D3 "verbal commitment"

Before or after making the commitment?

MidAtlanticDad,

After

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but I would say to prepare for something to not go as planned. Has he been accepted yet? Are you depending on a specific financial package? I would suggest having at least one other acceptance letter in hand in case he needs to choose a different school between now and next May.

And above all, enjoy his final year of high school!

You forgot the word "winding" in your road description.     

While committment and (presumably) future acceptance is a huge milestone, it is just the beginning.  As MidAtlanticDad suggests, I'd have a Plan B and Plan C ready just in case something squirrely happens.   Afterall this is one of the biggest decisions your son will ever make.  This website and others are littered with stories about D3 recruits committing to a situation they did not fully understand (ie...coach did not have the influence with Admissions he led you to believe, Financial package issues or overrecruitment).  D3 programs run the gamut, and can vary considerabley.  So, if your son is applying EA or RD you still have options.  If your son is applying ED I would make sure I fully understand what the college is committed to, what your son is committed to, and ALL the details that go with that.  JMO

Once your son is admitted and on the team his focus will change to getting physically ready for college baseball, earning some playing time, and keeping his head above academic water.  It is all worth it.

Good luck!

It depends, what are his chances of being acepted at the school? Is it affordable even if there is not a lot of aid?

D3 even after commitment is a long road. It is really a verbal. Their is nothing binding, except the athletes word. And since there is no athletic money, it is unlikely that the school will find a better option and ask the athlete notbto attend and dropping the offer. Most D3's will just keep both.

The coach will either continue communicating or use that time and effort trying to land another recruit. 

I agree with others. Apply to other schools as well. I know one young man who commited to a d3 this early and stopped looking. When the financial aid package came, there was no way he could afford it. He ended up at the local big state school. If he had applied at several more affordable d3's he may have been able to at least walk on. 

So he should stick with his commitment, but have some back up plans.

Edit: Fenway was post is right on. Everything I was trying to say. 

Thanks for the responses. It's a bit nerve-wracking to see all of this play out. Son had what I would consider to be a successful meeting with D3 coaches. It "appears" as though they are very interested in him. Son applied early action so admissions had said he would be notified by Dec but maybe earlier.I can't help but wonder what the chances are that my son will actually attend this school. If accepted, which I say he has a pretty good chance of getting into the school and will receive some merit money. We would need to file FAFSA to try and get additional aid.After reading the responses to my post, I'm trying to stay calm  In son's eyes (rose colored glasses)he thinks he is safe with this school. I'm trying to stay positive but at the same time trying to warn him that until we receive something in writing making it more official, anything could happen!

Are you referring to his acceptance letter? I don't think many (if any) DIII schools put something in writing for baseball. Both parties are relying on the other to honor the agreement, unless the student applies ED in which case they are pretty much committed to at least attend the school.

Batsmith,

The schools acceptance letters usually come out in early December. But that just means he has been accepted to the school and has a spot at the school. That is the first step. Financial packages do not come out until late March or early April. This is where the rubber hits the road. 

This is where it is good to have several financial packages to choose from. One can be used as leverage against the other. Their first offer is not always their best. Depending on the school the coach may have some pull or he may not.

When my son was being recruited, we heard give us your best offer and we will match. Most of the schools have a pretty good idea what other schools will offer your son based on his academics. So to be competitive with like schools, the initial offer from one school will be very similar to  a like school. So since there will not be a big difference they can afford to meet that offer. Note in that scenario you may not get their best offer. So be sure to get their best offer not just a matching offer. 

Most D3's (and other colleges) share May 1 as the date they would like you to accept the financial package. If you have not come to a decision by that deadline most schools will give you an extension. Of the three schools my son was working with 2 extended his deadline, one would not. The one that would not, We explained to the coach that we would be putting in the deposit, but he was still deciding. 

As Fenway stated it is a long and winding road. 

MidAtlanticDad,

Yes, I am referring to an acceptance letter. Also in my son's case, they (coaches) said the minimum scholarship he would be getting is X amount based on current test scores. My son is retaking ACT/SAT and they (admissions) said they will consider the new scores if they are higher. I thought they could offer at least what merit money they would give you (in writing). We received a quicker acceptance and award package(in writing) from another school. I know what also delays this is filing for financial aid(FAFSA)

Batsmith,

I am glad they provided that to you. That should cover merit money. Did they also give you a figure for the total cost of attendance? 

I would also ask about additional opportunities to earn merit money.  Most the schools my son was interested in have an Honors day. This is a day where all the students who qualify have the opportunity to come onto campus and compete for additional scholarship money. My son went to several and at two of them he received significantly more money based on how he did at these events, than based on academics alone. I would seek out the admissions office and see if the school has one of these events and see if your son qualifies. At one school my son was borderline for qualifying, He was just outside the required numbers. The coach asked admissions to review his transcripts and scores. They agreed and decided to allow him to compete. This was not due to his athletics as anybody can be granted on of these exceptions. But we did not know about it so the coach was very helpful in this case.  

My friend's son had the same opportunity at his DIII.  Good idea to take advantage of...

I can give you something to consider, other offers.  I had a kid that had been getting zero interest.  As soon as it was publicly known that he was going to a D3, he actually started to get a lot of interest from NAIA and D2.  He even got actual scholarship offers.

BatSmith:  my advice (on the baseball side) is to be sure your son works hard.  Am quite familiar with several D3 programs that will commit/have 25-30 recruited freshman arrive on campus in the Fall.  After Fall Ball...most are cut...yes even the recruited ones.  Be sure your son works harder than ever. 

The true cost of attendance is what I have seen on the school website. The coach didn't really discuss that part. They seemed to be more concerned with what merit money they can offer.

BBALLFAN2012: Yes, working hard is always part of the plan! It's the only part you can control!