Dilemma - pay more to play.

If baseball is important then keep looking for another school

There's no real guarantee of playing ball regardless of which school he picks.  I think most would advise that he find a school that he will be happy with first, then worry about the baseball aspect.

 

Look at it this way, he (you, somebody) will be paying $40,000 or so for him just to have the opportunity to get on the field. 

Yes, $40,000 is correct in comparison to the public over the four year period. He also has some walk-on opportunities to play football at a couple of D2's. Amazingly, with his merit award, they are both right at a balance $24,000 per year, same as the others I mentioned earlier. It's almost as if the private schools are in collusion in getting you to the same number. Again, right at $9-10,000 difference to the public.

 

However, that's just the cost for him to go. If he plays, then we will incur additional travel expenses if we go to see him play, fuel, food, and possibly lodging many weekends. So, add whatever that cost is on top of it. This is reality.

 

If he really wants to play, we will support him in that we believe there are benefits to playing collegiately and attending a smaller, private college. But, if he doesn't want to go to one of those schools, then it's time to let this die.

 

Visiting a different D3 this weekend.

 

 

 

IMO you need to approach this as a life decision.  Do the schools he's looking at meet his academic needs and his career goals?  If not then you need to eliminate them.  If you have two schools that are equal and meet his needs then you can factor baseball in.  

 

Also make sure they are schools he is going to be happy at. The odds are high that if he doesn't like the school at some point he will decide that baseball is not as important and start looking to transfer.  

 

The end of one's career is tough and it takes some time to come to terms with it but at some point its going to happen.  If it keeps him from achieving what he wants to in life then it probably should end sooner rather then later.

Obviously no one can really answer this other than your son and his dad.  It's a tough call.  I think if it were my son, we would keep looking. Would not let baseball lead to a school that son wasn't excited about separate of baseball.  Of the options you listed in OP, the state school sounds like the right call... Not just because of the savings, but because it sounds like your son would feel good about graduating from there... and has friends there already.  Maybe this state school has a club baseball squad?

I don't know if they collude, but from my experience many of the private schools use your FAFSA numbers similarly. Many will work pretty hard to get you to your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) without a big portion as loans.

 

what does he want to do?  If playing is a high priority, think about going juco the first two years.  At that point he may be good enough to play where he wants, if not he can then go to his dream school and only pay the price for two years.

I suggest go JUCO route. If nothing else, his JR/SR years, when transferring to any of those schools listed, tuition will be cut in half. I played JUCO and then had a few offers from D3 and NAIA schools. I turned them down simply because I did not want to go into that much debt just to play baseball. The D2's offered me (preferred) walk-on spots. Basically, I ended my college playing career after JUCO. I did, however, continue to play semi-pro ball for a few years after. Now that was great, competitive fun!

He needs to find best fit for him and not worry where his friends r going.
Too many kids can't give up HS friends  and make plans to go together  when it might not be  best place for them.
Many schools have club baseball if he chooses school over baseball. It can be a  good compromise.

 This is probably the best answer, but I know what it feels like the first year that you don't play....it was very tough!  Good luck with your decision!

Stafford -

Son #2 was in the exact same spot last year.  Played Varsity baseball and football for three years and wanted to play football in college.  He chose to go to large in state school, room with his best friend (who also played both baseball and football) and hang them up.  Every single one of his friends, with the exception of one, that chose to go to school to play a sport has told him that they regretted their decision in one form or another.  Two have already transferred after their first semester.  One is transferring after freshman year.  Several have walked away from the sport that they loved and wanted to play at their school of choice.  Some have been told they will never sniff the field, ever.  The best advice he ever received along the recruiting trail was from an Ivy coach who said that "college needs to be about the forty years following it, not just the next four!"  I wish your son only the very best as he wrestles with the decision, it is not one that is easy.

It doesn't appear he's on track to become a pro player. So academics are more important. Then financial considerations are important. If he attends an inexpensive JuCo to play baseball that could provide more money to widen options for his last two years. If he wants to attend a college where they won't be interested in him he could play club ball. Regardless of college ball he could probably still find a summer league to play.

I am out of the mainstream in that I don't subscribe to the common advice to "go where you'd go if baseball were not a factor." 

 

I prefer to list all the factors.  Then, when it's time to decide, you can lay out all your options and clearly see the costs of each factor.

 

In your son's case, the cost of playing baseball is a) trading the public university experience he wants for a small private school experience, b) not going to college with his high school buddies, and c) an extra $10K per year.

 

If his desire to play baseball is strong enough that he is willing to pay a) and b), he can ask how willing you are to pay c).  

 

You're way ahead of a lot of people in that your son does have viable choices.

 

Best wishes, 

 

S

 

 

Lots of good replies. One that keeps popping up is the juco route. Yes, he has had some interest in that area. I am definitely in favor of the juco route. They are cost effective, and at the end of two years, he could go on to the public institution, or go play at the D2, D3, or NAIA for the remaining two years. At the end of a year or two he would know if he wanted to keep playing collegiately.

 

However, the ones in our area, including the two or three that have shown interest are non-residential. He hasn't shown any interest in the jucos, and is maybe holding on as a last resort. On the other hand, his mother is not in favor of that route. Since they are non-residential, players from outside the normal service area have to live off campus in an apartment. She is not in favor of a freshman (who will still be 17 until October) living off campus with other players in an apartment. I can see her point and don't really want to have that battle unless he really wants to go to a juco.

 

 

My son is in the same position.  His entire life for the past 5 years has revolved around baseball.  He loves the game more than anything.  He has the chance to play at an NAIA school but like your son would not go there if it wasn't for baseball.  He has struggled with this decision as well.

 

I told him that he wants no regrets later in life and if he gives up baseball he will have regrets.  He wants to work in some fashion with baseball, coach, agent, scout, front office etc.  The coaches at the school have those connections that can help him.  

Lots of 2013 players have already quit, come back home that we know so it happens a lot.

 

Good luck to your son.  This is not an easy choice.

Do any of the colleges he is interested in for academics have club teams?  Also what about trying to walk on?  

The public university he is strongly considering does not have club ball. He was accepted at another public, which does have a good club team, but he has dropped that school off his list completely. He applied late at the last deadline at a third public but it will be a few weeks before he hears back from that school. The late application school does have club ball. 

 

I seriously doubt that walking on is a realistic option at the public D1 he has the greatest interest in.  

I don't mean to side track this discussion, but I thought the minimum baseball scholarship allowable was 25%?  By "$2000 in baseball money", I assume you meant athletic scholarship money.

D2 doesn't have the 25% requirement.

My son played JUCO in two separate schools over a 2 year period. Both were non residential. The first actually leased a set of condos off site that they allocated to players that received their 100% Scholarship (NJCAA) and the second just provided cash meant to be utilized for that purpose, but the player had to find his own housing.

 

The first scenario was organized very well and provided an excellent experience for my son. He loved the school and the coach and started at Short Stop playing every game, hitting in the 3 hole.

 

The coach was very conscious of each players GPA and had a record of having one of the highest Team GPA's in the state.

 

Second program was less rigorous and it was much more incumbent on the player to make sure that his academics are properly attended to.

 

My son again received all the playing time he could handle and had a great season, however in this environment his grades did take a hit.

 

If you look at JUCO's pay close attention to the placement of players to 4 year programs. That is the key to how well they monitor their players academics.

 

JUCO worked out well for my son, he transferred to a nationally ranked D2 (I think they are #1 right now) and played 2 years there. His only expense was housing for 2 years, tuition was paid at 100% between all sources available to the coach. Not much academic money, but some.

 

If your son wants to play ball, there are opportunities. It is really a matter as to how important it is to you. Because, most rosters are full of players that have a deep burning desire to be in the line up.

Walking on is always a long shot. You don't know who else is trying to walk on. You don't know if there are any available roster spots.

I really don't see walking on as a possibility at the state school, and I doubt that he would even consider it if he goes there.

 

Of the three real world examples I mentioned in the first post, he has pretty much eliminated the NAIA as he doesn't care for the school at all or the program facilities. He has also dropped the D3 from consideration. At this point, it's coming down to either the D2 or the other D3 that we will visit this weekend.

FWIW...I've been through a similiar scenario with my middle son.  When it came down to it, he loved high school, Legion and travel baseball on his terms, but he realized after seeing his older brother play 3 years of college baseball that it is never on the players terms.   He was much more interested in pursuing an engineering major at a large state school, getting a job,  and finding a little social life.  His job is a team manager and bullpen catcher, and he gets pretty good seats for home games!    He has not thought twice about his choice.

Not sure exactly where your son is on the timeline but don't forget the service academies.

Just came across this.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...ition-055227772.html

KCDawgjr is starting to see the writing on the wall with this as well.  All of the schools that have any interest in him are NAIA schools or smaller DIIs. As much as he loves baseball, he knows that he's not going to play professional ball and he has a plan for his  college career that includes a larger state school, some international travel and a degree that is recognized throughout the state and region.  Any time I have ever asked about the smaller schools his reply is always the same - "I am not going to a college that has less students than my high school."

 

So, he's going to enjoy the next couple of years and continue to pursue some of the larger DIIs that are closer to the size he is looking for.  If it doesn't happen, he found the website for the club team at his number one college choice and has emailed back and forth with the club president. They play a decent schedule in both the Spring and Fall, so he should be able to enjoy some baseball via that route. 

Here's another point to consider. 

 

It is not at all unusual for guys to drop baseball during their college years.  In my observation, this is more common when the player sees no real future in it.  That might be because he finds he's a bench guy, because he feels like it's a ton of work that makes it hard to keep up with classwork for little or no scholarship money in return, or maybe even because he gets injured or even cut.  My point being, it's not smart to give up a lot in terms of family resources or value of the ultimate degree/collegiate experience for something that is really not going to be worth it, not even in the short term.  If you think of the impact over the coming DECADES, it's not a close decision at all.

 

With all due respect, it seems like your kid is "on the bubble."  With that in mind, it sounds like you already know what to do, it's just painful to think about it.

 

So don't think about it.  Let him play this spring and summer like it's his last go round, because it very well may be.  Then go off to his first choice school and get the most highly respected degree he can get at the best net cost as well.  He can still likely play Legion ball even after his freshman year, and who knows, maybe his school will start a club team at some point.  (Maybe he could lead on that?)

 

I'm a big proponent of kids leveraging their playing abilities to get accepted at schools where they otherwise wouldn't have had a chance, or at best might have been marginal in the admissions process.  That's the best way to mix baseball and the college choice decision.  I hate to see people go the other direction and end up compromising the non-baseball aspects of their college experience.  It's a short-sighted and ultimately often a very costly decision.