Academic Progress Question - Freshman Jr College Redshirt

I know 3Fingers has the rules down really well.

I do know you have to see a counselor,and be very careful when you spend three years at a JC.You can end up with too many units.

I'm interested in this topic as well. Some players pass AP exams in High School to count toward a college unit, but if, by chance, they are red-shirted, will that hurt their 4-year eligibility due to having too many credits too quickly?

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One of mine was a 3 year (redshirt) JC player...and successfully transferred to DI...

Here is a HSBBW thread that will help...

http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/f...=687102191#687102191

I'd double check this stuff...but as far as I know/remember the issue to which you are referring to is likley NOT too many units but rather the problem with too mnay full time grading periods. By NCAA rules each grading translates into a required degree progress rate...the problem being that if you do 6 full time grading periods...it translates into a degree progress rate (60%?) that is impossible to attain at a JC as there are no upper division classes offered at the JC level. One of the first things that the DI will do is check the # of full time grading periods...if you have 6 then they cannot make the APR and they will not/cannot recruit.

The options to get around this are a Grey shirt year (under full time enrollemnt) that can be planned for a players first year if they know in advance that they are likley to be a RS or if they are a certain RS. Or the other option (if the RS is decided at the end of the first full time enrollment period and the NCAA 5 year clock of elgibility is already clicking) is an underfull fall enrollment period later in the JC career rendering the player having used up 3 calendar years...but only at 2.5 fulltime enrollment academic periods which keeps him at a lower degree progress rate, one that can be made up by some intense but reasonable academic work the first fall at DI.

Make sure that you find a really good and knowledgeable academic athletic co-ordinator to help you through the process...or call the NCAA...or ask the recruiter to put you in touch with the DI acadmeic advisor who should know the rules cold, and if you cn do this as early as possible.

Another thing to remember is that the earlier a player decides on a major the better off he will be...becasue he can hone in on exctly the classes at JC that will be trasnferrable in a specific major for a specific school (important for degree progress)...if a player waits until late in his JC career, or to the 4 year to decide on specifc direction, then there are a great many majors that are simply now out of reach due to the APR.

44
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I agree completely with O44.

Thanks guys, thats very helpful, especially since Spring registration has opened and son needs to decide what courses to signup for.

He has decided on an engineering major so the courses that the athletic department academic advisor recommended to him in the Fall are in that line. He is taking 12 hours right now in the Fall.

He found out that he would be Redshirted at the end of the Fall season, so he knows for sure that he will be RS for the Spring 2011.

Is there a minimum number of hours a JC Redshirt player has to take in the Spring, or can he take less than a full load (less than 12 credit hours)? I gather from what you are saying is that one possibility each Fall might be to under enroll so that the semester does not count as a full time grading period?

Thanks!

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WOW! Thanks TFG...both the understanding the operations and the relaying of them properly are a bit of a challenge and I got them right..

New2This....OK...never researched that but it would seem to make sense as a possibility...the instant that he enrolled in 12 units (whether he dropped them or not) he is considered to be full time and his NCAA 5 year DI clock begins to run. The under 12 unit enrollment can be done any grading period but is not usually done in the spring as a player has to be full time to be eligible to play ball. On the other hand I would check with the school and see what their policies are regarding less than full time during a spring redshirt. In our experience different schools have different views as to the operation of Spring RS....but it would seem to make sense that it would be possible. On the other hand given an engineering degree and the academic requirements, I would much more likley load up units in the RS spring when I didn't have to full load of baseball and academics to juggle and save the under full time academic "break" until the fall when I was pushed harder by playing ball...and the effort of balancing the two.

Other things to consider...The possible ramification to Insurance (Car and health) when a player is under full time...and financial aid...

44

One thing to watch out for if he under enrolls in the fall as a RS freshman he may have problems getting the classes he needs come spring as he may lose his priority. The 4th semester physics, calculus etc. are not usually offered at convenient times and one needs priority to get those courses.

Thanks O44 and CADad. Both your comments make a lot of sense, especially the effect it could have on financial aid, which is important. I guess it would make the most sense to try and load up for the 2011 Spring RS semester and then go for the less than full time in Fall 2011. What is less than full enrollment? Is it less than 12 credit hours?

I also need to figure out how his AP credit hours will affect what courses he will have available over 3 years at a JC. He has 21 credit AP hours, some of these (6 hours I think) are in Physics. As far as you know, does having AP credit hours make it harder or easier to meet the Academic Progress rules?

My son did a gray short semester at a JC - a few tips:

1) Definition of full time varies by college. Semester vs Quarters is one variable that impacts this. The definition should be in the college catalog or schedule of classes - probably under financial aid. At my son's JUCO it was 12 units for FT so he took 11. Be careful as some (most?) Jucos count baseball as a class along with weightlifting.

2) No point in transferring in AP units to your JC - wait and do it at the four year school - saves you the cost of one fee. The four year school is likely to require a direct transmission of the scores from the College Board.

3) For my son's insurance, as long as he was under the age of 19, medical coverage and auto insurance did not require full time status. I think this rule will change in 2011 as the Obama health care rules kick in.

Hope this helps,

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Weightlifting would have put mine at 12 units this semester.

New2this, thanks for starting the thread. This kind of scenario would not have crossed my mind until it was too late.

O44, excellent info! I created a list of questions to JC advisors based on your comments. Many thanks!

Thanks to all for your comments and advice. They are all very helpful and I think I have a good idea what the options are.

Thanks!! I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Danno - Your welcome. And I thank 3FGlove for mentioning this in a post a few months ago that left me with the doubt. Otherwise I wouldn't have even known to ask!!!