SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Playing college soccer

sf - glad its going well for her. having a sister at the same school has to be a positive.

has anyone seen the lady gamecocks play recently? what are they looking like since losing a number of starters? who has taken over for mattern? it will be interesting to see if they can stay at the top of the sec.

also, who has any info on the lady tigers and HS?

It would be interesting to see a more detailed break down of those stats. I know from experience that at least 50% of the girls recruited on a soccer team for any college will not be there as a senior. They usually make it through the freshman year but the burn out will start in the summer before their sophomore year. They find their freedom from their parents and start to realize their is a bigger world. Or they have a bad injury and decide it is not worth it any more. My daughter had a major knee injury in her freshman season and this spring was really her first time back as a Junior. It has been hard on her to rationalize playing any more. But she is in the minority of players that will finish out all 4-5 years on a woman's soccer team.

Personally, it should be a combination of everything. First find out if your child really wants to play soccer at the college level. If they don't then apply for academic programs and what best suits your child's development. If they do then go and start talking to the colleges and see who is interested. My child liked the smaller schools, and wanted to be close to home. So that limited the schools of choice and then she picked the one that worked for her. And through all the problems, she has continued to love playing soccer and loves her teammates. She has created bonds with players that will last a very long time. But of the 14 that started with her only 4 remain. Playing sports in college is extremely challenging especially after the freshman year when the classes are no longer a review from high school. My daughter is proof that it can be done but it is not easy and will wear on your soul at times.....

I can't stay quiet on this topic although my kids are way too young to enter college yet.

I am on the other hand (in my day job) someone who is very qualified to offer an opinion. For many years I have recruited and offered jobs to many graduatuing students and I will say (outside of soccer) the college you/your child selects matters very much in some cases.

As for statistics to back this up, there are many sites to offer advice on career prospects in different fields, salary levels, and graduating rates. Can't speak to NCAA athlete stats but as someone who needs to selectively recruit (based on recruiting budget often) I like IPEDS as a tool.

IPEDS is the primary source for data on colleges, universities, and technical and vocational postsecondary institutions in the United States. IPEDS

I would also point parents to Department of Labor (Statistics) for job market prospects, salary, and growth.
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Happy to say outlook for teachers and software developers looks rosy.

Now if you were looking at a college to get a comp sci or similar degree from, you should be selective. I will state it does matter.

Hmmm... does Carnegie Mellon have a soccer team?

Funny you should mention Carnegie Mellon. (By the way, they have a new coach this year.)

http://www.cmu.edu/athletics/sports/wsoccer/schedules/index.html

I have always marveled at the conference this school plays in, some of the greatest institutions of higher learning, spread throughout the entire eastern half of the country.

Division III schools......with this kind of travel. I realize games are played on Fridays and Sundays to minimize the amount of missed class time, but it is shocking that these girls get on airplanes to fly to Atlanta and Chicago for matches.

No athletic scholarships and the annual cost has to be close to $50K. Wow!

Any girl interested in an academic/athletic opportunity like this.....with 1600 on the traditional SAT's......should probably look at Emory.

Cainhoy, I hope your company is paying big bucks to these kids when they graduate because unless they have a Sugar Daddy.......it's college loans up the whazzooooo!

Notwithstanding Sweetfeet's federal educrat statistics, I would not advise any high school student to choose a college based PRIMARILY on the school's soccer program. Academics and other issues (how well does the college "fit" your values and your interests) should be at least as important. The reasons are multitude: the very real potential for career-ending injuries and coaching/program changes are two big ones.

In Summerville, there have been a number of very talented high school soccer players (boys and girls) who have given up the opportunity to play Division II soccer and even Division I soccer at academically weak schools to attend Duke, Chapel Hill, Clemson, Furman, Davidson, and College of Charleston, among others. I would question the sanity of any parent who would prefer their child accept a scholarship to play soccer at a Charleston Southern, a Lander, or a Francis Marion if that child also had the opportunity to attend Clemson or Furman or College of Charleston as a "civilian." The only compelling reason I could see to take the athletic scholarship at the academically weak D2 (or in the case of CSU - DI) school would be financial necessity.

Soccer is a great game but in the grand scheme, it really isn't that important. Not to mention there are intramural teams at Clemson and Chapel Hill that could beat a lot of D2 varsity teams in the area.

oldskool,

CLUB teams at Clemson and UNC....not INTRAMURAL teams.

Also, CofC thanks you for lumping them in with Furman, Davidson, UNC and Duke.