quote:Originally posted by observer44:
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First, Not an either or...Every situation and decision making process is unique. There is no pefect template...no universal rules. The factors in any decison are many....cost, goals, social, geographical, housing, alumni network, visibility, financial, financial aid, passion, emotional, academic, family needs, baseball, coaching, life experience, gut, IMO you and your son have to decide what is the best mix for your family. What my seem wrong to one may be the best fit for another. You have to honestly and realistically know your son and his passion and goals, your family, the program, your goals, your limitations, your finances.
Second, As a result there are not always simple either or answers, for the vast majority the decision is a series of trade offs, pro's and con's...which is one of the reasons that it is so hard to decide...only a fortunate few get exactly what they want. While it may seem at times that the majority do...that is not the case.
Third, even with the best laid plans and exhaustive research what you see, may not, in the end be what you get. Regardless of the decision you have to be ready to adapt, adjust and deal with it. The decison is most often not an ending point but rather a starting one. Like the DJ says, The hits just keep on comin'...
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This topic comes up here from time to time and it always interests me and usually leads to strong passions on both sides of the argument...
That said... I think many view baseball as a frivolous activity where I am not sure it is any different (or less worthy of a pursuit) than other forms of entertainment. We have members here that argue that academics is first and foremost yet they spend countless hours here on a baseball website. I think it is more important than they are willing to admit.
I spent many trips in the LA area and there are many degreed kids out there waiting tables in hopes of becoming the next Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts. How many consider using a UCLA film school degree to wait tables a frivolous activity? Is pursuing an acting career frivolous? Is pursing a career in film (behind the scenes) also frivolous after the dream of appearing on the "big" screen has ended.
We often see advice here that kids should pick a college as if baseball were not involved. What if your kid wanted to be a musician or an artist? Would you tell them to pick a school assuming music or art were not involved? Moreover, why do kids almost ALWAYS transfer when the baseball does not work out to their liking (even though they picked their school as if baseball was not involved)? All rhetorical questions to be sure but there is no shame in admitting that baseball is a worthwhile activity imho. Not everyone gets to play in the big leagues but there are other ways of making baseball a satisfying and worthwhile career (for those whose passions steer them that way). Like ob44 said above, these are deeply personal questions that need answered and they cannot be answered from the outside or from a set of pre-crafted rules (e.g., academics ALWAYS comes first).