Having a contingency plan after verbally committing?

Your son committed to a school that you may not be able to afford without financial aid you don’t know if you will get?  Is that the issue?

Can you contact the school's financial aid office now, and have them run the numbers?  If they won't just do it out of the blue, can the coach ask them for you?  I seem to remember one coach sending us to financial aid for an estimate (that was D3).

Yes. The unknown variable is the amount of financial aid that we would be able to get via academic scholarships, grants, etc. So after he verbally committed the next step (as far as we were told) is to actually apply to the school and then send in our FAFSA application as well. It seems obvious to us that we wouldn't qualify for the Pell Grant due to our income. So other than taking out a private student loan we don't know what we would be able to receive from gov't grants and loans.

In my opinion, it would be smart to attend these JUCO showcases in case this would fall through. It just seems odd to stop especially when a verbal isn't set in stone.

@22and25 posted:

Your son committed to a school that you may not be able to afford without financial aid you don’t know if you will get?  Is that the issue?

I’m sorry. I started laughing when I read this. Maybe it was a nervous laugh for the original poster. Then I thought to myself, “Not where I would want to be.”

A friend’s son didn’t get the financial aid expected to a NESCAC. He told me, “I think they must have thought I said I’m a magician. I thought I was clear I’m a musician.”

The parents cut expenses and the kid and they took some loans. They made it work. I never asked. But I believe downsizing their empty nest a couple of years after graduation helped.

@Fyrman73 posted:

Yes. The unknown variable is the amount of financial aid that we would be able to get via academic scholarships, grants, etc. So after he verbally committed the next step (as far as we were told) is to actually apply to the school and then send in our FAFSA application as well. It seems obvious to us that we wouldn't qualify for the Pell Grant due to our income. So other than taking out a private student loan we don't know what we would be able to receive from gov't grants and loans.

In my opinion, it would be smart to attend these JUCO showcases in case this would fall through. It just seems odd to stop especially when a verbal isn't set in stone.

I think the best next step is to get an appointment with the financial aid office and see if they can give you enough of an estimate to make you more comfortable.

The coaching community is small, would the coach where your son is committed react well to your son being at a Juco camp if he found out?  The optics may matter, maybe not, perhaps someone more experienced can weight in on that part.

https://community.hsbaseballwe...28#70993060071157628

Thank you for your advice. I guess after speaking with the school’s financial aid office as to see what our next move would be, their response was to go ahead and start the application process. Maybe we should’ve asked about an estimate at that point. But being new to this process we tend to come up with questions after the fact.
The idea about going to these camps has me torn between school loyalty and “cover your ass”. This whole journey has been more of a whirlwind and not as simple as I thought it would be. I just hate not having a backup plan in case something happens.
I guess I was a bit bothered by a post somewhere comparing getting engaged but still going on dating sites. To me, they’re not even in the same boat! Anyway, I’m on a rant here so I should stop and heed your advice by speaking with the financial aid office again. Thanks again!

They should be able to give you some idea. In both my kid's cases the schools did a pre-read told us what the expected academic money was, and what need based aid would be.

That said, my 2022 was committed prior to the summer season but his travel team was scheduled to attend some college camps as a team, and he went to those just to get work in. Also doesn't hurt to have him seen just in case.....

@Fyrman73, your situation is somewhat unusual and I understand your desire for a fallback plan. I lean towards attending the JuCo camp(s) - assuming that the D2 school he committed to won’t be in attendance at any of them.  But I would think about your son having a conversation with the D2 HC beforehand. Recognizing that this conversation would be tricky, I think you should weigh all the potential outcomes before it takes place and decide if it’s worth the risk. In a perfect world you would lay out your situation to the D2 HC and tell him that you want a JuCo plan B. However, we don’t live in a perfect world and it’s possible that being truthful could hurt your sons standing in the eyes of that D2 HC. So, if I was in your shoes I think I would encourage my son to attend the JuCo camp(s) and if an explanation became necessary I would say that the JuCo camps had already been paid for so why not attend. But research the specific schools and coaches that will be at the JuCo camps and look for connections to the D2 school your son committed to. The coaching world is small and they share a lot of information.

Adbono and I usually agree but I disagree on this having a son who is a recruiter.  If you have committed, then tell the coach you want a backup plan then you can't complain when he goes with his backup plan.   A commitment is a commitment.  You need to get with financial aid immediately and ask them to do an evaluation.  You will have to provide tax information but they have the ability to give you a really close estimate of your fafsa from your tax information.  Or just go ahead and do the fafsa and get the number.  Give it to the school and they will give you exact information.

There is a big difference in what you want to pay and what you can afford to pay. Was there a net price calculator for tour kid's D2?

Not an expert here, but... one of my son's travel team mates was committed to a D1 and the travel coach caught wind that he was going to attend another college's camp "just for fun".  The travel coach blew a gasket, telling the kid he gave his word, yada yada, and the travel coach himself vouched for the kid, yada yada, and told the kid that there was no way he can go, that there was no way to spin it in a constructive way and it would jeopardize his commitment... so that's my take-away on this issue.

Regarding the financial aid issue, most (maybe all) of the kids I know who committed got a $ amount for athletic money that was firm, and an estimated $ amount for academic money based on the kid hitting certain GPA and test score goals.  I'm not aware they learned of any need-based money before applying.  My *limited* understanding is that other scholarship money received is subtracted from any calculated need, which doesn't help...

@PitchingFan posted:

Adbono and I usually agree but I disagree on this having a son who is a recruiter.  If you have committed, then tell the coach you want a backup plan then you can't complain when he goes with his backup plan.   A commitment is a commitment.  You need to get with financial aid immediately and ask them to do an evaluation.  You will have to provide tax information but they have the ability to give you a really close estimate of your fafsa from your tax information.  Or just go ahead and do the fafsa and get the number.  Give it to the school and they will give you exact information.

You aren’t wrong PitchingFan. What I suggested is very risky and may not be the best course of action.

Thank you all for the responses. I always try to stay close the good side of the moral line and for us being transparent and honest with the coach would be the way to go.
1) Will definitely make it a priority to meet with the financial aid/admissions people to at least get an estimated number.

2) Will communicate with the coach as far as where we stand on the financial side of things while reassuring him that we are committed to go with them (DII).

3) Have son start communicating with the other coaches to let them know that he has verbally committed and appreciate their interest in him.

The HCs job at any program is to make a $$ offer and then the player and family has the opportunity to go over the particulars before the player commits.

You need to communicate your concerns  to him like tomorrow.

Or maybe it isnt the right financial fit.

I wouldn't let anyone know he has committed until you know that you can afford the school.

JMO

I recall one school asking us for Fafsa before offering my son. All the others showed up the percentage and/or the amount at the time of the offer. We knew the costs and weighed that in the decision with our son. Ultimately he went where his heart led him and everything worked out in more ways than one. BTW, the one school with the Fafsa....the offer wasn't great and it wasn't cheap to attend that school either.

100% with TPM on this. Only two of the three biggest (academics, athletics and financial) factors have been reviewed here.   The horse left the barn and you've got to get him back in.

Call the HC now to discuss then follow up immediately with the Financial Aid office.   Keep those showcases and JUCO camps on hold until the financial issue has been resolved.  If they can't resolve in a timely manner then consider attending and following adbono's advice.   Your new at this, I get it.   But the HC should have presented some budgetary numbers during the recruiting process as he does this professionally.

JMO.

I wouldn’t worry about missing the juco camps. Juco recruiting is completely fluid. Your son would have time to find a juco after your financial decisions become clear. He can even schedule a personal tryout at jucos. If he’s better than the guys they have, they will make room for him. Of course that cuts both ways… they could also find a D1 commit who’s plans fell apart during the summer before school starts. Either way, I don't think those camps are critical.

Your profile says that you’re in KC. Is the D2 in Missouri? If so, have you looked into the Missouri A+ Scholarship?

@TPM posted:

The HCs job at any program is to make a $$ offer and then the player and family has the opportunity to go over the particulars before the player commits.

You need to communicate your concerns  to him like tomorrow.

Or maybe it isnt the right financial fit.

I wouldn't let anyone know he has committed until you know that you can afford the school.

JMO

I agree with TPM.  We didn’t have son verbally commit until we had financial figures.  We actually had HC work with the Financial Aide office to provide us the 4 year estimated aide, then son committed.

FYI, son goes to a school that does not provide scholarships (still question why I allowed that), so financial side was critical.

College is expensive. It's also just not room and board. I remember all the extra stuff that adds up.. Everything from a new PC loaded with schools hardware, parking permits, lab costs, money for going out to eat, etc. etc. That doesn't include school stuff.

D2 only has if they fully fund 9 scholarships. That's tough. I know when son was RC for Southern, a 50k a year school, most of the players got grants. They came as advised with their FAFSA ready to go. If they REALLY wanted the player they gave him a full ride.

Once again, it is the coaches responsibility to let the recruit know all costs and if it is affordable before they say yes. Do you trust him?

How can anyone commit if they have no idea what they are going to be paying for?

every place son was recruited wanted to make sure we understood costs of school and what our part would be.  These were mostly P5 schools and mid-majors.  They wanted to make sure that he could afford to go to school, especially if they were out of state.  My middle son's #1 place knew they were expensive and could not waive out of state so they were adamant that we understood the costs of the school and even the point that apartments were very expensive there after his first year on campus.  Gave us some ways to save money but even at a 50% scholarship we could not afford the cost of this P5 school.  A good coach wants to make sure you know costs up front either as an incentive or to make sure they will get you when the time comes.

Wow! Thank you for all of the replies! A little update: Apparently, my wife has been communicating with the financial aid/admissions office and was given more detailed numbers as far as aid, grants, available scholarships, etc. So basically, the major focus now is getting his ACT and GPA numbers higher for more academic/merit money.

One good thing that happened without my direction or knowledge was my son had called the head coach after he was contacted by him to find out about his decision. He took it upon himself to negotiate more money and HC explained that they really want him there so more money wouldn't be an issue. 

@Fyrman73 posted:

Wow! Thank you for all of the replies! A little update: Apparently, my wife has been communicating with the financial aid/admissions office and was given more detailed numbers as far as aid, grants, available scholarships, etc. So basically, the major focus now is getting his ACT and GPA numbers higher for more academic/merit money.

One good thing that happened without my direction or knowledge was my son had called the head coach after he was contacted by him to find out about his decision. He took it upon himself to negotiate more money and HC explained that they really want him there so more money wouldn't be an issue.

Are you in “we can live with this amount” territory if he doesn’t qualify for more money?

Yes. We would be well within the acceptable margin if there is a slight chance of not receiving additional academic money.

@Fyrman73 posted:

Wow! Thank you for all of the replies! A little update: Apparently, my wife has been communicating with the financial aid/admissions office and was given more detailed numbers as far as aid, grants, available scholarships, etc. So basically, the major focus now is getting his ACT and GPA numbers higher for more academic/merit money.

One good thing that happened without my direction or knowledge was my son had called the head coach after he was contacted by him to find out about his decision. He took it upon himself to negotiate more money and HC explained that they really want him there so more money wouldn't be an issue.

Something tells me your son is a business major or a heck-of-a future negotiator.   Well done! 

@Fyrman73 posted:

Wow! Thank you for all of the replies! A little update: Apparently, my wife has been communicating with the financial aid/admissions office and was given more detailed numbers as far as aid, grants, available scholarships, etc. So basically, the major focus now is getting his ACT and GPA numbers higher for more academic/merit money.

One good thing that happened without my direction or knowledge was my son had called the head coach after he was contacted by him to find out about his decision. He took it upon himself to negotiate more money and HC explained that they really want him there so more money wouldn't be an issue.

Kudos to Mom and Son.