Son is 2017 lefty. Has had some interest. Has taken fall off to do velocity program.
Has been invited for official visit to a good D2 in state. The school does not offer the course of study that he is wants to pursue.
Should he politely decline, or make the visit, possibly play there for a couple years while taking core and look at transferring as a junior to pursue his major?
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IMHO school choice should always begin with academics and finish with baseball. Wait for a school he would attend without the mention of baseball.
DrUGA Dawg posted:IMHO school choice should always begin with academics and finish with baseball. Wait for a school he would attend without the mention of baseball.
+1
Just my 2 cents , but if your son is a 2017 that wants to play college baseball and has NOT committed yet. It's getting LATE . Why would you not accept an invitation to visit by a school that has interest in him as a player? It's illogical.
I saw what you wrote about the academics. And that is clearly an issue. But from a baseball perspective , if you're a 2017 approaching November , these visits are important and nothing but good can come from a official visit.
IMO if the school doesn't have the major you intend to take...that would be a pretty good indicator you should be moving on somewhere else.
How important is Baseball to him? If this is the only option on the table then it would be wise to go on the visit. If they offer your son, then he can use that offer to gauge interest from the other schools on his list. Since it is an official visit it won't cost you anything either. It's getting late in the game. Take advantage of every opportunity you can.
If its a good in state school maybe you get to see him play more in the first two years. That's not all bad. He can always transfer. Nothing like getting better while playing and knocking out the core classes.
Since it's an official visit, I say go. They are paying for it, so go and enjoy. Nothing to lose to better understand the process and your son will enjoy the visit.
Depends on the major, how strongly attached he is to it, and what other majors they offer. For example if they don't have business but do have economics, I'd go for it. If he wants materials engineering but they only have chemical and mechanical, I'd go for it. If he wants viticulture and the closest they have is biology, then that may be a problem. Lots of kids change majors. No harm in taking the visit and seeing what comes of it.
Seems to me from both the question and the wide variety of responses that this is a personal decision. Are you willing to know there will be a transfer as your son enters college? Is baseball important enough to him/you that you would possibly forgo the right major in order to play? Are you wanting to take the visit to get a freebie visit? Or are you/your son willing to change his mind about majors? What is the purpose of this visit for your son?
My answers may be very different than yours? Or not?
FWIW both my son and his freshman roommate changed majors their freshman year.
Go for the visit. It's a date, not a marriage.
A visit to a school your son's not sure about can clarify what he REALLY wants. Worked that way for my son. Every visit helped in some way.
smokeminside posted:A visit to a school your son's not sure about can clarify what he REALLY wants. Worked that way for my son. Every visit helped in some way.
smokeminside is correct
JCG posted:Depends on the major, how strongly attached he is to it, and what other majors they offer. For example if they don't have business but do have economics, I'd go for it. If he wants materials engineering but they only have chemical and mechanical, I'd go for it. If he wants viticulture and the closest they have is biology, then that may be a problem. Lots of kids change majors. No harm in taking the visit and seeing what comes of it.
JCG pretty much nails it. I didn't type this earlier, but I wish I would have.
Expecting a 17-18 yr old to know what he wants to do for a career after college or locking himself into what he thinks he wants to be or do isn't very realistic. I'm all for the 'undeclared ' guys.
Old dudes like me know life or a career isn't usually a 'straight line' it can be quite the opposite .
That being said, I have friends here who's sons knew EXACTLY what they wanted to do. And picked schools accordingly. And have gone on to successful careers in their chosen fields.That needs to be considered too. There is no correct answer. Every kid is different .
My son went into a respectable liberal arts school in the south this fall undeclared but with the notion of obtaining a business degree.
3 months into it all he talks about is the computer science class. He clearly likes it and who knows, maybe he goes in that direction.
Personally, I hope he stays curious and open to new ideas and career paths. I think that is what college life should be about.
But I stand by my original post that for 2017's that want to PLAY BASEBALL.......It's getting late.
I would take the visit if possible and get as many if not all of my questions and concersn covered as fast as possible.. If this is not the school for your son then you need to move on quickly ....it is getting late.
Ditto Strained, my son wants to play professional baseball. Now, who knows how that's gonna work out but for now, he is getting an education and pursuing his dream while playing college baseball. To him, his education isnt the priority, baseball is.
All kids are different, I admire the HS student who knows what career path they want to take. Mine wanted to be a baseball player and I admit he took an easy path to a degree and signed where he thought he would get a better opportunity to get drafted than out of HS.
He had some great opportunities in the game, hiccup was injuries and frankly he saw his HS and college friends moving on and he was always in PT. So along the way he realized that he needed to finish his degree and move forward. To be honest when he went back to school he had to finish his degree and not go in another direction.
My advice is to not let the dream die, but help them to make good choices. Only sacrifice when you know that you have a better choice for your future and looks like a good fit for you as a player. If baseball is important, that is fine but realize when its all said and done, and more than likely, that is not what you will be doing after 4 years. And transfering isnt always an easy option.
It is an opportunity for your son to learn about a college he is either interested in or not interested in. Simple as that. Once you do a few of these, you'll get a sense of what he is most interested in. This is part of the process. If the cost to make the visit is not prohibitive, why wouldn't you do it?
I would re-read TPMS post - over and over again. Her son was derailed by injuries- not by talent, potential, or the "sixth tool."
As a parent, I never had more pride then watching the culmination of all those years of blood, sweat and tears manifest itself as a man wearing a professional uniform. Then, poof, it was over. Now I never had more pride then watching years of academic blood, sweat and tears, manifest itself in a man who is prepared for the next 40 years.
Good choices, with parental input balancing the baseball fervor these young men bring to the game, is critical. Parents have lived a lot longer, dealt with real world issues which a college kid has no idea even exist, and have accumulated wisdom which should and must be offered. It's easy for a college player to have tunnel vision when it comes to baseball - particularly when surrounded by respected peers all driving towards the same goal.
