Part A: If you value the scholar in scholar athlete, you would go to the best academic school for you. If you're a math wiz, that could be MIT, CalTech or some top State school, engineering, same schools, business, Wharton Stanford and others, many top State schools, pre-med, lots of different choices from large to small, pre-law, the same. If you're looking to go to graduate or professional school, the same grades at a more selective school with the same test scores will get you into a better program. Ok, now for lacrosse.

Use lacrosse to get you into the best school for you (see Part A) and then pick the best lacrosse program for you. This is a little tricky unless you're a bona fide blue chipper and top flight scholar athlete (top GPA, over 1400 boards). What's more important to you, PT or playing for the best level possible? This is where it gets difficult. First you have to assess yourself. Are you a late bloomer whose just starting to develop or have you already peaked as an athlete. Tough for a kid or even a parent to make that assessment. If you're a lower level D1 role or practice player, are you better off going to a top notch academic D3 school and playing more? It depends is the answer. The club at an FBS school is an interesting option. I would only do that for a kid who wasn't a lacrosse fanatic.