NCAA vs. NAIA?

[skymama 37]

I was just looking at a list of college scouts that will be at a soccer tournament that my son is going to, and some of them represent schools from the NAIA. What's the difference between that and the NCAA, just the size of the school? Are they about the same as a NCAA Div. II school? Is that association seen as less prestigious?

Anyone know of any colleges that have good Engineering and soccer programs? I went to a meeting last night that a college soccer coach spoke at. He said we have to look at what kind of scholarship "packages" we can put together instead of just a sports scholarship because there are so few scholarships available now. He added that he was contacted by 3000 players last year for 9 scholarships and the school only has 2000 students!

This is so different than what it was like back in the 80's when I was an athlete. Back then, the coaches found me, I didn't have to do anything. Now, we need cover letters, resumes, dvd's, etc. Ugh! I have a feeling the promotion of Nick to these coaches is going to consume our time for the next 2 years.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Brains 2]

Quote

Ugh! I have a feeling the promotion of Nick to these coaches is going to consume our time for the next 2 years.

Good thing you know a good, high-powered, new york PR man then huh!!

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[Tornolf 0]

spend more time on academics. get close to a 4.0 in high school and score over 1440 on the sat's (old score when 1600 was max, dunno what equivalent is now) and it's pretty easy to get a full ride to most places. throw in a bunch of ap classes in junior/senior year and you can go into college with 20+ hours which will save a semester or 2 of costs. you can always walk on to a college team.

high school classes, even ap stuff, aren't hard. it's just putting in the time to do well enough. same with the sat's.

imo it's much easier to get school paid for through academics then sports, especially if you're a guy.

btw, when looking at engineering programs look at ones that have co-ops. they're worth their weight in gold unless your kid is smart enough to get into an MIT or CalTech.

A waddling elephant seal is the cutest thing in the entire world.
-TJ

[skymama 37]

He's taking 3 AP classes this year and his 3rd year of engineering in the magnet program he's enrolled in. He'll qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship that FL offers (tuition, books and fees), but after playing soccer for 11 years so far, he wants that scholarship too.

What's an engineering co-op?

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Tornolf 0]

co-operative education program. Basically you work with a company as an engineer (not a gopher or secretary who gets engineers their coffee) part/full time during the school year. University of Louisville and University of Cincinnati are two that have co-op programs. I go to UofL and work full time alternating semesters and part time during the school year for an electronic connector company.

http://speed.louisville.edu/coop is UofL's program.

A waddling elephant seal is the cutest thing in the entire world.
-TJ

[Squeak 17]

With these sports scholarships how much emphasis is placed on maintaining good academic scores?
We get a bit of Baseball and Gridiron here and some of the college players seem to struggle to string a complete sentence together

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[skymama 37]

I believe all of the students have to keep a certain GPA average so they won't be put on academic probation. Of course, I'm sure some players get certain considerations from some teachers if pressured from the coaches.

The soccer team at my son's school actually has above a 3.0 average because quite a few of them are in the engineering school. Nick knows that if his grades slip that soccer will be the first thing to go. He's never gotten below a B so far, but that may change with all of these AP classes this year.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[sinjin 0]

ok, i can answer your ncaa , naia questions.. it is basically about rule restrictions and scholarships.. ncaa div 1 has the most rules and restrictions. they also carry the most scholarships as the athletic dept has to meet financial minimums.. division 2 is the same with less scholahip money and less financial demand on the institution.. division 3 has a no athletic scholarship philosophy.. they give money in other ways while working with academics but it comes from a different source.. the athletic demand is generally less as you move down from I to III but can vary on the intensity of the particular program. size of the school does not matter is the the $$$ they can put up. NAIA does not have any athletic standards in terms of player age , sat scores, etc.. so they generally have more international players and older.. especially in soccer.. i was a div I assistant and div II head coach and i am very familiar with recruiting and scholarships.. feel free to pm me if you need more info or have questions..

dont let life pass you by

[skymama 37]

Oh wow, thanks so much for replying! It just goes to show, if you ask on dz.com someone will know the answer. I'll pm you when I have more specific questions. He's just a Junior so this is all new to me.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon