Cheap and open to out-of-state?

GG - if finding a fairly reasonable out-of-state school where you can play baseball is a priority, I believe that you have two main avenues to pursue.

First, primarily for D1 and D2 schools,  go to the WICHE website here: http://www.wiche.edu/wue  and learn about schools in the west that offer discounted tuition to residents of neighboring states.  This chart is very useful http://wiche.edu/info/wue/WUEsavingsChart.pdf  It shows that, for example, Cal State Monterey Bay, a good school with a very good D2 baseball program, costs $5,472 tuition in-state, $16,382 out-of-state, and $8,208 for WUE applicants.   After you determine which schools you can afford and that interest you academically, you could start figuring out which are realistic baseball destinations for you, and then of course figure out how best to get in front of the coaches.

For D3 and NAIA schools, most are private, so it's going to depend a lot on your grades and your financial situation. Get on the web, do your research and figure out which schools offer either enough merit aid or enough need-based aid, or both, and then, once you have a list of schools that work financially and academically, start figuring out  what schools are a fit for baseball, and again where you need to play to get in front of them. 

Unless you have a college advisor to help, this is going to take a bunch of work. I'd get on it ASAP if I was you.  I wouldn't worry too much about out-of-state players on rosters until you do this initial research.

The second avenue is just to get in front of coaches. Go to showcases where a variety of D2, D3, and NAIA schools attend, target a broad range of them with emails, etc. and then see who is interested. Once they start calling you then you can figure out which schools are realistic on a case-by-case basis. I'd go with method one, but this method might turn out okay if you don't have the time or inclination to do the research required in method 1. 

Good luck.

Hey GG,

You want to go out of state but you want low cost.  That can be a tough equation.  One of the primary reasons you see mostly in-state or in-region players on most rosters is because in-state tuition is usually A LOT lower than out-of-state.  There are also many "neighboring state" discounts in some parts of the country.   Another challenge,  particularly for a player on a limited budget, is how do you get in front of coaches on the other side of the country?  Yes, you can start with videos, but most are going to want to see you in person before they invest much time and/or scholly $$.  In the end, it's often just not realistic.  In most regions, the cheapest alternative is to go to an in-state JC and then an in-state 4-year public U.

Another challenge that you face is that private schools typically have a much higher sticker price but have more resources to offer significant discounts on your tuition.  But, it is often a lot of guesswork until you actually dive into the application process.

There are still several regional pockets where schools bring in players from other regions of the country, but most focus on players from hotbed states and many target JC transfers - players who have already proven they can perform at the college level.  Washington is not generally considered that.  Of course, if you are a good enough player, that won't matter.

If you are a high-academic, you can get exposure and attention at one of the high profile showcases that focus on that type of student athlete.  If you are on a strong travel team that goes to the big exposure events, you can get seen that way.  If you are a player that truly stands out among other good college prospects, you may not have to go one of those routes (although most of those players still do).  Otherwise, you have a difficult path looking at distant pastures on a low budget.

I'm curious, why is it that you want to go out of state, anyway?

GoldenGraham34 posted:

  Hey everybody, 

   I've got a few quick questions, and I'm looking forward to hearing the responses. All of this college thinking is so exciting! I'm a 2018 in Seattle. 

  Firstly, I want to get out of state to play in college. I was looking at some east coast schools, but all of the ones that I've seen are exclusively east coast players. And the schools in the midwest are kind of similar. Are there any schools you know that have some guys from the other side of the US? I'm thinking mainly D2, D3, and NAIA. And, if I see on their roster that they only have one or two out of state players, should I cross them off my list? 

  Secondly, what are some of the cheapest colleges you either know of or have dealt with? Again, D2, D3, or NAIA. I've realized that cost is so critical when finding the right college, so I might as well initially put the low-cost schools on my list then go from there.

     Thank you for the help!

Hey!  As a 2018, it's a good time to look at how you can meet your goals.  Your answer (out of state or in-state) is grades/grades/grades and test scores/test scores/test scores.  And then a lot of research on possible scholarships.  You can get more money for Academics than you can for Baseball.

Start looking at out of state tuition waivers.  You will need to go to the websites for the schools and dig around.  I am in Houston, Texas and looked in Louisiana for schools for my son.  I dug around and found this for you.  I put in Washington State resident, 3.5 GPA and 24 ACT score in a calculator and I got this...

Congrats!  You just got a scholarship for being a good student!  And you're about half-way there on the costs.

Keep digging through other states, other schools.  It's like a big research project.  You have to keep after it.  Once you get a good idea of what is possible, put a plan together and go after it!

Good Luck!

GoldenGraham34 posted:

  Hey everybody, 

   I've got a few quick questions, and I'm looking forward to hearing the responses. All of this college thinking is so exciting! I'm a 2018 in Seattle. 

  Firstly, I want to get out of state to play in college. I was looking at some east coast schools, but all of the ones that I've seen are exclusively east coast players. And the schools in the midwest are kind of similar. Are there any schools you know that have some guys from the other side of the US? I'm thinking mainly D2, D3, and NAIA. And, if I see on their roster that they only have one or two out of state players, should I cross them off my list? 

  Secondly, what are some of the cheapest colleges you either know of or have dealt with? Again, D2, D3, or NAIA. I've realized that cost is so critical when finding the right college, so I might as well initially put the low-cost schools on my list then go from there.

     Thank you for the help!

GoldenGraham34 - In addition to what is posted about higher tuition for out-of-state students, the fees (and there can be many) are much higher for out-of-state students.  If you're looking for low cost tuition and play baseball, then an in-state JuCo followed by a in-state 4 yr school is probably the best route.  However, there are no guarantees you'll get a scholarship offer after two years of JuCo.  If you choose that route try to choose a JuCo that has a good track record of placing players to 4 year schools whether it be D1, D2, D3 or NAIA. 

A JC transfer has some advantages over a HS student, assuming good grades and an excellent ball player.  First, a JC athlete has already proven he can handle classwork and playing ball and second, he's ready to play immediately.  But a D2/D3/NAIA coach would expect a JC transfer to be ready to play immediately.  In many cases a JC transfer is brought in to fill a specific need.

My son went the Juco route (in-state) followed by D2 (out-of-state).  Recruited as a 1B, but played primarily DH is freshman year.  Became the starting 1B his sophomore year.  Received a nice scholarship from a D2 university (out-of-state).  The scholarship basically brought down the cost of tuition to the equivalent of in-state.

As far as the roster at the D2, there were only 4 players that were "out-of-state" (VA (my son), NM, IA and NE) out of the 28 or so on the roster.  The rest were in-state.  All 4 of those were starters and all of them had received nice scholarships. Three of them were transfers - two from JC and one from a D1.

I wouldn't necessarily cross an out-of-state school off the list if they only have a few "out-of-state" players.  You want to make sure the school is a good fit for you academically and athletically.  In short - ask yourself this question - "Would I want to go to school here if I wasn't playing baseball?"  That goes for any school you are considering.  The other thought that comes to mind is "Go where you are loved."  And love is often expressed in scholarship monies, but you want to make sure it is a good fit for you.

JCG and CD have posted very good advice. 

You didn't mention why you want to go out to state so badly.  I'm guessing that it's the excitement of experiencing a different part of the country.  The challenge and independence of REALLY leaving home.  Give some serious consideration to what it means, particularly if you venture to an opposite side of the country.

Most people tend to plant lifelong roots in the general geography of where they go to school.  This is largely predicated on the connections and relationships formed at school.  Choosing a school is oftentimes choosing where you'll spend the larger portion of your life.

Now if you've had an opportunity to travel throughout your youth (perhaps a military brat, etc.), then you may have lived in some places and found one that you want to return to.  Makes sense.  But if you are wanting to leap across country for the sake of doing so, then give this some thought.

Of course, it isn't a guaranteed life sentence to being "stuck" somewhere, but there's a reason that you see so many alumni license plate frames in those same states and neighboring states where those colleges exist.

Good luck to you wherever you go.  Exciting times.

Yes, Nuke, that is pretty much my reasoning... I'm so tired of living in the city and I just want to experiment. And I'm not completely sure if this is the right idea, but I figured it would be best to experiment in college, where it's only 4 years, than to go to somewhere familiar and keep my roots where they are. I will end up moving out of the city at some point in my life I feel, but it would be better to do it for college than in the real world because I would lose less connections it seems. Of course, this comes from a very inexperienced perspective. 

  And honestly, another big reason is there's just no schools in state that I would be willing to go to, aside from Whitworth. That's definitely still on my list (it's like out of state since it's so different from Seattle), and I'm doing this one program for low-income called College Bound scholarship so  for any in-state schools I can get a greatly reduced tuition. So, as of right now Whitworth is a really good call, but I want to just keep my options open.

  I was not aware at all that there's that Western Undergraduate Exchange program. Wow!!! So, that definitely makes me think that I'll be looking in the west. Aside from Whitworth, I think my new lists includes Western Oregon, Cal State Chico, Cal State Stanislaus, and Dixie State. I'm confident I could play at Whitworth and maybe Western Oregon, but the others are a bit of a stretch baseball-wise. I think I could get it though. 

  As for getting in front of these schools, I think I'll figure it out. I've been working two jobs (pizza delivery on Friday and Saturday nights and coaching on 3 weekdays), so I think I'm going to save up this money for college camps and transportation to them. The other side I was thinking was to actually save the money for college itself (as my parents have saved up very little), but I feel like using it for camps (at some cheaper targeted schools) would be a smarter investment. I have solid grades (3.99 unweighted right now), and I'm going to try to take the SAT before March. So, that should definitely be a good way to get the cost of college down. 

  I'm excited man, all of this research is fun!!! Any advice on what I should do from here on out? If any of these schools have a winter camp, should I try to go? Or wait til next summer?

 Thanks!!! John

GoldenGraham34 posted:

Yes, Nuke, that is pretty much my reasoning... I'm so tired of living in the city and I just want to experiment. And I'm not completely sure if this is the right idea, but I figured it would be best to experiment in college, where it's only 4 years, than to go to somewhere familiar and keep my roots where they are. I will end up moving out of the city at some point in my life I feel, but it would be better to do it for college than in the real world because I would lose less connections it seems. Of course, this comes from a very inexperienced perspective. 

  And honestly, another big reason is there's just no schools in state that I would be willing to go to, aside from Whitworth. That's definitely still on my list (it's like out of state since it's so different from Seattle), and I'm doing this one program for low-income called College Bound scholarship so  for any in-state schools I can get a greatly reduced tuition. So, as of right now Whitworth is a really good call, but I want to just keep my options open.

  I was not aware at all that there's that Western Undergraduate Exchange program. Wow!!! So, that definitely makes me think that I'll be looking in the west. Aside from Whitworth, I think my new lists includes Western Oregon, Cal State Chico, Cal State Stanislaus, and Dixie State. I'm confident I could play at Whitworth and maybe Western Oregon, but the others are a bit of a stretch baseball-wise. I think I could get it though. 

  As for getting in front of these schools, I think I'll figure it out. I've been working two jobs (pizza delivery on Friday and Saturday nights and coaching on 3 weekdays), so I think I'm going to save up this money for college camps and transportation to them. The other side I was thinking was to actually save the money for college itself (as my parents have saved up very little), but I feel like using it for camps (at some cheaper targeted schools) would be a smarter investment. I have solid grades (3.99 unweighted right now), and I'm going to try to take the SAT before March. So, that should definitely be a good way to get the cost of college down. 

  I'm excited man, all of this research is fun!!! Any advice on what I should do from here on out? If any of these schools have a winter camp, should I try to go? Or wait til next summer?

 Thanks!!! John

GG,

It's great to explore other places.  As far as timing being while in college, there are pro's and con's.  Most colleges have good networking into the real world workforce.  Most of the networking is typically strongest in the immediate surrounding area of the school.  So it is common for job opportunities to be most prevalent near the city you attend college.  This is not to say at all that you can't take your degree and go anywhere else to enter the workforce.  But there is a higher likelihood of opportunity in that place.

Also, since costs are a big factor, don't forget to take into account that going somewhere across country can be problematic when it comes to coming home for Holidays or summer.

Regarding the four schools you listed, aside from Whitworth...  one of our son's had all these schools on his long list.  All are fairly strong baseball programs.  Look at the rosters from LY.  Each is loaded with JC transfers and D1 drop-downs, on average more than 3/4 of their rosters.  Whitworth is much more typical of the small school approach of bringing players in for four years.  This will likely prove to be a big factor in your search coming out of HS.  These schools with 25+ transfers have a different philosophy - bring in players who are already proven performers at the college level.  That makes it really tough for the player who isn't a top tier recruit coming out of HS. 

Also keep an eye out for showcase/clinics closer to home that may have multiple schools on your list attending.

What can you tell us about any exposure you have to date, travel teams, showcases, etc., and what sort of feedback you are getting with what level you should be targeting? 

I know Whitworth is on the other side of the state but it seems like it checks quite a few boxes for you.  Also, there are a handful of players on the roster from the Seattle area.  Maybe you have some familiarity with these players or you can research these guys locally to get an idea of what type/level of players they are getting.  How does their talent level compare to yours and how much do they play for Whitworth?

Glad you are enjoying the process... it is a very exciting time!

GG, now that you've shared your GPA and economic situation and indicated a little about where you see yourself as a player, I'm thinking that  you should be looking at hard at D3 schools.  If your SAT turns out to be on par with your GPA there is a LOT of aid out there with your name on it at D3 schools, both merit and need based. It may turn out that you can go to a private college for less than a public school, even in state. I strongly suggest that you take the ACT as well as the SAT, as some do really well on one and not the other. In either case I'd also suggest finding practice tests online or in books to get ready.

As for D2, as Cabbage has mentioned, many of the D2 schools you note are stacked with JC transfers and they're not easy to crack. You mention Chico -- we have seen some very good players try to get recruited there but generate very little interest, and that's typical at CCAA schools in general, which is tough, as these are the public schools that would give you the WICHE discount. You also mention Dixie State, which is in the Pacwest Conference. I'm not as familiar with this conference, but I' ve been told that the level of play is weaker than the CCAA. The schools are almost all private, some are religious, and there may be some money there, so it's worth checking out.

Hey guys, sorry for taking so long. I haven't really done a whole lot in terms of recruiting, because my summer ball coach said he's got it. I've got faith in him as he has a ton of connections with different coaches, but I haven't done anything on my own or heard from anyone. Once I kind of get a smaller list and have a better idea of what I actually want in college (as I'm starting to understand better), I'm going to try to attend one of their camps this winter, or just load it on during the summer. 

  I did the Baseball Northwest championships and emailed a few schools, but didn't hear anything from them. And I'm planning on doing that again next summer, and I'm going to try to find a team to go to the Arizona Fall Classic. I got an invite with BBNW this fall, but just didn't have the money to do it. So, I guess I'm banking on next summer and fall, which leaves primarily D3s. This winter though, I'm gonna have a goal of aiming at D2s. My number one school is Northwest Nazarene, and then Western Oregon and Dixie State. There have been multiple guys on my travel ball team who's gotten interest and even offers to GNAC schools and I feel like I could play there. Northwest Nazarene only brought in 5 transfers, and brought in 8 freshmen... that seems pretty manageable, right? And Dixie State, looking at some of their outfielders, I should be able to match many of their measurables by this summer - I just gotta make it happen though. However, I think that if it weren't any of those schools, I'd choose D3, and especially Whitworth. Aside from Whitworth, I think my number 2 D3 is George Fox. I know I can find a place to play somewhere, and I know it could be one of these schools.

  I appreciate how willing all you guys are to help. Thank you so so much.

Only thing I would add is don't rely on your travel ball coach to make the contacts.  Pick up the phone and call the schools you are interested in.  Talk to the coaches, tell them about your game and grades.  You need to be proactive in making contacts and be persistent in follow up.  Be confident but not cocky in your abilities and by all means, get some video together and send to the schools you are interested in.  If you search the site, you will see over and over that it is up to the player to be the main cog in the recruiting wheel and being proactive in contacting coaches.  Sell yourself and especially your academics.  I would also suggest taking the SAT/ACT as early as possible to get a "baseline" score that if it is good, can be used as a marketing tool as well.  Good luck and keep us posted.

FriarFred posted:

Only thing I would add is don't rely on your travel ball coach to make the contacts.  Pick up the phone and call the schools you are interested in.  Talk to the coaches, tell them about your game and grades.  You need to be proactive in making contacts and be persistent in follow up.  ..  If you search the site, you will see over and over that it is up to the player to be the main cog in the recruiting wheel and being proactive in contacting coaches.  ...

This point is SO IMPORTANT to every player and parent going through the recruiting process.  Your travel coach (or HS coach or other partner in the process) may be the greatest guy with tons of connections and has your best interest at heart.  But, just like coaching a team, they have 15, 20, 40 other players they are responsible for.  There is no way they can give you all the undivided attention YOU need for YOUR recruiting efforts.  If you have a travel coach or other helping you through the process, it needs to be a joint effort with regular communication and updates from each side.  I see this blind trust and expectations far too often result in big disappointment.   Be grateful for the help but don't accept being a spectator.

Your travel ball team and travel ball coach are tools to get you to the next level. But it is so important to personally reach out to recruiting coordinators and express interest yourself - take the bull by the horns yourself....do not leave it to the travel coach. WCP Jr. has garnered interest due to his grades and video e-mails he has sent out. To be frank, up to this point, the travel ball coaches haven't done much in that respect. Perhaps that will change next year or two (junior and senior years) but you should not count on it. Good luck to you - you mention some very nice schools with good programs and I'm pulling for you to end up at one of those or another spot where you will have a good athletic and academic experience.  

Go44dad posted:

GoldenGraham34 posted:

  Hey everybody, 

   I've got a few quick questions, and I'm looking forward to hearing the responses. All of this college thinking is so exciting! I'm a 2018 in Seattle. 

  Firstly, I want to get out of state to play in college. I was looking at some east coast schools, but all of the ones that I've seen are exclusively east coast players. And the schools in the midwest are kind of similar. Are there any schools you know that have some guys from the other side of the US? I'm thinking mainly D2, D3, and NAIA. And, if I see on their roster that they only have one or two out of state players, should I cross them off my list? 

  Secondly, what are some of the cheapest colleges you either know of or have dealt with? Again, D2, D3, or NAIA. I've realized that cost is so critical when finding the right college, so I might as well initially put the low-cost schools on my list then go from there.

     Thank you for the help!

Hey!  As a 2018, it's a good time to look at how you can meet your goals.  Your answer (out of state or in-state) is grades/grades/grades and test scores/test scores/test scores.  And then a lot of research on possible scholarships.  You can get more money for Academics than you can for Baseball.

Start looking at out of state tuition waivers.  You will need to go to the websites for the schools and dig around.  I am in Houston, Texas and looked in Louisiana for schools for my son.  I dug around and found this for you.  I put in Washington State resident, 3.5 GPA and 24 ACT score in a calculator and I got this...

Congrats!  You just got a scholarship for being a good student!  And you're about half-way there on the costs.

Keep digging through other states, other schools.  It's like a big research project.  You have to keep after it.  Once you get a good idea of what is possible, put a plan together and go after it!

 

Good Luck!

That, GG, is a very helpful post from Go44Dad. If you can shave the cost of attendance down by meriting non-athletic aid, then you are a very attractive athlete to a program if you meet their athletic profile or position needs. It's a tough process, figuring out who needs a position player, pitcher, catcher, and then trying to figure out if that is a school you want to attend, then getting in front of those coaches. Best prospect for you is to attend a showcase where the coaches will be, because they know best their needs, and they can get their eyes on you. Prior to the showcases, you have to be pro-active and seek out the coaches for the schools that interest you and start a conversation via e-mail, to test the waters. Have video available. Fill out recruiting questionnaires. Talk to the coaches. Show genuine interest in their product.

GG, Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, board... everything) at Whitworth is about $56,000 per year. You may qualify for need and merit money, which could make this school affordable for you. Ask you parents to complete the Net Price Calculator for you. That will give you and your parents a pretty good idea of actual costs. Most schools have an on-line NPC. If those numbers look good, you can do the same thing for the east coast schools that you're looking at.

http://www.whitworth.edu/forms...alculator/index.aspx

Hey GG. Just reading your post and the replies. My son is a 2020 and sounds a lot like you. Just wondering where you ended up?

popfly68 posted:

Hey GG. Just reading your post and the replies. My son is a 2020 and sounds a lot like you. Just wondering where you ended up?

He's only posted once this year, in March, so I'm not sure  if he's on here much, but here is the thread where he announced his commitment:

https://community.hsbaseballweb.com/topic/committed-5

popfly68 posted:

Hey GG. Just reading your post and the replies. My son is a 2020 and sounds a lot like you. Just wondering where you ended up?

University of Northern Colorado! PM me if you have specific questions!

GoldenGraham34 posted:

popfly68 posted:

Hey GG. Just reading your post and the replies. My son is a 2020 and sounds a lot like you. Just wondering where you ended up?

University of Northern Colorado! PM me if you have specific questions!

GOOD FOR YOU!!!