Patience or panic

Thanks for the reply midatlanticdad! I've done the net price calculators on a couple of the west coast high academic D3's and they were outside what I'm willing to pay. I've discussed costs all along the way with Tequila Jr. so there won't be a lot of surprises but we figured we'd ride it out until we're 100% sure we can't make it happen were the situation to be right.

As far as the west coast HF, our only options are NY or CA really and the CA ones have more of the schools he's expressed interest in. Also, travel is six-one/half-dozen the other from where we are so that's not a factor. Add the fact that I grew up in CA and there you have it! Phoenix in October was a little later on the schedule that when we intended to showcase but if it looks like we need the additional exposure then we'll evaluate at the end of the summer.

Thanks again!

For high academic D3 you're going to need to be committed earlier, assuming the player goes Early Decision, as most do at that kind of school.

Agree on the Net Price Calculator.  

When it comes time to commit, you should be able to ask for and get a pre-read from financial aid as well as from admissions.

One strictly anecdotal bit of data I have noticed is that for our kids, and quite a few others whose academic finances we've been told about, many private schools have a tendency come up with a package that makes the cost of attendance equal roughly the in-state cost  at the top ranked public school in the student's home state.

Oh.. and another thing.  Speaking of CA --- While there's little or no merit money at schools like Pomona and Claremont McKenna, there's quite a bit at other schools in the SCIAC, so a kid who goes to Oxy or Chapman might qualify for merit as well as need-based aid.

As always, thanks JCG! That's all good info to have and your anecdotal comment gives me some glimmer of hope there.

PP, CMC, Oxy, and Chapman are all on the list and he's had two-way comms with all but the CMC coach (no response on first try) via email so we'll see where that goes.

You should shoot for schools where your kid's scores and grades exceed their average.  These schools are more likely to push merit / academic money for good students to help their ranking.  I've seen kids get 50% academic offers without asking or submitting for financial aid.  A school like Chapman will give academic money, but I doubt PP or CMC will (not sure about Oxy but their standards are pretty high so don't hold your breath).

You may also look at West Coast Conference schools - all the schools are private and all pretty generous with academic money to supplement baseball scholarship for players I know that have gone to these schools.  Players end up with a very small out of pocket cost.

Smitty28 posted:

You should shoot for schools where your kid's scores and grades exceed their average.  These schools are more likely to push merit / academic money for good students to help their ranking.  I've seen kids get 50% academic offers without asking or submitting for financial aid.  A school like Chapman will give academic money, but I doubt PP or CMC will (not sure about Oxy but their standards are pretty high so don't hold your breath).

You may also look at West Coast Conference schools - all the schools are private and all pretty generous with academic money to supplement baseball scholarship for players I know that have gone to these schools.  Players end up with a very small out of pocket cost.

Thanks Smitty, I should add that we have a list of "safety" schools but I really hate to even mention that because I don't want to paint the picture that they are viewed as lesser institutions. They're mostly just not in exactly a geographic location at the top of his list and/or maybe slightly less stringent academic requirements. There are many factors involved, of course, but 17 year old kids are all over the board in their level of maturity and idea of priorities. We advise at every opportunity but ultimately he's going to have a better chance of success if it's a place he feels he wants to go. He's not the kid that has "always dreamed of going to school X" so in a lot of ways he's not really sure what the right fit will be. He just knows he'd like to move out of our geography for a while, be in a metro area, experience a diverse and open-minded environment, and play baseball if he can. Easy right?! Thanks again!

'Open minded environment' in the world of 'higher learning'..... these days?

Good luck finding that!

tequila posted:

He just knows he'd like to move out of our geography for a while, be in a metro area, experience a diverse and open-minded environment, and play baseball if he can. Easy right?!

I'm guessing the weather is a factor? Otherwise, the northeast would offer the most options.

MidAtlanticDad posted:

tequila posted:

He just knows he'd like to move out of our geography for a while, be in a metro area, experience a diverse and open-minded environment, and play baseball if he can. Easy right?!

I'm guessing the weather is a factor? Otherwise, the northeast would offer the most options.

Not too much. There are a couple of schools on the east coast that he's looking at also.

Tequila, you are not alone in this quandary.  It is great that our sons may have an opportunity to gain admission to high academic DIII institutions based on a tip or "slot" from the baseball coach - but then the problem is how do you pay for it LOL!?  Kind of "beware of what you wish for"...  I am thinking along the lines of Smitty's comment - look for the DIIIs that are well regarded but where your son's test scores and GPA exceed the average, which should mean some "easy" merit aid.  Just a notch below the super elite LACs, but still great schools in the scheme of things.  That goes against the HSBBweb mantra of using baseball as a means to get in a better school than you otherwise would...  But financial concerns are real and I for one am not a big proponent of taking loans for undergrad.

Fenway told me something to the effect of it comes down to your family's priority of 3 factors - academics, athletics and finances.  Every family has a different order or priority of these three.  For undergrad I have to put financial at the top because I do not want to burden me or my son with loans when there are other great options?  That's what makes DI so attractive for families that will not qualify for much (if any) need based aid - even a little bit of athletic money paired with some academic merit aid adds up!!  Everyone says, don't dismiss DIII - but that possibility of athletic plus academic aid is a great combo!

Aren't you located in the southeast?

TPM posted:

Aren't you located in the southeast?

AR to be exact.

Trinity Univ in San Antonio is a great school. At one time a few years ago, we had a poster whose son attended & loved it & the baseball program...Worth a look-see. Beautiful campus & high academic!  

I think that a JUCO consideration may be a good option, since I see lots of kids coming out these programs heading to D1 and D2 programs, but I am not familiar with your sons skills or ability.

You are in a familiar situation that my 2017 C/RHP went through.  I'm glad you found the Net Price Calculators, but a word of caution that while it is pretty close to accurate for some schools (the ones where you can input the ACT and SAT scores and GPAs) it is not as much for those that go strictly off financial need on the NPC.  My son's acceptance letters had varying amounts of merit money than what the NPC estimate was.  And one other thing to do is to do some what ifs on the test scores...you'd be amazed how much more shows up if the scores improve.  My son went up 200 points on the old SAT on the retest and 2 on the ACT retest and the merit money went up thousands of dollars on some of the calculations.  He also had a strong Fall Senior GPA that helped, so don't completely eliminate schools yet if the merit money is not enough yet if your son is willing to put in the work to improve his chances.

I take it like most of us, the government considers you "rich" and not eligible for financial aid.  Have a good laugh when they tell you your expected family contribution is $60K a year and then imagine your family not eating or buying gasoline or paying utilities while your kid is in school for four years!  Then do as you are doing and accept that the really high academic D3s like Claremont and Pomona-Pitzer are not an option.  Coach Pericolosi (PP) even told my son that he knows he will not be able to recruit most of the kids he wants because they won't qualify for financial aid and there is no merit or other way to offset the costs.  He understood when I said we could not afford $250K for his education.  But consider those other D3 SoCal schools (including Redlands) because they do indeed have some merit options.  And beyond Trinity, take a look at UT-Dallas, who offers a lot of academic money to offer and has a strong D3 program.

In the end, my son was blessed with a high academic D2 with in state tuition to save the day, but he weighed all of the same things you are looking at and all the way through the California schools acceptance letter timeframe into April of his Senior year.  So there is no need to panic yet, but you and your son have a lot of work and persistence ahead to get there.  Good luck!

Agree with backstop22 ...I think UT Dallas is focused primarily on Computer Sciences, robotics, tech...Also good school & baseball...& money!

Since you are in Arkansas, also look at Hendrix in Conway and I know the University of Dallas (not to be confused with UTD), is a very good school and is working hard to build a good program.  Austin College is also a very good school in Sherman and UT Tyler may be a better financial fit with very nice facilities.  Many very good D3 schools in the general area.  Good luck!  I would also look at attending a showcase called The Complete Showcase.  They have several this summer and do get a lot of coaches of all levels in attendance that are very accessible to speak with and get evaluation.  They have some coming up in early June in Dallas.  Good luck

baseballmom posted:

Agree with backstop22 ...I think UT Dallas is focused primarily on Computer Sciences, robotics, tech...Also good school & baseball...& money!

Plus 1.  UTD somehow stays under the radar despite offering a rare combination of : a) high academics ; b) very good baseball ; c) being a public school ; d) located in a warm weather climate ; and e) offering a lot of merit based academic money. 

As always, thanks everyone for the input! I've gotten some great little tidbits, some actionable items, as well as a level of confidence that the course we're on is basically still on track.

Side note: 2019 has been having some shoulder pain for a couple of weeks in his throwing arm so we're having it looked at today by a specialist. Hopefully that doesn't derail any of this

adbono posted:

baseballmom posted:

Agree with backstop22 ...I think UT Dallas is focused primarily on Computer Sciences, robotics, tech...Also good school & baseball...& money!

Plus 1.  UTD somehow stays under the radar despite offering a rare combination of : a) high academics ; b) very good baseball ; c) being a public school ; d) located in a warm weather climate ; and e) offering a lot of merit based academic money. 

Big plus is UTD would offer in-state tuition to neighboring States...

baseballmom posted:

Big plus is UTD would offer in-state tuition to neighboring States...

That would be huge!

• Hendrix in AR... my 2018 had contact with AC Sean McSheffery via a fellow 2017 teammate who had referred him and is a current rostered freshman.  The AC is an excellent baseball guy and he's had success at a few other schools. Good baseball and academics. (I can find out how the financial assistance worked out for them if you're interested in the school, also my son's hitting instructor is buddies with McSheffery)  
• For top academic schools: striving to get at least the bottom of the middle 50% of accepted ACT scores should be the goal.  College data lays it all out. Example: Pomona, Johns Hopkins HC's make it very clear: "I have to like your game and you need to get that 32 ACT in order for me to support you through admissions". There are exceptions with the occasional 31 ACT getting support.
• Money: very real concern.  It's a rare feat to have our kids graduate with zero college loans.  But if you can get enough merit and financial aid to bring the total cost similar to that of one of your states top schools then your kid will have a lot of options.  If you're making north of 180-220K you won't be getting much financial aid.  On the other extreme: we have a friend who use to make a lot of money but his business imploded two years ago. His kid received 57K of a total 64K cost in financial aid toward a high academic D3.  Was a sad event.  Fortunately this kid had the grades and desired baseball talent for a top academic D3 where aid was available.  The same kid had 50% total scholarship money offered at a mid D1, but it was cheaper to send him to the high academic D3.  Crazy how all this can pan out.

Gov posted:

• Hendrix in AR... my 2018 had contact with AC Sean McSheffery via a fellow 2017 teammate who had referred him and is a current rostered freshman.  The AC is an excellent baseball guy and he's had success at a few other schools. Good baseball and academics. (I can find out how the financial assistance worked out for them if you're interested in the school, also my son's hitting instructor is buddies with McSheffery)  
• For top academic schools: striving to get at least the bottom of the middle 50% of accepted ACT scores should be the goal.  College data lays it all out. Example: Pomona, Johns Hopkins HC's make it very clear: "I have to like your game and you need to get that 32 ACT in order for me to support you through admissions". There are exceptions with the occasional 31 ACT getting support.
• Money: very real concern.  It's a rare feat to have our kids graduate with zero college loans.  But if you can get enough merit and financial aid to bring the total cost similar to that of one of your states top schools then your kid will have a lot of options.  If you're making north of 180-220K you won't be getting much financial aid.  On the other extreme: we have a friend who use to make a lot of money but his business imploded two years ago. His kid received 57K of a total 64K cost in financial aid toward a high academic D3.  Was a sad event.  Fortunately this kid had the grades and desired baseball talent for a top academic D3 where aid was available.  The same kid had 50% total scholarship money offered at a mid D1, but it was cheaper to send him to the high academic D3.  Crazy how all this can pan out.

 

 

Thanks Gov! My son's summer coach is an Assistant/PC at Hendrix so we have a pretty nice line of communication and intel there.

I know where you're coming from on the Pomona's of the world, from a test score perspective, and I expect to hear that sentiment from the coaches this summer. There's also the question of whether the schools superscore the ACT or not. For whatever reason, my son's superscore number is quite a bit better so that will be a topic of discussion when the time comes. He's also taking the ACT again next month.

I am sure there will be some out of pocket after it's all said and done. I'm just trying to keep that number under control so as to not saddle anyone with an unreasonable amount of debt for an undergraduate degree. Thanks again!

JCG posted:

 

One strictly anecdotal bit of data I have noticed is that for our kids, and quite a few others whose academic finances we've been told about, many private schools have a tendency come up with a package that makes the cost of attendance equal roughly the in-state cost  at the top ranked public school in the student's home state.

This was our experience with my daughter, who was not an athlete, but got offered a package by a private just a couple thousand above the public school she attended. I'm sure if we had gone back after it we could have negotiated a matching price, but she preferred the public.

Privates tend to have big endowments to draw on for financial aid. The price many put on themselves seems to be what they think they are WORTH, not what they expect students to PAY.