Any parent/family who is chasing Dollars vs Oppurtunity is delusional. We recognized (like many other parents on this board) early on that our child was an athlete. Although my son continues to play two other sports, Lacrosse was the sport we knew that he had any chance of playing at the next level. It is also the sport he enjoyed most and happens to be offered at the top academic universities. Thankfully, he is also a very good student, but let's be honest, his chances of getting into Duke, Princeton, Hopkins on academics alone are slim. Spending the "3k a yr plus travel" etc was a very calculated decision. The alumni network, the relationships, the experience and most of all the opportunities before and after college the sport of lacrosse offers our boys is the reason to spend the money. Not the potential of saving 15-20k a year on tuition. As a parent, of course we continue to encourage our son to study hard and hopefully he ultimately will have the grades to get into the school that he has "committed" to on academics as well.