College choice --- What really matters?

My son is a high school junior. He could have gone to a couple of different high schools. He made his final decision on which one had the better french fries.

For colleges, he wants a place with palm trees...

We have heard from many people that kids usually know right away when they visit a college if it is right for them. They can somehow tell if they fit in for whatever reasons.

Last year, we toured a number of schools. We drove up to a beautiful campus, one filled with red brick colonial buildings with columns. My son snorted and I asked, "What's wrong?" He answered derisively, "I feel like I'm in Williamsburg!" After visiting the school, he remarked that no one wore boots. He was so turned off! I reminded him that the school's baseball program is awesome and asked him, "Do you really think that with all the time you'll put in studying and working out with the team that you'll have time to look at the architecture and people's footwear?" But for some reason, those 2 things bugged him!

Fitted hats would be big on his list, as would coaches that he really likes. So would boots, pickup trucks, Texas country music, and abundant hunting/fishing opportunities nearby.

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Care to share what was or is important to your son?

* Cell phone coverage...24x7 including every closet on campus.
* A great place for breakfast...serving the most food possible per dollar spent.
* Places to park the borrowed car from mom & dad free from ticket danger (oops, thats one that would be important to me next time! ).

Don't discount the importance of a Starbucks as well...for that "late night studying" of course.

Actually, first impressions are the key, and how they react to the school when they walk up to it is SO important. Plus, as many others here have said, it has to be a school that he would want to go to if he wasn't playing baseball.

Mine is taking a summer class at the school he chose, and after his first day, he dropped me an email saying "I really like this place." I smiled, knowing that we might have some ups and downs, but I think he made the right choice.

My sons first official visit was to a major Division I program deep in the heart of Texas---Liked the facilities, the team, the coach and the school but said no--reason ?---I can put the "Club" on my car at home , I don't need to come down here and do it"

It's interesting that there is a humerous quality to this thread but I believe decisions are made for some very subjective/unspoken reasons. We can do all the homework we want but sometimes it comes down to how many 4x4's are observed in the parking lot.

One criteria mentioned by Fungo was to play in the SEC. Was that any team in the SEC other than MSU? For instance, would the proverbial bottom dwellers of the SEC have been acceptable if the campus had the right feel to it?

In our way of thinking, winning was maybe the prime criteria. I don't understand the concept of playing a competitive sport without the goal and possibility of winning. I have heard some say that maybe going to a lesser program with the idea of getting more playing time. That may be good the freshman year but may grow old over time. I suppose one could say they were going somewhere to turn a program around but it is a hard thing to do at a school where winning has not been a tradition.

The type of schedule the team played was a factor. That is one thing you guarantee by playing in a power conference is the schedule. In a non-power conference, the out-of-conference schedule was important.

The other important thing to us was a southern location. Baseball is a warm weather sport and that was an important consideration. The campus itself was also an important consideration. Academics could have disqualified a school from consideration but were not considered a deal breaker as long as they seemed to be satisfactory.

My son bled orange and green (UM) all of his life. Being from a very diverse community, I never thought that the spanish population would make a difference to him. After he attended one of their camps and we stopped at a place to eat and no one spoke english he decided it was not the place for him.
He also wanted to play in the SEC. Surprisingly he turned down all invites except for UF, where he felt there were just too many (40K) and most of his friends from HS would be headed there he knew that he would not be able to get the job done. Also smaller classes, more personal than huge lecture halls. His final decison (as far as baseball) also rested with who would be his pitching coach. Also to him, Gainesville seemed more "southern" than Clemson.
He loved the small quaint "hamlet" of Clemson, a place where time seems to stand still from the rest of the world. He also very much liked the blond blue-eyed female students. After 3 years he has never really found one to his liking, now claiming he knows them all and that you just can't beat those "South Florida" girls.

He also loved the fitted hat with the paw logo on the back with the words "Omaha" in the Paw AND loved the purple/orange combo (it's not that bad). FYI, I recently found out that the original colors of Clemson were blue and orange, same as the Auburn Tigers. For those reasons it was switched to purple. Couldn't have 2 blue and orange tigers!

On a more serious note for baseball, he liked the more difficult schedule and the fact that many of his teammates were out of state, not making it so lonely.

BTW, after just returning from Myrtle Beach for the first time, my opinion is that it is a GREAT place to go to school.

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After he attended one of their camps and we stopped at a place to eat and no one spoke english he decided it was not the place for him.

Hope he's changed his mind. It's going to be a whole new ballgame in the minors.

To me the 'list' went something like this:

1.)How good academically is the school-Compared it to our education up here
2.)How good the Head Coach was and what he'd done in the past at other schools, not just the current school he's at
3.)What the dorms were like
4.)The team atmosphere
5.)How decent the cafeteria food was
6.)Campus safety and size
7.)Weight Room- Newer or Something that belonged downstairs in a basement
8.)Campus atmosphere
9.)Class room sizes
10.)How I felt after spending a day or 3 days there

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After he attended one of their camps and we stopped at a place to eat and no one spoke english he decided it was not the place for him.

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Hope he's changed his mind. It's going to be a whole new ballgame in the minors.

It is a very diverse team. However I find MILB blends that diversity together very well. Could it be that everyone is looking to find a common bond and in the case of the MILB players not only is baseball a common bond but their lifestyle, the hardship they face, and the uncertain future each face give them some common DNA? They are truly a "band of brothers". My son just added another roommate because one was called up to AA. His new roommate is from Taipei, Taiwan and the only thing he finds different is his autographs 中華臺北

A few insights from my experiences with my sons and our players:

I found that the boy did better on his own---go visit and then lets talk. see the picture without any pressure

To me if you are going to spend 2-4 years at a school the location is #1.
Also the competition was the most important BB factor.

Fungo, great post as always

I did not mean for anyone to think he would have had a problem with teammates from different cultures.

My son, coming from South Florida, is used to diversity, his friends from HS are a mix of every nation you can imagine.

I just think that he felt like he was in a foreign country in Miami. Coral Gables is a beautiful mix of old and new, heavily populated with generations of cuban americans who fled Castro. I have very seldom gone there myself over the years, I too feel out of place and I understand spanish pretty well.

Interesting topic.

My son hasn’t made is choice yet however I think his wish list is pretty common for most players looking for a good fit.

- education
- highly competitive baseball program
- coaching staff
- facilities
- weather
- Chick Filet proximity

They all play for my son, but I think for him the biggest factor is location.

We were doing whirl wind tour to visit three schools in three days. (we won’t do that again ) In between doing these unofficial visits we also planned to do a drive by to look at at a school that was in his top 5 list. The team was out of town so we just wanted to look at the campus. The only difference in this school is that it is located in a major metropolitan area. As we were getting close he said with certainty "keep on driving, this isn't for me". We hadn't even gotten off the expressway but he said after visiting campus that I would call more of a traditional college town feel he knew a downtown school wasn’t going to be for him.

A year ago I don’t think he even thought about the kind of location a school offered, now that he realizes he is going to be living for three or four years it is becoming very important to him.

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I did not mean for anyone to think he would have had a problem with teammates from different cultures

I understand completely. There is a big difference in a teammate and the general population.

Whew! Thank goodness you didn’t have shoes on when you stuck your foot in your mouth ---

Timely topic for us as well. My son just received a "we've seen you play and please fill out our form so we can begin the recruiting process." This came from a DI on the west coast. My son told me about the e-mail and said "Why would I want to go there?" He knows nothing about the school, little about the state it's in, and so it's frustrating that his first response is negative, and based on.....nothing concrete.

I will have him look at their website, and baseball pages, and hope his impression changes (or at the very least ends up being based firmly on some facts and other info).......but other than that I guess I bite my tongue. Right?

Great topic Fungo,
My son's situation was perhaps a little different. Not being highly recruited out of HS, his options were few. We looked at a lot of schools, but only three schools looked seriously at him (one was a Juco).
What really ended up mattering most to him feeling like he was wanted, although he'd probably admit that it didn't hurt that he felt wanted most by a school that's in a wonderful place with lots of palm trees, beautiful women, and great weather.

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Originally posted by Fungo:

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After he attended one of their camps and we stopped at a place to eat and no one spoke english he decided it was not the place for him.

quote:

Hope he's changed his mind. It's going to be a whole new ballgame in the minors.

It is a very diverse team. However I find MILB blends that diversity together very well. Could it be that everyone is looking to find a common bond and in the case of the MILB players not only is baseball a common bond but their lifestyle, the hardship they face, and the uncertain future each face give them some common DNA? They are truly a "band of brothers". My son just added another roommate because one was called up to AA. His new roommate is from Taipei, Taiwan and the only thing he finds different is his autographs 中華臺北

Agree 100%. Guess I should have used something other than a wink at the end of my post.

Due to my son's four years of Spanish he's been able to fit right in to the whole team concept. Even to the point of helping out some of the DR guys trying to figure out their end of season flight home trips. It was pretty funny to hear my son talk of when they first learned he could speak Spanish. They started rattling off to him and the only thing he could say back was "slow down".

as a coach, it is my understanding, that players are looking for:

Chick F la first...
Good pizza place 2nd
girl to guy ratio
Quality of Baseball Team

I think that's where most minds end...academics is parents, even their major, I see kids transfer from schools because they don't have their major. Oh I mean they never had their major, they went there because it was DI or whatever, but forgot they don't have a business department....go figure

For my son...it was three things...
1. Chance to compete for playing time
2. Chance to play with guys he knew (local college with local talent).
3. Team had NO interest in him at catcher (he eliminated two very good D-III schools that wanted him at catcher)

Academics? Never even entered the equation...in his thoughts or mine. It was all baseball.

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It was pretty funny to hear my son talk of when they first learned he could speak Spanish. They started rattling off to him and the only thing he could say back was "slow down".

Same here Frank. My son had Spanish in HS and college and I asked him if that helped him communicate with the spanish speaking players. He said "Some --- but for the most part I was never taught the words they use"

Our catcher for two years (Adrian Casanova) from Miami, had a big adjustment the first year he first came to Clemson. His mom told me the biggest was not finding a Pollo Tropical in South Carolina.

I got to tell you though, those southern girls just LOVED that latin Casanova!

In looking back the thing that mattered most to our boys in their decision out of high school was the coach. If they liked the coach and his plan for their baseball development, they liked the school. Of course as parents we had additional priorities, education being #1, but you know how that goes.

Some funny perspectives...

Didn't like A&M because a cadet asked them to take their hats off in the book store.

Didn't like another D1 because the coach commented that he could help build up his "skinny arms."

On a side note, I still think our oldest picked his agent because the guy drove up in a diesel truck with a dog in the back. Once he saw that, he was sold. Fortunately, the agent had additional qualifications.

The TAMU cadet asked him to remove his hat because they were in the Memorial Student Center. The MSC and it's grounds (do not walk on the grass) are to memorialize Aggies who died serving America in times of war. There is a sign on every door asking men to remove their hats. I am sorry he was turned off by that. Texas A & M is an awesome place - but not for everyone.

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Didn't like A&M because a cadet asked them to take their hats off in the book store.

Didn't like another D1 because the coach commented that he could help build up his "skinny arms

What happens when the coach screams at him in front of his team for making a bonehead play ?

[/QUOTE] What happens when the coach screams at him in front of his team for making a bonehead play ?[/QUOTE]
I don't think we'll have to worry much about how TxMom's kids handle adversity.

TxMom's kid may handle adversity just fine -- but in my opinion, the coach was a bonehead for making a tactless comment like that during the "courtship" phase. Now, if they had ended up getting "married," I wouldn't be surprised by anything the coach said after that!

They were 14 and 17 at time. We made sure the hats were off ASAP once we were made aware. Just didn't see the signs.

Both have handled their fair share of adversities since then ... far worse experiences than being yelled at by a coach on the field. Sometimes its just fun to remember how far they've come.

PS. I'm a little surprised by the criticism of the immature perceptions of teenagers on college visits. Thought that was the intent of this thread.

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Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
What happens when the coach screams at him in front of his team for making a bonehead play ?

That sounds just like TRhit. Ask a substantive question next time.

The question is afair one and was not intendedto offend but then there are those who have trouble understanding what I asked ?
I believe Tx thiught the reasons for not attending a school were interesting and some what surprising.
My son is a tall skinny guy who is constantly pushed to get heavier. He is not insulted by that.

Each kid is different. Ours was a little self conscious about it when he was younger. Over time he filled out and has since been able to find his most effective playing size and weight for his position.

The "skinny arms" cracked me up! My son's arms are also quite skinny and quite long. He often reminds me of one of those 'gimmick', air-blown tube-men things you'll see outside of car dealerships and grand openings.....I suppose if a coach said "Hey....you.....Olive Oyl.....get over here," he'd take offense. Otherwise his teammates have already hardened him about the arms (he loves it though - he broke the first baseman's glove webbing with his first throw of the first practice). The arms work very well for what he needs them to do - especially the right one.

My older son, who has now transferred, saw three uniforms in a locker on the cover of the media guide. The reaction was "Three uniforms and two hats! Wow!" I suspect it was over at that point. (I personally was hooked when I saw a picture of Christ with a huge grin on his face in the dugout.)

Ultimately the baseball side didn't work out as we all hoped, and we now know that happens for lots of reasons, but the school is wonderful. Of his 14 freshman teammates, 2 remain there today as seniors.

For my son, his choice was based on the coaching staff. I know that it has been said elsewhere on this site that coaches can come and go. I really hope not. There were a few other choices he had..but in the end he went where he felt he was most wanted and where his particular talent was recognized. I don't think he once considered how it would be to live on the campus or what kind of classes he might like. That has come with time. When all the materials about dorms and freshman orientation started coming a few weeks ago, he got much more involved in thinking about the actual college experience.

I thought that my son would look at :
1; Baseball team/coach/field
2. Girls
3. Lots of grass and open spaces.
4. Major

We did a lot of open houses. Talked to a lot of coaches. Did 3 official visits at different schools and several unofficial ones. Some were beautiful grounds with ivy covered buildings, just like in the movies. Several coaches were interested at JUCOs D2 and D1 Schools. After the open house at New Jersey Institute of Technology, he walked away and said "I like this School".

He really liked the coach, they play in a minor league stadium (Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium), and the baseball team was doing the tours at open house as part of their vounteer time. The professors doing the open house for his Major (Information Technology) really impressed him, they were not stuffy and boring. They had pizza and soda after the presentation.

From my parent prospective - NJIT is in downtown Newark NJ. (Better than it used to be, but still a tough town) It is a top enginering school. The guy to girl ratio is like 5-1. There is very little grass (imagine Manhattan),

It shows how little we may really know. They can surprise us.

I am curious. For how many of you/us...was academics DOWN the list with baseball at the top?

I plead guilty. As I stated earlier, it was all about baseball.

JT, for my son it's all about the baseball (and he'll scan the virtual tours for attractive coeds). For me and mom, it's a mix of academics and baseball.
And when mom's not around and it's just me -- it's all baseball.

For our oldest and for us, because we didn't know any better, it was all about baseball.
We learned the hard way.

For him, the second time around, and for our second (and then subsequent), it is not all about baseball--it's about the other stuff. You know, the annoying "fit" stuff that the guidance counselor is always being so annoying about!