WAG DIV III Gymnastics - academic support and visits

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Anyone know if Div III colleges with gymnastics programs offer strong academic support, required tutoring hours etc. like DI colleges do? Also anyone know what the rules are for DIII college visits? Do they pay for official visits? Are they limited to the Senior year?
 
I don't know much about it, but one of my dd's good friends went to a D3 gymnastics program. She's done really well and is enjoying it. I assumed that they provide academic support to athletes, just because her transition was so smooth, but I don't know details. I do know that once the coach wanted her, she got a lot of help with getting academic scholarships and is paying very little for college.
 
My son plays a different sport D3. His school offers academic support. Freshmen have required study hours. I do not think those things are NCAA requirements for Div 3 but at the school/coaches discretion.
 
Former D3 gymnast here… I should be able to answer any and all D3-related questions!

Academic support services will vary greatly from school to school, and even from team to team within a school. At my school, only a select few sports (not gymnastics) had athlete-specific study halls, but student-athletes were strongly encouraged to take advantage of the resources and services offered to all students (which were often conveniently scheduled to not interfere with athletic practices). In addition, coaches were given their athletes’ grades regularly and notified immediately if any of them were really struggling in a class. I know some D3 schools have more extensive athlete academic programming than this, but it is really something you will need to ask each coach.

As far as visits go, all visits to D3 schools are considered unofficial. You can visit any time you want, as many times as you want, but you will be footing the travel bill. That said, coaches will usually invite their top recruits to take an overnight visit during the fall of their senior year to get to know the team better and see if they would be a good fit with the program. While on that, the recruit’s meals and housing will be provided by the school (but unfortunately, not usually the parents’).

I hope that information is helpful and I am happy to provide more information on the D3 world to those that are interested! I truly had the greatest college experience I could have imagined as a D3 athlete and encourage any gymnast who isn’t getting recruited in 8th grade to check it out. ;) D3 is becoming more and more competitive every year and is a ton of fun! Check out videos of some of the top teams (Ursinus, La Crosse, Whitewater, Brockport). Last season they were solidly scoring in the 190-193 range and even beating some D1 and D2 teams… all the while doing it for the pure love of the sport. It’s a great time to be a D3 gymnast!
 
And D1 isn't all hearts and flowers....they may have more " academic support" on paper but access to it can be an entirely different ballgame...at bigger D1 schools, the revenue sports ( read: football and basketball) will have first and sometimes exclusive use of academic supports that are supposed to be available to all athletes...things like tutors and study hours will be commandeered by these sports and their coaches and the rest of the sports have to fend for themselves, or not....

Another tidbit not shared with recruits is the demands on their time when incoming recruits are on campus....when recruits are there for a visit, studying is prohibited in view of the recruits...the current student athlete ( at the D1 school) must be available 24/7 for the visiting high schooler and her entertainment...I'm betting the D3 athlete doesn't have study prohibitions like these...

I'm beginning to think that D3 was the sane way to go...
 
To quote dunno YIKES! But I am curious, can you pas along any more tidbits please.
 
And D1 isn't all hearts and flowers....they may have more " academic support" on paper but access to it can be an entirely different ballgame...at bigger D1 schools, the revenue sports ( read: football and basketball) will have first and sometimes exclusive use of academic supports that are supposed to be available to all athletes...things like tutors and study hours will be commandeered by these sports and their coaches and the rest of the sports have to fend for themselves, or not....

Another tidbit not shared with recruits is the demands on their time when incoming recruits are on campus....when recruits are there for a visit, studying is prohibited in view of the recruits...the current student athlete ( at the D1 school) must be available 24/7 for the visiting high schooler and her entertainment...I'm betting the D3 athlete doesn't have study prohibitions like these...

I'm beginning to think that D3 was the sane way to go...

Very good points, @bookworm. The existence of services (academic, athletic, or other) mean nothing if they are not able to be accessed. Coaches are unlikely to be upfront about problems like this with recruits, but current and former athletes may be able to paint a more accurate picture... ask them your questions when going on visits!

And you would be correct, D3 athletes are not prohibited from studying when recruits come. In fact, my coach used to schedule recruiting trips on Thursday/Friday so that the recruits could sit in on some classes and get a taste of the academic environment of our college. Of course, this meant whenever a recruit came, someone on the team inevitably had a big exam or assignment due the next day. Our coaches were aware of these things and someone in that boat would never be asked to host a recruit... for the benefit of the current student-athlete AND the prospective one!

Balance is the name of the game in D3. And yes, it is very, very SANE!
 
Very good points, @bookworm. 1. current and former athletes may be able to paint a more accurate picture... ask them your questions when going on visits!

2. Balance is the name of the game in D3. And yes, it is very, very SANE!

Point #1: I would ask former athletes for a more accurate picture because current athletes are told exactly what to say to recruits so you will get the white washed version from them...if you know any kids at local gyms who went to these schools and could contact their parents, that is a great resource too...

2. That seems to be the case I'm finding...and IMbalance seems to be the name of the game with many a D1 program unfortunately...and the athletes themselves are basically stuck because there is no impartial place to voice a concern without fear of retaliation...
 
Point #1: I would ask former athletes for a more accurate picture because current athletes are told exactly what to say to recruits so you will get the white washed version from them...if you know any kids at local gyms who went to these schools and could contact their parents, that is a great resource too...

2. That seems to be the case I'm finding...and IMbalance seems to be the name of the game with many a D1 program unfortunately...and the athletes themselves are basically stuck because there is no impartial place to voice a concern without fear of retaliation...

100% agree with both of these points. And this is not to say that there are no crazy coaches in D3 or some totally sane ones in D1... I do, however, think that the further up the rankings you go, the more pressure the athletes and coaches are under to perform, and the less likely you are to have a balanced college experience. Hearing some crazy stories from my friends who went D1 always made me glad I chose D3!

Aside from the emphasis on academics and balance, there are some other great reasons to choose D3. Many of the top athletes in D3 received D1/D2 offers (either walk-on or scholarship) but chose D3 because they wanted the opportunity to compete and contribute to the team. This is something that I think recruits don't think about enough when they are looking at schools... it's really not a lot of fun to be on a top team if all you do is move mats for four years! Also, coaches in D3 really like teaching new skills and D3 gymnasts often improve tremendously between their freshman and senior years.

Here are two very nice articles that I think would be helpful for anyone looking to learn more about D3:
http://thegymter.net/2015/03/12/in-defense-of-division-iii/
http://www.jhicksconsulting.com/why-some-choose-division-iii-gymnastics-teams/
 
Former D3 gymnast here… I should be able to answer any and all D3-related questions!

Academic support services will vary greatly from school to school, and even from team to team within a school. At my school, only a select few sports (not gymnastics) had athlete-specific study halls, but student-athletes were strongly encouraged to take advantage of the resources and services offered to all students (which were often conveniently scheduled to not interfere with athletic practices). In addition, coaches were given their athletes’ grades regularly and notified immediately if any of them were really struggling in a class. I know some D3 schools have more extensive athlete academic programming than this, but it is really something you will need to ask each coach.

As far as visits go, all visits to D3 schools are considered unofficial. You can visit any time you want, as many times as you want, but you will be footing the travel bill. That said, coaches will usually invite their top recruits to take an overnight visit during the fall of their senior year to get to know the team better and see if they would be a good fit with the program. While on that, the recruit’s meals and housing will be provided by the school (but unfortunately, not usually the parents’).

I hope that information is helpful and I am happy to provide more information on the D3 world to those that are interested! I truly had the greatest college experience I could have imagined as a D3 athlete and encourage any gymnast who isn’t getting recruited in 8th grade to check it out. ;) D3 is becoming more and more competitive every year and is a ton of fun! Check out videos of some of the top teams (Ursinus, La Crosse, Whitewater, Brockport). Last season they were solidly scoring in the 190-193 range and even beating some D1 and D2 teams… all the while doing it for the pure love of the sport. It’s a great time to be a D3 gymnast!
Thank you so much for all the info. Its very helpful and great to hear about positive experiences!
 
And D1 isn't all hearts and flowers....they may have more " academic support" on paper but access to it can be an entirely different ballgame...at bigger D1 schools, the revenue sports ( read: football and basketball) will have first and sometimes exclusive use of academic supports that are supposed to be available to all athletes...things like tutors and study hours will be commandeered by these sports and their coaches and the rest of the sports have to fend for themselves, or not....

Another tidbit not shared with recruits is the demands on their time when incoming recruits are on campus....when recruits are there for a visit, studying is prohibited in view of the recruits...the current student athlete ( at the D1 school) must be available 24/7 for the visiting high schooler and her entertainment...I'm betting the D3 athlete doesn't have study prohibitions like these...

I'm beginning to think that D3 was the sane way to go...
wow that is really good inside info. thank you so much! That's incredible that they can't study in front of the recruit....crazy!
 
wow that is really good inside info. thank you so much! That's incredible that they can't study in front of the recruit....crazy!
I think it has more to do with the fact that when you are hosting a recruit (or any prospective student), you should be available to them the entire time she is with you. I used to host prospective students (not athletes) many moons ago and we were discouraged from doing much studying. We were supposed to show them around, go to classes with them, bring them to whatever events might be happening, etc. The only time I might have studied is after we were all settled down in the dorm later at night. I am not sure if this differs from what bookworm said. I can't tell if she meant that none of the team could study or if only the gymnast hosting them prospect couldn't study.
 
That is bizarre. When I went on my recruiting trips I went to classes, and even went to a library when one student needed research...I brought a book, it was a short period of time. But these were all NCAA division I schools....
 
That is bizarre. When I went on my recruiting trips I went to classes, and even went to a library when one student needed research...I brought a book, it was a short period of time. But these were all NCAA division I schools....

This is going to very much depend on the school/program/coach and the image they are trying to present to the recruit.

But I think @bookworm's experience points to two more general issues: (1) a recruiting trip is not always an accurate picture of a student-athlete's daily life, and (2) there are many additional time commitments outside of practice & competition that D1 athletes (especially those at top programs) face when trying to balance academics with their sport.
 
While I agree with you, I am glad I got a more accurate picture, and ironically, it is the reason I chose the school I graduated from. It was fairly obvious to me that college wasn't just a place to party.
 

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