Sometimes on this site we throw around the "good fit" phrase because it "feels good", but without much thought. When do you know you really have a "good fit"?
I need a new pair of shoes, I go to the store and try some on, one pair looks cool, the pair I always wanted, I walk the carpet and they feel "ok" but I know I can break them in. I then turn to the salesman and say "this is a good fit" I'll take them. A week later I have a blisters the size of a half dollars on both feet and I can't take the shoes back.
Unfortunately if you swap a few words in the above scenario, that is the recruiting process for some student/athletes. I guess my only thought on this thread is that don't get caught in the "fluff" of your decision. What you see may not be what you get. Sit down with your kid and break it down using examples of experiences in your life where you might have jumped the gun because you were thinking "now" instead of looking at the expanded picture.
This is not a scare tactic, rather a heads up for families that are experiencing this for the first time. Remember that first car you bought, you thought it was the cats meow, but after you drove it a while you found out you may have not done all your homework and there was a better deals out there if you would have looked deeper.
My son came home last week with diploma in hand, and said with a big grin, "That school choice work out, didn't it".
It took 4.5 years, but now I can say for certain it was a "good fit".