CTbballDad posted:RJM posted:One of the best posts I ever saw on here was when someone asked a poster if his son knew where (regionally) he wanted to play college ball. The response was, “He’s fifteen. He has trouble figuring out what he’s wants for lunch.”
The problem with really early commitments is the players have stars in their eyes. Most can’t rationally make college decisions and decide which college is best for them academically. So, the parents have to make the decision. This isn’t always a good idea. This is a tough enough decision for any high school senior, much less a fourteen or fifteen year old.
Because girls mature sooner my daughter made her softball decision soph year when she was fifteen. She knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. She knew where she wanted to go to college based on the required major. She’s thirty now. She’s never worked a day in her life (and won’t) in her chosen major.
The college decision she made was fine for softball. But she had to work for two years building contacts and references for grad school due to her undergrad choice. While her college was tops in her major overall it had a mediocre reputation.
Great post, but the story about your daughter also applies to 18, 20, 22 year olds, etc. One thing I told my wife, and many can/may roast me for this, is I want to make sure my son really enjoys his baseball experience in choosing his school. That's because these years are fleeting. He'll have decades to work afterwards.
Dont get me wrong, my oldest non-athletic daughter goes to a fine school as is my son. But I'm also not a huge believer that the school is going to guarantee you anything after baseball. If we can find a balance for both, that is ideal.
Question is, did she have regrets and was her Softball experience worth the 2 years of building contacts? My guess is, as the years go by and she has a family of her own, and maybe a softball playing daughter, she'll really value the choices she made and take great pride in the fact she played college ball.
Her situation actually forced her into a situation I recommend. I started working then got my MBA at night and weekends. With a couple of years of work experience before starting I understood reality versus theory.
My daughter’s situation forced her to work in a large international law firm doing research for two years before attending law school.