umm. Harvard is D1 and also pretty strong academically. the hardest part of an Ivy League school is getting in. it is not that different than many other strong academic colleges once you get there. staying in is not a huge deal in other words.
Ivies are different in that they don't provide the academic infrastructure of non-ivies to help athletes. Stanford and Duke, for instance, provide tutoring and time management help through their student-athlete academic services departments. Quite a big difference. It is true that the hardest part is getting in. But for laxers (and other athletes) it's much easier, and that can be great, or a problem. The football team at Harvard, for example, over recruits by close to 50% because they know that many kids will drop football/not cut it academically because it can be overwhelming for a kid who isn't a good fit. It is important to make sure a school is a good fit for your kid. Just because they can get in, doesn't make it the right place.
Now if your kid gets into Harvard, Stanford, Duke and Northwestern, I'm not saying they should go to a much weaker academic school instead. What I am saying is that these highly competitive academic schools have differences, and one might fit a kid better than another.
