While I completely agree that “elite” programs sell the dream too aggressively, D3 is accessible to decent athletes in most sports. You have to be careful here though- my son loves it and got regular playing time, but most of his friends from freshman year didn’t graduate with him, or graduated but left the team.

“D3 sucks,” you say. “No scholarships!” True, but he got a lot more merit scholarships than he probably deserved, had responsibility to other people which helped keep his grades up, and had a great support system. All very good things.