Do you want a large school or a small school? Does it have the academics that you are looking for? Do you want to play right away or are you just happy with being part of a team? These are only a few of the questions that you need to begin asking yourself while exploring your college options. Below you will find a short "breakdown" of how each Division is set up, their expectations, and what to expect.
NCAA Division I (click for links):
Division I lacrosse is the hardest and most skilled of all of the divisions. Here you will find players who were not only the best on their individual teams, but in most cases, their entire state as well as the country. Teams range from perennial powers such as Syracuse, UVA, and Johns Hopkins to teams such as Canisius, Air Force, and Bellermine. These schools usually have very high academic ranking as well as very high standards for recruiting. Playing "DI" lacrosse means a huge athletic and academic committment for 4 years of your life.
NCAA Division III (click for links):
At this point you may be wondering why Division II is listed before II? The middle to high end Division III college lacrosse teams are usually better athletic and academic schools than most Division II universities. For example, the top Division III universities can usually "play with" the low - mid level Division I universities. Division III universities and colleges range from such contenders as Salisbury, Nazareth, and Cortland to such schools as Guilford, Wittenberg, and Tufts. At Division III schools, expect an increased time committment to academics and lacrosse, but the committment will be more in line with what you are used to and is not neerly as much as Division I. Most players who play Division III lacrosse come from the best programs in their state, and are usually some of the better players in their conference. Division IIi schools cannot give out athletic scholorships, but can give large amounts of academic aid.
NCAA Division II (click for links):
Division II lacrosse teams range from such powers as Le Moyne, NY Tech, and Dowling to local programs like Mars Hill, Queens, and Lees McRae. Most Division II lacrosse programs carry 5 - 10 lacrosse scholorships per team. They have a lacrosse work load much like Division III schools, but in most cases, the academic rigor is slightly lower. This is not to say that they are bad schools, but they do not carry the workload of a Princeton, Harvard, Penn State, Tufts, Swarthmore, Colorado College, etc. North Carolina has quite a few "DII" teams to choose from, so this may be an option if you are not interested in leaving the state. Most players who play DII are some of the better players from their area and usually on their individual teams.
JUCO - Junior College (click here for links):
Most players that attend a Junior College are looking to either improve their academic scores to transfer to a DI, II, or III school, or to improve their lacrosse skills to transfer to a DI, II, or III school. Most JUCO schools can be attended for 1-2 years, leaving 1-2 years of remaining eligibility at a different institution. These schools range from such programs as Onondaga, Herkimer, and Essex to Mercyhurst NE, Howard, and Delhi. These teams are comprised of some of the best players who need another year to work on academics, and some kids who need to work on their lacrosse skills.
PREP - "Post Grad" (click individual school names for links):
The "Prep" school option may also be used to improve lacrosse recruiting standing or academic ability. These private "high schools" offer a 5th year of schooling. In most cases, this "fifth year" will replace one of your lowest academic years at a regular 4 year high school in the recruiting process. This option is also used by many players who want to improve from a low level DI recruit to a high level DI recruit, or from a DIII recruit to a low level DI recruit. Some of these schools include; Lawrenceville (NJ), Avon Old Farms (CT), Choate Rosemary Hall (CT), Hotchkiss (CT), Taft (CT), Bridgeton Academy (ME), Army Prep (NJ), Navy Prep (RI), as well as others not listed.