As parents on this site we always say that academics are the reason our kids go to college. I'm wondering if as parents we stress academics, but, our real reason for the choice of college is baseball driven first, academics second.
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Nothing in the poll about drive-through daiquiri stands, optional drinking age limit, crazy tailgate roadkill barbeques, or big home crowds? 
He would have gone to a similar school closer to home, if not for baseball.
He would have gone to a similar school closer to home, if not for baseball.
I voted "yes", but I have to quantify it. If it wasn't for baseball, he more than likely would not have been accepted there. 
I had to vote no, although I would have been very happy for my son to have attended the school he's at regardless of baseball. We're very pleased with the school as a whole. However, there's no way we could have afforded for him to go there without baseball.
Go to school where I work for free and not play baseball, or continue to live his dream to play baseball? It was a no-brainer for me.
I suppose another option is would he have been accepted to the college without baseball's helping hand.
rz,
I would venture to say, not living in the state of South Carolina, son would not have been accepted if not for baseball.
If baseball were out of the equation, he most likely would have attended a state school as he would have had his tuition paid for 75-100% because of our state programs.
My son did not have plans for a major when he entered school. But he did like the smaller classes and smaller enrollment. That was appealing ot him from the beginning.
Very few students who have no other extra curricular activities venture out of our state to go to college. However, students that do participate in sports or other scholarhip related activities (there are many) do have more opportunities to leave the state. I think that should be the purpose of why we encourage our kids, for more opportunities more choices. JMO.
I would venture to say, not living in the state of South Carolina, son would not have been accepted if not for baseball.
If baseball were out of the equation, he most likely would have attended a state school as he would have had his tuition paid for 75-100% because of our state programs.
My son did not have plans for a major when he entered school. But he did like the smaller classes and smaller enrollment. That was appealing ot him from the beginning.
Very few students who have no other extra curricular activities venture out of our state to go to college. However, students that do participate in sports or other scholarhip related activities (there are many) do have more opportunities to leave the state. I think that should be the purpose of why we encourage our kids, for more opportunities more choices. JMO.
I voted yes as if it was my choice,but in reality son made desicion.He turned down offer that would have put money back in his pocket{Florida bright futures+some baseball money}He oppted for northern school,{academic money+some money out of my pocket} GOT TO LOVE HIM.
Son received several very nice offers...
I did a lot of research & talked with several of our esteemed posters about all the particular programs (academics & baseball) & coaches...I spoke with a couple "transferred players", too...Must say that the input was valuable & made the process of elimination easier...But then, there was a real surprise!! I'm soooooo thankful that the offer he accepted came in...on the heals of much of this research...&, unexpectedly!
Son is very happy...small classes, great academic support, and great coaching staff!
The wallet is happy, too!
NCAA is great resource, too. I learned about one school that was only partially accredited due to academic violations with athletes...Problem has since been cleaned up.
Roll Wave!
I did a lot of research & talked with several of our esteemed posters about all the particular programs (academics & baseball) & coaches...I spoke with a couple "transferred players", too...Must say that the input was valuable & made the process of elimination easier...But then, there was a real surprise!! I'm soooooo thankful that the offer he accepted came in...on the heals of much of this research...&, unexpectedly!
Son is very happy...small classes, great academic support, and great coaching staff!
The wallet is happy, too!
NCAA is great resource, too. I learned about one school that was only partially accredited due to academic violations with athletes...Problem has since been cleaned up.
Roll Wave!
Academics was a primary concern in the college decision process for us. There are places out there that can meet both needs. Look for the best fit in both areas.
The last thing to do is to attend a college "just" because of baseball. You are one injury away from being miserable in your college experience if it isn't a good fit. Find some place you are happy playing at and you feel comfortable at if baseball isn't in the picture.
The last thing to do is to attend a college "just" because of baseball. You are one injury away from being miserable in your college experience if it isn't a good fit. Find some place you are happy playing at and you feel comfortable at if baseball isn't in the picture.
quote:Originally posted by HiHardHeat:
The last thing to do is to attend a college "just" because of baseball. You are one injury away from being miserable in your college experience if it isn't a good fit. Find some place you are happy playing at and you feel comfortable at if baseball isn't in the picture.
HHH, That's it in a nutshell!
One potential issue that has not come up. Suppose a player ends up attending a school that is out of his league academically and he was initially was admitted under an athletic waiver. Then for some reason baseball does not work out, now the player does not have the athletic resources available to him and besides a baseball issue you now have academic issues.
Not only does the acadmemic fit include a selected major, but also the academic expectations of a school. Baseball and academics go hand in hand and if one is "out of wack" the other will not be far behind.
I didn't vote because my daughter is not a baseball player. But she is a D1 student-athlete. If it wasn't for golf, she would've gone to a different school. Not because of the cost or academics but because of her friends. Granted, it's not the best reason to pick a school but it would've been an excellent academic choice though (not to mention my alma mater).
quote:Originally posted by JT:
Go to school where I work for free and not play baseball, or continue to live his dream to play baseball? It was a no-brainer for me.
If you're feeling slighted, I've got a 14u you can "adopt".
Going way, way, way back. I chose my school based on weather. Could've gone to UC Davis where I would have made the team (tennis) and could have majored in the branch of engineering I preferred. Went to UC Santa Barbara where they didn't have that branch of engineering and I had to walk on. Made the team one year, didn't the next.
My belief is that unless your son has specific reasons for selecting a school academically such as a renowned architecture program (in which case he may not be allowed to play baseball), then you don't really care what school he goes to as long as it is solid academically and you can afford it. There are a lot of solid academic schools with good baseball programs. Within that group he can decide based on baseball considerations. It doesn't have to be academic or baseball, it can be academic and baseball.
Having a degree from a highly regarded university helps one get off to a good start but how well one performs once they begin their careers will have more impact in the long run.
My belief is that unless your son has specific reasons for selecting a school academically such as a renowned architecture program (in which case he may not be allowed to play baseball), then you don't really care what school he goes to as long as it is solid academically and you can afford it. There are a lot of solid academic schools with good baseball programs. Within that group he can decide based on baseball considerations. It doesn't have to be academic or baseball, it can be academic and baseball.
Having a degree from a highly regarded university helps one get off to a good start but how well one performs once they begin their careers will have more impact in the long run.
quote:Results (28 votes counted so far):
If your son WAS NOT a baseball player, would the college that he chose to play for be the college he would have chosen for academics?
14 (50%) Yes, we would have sent him there regardless
11 (39%) No, we would have found something closer to home and/or cheaper
3 (11%) No, there were better academic choices
I know that the data is not complete or even a good cross section of college baseball but does anyone else find it surprising that 50% of the responders sons are going to the academic choice of schools regardless of the baseball "hook".
Maybe it has to do with my geographical issue of limited baseball schools in the area but I would have thought because of different criteria that a large majority of parents would have sent the kid to different school if baseball was not in the picture.
After all the posturing is said and done, baseball still is mostly a regional deal.
This probably is a factor of the 11.7. It takes a lot of money to get a family to send their kid cross country. Of course, it happens. But many can't/won't do it for book money.
My son would not be at the school he attends if not for baseball. And (knock on wood) he has two semesters left after this fall.
Fit is important, but sometimes it's overrated. Fit is what your kids makes of it. I'll bet many of us define "fit" this way:
If it "fits" my budget, that's where you're going, son. Make it work.
This probably is a factor of the 11.7. It takes a lot of money to get a family to send their kid cross country. Of course, it happens. But many can't/won't do it for book money.
My son would not be at the school he attends if not for baseball. And (knock on wood) he has two semesters left after this fall.
Fit is important, but sometimes it's overrated. Fit is what your kids makes of it. I'll bet many of us define "fit" this way:
If it "fits" my budget, that's where you're going, son. Make it work.
Kids are different, at least mine are. one could have gone anywhere short of Ivy's and done well, but wanted a smaller school and the ability to play ball. The other IF NOT FOR baseball probably would have chosen to go to work. Now HE LOVES his major, his school, and the fact that he gets to play baseball. He started at Juco, which was just to play ball, but found college learning less stressful, but harder, and that he could not only do it, but enjoy it. I believe it will take 4.5, maybe even 5 years total to get his degree, but this is the kid not many teachers thought would go to college, much less a 4 year college and earn a degree!
If my son wasn't a baseball player, he would actually have a major and go to a different school altogether. As it is, he is in General Studies and enjoying being a part of baseball.
If he were not pursuing baseball, he would be studying drama and/or music but those don't mix timewise with athletics. Both require more than full time attention.
That being said, he's very happy at his school and the credits will transfer if he decides to devote his attention to the theater.
If he were not pursuing baseball, he would be studying drama and/or music but those don't mix timewise with athletics. Both require more than full time attention.
That being said, he's very happy at his school and the credits will transfer if he decides to devote his attention to the theater.
We live in an area that just doesn't have a lot of schools within 200 miles of us. So, our search for school took us out of state, but a neighboring state with friendly tuition arrangement. I had him convinced his senior year in hs. that he could go on to college. We took a few visits around and the one he chose was the one he liked the best from the get go. So January of his senior year he signed at that junior college, and our deal was that basball or no baseball he was going there. Like 0204Moms son, he found he rather liked a learning environment. He did transfer with Assoc. degree in hand to a school where baseball was not a factor.
I have said it before AND I am going to say it again...Baseball got my kid to college. Academics did not. He did not graduate high school, didnt even take a GED because the juco had a liberal acceptance policy. Baseball bought him a little time for him to realize what a kick getting an education is. For the past 2 semesters has been on the Presiden'ts Honor Roll (All A's)at his university.
OldVaman - my son, too will graduate next December (2007). Ive read what you've had to say for some years now. I have always appreciated your insights.
I have said it before AND I am going to say it again...Baseball got my kid to college. Academics did not. He did not graduate high school, didnt even take a GED because the juco had a liberal acceptance policy. Baseball bought him a little time for him to realize what a kick getting an education is. For the past 2 semesters has been on the Presiden'ts Honor Roll (All A's)at his university.
OldVaman - my son, too will graduate next December (2007). Ive read what you've had to say for some years now. I have always appreciated your insights.
quote:I have said it before AND I am going to say it again...Baseball got my kid to college. Academics did not. He did not graduate high school, didnt even take a GED because the juco had a liberal acceptance policy. Baseball bought him a little time for him to realize what a kick getting an education is. For the past 2 semesters has been on the Presiden'ts Honor Roll (All A's)at his university.
This is a great discussion, and I truly appreciate the willingness of parents to tell their sons' stories for the benefit of those coming up, especially when the story includes the parts that are harder to share, "my son wasn't a great student", etc.
My son narrowed down his college choices based on three criteria: Location, Academics, and Athletics (baseball).
(1) Location - He definitely wanted to stay in-state, within a few hours of home. We were very happy about that one! (2) Academics - His HS grades were not very good - there were a lot of colleges we all knew he could not get into. We weren't so happy about that one, but knew that he had a condition that made "book learning" more difficult for him, and that he was trying hard. Often when we talk about Academic fit on this site, we mention a "strong academic college". But I suspect that there are lots of parents (some who posted above) who would define academic fit as "a college where my son has a good chance to get in, and earn a degree". (3) Baseball - Within the first two criteria, he was only interested in colleges that had a GOOD baseball program that he had a chance of PLAYING for (whether or not a scholarship was involved).
Based on those criteria, my son chose 3 colleges, applied for admission at all of them, and was accepted academically at all 3 schools (hooray!). He arranged to be seen playing by each of the 3 coaches (either at their camps, or the coach coming to HS games). He was the "ace" pitcher at a small Christian HS, didn't play on any travel teams (we didn't know about those) and only attended one small showcase (we learned about those too late). I think he only received unsolicited baseball recruiting letters from one college (not one of his top 3), but the coaches that he proactively contacted for baseball expressed interest in him after seeing him play.
The school that was at the top of OUR list for him as parents (small D3, Christian-based) was #3 on his list. The other two schools were a medium D2 and a larger D2 and expressed some interest in him for baseball, but initial discussions indicated probable "invited walk-on" at one, and a small offer in the $500-$1000 range at the other.
He took an overnight visit to the small D3 and came home saying it had moved to #1 on his list - loved the campus, met some of the baseball players, really felt like it was the right place for him, including the baseball "fit". It took about a month for him to decide and "commit" to the coach (no papers to sign at D3, just a verbal commitment). He is now in his Junior year there, and although there have been some bumps in the road (it is a stretch academically, probably the most demanding of his top 3, and even the baseball adjustment has been more challenging than expected), he has been very happy with his choice, and is almost halfway to earning a degree!
My son narrowed down his college choices based on three criteria: Location, Academics, and Athletics (baseball).
(1) Location - He definitely wanted to stay in-state, within a few hours of home. We were very happy about that one! (2) Academics - His HS grades were not very good - there were a lot of colleges we all knew he could not get into. We weren't so happy about that one, but knew that he had a condition that made "book learning" more difficult for him, and that he was trying hard. Often when we talk about Academic fit on this site, we mention a "strong academic college". But I suspect that there are lots of parents (some who posted above) who would define academic fit as "a college where my son has a good chance to get in, and earn a degree". (3) Baseball - Within the first two criteria, he was only interested in colleges that had a GOOD baseball program that he had a chance of PLAYING for (whether or not a scholarship was involved).
Based on those criteria, my son chose 3 colleges, applied for admission at all of them, and was accepted academically at all 3 schools (hooray!). He arranged to be seen playing by each of the 3 coaches (either at their camps, or the coach coming to HS games). He was the "ace" pitcher at a small Christian HS, didn't play on any travel teams (we didn't know about those) and only attended one small showcase (we learned about those too late). I think he only received unsolicited baseball recruiting letters from one college (not one of his top 3), but the coaches that he proactively contacted for baseball expressed interest in him after seeing him play.
The school that was at the top of OUR list for him as parents (small D3, Christian-based) was #3 on his list. The other two schools were a medium D2 and a larger D2 and expressed some interest in him for baseball, but initial discussions indicated probable "invited walk-on" at one, and a small offer in the $500-$1000 range at the other.
He took an overnight visit to the small D3 and came home saying it had moved to #1 on his list - loved the campus, met some of the baseball players, really felt like it was the right place for him, including the baseball "fit". It took about a month for him to decide and "commit" to the coach (no papers to sign at D3, just a verbal commitment). He is now in his Junior year there, and although there have been some bumps in the road (it is a stretch academically, probably the most demanding of his top 3, and even the baseball adjustment has been more challenging than expected), he has been very happy with his choice, and is almost halfway to earning a degree!
MN-Mom,
Thanks for relating your experience. In my opinion, when its all said and done, we should all want our son/daughter to come out of college with a degree in whatever subject area they wish to pursue their future in.
If baseball (or any other sport) can help pave the way to that goal, so much the better.
My wishes to you and your son that his story contibues and ends in a way that he will always smile when he talks of his days in college and playing baseball.
Thanks for relating your experience. In my opinion, when its all said and done, we should all want our son/daughter to come out of college with a degree in whatever subject area they wish to pursue their future in.
If baseball (or any other sport) can help pave the way to that goal, so much the better.
My wishes to you and your son that his story contibues and ends in a way that he will always smile when he talks of his days in college and playing baseball.
YourBasicMom
I appreciate the kind words. Our boys, and others like them, continue to prove it can be done.
Funny, a more recent thread about the young man cut from the D-III team has an application here.
Don't be afraid to transfer. Sure, eventually, you want to settle in somewhere, get to know the place and become a member of the community. But if you're footing the bill, why not go somewhere, anywhere you feel comfortable?
And if you're not comfortable without baseball, why not move along?
I thought I read or heard something a while back saying that nearly a third of all college graduates attend at least three schools.
It's all about the finish line, making that walk to pick up a diploma. My son's baseball situation, well, you haven't seen us on the bragging thread lately. But it helps pay his college bill, so he keeps slogging through.
We all would prefer a smooth trip, but how many times does that really happen?
It doesn't matter how you get there, only that you do.
I appreciate the kind words. Our boys, and others like them, continue to prove it can be done.
Funny, a more recent thread about the young man cut from the D-III team has an application here.
Don't be afraid to transfer. Sure, eventually, you want to settle in somewhere, get to know the place and become a member of the community. But if you're footing the bill, why not go somewhere, anywhere you feel comfortable?
And if you're not comfortable without baseball, why not move along?
I thought I read or heard something a while back saying that nearly a third of all college graduates attend at least three schools.
It's all about the finish line, making that walk to pick up a diploma. My son's baseball situation, well, you haven't seen us on the bragging thread lately. But it helps pay his college bill, so he keeps slogging through.
We all would prefer a smooth trip, but how many times does that really happen?
It doesn't matter how you get there, only that you do.