Picking a Division I soccer program matters less than finding the right coach and environment. The speaker's brother quit after injuries in a bad program, while they thrived under a supportive coach who helped them go pro. Watch out for abusive coaching practices.
I want to play Division I college soccer. Which school should I consider? Well, this of course depends on your level, what your GPA is, and also what your budget is. Some of these schools are private schools, some of them are state schools, some of them give more scholarship. Sometimes you want to stay local. I mean, but the biggest factor of all of this is really what is realistic and which college coach do you love the most. You don't want to just go to Stanford just because it's Stanford if you're going to be miserable and not play. You want to find a school that you love because of the environment, because the coach loves you, and frankly because you love the coach. I had an amazing coach in my college career and they helped me eventually go pro. My brother had a miserable college experience and it literally led him to multiple hip surgeries and basically quitting soccer. There's a documentary right now out on Hulu about a women's soccer coach who was physically and emotionally abusive to her players because it was Division I and she was winning games. That is not an environment you want to be a part of no matter what, no matter how good they are. If you want a list of Division I schools that I think you should consider, comment D1, one word, and I'll send you a list.
