Need Advice on Fencing vs College Priorities
I’m approaching college soon and I’ve been struggling with how much priority I should give fencing when choosing a school.
I started fencing later than a lot of people, but I improved quickly because of my background in other sports and it’s become a huge passion for me. My dream is not necessarily the Olympics, but I do want to see how far I can realistically take it such as national events, World Championships, and high level international competition.
The issue is that the career field I want to go into is also extremely demanding academically and time-wise. I know realistically my long-term career matters, but I also know college might be my best opportunity to train seriously and work with high level coaches.
One of the schools I am considering has a very strong fencing environment and a coach I really respect, but I am unsure whether choosing a college partly around fencing is smart or if academics and career fit should completely outweigh it.
Another thing I have been wondering honestly is whether these goals are still realistically attainable for someone in my position.
I started fencing later than a lot of high level athletes, but I improved quickly early on and I have always had a strong background in sports. I am very disciplined both academically and athletically and I am willing to work extremely hard for this.
I know reaching elite levels in fencing is incredibly difficult and not something that happens just because you are passionate, but I would genuinely like to hear honest perspectives from people with experience in the sport about what is realistic and what factors matter most from this point forward.
For people who balanced high level athletics with demanding majors, especially in sports without a clear professional pipeline, how did you approach this decision? Did you regret prioritizing one over the other?
Edit: Thank you for everyone’s advice I appreciate it a lot! And will keep them in mind when continuing my future.