How to Find the Right College for Your Swimmer

If you have a kid who wants to swim in college, starting that process can feel a little overwhelming if it’s your first time down this road.

I also think a lot of kids and parents have their sights set on the big Division I swimming schools, and they don’t realize there’s often a better fit.

We’ve never had our sights set on a particular school or even a particular division.

So many swimmers romanticize DI swimming, but it’s pretty tough.

It’s tough to be the best kid on your high school or club team and then swim in college and not make finals at championships.

Or not even make the championship team at all.

That happens. Often.

Not going to championships with the team sucks. Like a lot.

It makes swimming not fun. Especially when you’re used to being the best most of the time.

With Kristofer and Ingrid, we focused on the conferences where they would be able to make finals at championships with their current times. 

Kristofer was looking at DII and DIII schools.

He went with a DII school. He loves it. He LOVES the team, has made a lot of close friends, and he’s swimming really well.

He made finals in all his events at championships his freshman and sophomore year.

He’s really, really happy. No burnout in sight.

It’s the perfect fit for him. 

Also, he didn’t commit to a school until March of his senior year in high school, so if your kid is a junior in high school and they haven’t committed to a school, you can chill.

You have time.

Ingrid was looking at Division I and Division III schools. She was being recruited by a few schools in both divisions.

She got an offer from a mid major DI school in August, right before her senior year of high school which she accepted.

She had a great first season, swam all best times, and made finals in all her events at championships.

She is loving school.

Now it’s Gretchen’s turn. But we have time. And now that I’ve been through this twice already I know what I’m doing. Mostly.

Gretchen is finishing up her sophomore year in high school.

She wants to swim in college, and we are just starting to think about schools.

We haven’t done anything except talk about a couple colleges once in the car for a few minutes on the way home from swim practice.

We’ll wait to see where Gretchen is time-wise at the end of short course season her junior year.

Then we’ll narrow things down and find schools that check off all the academic, athletic, and “vibe” boxes. 

She’ll probably end up at a DIII school.

There are hundreds of colleges with swim programs.

There is a fit for everyone.

We aren’t trying to get to any particular time or cut or anything. There’s no pressure or expectation or goal or team in mind.

We’ll see where she is a year from now, and then she can decide where she wants to go from there.