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Reply to "D1 Baseball + STEM Degree"

As others have shared ask the coach.  My son had coaches that basically said our players generally don't study a that field.  Also, look at the rosters of schools of interest. If no players are studying more challenging academic fields it could be they are discouraged from doing so, but you never know without inquiring.    A lot of players gravitate to the sports industry which is clearly the primary interest of many. 

The biggest factor for success academically is time management.  The average high school player goes to school by 07:30 then goes from class to class ending around 2:30.  They then participate in their practice for several hours, maybe finishing by 6:00.    Many players play other sports so have a year round activity.  On game day the day goes way into the evening.  That is a very full day that is very much set for them.  If they are taking challenging course in high school they have to hit the books after practice or double down on weekends to stay up on material.  There isn't a lot of free time at their disposal. 

In college they have three to four hours on a typical day for classes.  Baseball related activities for five hours.  They have a tremendous amount of time for academics if they are able to manage their time.  It clearly is a much more involved schedule than a student who is not an athlete but if time management is not an issue the juggling of two significant time investments is very doable. 

Invariably there are classes that are offered only during baseball practice.  These can be a challenge and coaches handle them their own way.  Professors also handle absences in their own way.  How the school and coaches handle these conflicts is something to find out.  My son's coach routinely has to work with these challenges.  Usually, it is with Seniors who are taking upper level classes that are mandatory and not offered many times. 

It is also very helpful to take classes in the Summer even if Gen Eds to lighten the load during the season.  It is relatively easy to take classes at a community college and participate in Summer leagues if desired.

Strive to find the right fit from a program perspective and academically.  Ultimately, the coach has to select the player to be on the team.   Your son can make it work but finding the right place may be tough simply because only a few doors may be open.  Having a fall back/safety option to a strong DIII is always a good plan.  You have to evaluate the DIII the same way.  There are some DIII programs that will face the same scheduling challenges. 

My son's school has practice which is followed by conditioning.  This puts all the athletic non-game day activities in a single time management block from around 1:30 to 6:30 on any given practice day.  If you have conditioning in the morning it adds considerably to the time management challenge. 

Good Luck

 

 

 

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