Division I vs. Division III: Sports as a Job, or Scholar-Athlete?
Today I spent another fun-filled day at the Colorado Crossroads volleyball tournament in Denver, where nearly 10,000 volleyball players are participating in this national qualifier event.
Parents were steadily coming up to my booth at the tournament (where I was, of course, dispensing some great college advice) to talk about their concerns. The topic of conversation that tended to dominate these discussions was parents’ concern that becoming a Division I athlete was too time consuming and ultimately detrimental to their students’ future success in college.
The first thing I said was that participation in sports was often an indicator of success in college, as varsity athletes tend to have higher GPAs and are more satisfied with their college experience.
However, these parents’ basic concern is valid. Being a Division I athlete is a huge commitment. One must eat, sleep, and breathe one’s sport, and a D1 athelete can plan on training throughout the year to stay in tip-top condition. Further, Division I athletes must commit to playing all four years if they want to keep their athletic scholarship.
But I spent a lot of time explaining that while Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, they do recruit athletes in a different way. Every school with a volleyball team (for example) wants to fill its roster with good players who can take a league championship. Thus many colleges offer other forms of scholarship money to entice an able player to join its team–and its student body.
For you see, colleges have needs that they are trying to fulfill. Not only do they need to round out their volleyball roster, but they need a tuba player, an editor of the school newspaper, and a tenor for the glee club. Think of admissions officers as social engineers: they need to populate the campus with a variety of folks to fill certain prescribed roles. The whole process is not quite so neat and clean as that (it’s not very scientific), but the art of the admissions officer is to build a well-rounded class. And in order to do this, they have to meet the needs of the coaches (among others).
So my advice to parents was to relax a bit. Their kids can still find colleges at which they can have a satisfying varsity athletic experience–and still focus on their school work and also allow them to explore other activities (study abroad, a new social cause, artistic pursuits, etc.).
While some kids are seeking the rush and excitement of serious competition a the Division I level, the majority of players that I met today at the Colorado Crossroads volleyball tournament will never be able to achieve that level of competition. But as I explained to these parents, their daughters will have myriad opportunities available to them, if they learn to play the college admissions and athletic recruiting games like a pro.
Speaking of a pro, I have been very fortunate to have Nancy Nitardy, author of Get Paid To Play, working with me at Colorado Crossroads. She is a former Division I swimming coach at Dartmouth, Harvard, and Indiana University. She works with me in advising athletes on their best athletic options, while I help the same students identify their best academic options. Together, Nancy Nitardy and I are able to provide great college advice for college-bound athletes, whatever their level of play.
Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting
Great College Advice
About the Author
Mark Montgomery
As a former professor, administrator, and high school teacher, Mark has the knowledge and skills to counsel students as they make the transition from high school to college.
66 Responses to “Division I vs. Division III: Sports as a Job, or Scholar-Athlete?”
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Hi, Dee. My apologies for not responding sooner. If your daughter is getting letters from coaches, this is a good sign. But time will tell if she continues to be contacted. Your daughter’s situation is very tricky, and it’s not one that I can really comment on in a short response in a public forum. She is D3 eligible, but the recruiting (and scholarship) policies are wildly different from D1. I have one student who has already signed on to a D3 school–with a scholarship, but not for swimming, of course–at the end of her junior year. So the commitments can be made early, if a coach loves the kid (and assuming admissions loves the kid, too). Again, this is very complicated and not something I can really help with. We do work with athletes, and we’re particularly good with swimmers (we have had lots of experience with them, for some reason…!). Let us know if we can provide you more specific guidance.
Best of luck.
Hi.
This is a policy that will be determined by the university in question. You need to ask them how firm they are with an 18.
Best of luck.
Hello, Im currently a varsity lever athlete at a 4-A lever school in south Carolina. Im currently a sophomore. I want to be a college lever wrestler, the school doesnt really matter. I wanted to know if i wrestle throughout high school would it be better to participate in other sports on the varsity level, and if that would look better on my transcript that just sticking to the same sports each year. I have the opportunity to varsity letter in Soccer, Wrestling, Football, Tennis, And Cross Country. Would that be recommended for a better chance at a college accepting me?
Hi, Dakota,
If you want to be a Division 1 wrestler, you need to put your all into it. You will be competing with kids who really focus on their sport–to the exclusion of all else. However, if you are aiming more for Division 3, then being a multi-sport athlete might be a bonus–especially if you’re good. So it’s hard for me to advise you, as I know nothing about your wrestling capabilities, your body type and shape (it matters in wrestling, especially as you get older), and your academic abilities. I’d advise you to talk to your current coaches and ask their opinions. Make sure they give you their honest assessment of your post-high school prospects, and if they think you’re college scholarship material, they should be help guide you. If later on you need help matching colleges with your sport(s) in a way that gives you the best of both worlds, please give us a shout. Good luck!
Thanks, I want to be an art teacher. I dont have a set college yet. I won JV state my freshman year in wrestling and i Plan to win at Varsity at least 1 time before I graduate. I wrestle at the 170 pound weight class,And as a freshman at varsity I went 14-8. I Have a 3.0 GPA and its going to go up after this year. Im 6ft Tall exactly, Ive been wrestling for 2 years, and really have a passion for the sport. I enjoy playing all sports but wrestling is where my heart is. If these sports would look good on my transcript and help me get into a college Id love to participate in as many as i could. I just dont know if it would help my chances for college to look at me.
Hello. The deal is this: a wrestling coach is looking for a wrestler. So playing other sports may or may not help your wrestling. Certainly they will help you stay in shape, athletically. And there may not be that many opportunities in your area to pursue your sport outside of the competitive season. But the fact that you may be a great basketball or volleyball player will not make you more attractive to coaches. One other thing to keep in mind: it has always been my experience that a great GPA will get you more scholarship money from many colleges than a great athletic ability. And you control your academic performance in ways that you cannot control the academic competition or the capriciousness of coaches. So make sure you focus on that GPA this year…it may be more important than any sport.
Good luck!
My daughter has recently committed to a Div III school to play lacrosse. It is October of her Senior Year in High School. Because she has verbally committed to a DIII school, does that mean she cannot look at any other schools? What is the commitment level on both the student’s side and the coaches?
Hi.
Her verbal commitment is just that…a verbal commitment. We don’t like to pull back from our commitments. And yet, since she has not yet started, if she finds a school (and team) she likes better, she is not contractually committed to her present school. It’s okay to “look out for number 1.” But if it looks like she will commit somewhere else, please tell the coach to which she is not committed so she can find another player pronto.
Best of luck
Thank you for all your wonderful advise! My two sons have been homeschooled due to the poor schools in our area. They have great sports, but lack in the academic area. I have used a great curriculum that has put them far ahead of others their age. Due to this they will start college as dual enrollment next year, as they have fulfilled all high school credits required by the end of spring semester (both have 4.0 GPA). I was planning to have them continue to play at the high school level in sports another year or two due to their age (15 & 16). One is interested in playing College Baseball and has interest in Robotics Engineering. The other plans to enlist in the Naval Academy (as a pilot) after he finishes his bachelors (undecided, but leaning toward avionics engineer). He may want to play football at the collegiate level. Will a college be disinterested in them for sports if they are Juniors at 18? Should I consider limiting their collegiate courses? Should I lean toward one division over another? Thanks again for your advice!
Hello,
My son is currently in his Senior year. He is a All State lacrosse player. He has 1 D1 school, 2 D2 schools and endless D3 schools interested in him. He has shown interest in a D3 school. They have told him he is the number 1 recruit on their board. My concern is at a D3 school, will they show him a financial package based on his academics only or are there other monies that they can offer him. I have heard from other parents in the past that their son or daughter went to this school for next to nothing because they were a great athletes.
Nick, everything depends on how good a student your son is. Most D3 schools throw most of their financial aid discounts at strong students. If your son is also a strong athlete, he may be able to command more money. But most of the time, a college will not discount heavily for a student with strong athletic skills who does not also excel in the classroom. Only D1 and D2 will do that. If his athletic skills are terrific, and he wants to get a cheap education, then he might want to go D1. But remember: not all D1 schools will offer really big scholarships for sports like lacrosse. He may get a scholarship, but be sure to investigate what this will mean in terms of the entire cost of his education. Even at D1, many parents are woefully disappointed by the small size of scholarships. What most parents of athletes forget is that much more money is available for strong academic performance than is available for strong athletic performance. I hope this is helpful. Good luck!
Hi, Kelley. It’s hard to give you solid advice without understanding more of the particulars. But your questions are good ones. Most colleges that recruit at the highest level want kids for all four years–they can cultivate their athleticism and benefit from it for four years. As youngsters, they aren’t big enough or fast enough yet (probably) to compete with college students. As Juniors at age 18, your students will be considered transfer students, not freshmen. So things become a bit different at that point, both academically and athletically. I’d also point out that the Naval Academy is an undergraduate institution. He cannot go there to become a pilot as a graduate student. He can enlist in the Navy, if he likes, and perhaps he can become a pilot of some sort. But the Academy is for undergraduates. Best of luck, and thanks for writing in.
Hello,My high school senior daughter wants to play D1 softball and I was wondering if their are any universities that may be better suited for her since she wants to study engineering. She has excellent grades and can get into just about any university. Thanks
Hi, Gary. I’m sure there are, indeed, “universities that may be better suited for her.” I’m not sure from your message how to guide you toward those particular schools, but that’s definitely what we do as part of our consultative services for athletes: we ensure that the fit is right both athletically and academically. Feel free to give us a shout if you’d like to explore the possibilities of getting some Great College Advice!. Our number is 720.279.7577.
Thanks.