fencing in college

[BB Boom Boom]

For those of you who have attended (or are attending) college: What is your experience with coordinating NCAA fencing with NAC (and possibly international) fencing and with the actual attending of classes and school?
I am interested because it is a big decision where to go to college, and I may have unrealistic ideas about how much fencing can go on when I am also a full-time student.
Thanks

[noodle]

i'd say 90% of people 'in college' on this board are attending a non-varsity fencing school. we're in club teams.

varsity fencing and a difficult major are very tough to juggle, you're going to be stressed out bigtime until you learn to deal with it, if you ever do.

where do you want to go to college, what is your fencing background (weapon, results, etc), and what are your collegiate fencing goals?

[Maeve_Mari]

Varsity sport participation and college attendance is most certainly possible. Fencing wouldn't pose any more burdens on the student athlete than any other of the NCAA sports. The bigger problem is finding schools with NCAA fencing programs that students can get into and afford!

[Epictetus]

Just club level out there. Though we do practice 5 days a week...

[MHS Fencer]

Depends on the school and when exams are scheduled - those are the real sticklers. You can miss a lecture or twenty, but you can't miss the exams. In terms of going to a tournament I think it's easier to get away from college than from high school, but sometimes it can be a pain. A lot also depends on the fencing at the school (whether it's an official program, whether you're just training at an outside club, whether you're doing both) and how much that conflicts with your classes - it's a pain to schedule class around practices, but it can be done.

It really depends on how hard you're willing to work and how much you want to put up with. Also remember that there are many more distractions in college than in high school, and nobody's going to be breathing down your neck about getting that paper in, so it's up to you.

[noodle]

You can miss a lecture or twenty, but you can't miss the exams.

lies. it entirely depends.

i have some classes that if i missed a week of lecture, i'd never be able to study the book hard enough to catch back up, as the professor meanders at his own leisure.

there are also classes with "attendance policies" where attendance still does count, but this can be circumvented with athletic excuses.

long story short, if you're in a hard major, you're going to find it difficult to balance both sometimes.

[Army Fencer]

I've seen collegiate fencers from varsity and club teams go to NACs. At West Point (club team), they let me go to 1-2 national level tournaments a year. The Air Force Academy, with their varsity program, sends fencers to NACs far more often.

No matter where you end up in college or in life, it's going to be work to take time off to fence. If you make it a priority, you'll get there.

[fixxmyweapon]

Yeah, it's pretty easy to go to NAC's and NCAA tournies while in school. I'm up at UNC-CH now as a freshman and I thought it was going to be hell. It really isn't that bad once you get a routine down. You can reschedule exams with proff. You just need to let them know ahead of time that you will be missing class. All of mine are totally cool with me missing class for the Atl. NAC. I have an exam on that Friday that I rescheduled, no problem. Also, if you are on an NCAA team, your coach will give a letter to all of your proff. excusing you from class whichever day you will be missing. Balencing practice and schoolwork can be stressful but it can be done. [even with some time left to party on the weekends!] Luck with your search for school.

[prittieinpink]

i fence on the club team at clemson and i really like it. i think i would rather fence here than for a varsity team, its just more laid back. that way i can skip practice if i need to study for an exam, im sure i would be in a hells of a lot of trouble if i did that on a varstiy team. and oh yea, we beat the varsity teams. []

[telkanuru]

Club team at UMass. We're national champions or somesuch. Huzzah! This does not mean I am not fencing 4-5 days a week, of course.

[gulebukser]

Good ol' Lawrence University. Small, relatively laid back team, yet we still get to be varsity.

As for how much you can do, that really depends on how hard you work and how much work you have to do. To find out you really have to go to the university you want and find a good balance.

[bwoodward]

i fence on the club team at clemson and i really like it. i think i would rather fence here than for a varsity team, its just more laid back. that way i can skip practice if i need to study for an exam, im sure i would be in a hells of a lot of trouble if i did that on a varstiy team. and oh yea, we beat the varsity teams. []

Go Tigers!

Bill W., Clemson Class of '74

[FencerMom]

Go Larry U! Carol G. '78

[AndrewH]

I'm a freshman at Rutgers, on the NCAA team... so far I havn't had any problems, like I know we have practice in the morning so I take afternoon/night classes. I also don't have classes on fridays, so weekend tourneys shouldn't be a problem. I have plenty of time during the day to get all my work done and I haven't had to miss a lecture/exam yet.

If you're looking at joining an NCAA team, ask the coach early about practice times and when you'll have weekend meets/tournaments. That helps you plan things accordingly.

[Dclax07]

quick question, didnt want to start another thread but:

how influential is fencing in applications?

Example, for football/lacrosse/etc. if you good, your in.

Is it like that for fencing? If your scouted by the fencing coach for say,

college 1, then how much influence do they have over admissions?

Thanks

[noodle]

for varsity programs, the sports can influence the entry process from either a little to quite a bit.

[Dclax07]

yea, thats what i was asking, but for fencing too?

because for lacrosse i know, you can have a 2.5 and get into some top ivy league schools

[AndrewH]

quick question, didnt want to start another thread but:

how influential is fencing in applications?

Example, for football/lacrosse/etc. if you good, your in.

Is it like that for fencing? If your scouted by the fencing coach for say,

college 1, then how much influence do they have over admissions?

Thanks

There's a range of answers here, depending on what schools you're considering and your current skill level. If you're applying to a school without an NCAA team then the only weight fencing will bear is that it's an activity you were involved in.

If you're applying to a Div I or II NCAA school, then it's possible the coach will go to bat for you at the admissions board but you'd have to be really good. Like, top 8 junior points list, regular national competitor, international competitor maybe. Now I wouldn't know this (I joined the rutgers team as a walk-on) but I hear that if you are that good, the college will find you. And make it worth your while to attend.

As far as money goes, Ivy's wont give you a dime for athletics. Other Div I schools (say, ohio state, notre dame, penn state, chapel hill) may have money available. Once again, you have to be really good, and chances are the college will approach you instead of the other way around.

If you're a senior and applying to a fencing school, call the coach early and give him your info, also if you go to a school's sports site they often have a recruiting form link, that you can fill out and have the coach contact you. If you're not at that stage yet, put together as many good results as you can to make a stronger case to the coach. You need to attend at least one or two national competitions, including JO's.

And dont forget to register with the NCAA clearinghouse! there will be enough NCAA red tape to work through when you get there, best to get that out of the way first.