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Not at all an expert, but it's looking pretty much like D3 or bust for my son. So we've done a lot of investigating. I think you'll find that D3 covers a very wide range, There are programs with outstanding facilities, great coaches, and highly competitive teams, who on a good day might hold their own against decent D1 competition. And then there are programs that aren't so great, it seems. There's just a very wide range of schools playing D3 baseball.
One thing to keep in mind, maybe. A close friend of mine, who is a big shot banker, knows a lot about the finances of colleges and universities. He says that many of these small liberal arts colleges are going to have to shut their doors over the next 5 or so years. Big crunch coming. Many of them are no longer credit worthy according to him. They have been operating in the red for years. He strongly recommends against sending your kid to any small liberal arts school that is in precarious financial condition.
pretty much any of the schools in the NESCAC league are high level academic schools, and if anyone is interested in catching check out my new blog at www.candidcatcher.wordpress.com, catchers never get any love and its time to change that!
One thing to keep in mind, maybe. A close friend of mine, who is a big shot banker, knows a lot about the finances of colleges and universities. He says that many of these small liberal arts colleges are going to have to shut their doors over the next 5 or so years. Big crunch coming. Many of them are no longer credit worthy according to him. They have been operating in the red for years. He strongly recommends against sending your kid to any small liberal arts school that is in precarious financial condition.
Yikes! This isn't something that is on the typical short list of things to consider, but I have read similar things. At $60k+ for many middle-of-the-road private colleges it's just not worth it. I wouldn't expect the highly ranked schools to be in the same boat.
I think worrying about the baseball aspect and the academic aspect of college is enough for a 2017 grad to worry about -- let your parents figure out what colleges are going to be affordable and are financially healthy.
There's plenty of info out there on college financials. Bowdon has been around for a long time and has an endowment of over $1 Billion. I wouldn't worry about them. Bates has also been around a long time but has less then $250 million, so that could be a concern.
Looking at high academic schools I think that percentage of demonstrated need that is met is a good indicator of both your chances of getting enough aid and the financial health of the school. That's easy to find out, and there are also lists of which schools meet 100% of demonstrated need. Checking that list against your other criteria could be a good start, especially if your parents are expecting financial aid.
The only D3 program that I have seen in person thus far is Johns Hopkins. It definitely fits all of your criteria.
warriorbaseball1,
You are doing the right thing by being proactive.I would encourage you to build a list of schools based on your what you are looking for in a college.There are a bunch of excellent D3 choices on the East Coast.Ultimately, you want to find the school that fits YOU best academically,athletically,financially,and socially.
Some of the schools in the NESCAC,Centennial, and NEWMAC conferences would fit what you are looking for.There is one school in particular that checks all of your requirements.Take a look at this :
https://www.amherst.edu/athlet...ing/baseball/history
Good luck in your search !
warriorbaseball1:
Did you want a liberal arts education or are you looking to specialize in something (business, engineer, doctor, dentist, etc.)? Makes a difference since some of these schools have the best programs around while others "just" have a degree program. Still a degree from any of these schools will help you get in the front door when your "real career" starts...
Do you know if you want a city location, just outside a city, or fairly far from a city? Any thoughts on size of school? Have you considered the weather? Bowdoin/Bates have very different weather patterns than say Amherst/Tufts/MIT or Johns Hopkin/Haverford. Is academics or baseball more important to you?
Think of it this way - 'tis the season to make a list, check it twice, etc. etc. Follow a couple of the other 'hot topics' lately - find a school where you'd be happy and fit in even if athletics wasn't in the picture. Understand "how" the coach recruits - some of the better programs bring in/attract 20-30+ freshman and only perhaps 6-10 will make the team - the others are still paying the 50-60K/year tuition (making the comptroller of the school very happy about the coaches recruiting efforts). Check the rosters - is your preferred position "popular"? Are you willing to change positions...
Warrior -
Time to start doing some research bud.
Couple of points to mention.
Grades pay. Big time!
Many of the D3 (note: I said "many" not "all") programs happen to be private colleges which happen to be much more expensive than public colleges.
Sometimes that scares off prospects because D3's offer no athletic scholarships.
But as a mentioned already, grades pay. These expensive private schools are competing with inexpensive public schools by offering lots of academic scholarships.
So be sure to keep grades high!
Since you're from New England, you are probably familiar with more D3's than you even realize. Check out the D3baseball.com link.
Down here in Virginia D3 baseball is awesome. Great schools, fantastic facilities, very competitive baseball. About half the schools on the VA College Bus Tour are D3's.
Good luck.
Rich
warriorbaseball16,
There are so many D3 options on the East coast....too many to list. Rather than bring the mountain to Mohammed, why don't you tell us more specifically about your requirements (major, GPA, SAT/ACT, baseball awards, academic awards) and skill level. The last thing we want to do is waste your time & money considering highly selective academic schools. Most of the starters at these type schools are high touted out of high school who also happen excellent academics.
There are a bunch of us who've been through high academic recruiting; NESCAC, Ivy, etc a couple of times. As you will see, it is a combination of academic and athletic skill that will grab a coaches attention. At this point (junior year) you will need to grab the coaches attention at showcases, camps or events. These higher academic schools recruit nationally because of the low admissions rates.
BTW...Bates and Bowdoin are part of the NESCAC. The NESCAC has a little bit different recruiting process than D3s as a whole. They use a banding system. The banding system can vary slightly at each NESCAC school but essentially it is a sliding scale of academics and athletic desirability that the NESCAC schools follow. http://www.tier1athletics.org/category/nescac/
Good luck, and let us know if we can help.
Warrior16,
As a sophomore, you'll want to do exactly as you are doing...get in front of as many of these schools as possible. Get on the coaches radar, visit the ones that interest you the most. The coach is the gatekeeper and your sponsor through Admissions, so that relationship is key. In most cases, the NESCAC schools they will not seriously recruit you until you post ACT and SAT scores. Some NESCACs don't require the SAT/ACTs but these are still very competitive schools. The student that considers these schools must have a "hook" or something that seperates himself from others.
You have some work to do. You are sitting at a 3.6 GPA. You need to keep up that hard work and challenge yourself in the classroom and on the baseball field. In terms of the NESCAC, here is a baseline for their banding system so you understand what you are shooting for:
A Band
SAT Scores 700+ average all above 670
SAT II 710
GPA: 92+ GPA, Almost All As
Class Rank: Top 5%
Courses: 4+ APs, Honors Classes
B Band
SAT scores 650+ average, all above 620
SAT II 640
GPA: 88+ GPA, Mix of As, Bs
Class Rank: Top 15%
Courses: Few AP Courses, Honors
C Band
SAT scores 630+ average, all above 590
SAT II 600
GPA: 85+ GPA, Mix of As, Bs, occasional Cs
Class Rank: Top 20%
Courses: Honors
Baseball can be your leverage to help you get into one of these schools. Athletes can be given a slight "discount" with admissions standards. Your goal should be not to have to use that discount but rather to get in on your own. If you can do that, you take a lot of risk out of the hands of the Coach and Admissions. If you can be an A Band recruit and a high school stud you will increase your chances significantly. I hope this makes sense. Good luck with your year and your future SAT/ACT tests.
After you learn everything there is to know about NESCAC recruiting, turn your attention to other D3s with specific attention to how they recruit, where they recruit and who they recruit. As PIS noted, Virginia has its share of D3s. Also PA, and MD have an abundance of great D3s.
Good luck!
Big difference in what to target between business and dentist/orthodontist... Since I'm from the Northeast - Tufts comes quickly to mind as a NESCAC school that has a well known/respected dentistry program and their baseball program has been successful through the years I've followed. I have a Tufts grad (political science) who played football for one year and gave it up due to injury - football helped him get into the school. He was a high B band student. Perhaps had similar grades to what you have, in a private catholic college preparatory high school. Academic money he got was minimal (think about who he's being compared against). So financial aid was likewise "minimal"... The fraternity he joined is known as the football/baseball house - in the 4 years he was there I don't recall him talking about many dentistry or engineering majors playing sports... I don't want to discourage you, but I share this because it gives you a recent real life example of Fenway's comment about using baseball as leverage to get into the school you want.
It's quite a challenge to have afternoon labs that conflict with baseball practice/game time, BUT don't make your choice about baseball. If baseball helps you get into the school you want and being able to continue to play the sport you love, then go for it. If you're going to choose a school because of your sport and something happens that takes you out of the sport, then be sure you love your choice of school. We visited 20 schools with my Tufts grad before making a Tufts visit. Initially he didn't want to even visit Tufts because it was too close to home, but once there he fell in love with it, stayed all 4 years, and grew immensely. Sounds like you're not from the "east" since you're headed this way for a camp this summer... I would perhaps suggest making a visit during Jan/Feb to see "indoor workout season".
Good luck!
