Skip to main content

Reply to "D3 vs JC baseball"

biesbol123 posted:

Hi - His goal is to play baseball in College and get his business degree. He's 17 - there are days he wows me with his maturity and drive and there are days he's a knucklehead teenager.  He would love to play D1 but knowns that's not where he is right now.   He is heavily leaning towards JC.  He feels better opportunity to play, allows him growth opportunity to possibly move to a bigger program after his 2 years, and get his basics done for transferring to a 4yr school.

 I want to give him the pro/cons for each path he is considering.  

If his goal is to play baseball in college, and he's not expecting to play as  pro or fixed on playing D1, it may be that D3 offers better opportunities to see the field. You'll have to compare the specific programs he's looking at, but in many cases JUCO ball is more laden with talent and competitive.  Read the other current Juco thread for some stories and details.

One big consideration for me, especially for a knucklehead, would be that the  graduation rate for a  Juco is typically far less than the graduation rate of a 4 year college, and keep in mind that the Juco rate only includes graduation from the Juco, not completion of a 4 year degree. (you can look up these numbers here or just use google: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/)

So for me, even though I'm a strong advocate of Juco as a path, I would prefer to see my kid have the 4 year experience, especially if that increases his/her odds of completing a degree.

If you're in CA the Jucos are currently playing fall ball. You and your son should try to get out and watch their scrimmages and see if and where you think your son would fit in talentwise. 

And then there is lifestyle.  Except for commuter schools, 4-year students live in dorms, at least  for a year or two, and don't need to learn life skills like shopping for food and cooking it. But Jucos don't usually have dorms, so the lifestyle tends not to be so cush and a kid needs to be more responsible.

×
×
×
×