JuCo vs. Education vs Playing

arizonared..agree that Juco is probably not his route. 4.06 would get him in 100's of schools. The Juco ?? would be related to his draftable situation and more towards wanting and being skilled enough to be drafted high.

IMO, without more knowledge, I would say NOT to consider a Juco route. If he is getting attention from schools (DI,II or III) find the best fit academically 1st. I believe the career far outweighs the other choices...unless he is top 5 rounder.

Good Luck with your decision...it is a great honor as a parent to watch our son's develop through this process.

With his GPA he should be in line for a nice academic award at any school he chooses--then add in the baseball

What level schools are talking to him?

How much exposure has he had outside of AZ?

TR, exposure has been a big part of the problem. We didn't discover hsbaseball soon enough. Thought that if he just played as he always does... on his high school team...all would be well. We are trying to make up for lost time now....he has had some form of contact from each level, but the more attentive right now are D2's,west and D3's, east. Which brings us to the other side of the JuCo equation. The D3's that have contacted him....excellent academic institutions, but what costly price tags! We know there will be merit money, but it is still intimidating.

Considering your late start, I wouldn't rule out the JUCO route. His grades are great, but the first two years of academics are about the same no matter where he goes.

The additional exposure, playing time and reduced expense of in-state tuition could play a huge factor. Transfer after two years and his degree still comes from the school he transfers to.

R.

Arizona Red -

From reading this and some of your other posts recently, it seems that your son really wants to go to college and play baseball. I agree with what the others have said, yet I wanted to offer up something else to you. While I wouldn't consider Arizona JUCOs excellent academically although they do offer honors programs, I don't consider them sub-par either. Did you know that the first 2 years at AZ juco culminating in an associates degree transfers to an Arizona university - credit for credit? None are lost in the transfer. To my knowledge this is a situation only in Arizona. Did you know that the NJCAA also recognizes academic all americans nationwide? Az jucos also offer baseball scholarships, D1 better than D2, dorms for the kids to live in on campus. My kid goes to Yavapai College, and he is not the academic in our family. He really enjoys it there. He plays ball, gets an education. I doubt that he would have played or made the team at an NCAA D1 school

Just a thought, another perspective.

arizonared, Good advice from the posters. Have you asked your son if he would like to attend an Arizona JC, or have you made that decision for him? I know of a major league pitcher who has won 20 games (Rick Helling) who transfered into Stanford from a JC, so at least on the West Coast, all the schools that have baseball will take a JC transfer. As Calloway said, the first two years are about the same.

I signed a pro contract out of high school, and my Dad had a Masters degree from Cal Tech, but he allowed me to chase my dream when I had a scholarship waiting at ASU. We remained very close for the rest of his life.

Not to lessen the idea of a good educational program having value - keep in mind that the mind set of the student has more to do with getting a good educaton than anything else.

Whether a student slides by with the least effort possible or delves deep into the material is up to him more than the school.

Don't cross JUCO programs out just because some kids go that route because they have to. There are a lot of other reasons a JUCO might be a good fit - even for a bright student.

arizonared

Not all JC's are the same.

As for academics, the City College of San Francisco has an affiliate program where your first two years academically provide exactly the same general education prerequisites as UC Berkeley, which then allows the student to transfer to the UC Berkeley campus and are automatically accepted if you've maintained a 4.00 GPA.

The reason for the program as such is because the UC Berkeley campus is filled. The two year program allows 4.00 students to take their GE's at the two year campus as though they had taken the GE requirements at CAL.

If your son is a good BB player it can get him preference for entrance into either the UCB or CCSF.

We found that out when they were talking to my son, but he decided to go elsewhere.

Thanks to all that have posted. You have all given us something more to think about. Basic Mom, Massachusetts has the same rule as AZ....all junior college credits transferable...at least they did in the 70's when I took that route from a JC to UMass....bbscout, my husband and I use to put the emphasis on education, all son wanted to do was play ball, but a funny thing happened to him on the way to high school valadictorian...he discovered that being at the top of his class felt as great as being a good ballplayer.....go figure....he loves the thought of attending an Ivy....that said.....if push came to shove....think he would attend a Juco if it meant playing ball. Thanks again

From a parent of a child who transferred to a D-I after one year at a JUCO:

If you are so concerned about some kind of academic stigma of a JUCO, why is baseball a significant consideration?

Significant academic credentials will open a lot of doors. Does he have a dream list? A short list? Targeted exposure, a good showcase and/or a good college camp, might help you. You still have time there.

But based on what you've said so far, there might be more involved here.

Baseball players go to JUCOs mostly for the following reasons:

1-They need to prove something academically in order to transfer to the 4-year school of their choice.
2-They need to prove something athletically in order to transfer to the 4-year school of their choice.
3-They want to go pro and the two-year school is a strategic decision.
4-They lack the money/financial aid to go to the 4-year school of their choice.

If any one of those four applies to your son, you need to change your opinion of JUCOs. They are a potential solution and you're looking for solutions.

Unless, of course, baseball really isn't a significant consideration. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Arizonared,
I hear what BBScout is saying. If I were to list what I consider the ten most important things in a person’s life, a prerequisite for them would not require a degree from a prestigious college. While I’m not suggesting your son abandoned those thoughts, an evaluation and possible re-alignment of one’s priorities is always healthy. I think your son is in a position where he can have his cake and eat it too.
Fungo