Full Ride

[dodgerblue]

I took my DD to a D1 winter softball camp and afterwards we had a Q&A with the head coach and had some interesting information regarding scholarship's. He told the parents that not (1) of his girls has a full ride and that when you hear people say they got a 4 year full ride that the NCAA doesn't allow that. Is this true because everybody I talk to say they got a 4 or 5 year full ride. He also said that they only offer the 1st year then get evaluated each year per NCAA rules.

[Blind Squirrel]

I took my DD to a D1 winter softball camp and afterwards we had a Q&A with the head coach and had some interesting information regarding scholarship's. He told the parents that not (1) of his girls has a full ride and that when you hear people say they got a 4 year full ride that the NCAA doesn't allow that. Is this true because everybody I talk to say they got a 4 or 5 year full ride. He also said that they only offer the 1st year then get evaluated each year per NCAA rules.

A given coach may elect to not allocate any player a "full ride" or they may. A "full ride" does not mean a guarantee of 4/5 years of free college. It is year to year. But if a coach offers a kid a full ride and the kid accepts, the kid is certainly expecting that, at the very least, their first year is covered. Now, consider what type of players are offered full rides: I would guess they are highly coveted players (at least by that particular coach), regardless of what position they play. It seems likely to me that if such a player continually meets expectations on an annual basis, then they will likely be leaving that college in 4/5 years without having had to pay much (there may be incidental expenses). In addition to tuition/books, etc. such kids may also be given a housing allowance that more than covers the cost of off-campus housing as well as food, also subject to a year to year review.

I typed this fast, so I may have not been clear or I may just be wrong. If so, someone needs to correct me.

John

[Sftbll4ever]

Most will tell you full ride knowing that about 80% came from the softball program and that the rest is coming from other means via the school. When all is said and done, mommy and daddy are not paying out of their pocket.

We were told that a school could tell you it was for 5 years, but when it comes down to it, they can pull that scholarship for various reasons, but the main one being grades. If you don't make grades, you can't play and the money goes bah bye!!!

[jonriv]

Most talk of "softball scholarships' is exaggerated- Most programs are not fully funded-- other funding is based on academics or financial need- anything else is an NCAA violation

Find the school that meets the academic needs and make sure your darling DD has excellent grades and SAT/ACTs

[watcher]

Both DD's are evaluated @ the end of the year & The amount of scholarship money is awarded, Neither of mine got "full-ride" from athletics only, There is academic money involved. Most coaches drool over the studs that have great GPA's & 2000 SAT's. They use academic money first & That leaves more athletic money for the stud that doesn't have stellar GPA or SAT.

[Sftbll4ever]

Not my kid, but I know one that got 80% athletic and is getting 20% in other school funds. This is for a big hitting utility player.

[southernman]

The "Realities" of Recruiting/Scholarships/True Cost of College Attendance, are: very few families, escape scot free. I am sharing the following to dispel some of the "Myths" and help families/kids develop realistic expectations regarding Softball Athletic Scholarships, as they prepare to successfully navigate the journey to the next level..

Some of this information comes from Cathi Aradi,and I have attempted to cite her where appropriate, but most has been gleaned from personal experience with my daughter and her journey to playing DI college softball.

The conversation's regarding recruiting and scholarships on softball forums, and/or in the stands or sidelines at any softball field are filled with falsehoods and myths. When you hear about, or someone tells you that their kid received a 4 year FULL RIDE, you most likely are not hearing the entire story. "Full Ride" Softball Athletic Scholarships are EXTREMELY RARE, and 4 year Athletic Scholarship's DO NOT exist. Athletic scholarships are for a period of 1 academic year only, renewable each year by July 1st.

More times than not,(99% of the time) the real story is: "she got $8000 in need-based money, $10,000 in academic money (because she's a 4.0/1380 SAT II student), she got some work-study, some loan money, and $7500 in softball money (and she's an impact player for them!). Inexperienced parents hear that this kid got a FULL RIDE and think, "Well, my kid is better than his kid, so my kid will get a full ride offer from them too." Then they have a hissy fit when the coach says, "We can offer you $7500 in softball money and whatever else you might qualify for." The parent knows he won't get more than a few thousand in need-base money, and his kid is a 3.0 student with 990 SAT's, so she's not getting a lot of academic money. Now he's fried because he thinks the coach is trying to put one over on him, when in reality, the coach offered his kid the same amount of athletic money as the other girl received. It's just that she doesn't qualify for the other types of money, thus less money is available to her". (paraphrased from the FAQ section of Cathi Aradi' website http://www.fastpitchrecruiting.com)

There are over 950 colleges (not including J.C.'s) with softball teams. Approximately 220 are Division I; approximately 230 are Division II; and the balance is divided between Division III and NAIA schools. Fewer than 50% of colleges with teams offer softball scholarships but most schools have financial aid of one kind or another. Division I schools are allowed a maximum of 12 total athletic scholarships for the entire team. Division II schools are allowed around 7 total athletic scholarships for the entire team and Division III and Ivy League schools have zero athletic scholarships in any sport. NAIA schools are allowed approx.10 total athletic scholarships for the entire team. It is important to know that even though, D III and Ivy League schools (many of which are smaller private schools) do not offer Athletic Scholarships. Many times these schools have large endowments, & the overall financial aid package these schools are able to offer is far better than what the schools that have athletic scholarships (many of which are larger publicly funded schools) are able to offer.

Also keep in mind that as part of that last statement. Of those schools that do offer athletic scholarships, most ARE NOT fully funded, so in reality many DI schools may only have 5-6 total scholarships, and DII schools 2 -3, etc. for the entire team of 18 -22 players. Many schools may have an impact player or 2-3 (pitcher, catcher, shortstop, stud hitter, etc.) receiving 60-80% athletic $$ with most of the other players receiving anywhere from 0 - 40%.

Being part of a fully funded program does not make your DD immune from this same set of conditions. These schools may have more players receiving some Athletic $$, but like their underfunded counterparts, they too, usually have several on their roster receiving a combination of Grants, Loans, Academic, Need Based, Church/Private Scholarships, and/or Family Money, and little or no Athletic $$.

Exploring the J.C. route is also a great option for many kids, and although I don't know the details of J.C. Athletic Scholarships, certainly the overall cost of attendance is much less than any University. J.C.'s offer an outstanding opportunity to stay close to home, mature, improve grades, softball skills etc., and still play ball at a very high level, before making the transition to a 4 year school. Also if your DD has her heart set on going away to school, there are many J.C.'s across the country that offer Student Housing. Some of the other advantages of attending a J.C. are: Many Universities have special scholarships set aside just for J.C. transfer's. In addition, J.C. transferee's are highly sought after by 4 year college coaches because they offer more "Bang for the Athletic Scholarship Buck" as they are generally more mature, have better skill sets, and are better prepared to be an immeditate impact player, provide a leadership role, and graduate, than the average freshman.

These are some of the realities of Softball Athletic Scholarships. What's important to keep in mind is; fortunately there are many other sources of funding, and there is a lot more academic money available than softball money. There's also need-base and ethnicity-based money as well as work study, grants, and loans, etc.. In addition, there are many sources of private funding available that are up to you to identify and pursue.

So keep an open mind, seek out & investigate ALL the options when your athlete is looking into colleges and funding. More importantly seek the right fit, and if at all possible follow the path that will give your DD the highest quality education and overall college experience.

P.S. "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" - John Wooden

[jonriv]

Well said.......

[dodgerblue]

Thank you, finally a little truth to all the madness, you know everybody in SoCal gets a full ride or so they all say.

[PlayingfortheOCB]

More money available.... including full rides for kids heading out of state.. It depends on the school, their needs and the skill level of the kid. Full rides do happen and not just for pitcher, catchers and short stops... two thing are a given.... if you can pitch (studette)or hit (smash)... you are going to play. My suggestion is to study hard... get great grades but also.... hit, hit, hit!!! If you can bang with the best of them... you got a great shot to not only to get a good scholarship but also early playing time. The best 9 hitters are going to play!!!!

Yes athletic scholarships are a year by year but some schools know that when they got to pull a "Calif Kid" or other "Top Player" (not just Calif kids) across country with out of state tuition involved, it's going to cost them some money to get the kid to commit.

Of course not all schools are fully funded so this doesn't apply in every case but if you do your "job" then anything is possible... and does happen!!

My suggestions..

Get Cathi Aradi's book.

Get on the best, high profile team that your kid will be an impact player... where she is playing in the big games and impacting the game. There is a lot of great exposure travel teams to play for and not everyone is going to be an impact player on the top clubs so... play for the best team that she can get significant playing time and where she is impacting the game.

Get great coaching and work on your game outside of practice. be a complete ball player.... hitting, fielding and base running. We travelled 4 hours each way to practice and play games... 30+ weekends a year and several mid week practice during the summer to play for the Batbusters... to get great coaching... we could have stayed in Fresno and saved a ton of money but would do it all over again just for the coaching!

Send emails, post cards, attend camps... and get the best grades and test scores you can manage! If you have great grades and awesome test scores that is less athletic money that the school has to commit and they can give you more academic money. Academic money is better than athletic money.. there is more of it (academic money) and they usually can't take it away from you short of significantly bombing out in school.

Mike Davin
mdavin@ddccpa.com if you have questions