 weddings so far!). She had to attend study tables her first semester and that was a great introduction to college. She had a schedule of out of town games she knew she had to plan for. She had fun. She was in great shape (and learned to count those beer calories in her diet) and she was in bed most nights by 10 (5:30 lifting comes awful early). She was involved in more campus activities than she otherwise would have been without the team (volunteering with the team and alone, attending other sporting events).

If her only choices are big school/no play or playing at a smaller school, she should go with the school she likes best. I like big schools so I know I’d pick the flagship (for me) but playing has a lot of benefits too. If she goes to the big school, she might find a club team (at the school or in the community) or even another sport club team. Lots to do at a big school.