Id Camps & Combines...When?

Consistent is something.   Thanks for keeping it diverse, I never know what you will say next.        

Yep, 17 yrs old is too old to influence them much.   Kids mimic what you tell them all along.  If you are talking pro soccer and scholarships and the soccer lifestyle to them their whole life, than you are gonna get a 17 yr old kid who is gonna do something different from the one that has been told academics, academics, academics their whole life while downplaying soccer.  

Clemson is on the high end of academic crap.  Not total crap like Louisville or NCSt, but for the ACC its pretty much crap.  Ok, maybe lumping it with Akron is too harsh.   If you are going to Akron you are going all-in on soccer star or Lebron groupie.    

I would guess the distribution of "good" vs "bad" on academics in D1 vs D3 is probably similar, mostly bad.   There are certainly a lot of stinkers in D1.   There are D1 programs at schools that accept 90%+ of the applicants.  Beauty school is a better college choice than that.   I don't know, I didn't dig into all the D3 schools.    Your "good" academic choices are just different types of colleges.   You get Tufts, Chicago, Brandeis, Emory, etc in D3 vs Duke, Stanford, Ivy, ND, Wake, UCLA/Cal, etc in D1.   From a social fit, I would guess D1 would be better for my people.  

Point all along being, I would pick the academic fits first (excluding VAST majority of choices), then think about soccer.   Almost nobody is good enough at soccer for it mean much after 18.

Well, for me it comes down academics/cost and potential ROI.

Don't really know if D1 is really even worth it. Given where we live and the lack of d1's in this general region, I'm thinking a good academic school (compared to most state schools) is a better fit.

Social fit is not a priority. If hes playing there won't be much time for that anyway. Especially in the fall.

Now, if we lived in the metroplex and he was playing for a DA team, I'm sure there'd be more options.

I'm looking at academics first. Soccer second. If he ends up being that good, there's always pdl ball in the summers and/or a transfer.

I'd rather a Millsaps, Centenary, Sewanee, Emory, etc. than a Lipscomb or Oral Roberts.

The Ivies are d1 in name only. They operate more like d3's.

That said, I see nothing wrong with playing a sport you love at the collegiate level. And quite a few good (but not great) college players continue to play competitively even after the collegiate experience ends. No different than taking up marathons, triathlons, cycling, rugby, etc. as an adult.

Besides, college athletes are very employable. Something to put on the resume. No different than National Honor Society, Boys' State or any other beneficial extracurricular pursuit.

If you want the name branding and network then by all means spend 60k per year. If no then there are plenty of good choices and you can make a very decent living without having to spend that much money for the name and network. I have friends from big name schools that make a fraction of what other friends make that come from lesser schools. It is what you make of your education that matters. The rest is pure noise.

[quote="Depor"]If you want the name branding and network then by all means spend 60k per year. If no then there are plenty of good choices and you can make a very decent living without having to spend that much money for the name and network. I have friends from big name schools that make a fraction of what other friends make that come from lesser schools. It is what you make of your education that matters. The rest is pure noise.[/quote


I live next to a lawyer that attended Notre Dame and finished law school @ SMU . I went to Richland for 2 Years .  Who knew ! Book smart . Street smart . It really boils down to seizing life by the balls and making something of it. Sooner or later ya gotta spit the mom and dad tit . Do you stand up ? or fall on your ass. Meanwhile I'll order my Grande mocha from many a in debt Starbucks Barista.  Schools not the end all. Passion for what you do and living life is the key . Enjoy what you do, never stop learning , challenge yourself and the money and success will follow .  Does Collage help ? Of course . Is it the end all path to success  ????????????? That's debatable . Just because you make a lot of money or have a high profile job doesn't mean your living. The people shooting wildlife footage in the out back of Africa seem a lot happier and less stressed than me stressing over a u-16 soccer game.

 In life NOTHING is guaranteed.

Small world, I also live on a (slightly upper middle class) street with two a-holes from Notre Dame.  

Totally agree.   Nothing is guaranteed.    Just about playing the odds and there are exceptions to every rule.   In the end you only get one life unless you are Shirley MacLaine.  

College certainly isn't about a classroom education.  That seems a goof.  Yeah, sure, get good enough grades and graduate but like Will Hunting you can learn all this stuff at your local library.   I wish I knew that at the time as I should not have turned down the sorority threesomes for the Fortran lab, but oh well hindsight.   To me the value of a more exclusive  school is the connections and associating with those who are aspiring to be a bit more.   Name-branding and networking is not to be discounted.   Everybody that I know from college (many who scraped by on loans and grants and work-study) can now afford to send their kids to same $60k/yr school.   Perhaps just a coincidence.  

But sure, agree, work and making money should not define your life.   But its a lot better than working and worrying about money nonstop.   Would probably be a lot more chilled out just rafting the San Juan in the late spring, skiing all winter, and laying on a beach in Belize for the summer.   And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for these meddling kids.   Scoooby'd!

I don't know if a Collage helps or not.  Would have to ask Matisse or similar.  

Collage will help you relax especially if you order the "Grande"

go99 wrote:pick your college based on where you want to go to school, where you want to live and your career choice.  The soccer can be a tool to help you get to where you want.  But for the most part college is where soccer goes to die so forget development, D1 etc and start thinking about what you want to do when you hang the boots up

Yes, that's true. My BBs played in the DC this year, and there were so many college coaches with clipboards everywhere! While they may not give you a lot of money for soccer, they can and do get you through that door. I just got a call from Ohio for my son today, but he's already going to Caltech. Not too sure if the soccer coach had anything to do with getting him through the door, but it certainly didn't hurt.
I encourage all those kids who are still playing soccer to hang in there, you never know who's watching you. According to the coach I spoke with today, he starts looking at players when they're 16. He also said that he didn't choose players who had a bad attitude, etc. Your behavior and cursing on the pitch does not go unnoticed!

Ibystander wrote: I just got a call from Ohio for my son today, but he's already going to Caltech.  Not too sure if the soccer coach had anything to do with getting him through the door, but it certainly didn't hurt.  

Well done.