Smitty28 posted:You should shoot for schools where your kid's scores and grades exceed their average. These schools are more likely to push merit / academic money for good students to help their ranking. I've seen kids get 50% academic offers without asking or submitting for financial aid. A school like Chapman will give academic money, but I doubt PP or CMC will (not sure about Oxy but their standards are pretty high so don't hold your breath).
You may also look at West Coast Conference schools - all the schools are private and all pretty generous with academic money to supplement baseball scholarship for players I know that have gone to these schools. Players end up with a very small out of pocket cost.
Thanks Smitty, I should add that we have a list of "safety" schools but I really hate to even mention that because I don't want to paint the picture that they are viewed as lesser institutions. They're mostly just not in exactly a geographic location at the top of his list and/or maybe slightly less stringent academic requirements. There are many factors involved, of course, but 17 year old kids are all over the board in their level of maturity and idea of priorities. We advise at every opportunity but ultimately he's going to have a better chance of success if it's a place he feels he wants to go. He's not the kid that has "always dreamed of going to school X" so in a lot of ways he's not really sure what the right fit will be. He just knows he'd like to move out of our geography for a while, be in a metro area, experience a diverse and open-minded environment, and play baseball if he can. Easy right?! Thanks again!