No one is going to school to play lax. They are going for education and a degree. Lax can just help you get into a school if you're on the edge. Maybe it knocks a few bucks off tuition but you'll get a lot more money from a school's academic pool than athletic.
No offense Powder but my experience has been very much the opposite of what you are saying. First have seen lax help many kids get into schools they had no chance at getting into not just kids on the edge.Also seems to me that money is easier thru lacrosse than academics, have seen many a kid who was at or near the top in their class not receive a dime from top institutions and many a kid who was not at the top of their club team get some money from these same places.I do not like the way it seems to be but that has been my experience, in my opinion they should be recruiting student athletes but they do not they recruit lacrosse players.
This assertion that many (note the "quantifier", today's SAT Word of the Day) students get into academic institutions from which they would otherwise have been rejected is simply incorrect. Define "many" and name the schools that maintain liberal policies. In a graduating class with 100-150 top level players, you would be hard pressed to name five players who have enjoyed such golden ticket status.
Academic money among the Top 30 schools nationally has indeed been drying up. Why? In short, there is no reason for those schools to discount their price in order to attract top level students. Institutions such as Hofstra University and Adelphi University are discounting tuition costs by as much as 40% in order to attract Long Island's Valedictory talent. Does an Ivy League institution offer those types of discounts? No. Patriot League schools, also solid Division I academic schools will also be discounting in the 30% range to attract top level students. St. John's University is discounting in excess of 50% for top level students.
So, that is one challenge for academic money - top tier schools have stopped awarding large stipends for top talent.
The second challenge is that some number of schools have gone to "need-blind" application processes. Now, many readers will applaud this approach until they realize that the additional funding of financial aid programs comes from decreasing (or eliminating) merit money from academic programs.
Despite these challenges, academic money is STILL more plentiful and athletic money and in particular, lacrosse. With 25+ players on rosters with funding of less than 10 scholarships, exactly where would one envisage an award for an entering freshman?
