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Club Baseball and Division 3, Drexel, F&M

N nickm118Member
Hi there. I have been in the college application process for a little while now, and right now I have two schools that I think are my favorite options right now. However, there are some major things I have to consider when picking one, and I honestly am freaking out about which one to pick. I understand that you shouldn't choose a school because you want to play a sport, for example, but it is something I am truly passionate about and would love to play for a competitive team and one that would have decent equipment and college baseball experience.

The first I am interested in is Drexel. I recently went to the open house there, and I loved it. Being from Philadelphia, I am familiar and love the area, the dorms are great, the environment and people are great. I would major in Sport Management, and the 3 year co-op option would give 18 months of work experience in the field, which is unbelievable for resumes I would assume in our economy today.

However, they do not have a varsity baseball team. They only have club, and this is why I am torn. Based on only a few photos, it seems that it is not very organized, not very "legit." It doesn't look like I'd get a good baseball experience out of it, but otherwise Drexel is fantastic.

On the other hand, I could go to Franklin and Marshall. My brother goes there right now, so I have been there quite often, and I love the campus. It is a much smaller school in comparison, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They have a "legit" D3 baseball team, fit with a solid field, equipment, and serious players and coaches. However, not only do they not have sport management, but they would not be able to offer me anything even close to the co-op preparation that Drexel would give me.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Outside of baseball, I think I'd definitely choose Drexel, but I absolutely love to play baseball, and want the college baseball experience extremely badly.
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dad43dad431,000+ posts
quote:
However, not only do they not have sport management, but they would not be able to offer me anything even close to the co-op preparation that Drexel would give me.



I think you answered your own question. Understand your love for baseball maybe you could look into the Pen-Del league or Perky league and play summer ball?

I think you have to pick the school that is going to offer you the degree that you want to pursue as career? Are there any other schools that would give you both that you could consider?
BaseballmomandCEPBaseballmomandCEP1,000+ posts
Are you a senior? If not, you have time to figure this out.

I want to add another perspective. Sports management can be a fabulous career. It does NOT require that you major in it as an undergrad. Go on to some employer web sites and talk to professionals in jobs that you think you might enjoy, and ask them what they look for in their entry level hiring. A degree in business or econ, with stats, accounting, marketing, finance etc etc will take you very far in many careers, including sports management.

So you may not need to limit your college search to that one particular major.
S SpeedsDad10+ posts
All I can say is that just last week when faced with a situation strikingly similar to yours my son chose the school he preferred over his baseball offers. That certainly doesn't mean it is the right choice for you but it was for him.
And unfortunately, this is a decision only you can make. My son did a great deal of thinking about if he is ready to not have baseball be the dominant activity in his life and decided he'd like to continue playing but going to the school he felt was perfect for him was more important.

There are also other very good options in your area. Widener, Arcadia, York to name a few all D3 baseball schools with Sports Management programs.
Check College Board.com and see if there are others. Maybe you can have your Major and Baseball too.
Good Luck with you're decision.
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
Are you planning on your collegiate baseball experience to provide for your future, or your education? If Franklin & Marshall gives you what you need academically I would learn that way. If not, Drexel.

From what I've heard club baseball at the D3 level tends to be lame. At the D1 level it's a lot of players talented enough to attempt to walk on the baseball program, didn't make it and stayed for the education.

Is Drexel's co-op program a five year experience? With the cost of private college you need to weigh the expense of a fifth year of college.

Just a little advice regarding sports management. You will start your career in the middle of nowhere working for a very low salary. This isn't neccessarily bad. But you will pay your dues. As a city kid can you survive developing your career bouncing from small town to small town for several years? Like pro athletes there are only specific number of positions at the top of sports management.
Last edited by RJM
N nickm118Member
Thank you all for your input, it is greatly appreciated.

I am still not quite sure of my decision. Luckily, I will have a couple months to finalize it and think it over a few more thousand times.

The program I'm interested in at Drexel is a 5 year, 3 co-op program, yes. This would be 18 months of work experience in the field, which would be amazing for future resumes, or at least, I would think so. Drexel club plays in a division with Lafayette, Delaware, Towson, and Rutgers. So in terms of the walk ons who didn't make it, I suppose the competition would be pretty solid possibly.

Again, thank you all for your input, I'm still a little confused, but hopefully time will help.
jemazjemaz1,000+ posts
Go to Drexel based on what you have presented here. I am guessing you are looking for a something of a technical degree that Franklin and Marshall does not offer. Baseball is clearly not your life or your future. Think long-term. Even if you never play in college and never become a pro, you can still have a wonderful life-long experience with baseball in many, many ways.
fenwaysouthfenwaysouth10,000+ posts
Nickm118,

My two cents....If you were my son, we would be having a dialogue about your education and career path not baseball. Baseball shouldn't even enter into the decision at this point. You were not recruited to play at the next level and it isn't going to open any doors for you at this time. Sorry, somebody had to say it. Once you've made your academic choice, then baseball can be part of your life again. BTW - That 5 year 3 yr co-op program sounds really good in today's economy....you would be getting paid to learn.

Most young men your age do not know what they want to do with their career. Typically, they go to a University or College to try different things to figure out what they want to do or pursue. I would think both Drexel and Franklin and Marshall can provide a broad spectrum of choices and options. If you are absolutely certain, and positive that sports managment is your future then I would choose Drexel. Whether it is Drexel or F&M, you need a backup plan such as business, finance, marketing, law, etc...just in case sports managment doesn't work out.

Best of luck!
Last edited by fenwaysouth
birdman14birdman141,000+ posts
My son has a friend who he played with on his HS summer club team who ended up at Drexel and plays on their club team. For what it is worth, I spoke with his Dad recently, and he loves it.

I also sell a company that uses Drexel students in their co-op marketing program and have had dealings with several of them. From talking with them, it is a way to "tryout" different types of work experiences. A few that I worked with decided they wanted to go into a different direction after their 4 month co-op. Some of them end up getting job offers at this same company before they graduate from college. IMO, it sounds like a great school to pursue when looking for the "best of both worlds."
Last edited by birdman14

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