by Slappersdad » Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:15 pm
Here's the real skinny from my DD (above average player with good speed, great defensive ability, above average offense and a very hard worker) that just committed to a NAIA.
D1 most have money but how much to spread around??? And how much is it to actually go to their school. Unless your DD is the in the top 10% of the county the offer wont be 100% athletic.
D2 has very little money to spread around and will throw a majority of their money on the top 3 players/recruits. The rest of the team will get either partial money or use their grades to pay for the education.
NAIA is across the board. Some private have lots of money and will spend it. Some are newer/smaller schools that trying to move up and have a little money.
Here's the (Reality) bottom line we and most of our friends were faced with.
First and foremost the most activity (even with perfect letters, schedules, teams and coaches) for most players that are seriously recruited and are offered something, happens during the time between the summer between their junior and senior year.
D1 offers had roughly $12,000.00 in athletic money, $12,000.00 in academic money and the remaining $10,000 to 15,000.00 was coming from some where else. Parents, outside scholarships, student loans, etc... (3) offers to date
D2 offers had roughly $500.00 to $5,000.00 to offer athletically. The remaining money was made up of academic and scholarship money but the schools were much more affordable. $13,500.00 to $21,000.00 total. (2) offers to date.
NAIA offers were all over the board. Some very expensive to attend, that combined different levels of money to equate to about 75% to 85% of the final money needed. Some very affordable that were combining athletics with academics to equate to no money out of pocket.
Our DD spent a lot of time researching, visiting, and talking with the prospective coaches. Her final decision was to go NAIA (They are moving to D2 within the next year) because, the school had her major and was very well respected in it, it's location was very desirable, she had an immediate connection with the coach and the school. Our benefit as parents was to get her into a great school. At the end of the day the financial breakdown was $4,000.00 in athletic money, $8,000.00 in academic money and just over $3,000.00 in outside scholarship money. The entire cost to go to this school is about $14,000.00 (room, board, tuition, and books). She has a surplus of $1,000.00 for parking permits, spacial activities and other things that just come up.
Hope this helps those parents that are stressed out about the process. Relax and keep working through the process. Most often than not, the best solution presents itself in a timely manner. Stay positive and let your DD be your partner.