The D3 / $64,000 question (literally!)... which school, overall, would you choose?

For my son (now freshman in college) I would go with

1) Grinnell (actively recruited son)          2) Macalester 3) Brandeis  4) Stevens

Good luck to your son ! All are fine academic schools.

Grinnell, Mac, Stevens, Brandeis, then UCs

FYI: I would say this regardless of bb. 

Signed,

a UC undergrad and grad alum

So glad you posted...was curious how your story had turned out! I too would like any feedback from those with experience. I went to a UC myself and if possible want my two boys to go private. Congrats on having some great options!

My 2016 ranked those schools. He loved Mac, liked Grinnell, and punted the other two.  Btw, he's not going to any of these schools.

IMHO, Coach Parrington is at the top.  Perhaps the best guy we met throughout my 2012's and 2016's recruiting journeys. 

I'd pick the school that offers the strongest program in his intended major.  If he has no idea on an intended major then it would be the UC schools to figure that out.  Sorry, I'm being honest.  I'm in the process of putting my 2nd and 3rd sons through college, and as many know education ain't cheap.   If they offer baseball at the school that offers the strongest program in his intended major, then so much the better.

What would be your son's intended major?  If that major didn't work out does he have an idea of what else he may want to study?  Will he be going on to grad school for an advanced degree?  If so, what is that advance degree? How much will that advance degree cost and who is footing the bill?   Which of these schools has the best success in getting their undergrads to grad school?

Sorry, if I'm paying $64K there is only one thing that matters most....his education and employability after spending for 4-5 years of undergrad.  Again, I'd pick the school that offers the strongest program in his intended major.

As always, JMO.

Glad to hear an update on your son.

I agree with Fenway. Your ranking of the schools will depend on your son's intended field of study. If he'd like a technical major, then Stevens and the UCs are probably better. If he likes humanities and social science, maybe the others.

But then again, from a recent article I read (and posted in a different thread), it seems that it doesn't matter which school you go to if you want to major in STEM field, but it matters a lot if you major in other fields. So it seems like STEM student gets the best deal -- you can go to any school that offers your major, with baseball and merit aid, and get the same job/salary after graduation.

With so many DIII colleges out there it seems odd how many on this site are dealing with the same exact colleges. For example Grinnell is just one of many DIII and NAIA baseball programs in our state.  I know it is a good college, but so are some of the others.  I agree that the education is most important, but some of the others are much stronger in baseball.  I just find it odd that I never hear any of their names mentioned. Colleges like Coe, Wartburg, Cornell, Luther, etc.  The obvious drawback is the cost at most all of them.  But they all have grants that can make things affordable for most. Once again Grinnell is great, but so are the others that I never hear mentioned from those that post here.  And some of the others would be in a location most people would prefer. IMO

Just an observation, it seems like everyone talking DIII on here mentions the same colleges most of the time. Geez, do those colleges recruit everyone?  Anyway, best of luck.

I still believe the best way to find a great fit with a DIII school is to be very proactive.  You will be surprised by the number of good choices that might be available.  Most all want more good students and if your also a good baseball player even better.  And remember that DIII has everything from exceptional to very weak baseball programs, if that is of importance.

with many private d3s, you can end up with a price close to a public school. My daughter last year got an offer from a very good D3 that would have left us paying about $4000 more than a state school, even though the initial sticker price was $20000 different. And we didn't negotiate at all, so don't know where we would have ended up. 

PG staff, 

Your post got me thinking. I looked at rosters for Coe and Grinnell. Coe was mostly Iowa and Illinois, while Grinell had some Iowa and Illinois, but far more young men, from California and other states.

As has been stated, D3's run the gamut. Each has different missions and while they are all there to educate. Some serve a more local population while others prefer a more diverse culture .  Many times schools want there sports teams to reflect the population they serve. 

Wehave a similar situation here in our area. Denison and Ohio Wesleyan are both similar schools. If we look at their rosters, OWU has much more local talent. A good percentage of the players are from Ohio. With quite a few from Central Ohio. If you look at Denisons roster, there are much fewer local players. I knew several Denison coaches quite well. The were on the previous staff. They were directed to find athletes that matched the schools population. Denison wants a very diverse geographical population so the baseball roster matches that. They usually have no more than one or two Ohio players. 

My son attended OWU, as it being local was a known commodity. His high school coach knew the school well. So did his travel coaches. And there were plenty of alumni around and parents and ex players to talk to. If he was recruited by a school accross the country we would have had a harder time finding information. 

Another difference between these schools is the acceptance rate. Grinnell has a 24% rate while Coe has a 55%. With Grinnell acceptance rate, the coach probably has to cast a very wide net. And probably has to recruit quite a few hoping enough get through.

Because of these factors Grinell and schools like it are more likely to be an unkown to its recruits than a school such as Coe. Therefore more post and questions about such schools.

Thanks for your input.  Your posts are always informative and for me thought provoking. I probably would have never thought much about this with out your input.

Yes, it is true that Coe recruits the home state and Illinois for the most part rather than coast to coast.  So does Wartburg and other Iowa DIIIs.

Not sure how to say this, but Coe and especially Wartburg are much better baseball programs.  So they successfully recruit a lot of home state talent and win a lot.  They don't need to recruit nationally, but if there was a good baseball player from East or West coast interested in Coe or any Iowa DIII they would want that player.

Please notice I am only talking about the baseball at those schools.  Though I think most of the state DIIIs are strong academically, too. And I do know that Grinnell is well thought of.  None of these baseball programs would be on the level of say a Trinity in Texas, but some of them would be considered average to higher level DIII, with Wartburg a level above the others in most years.

My only reason for commenting is it just seemed odd how often I read on this website that people mention they are considering the same list of DIII colleges.  Grinnell seems to be on everyone's list.  Nothing against Grinnell I just find it kind of strange.  Especially when there are so many DIII colleges in the country.

PGStaff posted:

My only reason for commenting is it just seemed odd how often I read on this website that people mention they are considering the same list of DIII colleges.  Grinnell seems to be on everyone's list.  Nothing against Grinnell I just find it kind of strange.  Especially when there are so many DIII colleges in the country.

I think the reason is that some D3s are proactive in attending out-of-state showcases, while others are mostly going local. TBH most of the D3s are not household names. If you grab a hundred people on the street of Seattle and ask them whether they know Amherst College or Williams College, probably 99 will say "what are they? Community colleges?"

Some of the schools go to Headfirst or Showball or PG showcases, and then the players and parents start to research them. I just learned the names of a lot of D3s by looking at the Headfirst list -- Bard, Bates, Hamilton, and of course Grinnell, Macalester, Stevens, etc. The other schools you mentioned, such as Coe and Wartburg, really it's the first time I've ever heard their names. They don't go to out-of-state showcases, so plays from other states have no way of knowing they exist.

From my area, there are some interesting D3s as well, but I bet not a lot of out-of-staters know them, such as Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Lewis and Clark, Willamette, Whitman, Whitworth, etc. If these schools go to showcases, they'll probably be discussed on this board more often.

PGStaff posted:

Yes, it is true that Coe recruits the home state and Illinois for the most part rather than coast to coast.  So does Wartburg and other Iowa DIIIs.

Not sure how to say this, but Coe and especially Wartburg are much better baseball programs.  So they successfully recruit a lot of home state talent and win a lot.  They don't need to recruit nationally, but if there was a good baseball player from East or West coast interested in Coe or any Iowa DIII they would want that player.

Please notice I am only talking about the baseball at those schools.  Though I think most of the state DIIIs are strong academically, too. And I do know that Grinnell is well thought of.  None of these baseball programs would be on the level of say a Trinity in Texas, but some of them would be considered average to higher level DIII, with Wartburg a level above the others in most years.

My only reason for commenting is it just seemed odd how often I read on this website that people mention they are considering the same list of DIII colleges.  Grinnell seems to be on everyone's list.  Nothing against Grinnell I just find it kind of strange.  Especially when there are so many DIII colleges in the country.

Grinnell as a whole (behind baseball) has a bigger national reputation than many of the other D3s in Iowa and overall recruit more outside Iowa. According to their web site their top states for students are 

Top 10 home states:

Illinois
California
Iowa
Minnesota
New York
Wisconsin
Massachusetts
Missouri
Maryland
Colorado

not surprised baseball follows along. 

Back to PGstaff's point. I beleive we hear about Grinell and similar schools more than schools like Coe and Wartburg, and many similar programs, may be because not many athletes target the likes of Grinell. Schools like Grinell sre not on athletes lists. Atleast not from the population they serve. They are not well known nationally, for baseball, So Grinell is doing the reaching out. 

When a school such as Grinell identfies a recruit and reaches out, the recruit nextbstep is to learn about the program. Hence they come to the best resource. 

This is not to say that Coe and Wartburg, do not recruit just as hard, but they are likley a known quantity to many of their recruits.

Schools like Trinity Tx. Are a different animal. They also recruit nationally, and there is a lot of info. That happens when you consistently make regionals, and even the World series. People who follow d3 will know about a program like that. So there are more resources for a recruit to talk to.

I understand PG's point. If Grinell came looking at my son, and I was then interested in going to school in Iowa, I would look at the other options in Iowa. Then if I was interested in the academics, I would reach out to those schools or at least ask about them. 

Never heard of Coe and Wartburg before.

I've heard of Grinnell because it's sent multiple mailings to both of my kids, it's ranked in the top 20 of LAC's by US News, and it's one of the highest endowments per student in the country.  And yes, they attend HF Camps.

I think the athletic programs at D3 schools tend to reflect what the schools are about in terms of outreach.

I could write the exact same reply as JCG. Baseball is just one of the considerations for my son when picking a school. Is he looking to go to school in Iowa (we live in CA) or any other mid-west state? No....but if coaches recruit him we are going to take a look at and consider their program. Probably would not occur to me to say "oh, if we are going to Iowa anyway" why not look at others in Iowa. Kids are going want to "go where they are loved" as has been repeated many times on this site. 

Great conversation... I'll limit this reply to comments regarding the recent posts regarding the "popularity" of certain D3 schools over others.  Here's my perspective on "why Grinnell". 

There are over 350 schools who play D3 baseball in the country.  We live in California, where there are relatively few D3 schools, especially high academic ones.  So we had really no choice but but to rely on research to filter the list of 350+ schools, most of which were over 1000 miles away.  We used a variety of tools... this forum, for example, helped us decide that an academic baseball showcase would be an ideal way for our son to gain "baseball exposure" and at the same time offer a gauge of where our son was athletically - we frankly had no idea! 

We chose the HeadFirst camp for a bunch of reasons - it's list of top academics is very impressive, it has a long track record... it's been universally praised as being top-notch, especially for hands-on exposure to D3 coaches; our gut feel was that our son had D3-level talent and his academics would be a bigger asset than his bat, glove, or arm

In getting down to the specific list of schools... we had frankly never heard of most of the schools that recruited my son before HeadFirst.  I had never heard of Grinnell, nor had I heard of schools like Coe or Wartburg.  But we started to do additional research on the HeadFirst schools, using, again, online resources like Forbes, USA Today, and forums like collegeconfidential.com .   That's how Grinnell became not so much a "baseball option" but an academic one - they are listed as a the top 20 liberal arts colleges in the country by USA Today, the #9 school in the midwest by Forbes, etc.  And when the coach expressed interest in him and said his "early read" from admissions was positive... those combination of factors put Grinnell in the top tier of schools for our son.

If I could, I'd love to hear a bit more from folks about the schools themselves.  So far, the comments have been pretty consistent; Grinnell seems to be at the top of most and Macalester #2.  I guess I'm curious - is it mostly that folks on this forum lean towards the midwest LACs?  Or maybe it's that the east coast schools on our list (Brandeis and Stevens Tech) are not in the "top" LAC conferences (NESCAC, CC, etc.)?

Just curious if there are specific concerns about these schools... from our family's point of view, we see some positives:

- Brandeis: near a great city (Boston), a bit larger in enrollment (close to 4,000 undergrad), in a conference with some upper-tier baseball programs (Emory, Case Western, Wash U), new coach who will hopefully look to upgrade the program.

- Stevens Tech: near a great city (NYC), solid reputation for STEM and post-graduation income, recent success in baseball program (29-14 last year, ranked in top 50 of preseason polls this year), young, well thought of coach.

The above is near to our experience as well, though I have known about Grinnell for a long time. Their treatment of our son, after seeing him at Stanford Junior and Headfirst Jupiter, has been uniformly respectful and consistent.  That kind of word gets around to parents, so they check it out.

 And OP is correct about D3 options like Grinnell being hard to find on the West Coast.  There are great schools in the Northwest Conference and SCIAC that don't have quite the academic cred that Grinnell has, but have really good D3 baseball: Whitworth, PLU, Linfield, Cal Lutheran (these schools could be mirrors of Coe and Wartburg?).  The one school that fits or exceeds the Grinnell academic and athletic profile is Pomona College, and it think its baseball program is stronger.  Others may have schools to add. There are some great academic schools whose baseball is currently not strong, but may have potential given recent coaching changes: Whitman, Claremont/Mudd.  Then there's Cal Tech which, frankly, I appreciate more for its ability to bring people back from outer space than I do for its record in baseball.

For my son, the D3 issue is problematic not just for costs, but for size. He wants to go to an academically challenging school where he can play ball but he doesn't want to go to a small one.  So the list we've cobbled together goes like this, in no particular order:  Claremont Colleges, Oberlin, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Wesleyan, Wash U.  Outliers might be Case Western, University of Rochester, MIT (not an LAC, I know, but if he got in, who cares?)  Not a lot to choose from. There are probably others I've missed.

Very understandable, Grinnell is a great academic college.  Just passing admission is an accomplishment.  

My comments only relate to baseball and location.  I just find it odd when I read about so many on this site that are being recruited by the same colleges.  Are they simply recruiting everyone that is qualified academically?  

If so, that is fine, after all everyone should care the most about academics.  At the same time, there are other options (DIII and NAIA colleges) that are very strong academically and have proven to have a much stronger baseball program.  I do understand why that might be secondary to a lot of people.

Yes, always go where you are wanted.  Maybe you never heard of them and they never heard of you, but you can change that.  Do a little research and contact them!  Then you might find out this is a place that really wants you.  The more options you have, the better it is.

We do know of one HSBBW son that went to Grinnell.  He is a good player from Arizona.  I think he will be very successful in life.  Hopefully he is very happy with his college choice.  

Anyway, I don't mean to be telling people what to do.  Guess I'm more curious than anything else.

PG, I certainly didn't think you were telling people what to do.  I think a lot of college counselors agree with you, especially re: having heard of a school or not.  That's a huge hurdle in my family.  Because we're relatively isolated, all the schools my son and wife are aware of are the ones everyone else has heard of and they're almost convinced that if they don't go to one of those schools, our son's future is doomed .  I'm gonna get my boy to look up Coe and Wartburg as soon as we're done here!

I don't know how many kids are being recruited by these same colleges, but it's not odd that many on this site are interested in some of the same colleges.  Interested being the operative word! 

There is a small set of the highest academic schools relative to the universe of all 2 and 4 year colleges in the U.S. and Canada.  High academic kids who are also baseball players, will gravitate to (i.e., be interested in) many of these same schools.

For what it's worth, US News ranks Grinnell as the 19th best National Liberal Arts college.  Forbes ranks Grinnell as the 65th best college or university in the U.S.  There's a lot of factors these publications use in their rankings, some I agree with and others I don't.  Regardless, Grinnell is one of America's finest colleges, of that I think most would agree.  Grinnell has a freshman retention rate of 93.8% and a four year graduation rate of 85%.  Those numbers are pretty darned good.

Coe and Wartburg are fine colleges.  They have better baseball than Grinnell.  Their freshman retention rates are 79.5% and 78%, respectively.  Their four year grad rates are 61% and 65%, respectively.  These numbers aren't great in comparison to Grinnell.

That said, I think many high academic kids look too much at the Ivy's and NESCAC schools (and the Grinnell's, Pomona's, et.al.).  There are a lot of great colleges that may be the best fit for a student/athlete...and the player/family won't look at them because of the "name". So in Iowa, look at Coe and Wartburg too.  In Minnesota on your Carleton and Macalester trip, go look at St. Olaf. 

My 2012 (and my wife and I) were, unfortunately, narrowly focused for his search.  We broadened our horizons for our 2016 and he's ending up in the SAA conference.  Baseball a notch above many other places, and selectivity of schools a notch below.  So what?  It feels like the best fit for him.

NEinmyblood posted:

If I could, I'd love to hear a bit more from folks about the schools themselves.  So far, the comments have been pretty consistent; Grinnell seems to be at the top of most and Macalester #2.  I guess I'm curious - is it mostly that folks on this forum lean towards the midwest LACs?  Or maybe it's that the east coast schools on our list (Brandeis and Stevens Tech) are not in the "top" LAC conferences (NESCAC, CC, etc.)?

Just curious if there are specific concerns about these schools... from our family's point of view, we see some positives:

- Brandeis: near a great city (Boston), a bit larger in enrollment (close to 4,000 undergrad), in a conference with some upper-tier baseball programs (Emory, Case Western, Wash U), new coach who will hopefully look to upgrade the program.

- Stevens Tech: near a great city (NYC), solid reputation for STEM and post-graduation income, recent success in baseball program (29-14 last year, ranked in top 50 of preseason polls this year), young, well thought of coach.

 

NE, I would support your family's point of view, especially on the "great city" part. People sometimes neglect the location factor, or downplay it, thinking "I'll adjust to the rural settings" or "I'll do fine with 6 month of snow", but in reality that doesn't always pan out. One of my best friend's daughter is a 2016 grad. She originally thought that she'd love a small LAC in an isolated location. She even signed up for a summer class at one of the small LACs last summer. However, after coming back from the summer, she said she'd never go to that school (or any school in similar setting.) According to her, it's so boring and the malls in the nearby town is not up to her standard.

On Brandeis -- my brother-in-law graduated from Brandeis. He absolutely loves the school. However, the one thing he pointed out is that Brandeis has a deep Jewish tradition. He's Jewish, so he felt very much at home there. He gave me an example: in the cafeteria Jewish food and non-Jewish food are clearly separated and if you are non-jewish, you can't even touch the plate on the Jewish side. If someone accidentally did, they'll call an rabbi to come out and bless the plate and bury it underground for a few days before using it again. Not sure how people from other race and faith feel about that. Of course, that's from 20+ years ago, time may have changed now.

On Stevens -- no personal connection, but I like what I read about it. You've already listed the pros. The only cons I noted were "student mostly from NJ and NY" and "only 28% female."

Thank you, BOGEYORPAR... great insights.  I was aware of the Jewish connection to Brandeis (I actually grew up in Massachusetts) - my understanding is it's 50% Jewish, but the school is non-sectarian.  My son and his Mom are targeting a visit there during Spring Break, and that's probably something they should get a pulse for; it will be interesting to see if things have changed.

Also, regarding Stevens - you are right on the mark, especially with respect to the Male vs Female ratio.  I mentioned that to my son and it did make him pause!

The head coach at Stevens used to be the pitching coach at Harvard under the late HC Walsh. Has a great rep and has worked wonders with Stevens' baseball program. Stevens is well-regarded academically, has a great location on the banks of the Hudson River, and is a 15 minute "NJ Path" subway ride to Manhattan. Hoboken is a funky town and has lots to offer a college student.

IMHO: #motivation beats #ranking in almost every case. Also, not to be overlooked is the plethora of PhDs in the US. I'm continually amazed by the faculty at lower ranked schools. Scan the faculty bios of any school you are considering. Also, imho, there is no perfect school but there are pretty good fits. Not everyone enjoys the 24hr sirens at 114th and Amsterdam, for ex, though the academics might be stellar!

Hi everyone,

Thought I'd share the conclusion of my son's college search.  The last year has been such a crazy roller coaster - I thought I'd share to those who might have younger kids and wonder what it might be like!  What started out as a choice between a UC (in-state, great schools, $30k'ish, no baseball) and 11 private D3s who showed interest from Headfirst... ended this way.

My son will be attending Stevens Tech in Hoboken, NJ. He has a committed roster spot as an outfielder as a freshman next fall.  He is thrilled to be attending Stevens; excellent academic school, outstanding college town, near a fabulous city, and and playing for what appears to be an outstanding young coach and improving program in Coach Aldins.  He'll be 3000 miles away... but we're thrilled for him.

Our "deal" was that we would support baseball/D3, but only if the $$ were comparable to the in-state costs of a UC school ($35k or so total).  My son agreed to a Plan A - baseball at a strong D3 academic with aid, and a Plan B - attend a UC school and not play baseball.  For those of you wondering about the critical "stats" - 33 ACT and 4.1 weighted GPA.  Easy, right?  Not so fast!

My son applied to three UCs, and got into only one (Santa Barbara).  UC applications were at a record high, and he was rejected from Berkeley (expected) and UC San Diego (a bit of a surprise).  Nerve-wracking, but his Plan B was in place. UCSB is not exactly be a "consolation prize" after all.

He applied to all 11 D3 schools that showed baseball interest in him (all from Headfirst).  He was accepted at 6, wait-listed at 2, rejected at 3.  Of the 6 he was accepted at, two offer "need-based only" financial aid; after the CSS, FAFSA, etc... no needs based aid other than loans were offered by those schools.  So they had to be crossed off the list for financial reasons - $60k plus is just not an option for our family when he can attend UCSB for $35k.

Of the 4 schools he was accepted by that do offer merit aid... we learned it's not a guarantee!  Two of them accepted him without merit aid.  Turns out a 33 ACT and 4.1 weighted GPA are good enough to get in, but not quite good enough to be "best of the best" and get merit aid for some of these schools!  They were high on his list, but unfortunately they also had to be crossed off.

That left two schools which did offer my son significant merit money.  Two great choices on the table, right?  Not quite.  In February, the coach of one of the schools informed my son that two outfielders had applied ED2, were accepted, and sent in their deposit to attend - so the coach had to rescind his offer to my son for a roster spot!  A D3 walk-on, though not impossible, was not what my son was looking for.

So, from the 11 on the original Headfirst list, it left him with one financially viable baseball choice and UCSB.  Again, he is THRILLED to be attending Stevens - it was always on his short list. 

But the moral of our story is... when it comes to D3, merit aid... keep your options open - there truly are no guarantees.  And if you are in the "middle" financially (or maybe upper middle, to be fair) - meaning you make too much to get needs-based aid per the CSS profile, but not enough to be able to afford $60k/year... boy is it a difficult path to navigate.

I didn't want to give specific names of the schools that didn't work out - but feel free to PM me if you'd like more details.  I want to thank everyone for all of the advice over the last year, and I hoped my post helped some coming down the line.

Oh - and by the way - I have another son - a class of 2020 baseball player / high academic - so I'll be likely be going through this yet again in 3 years, with a lot more knowledge about the process!!!

Steve

Thanks for sharing this, Steve.  Very helpful!!  I imagine you'll be getting a few PMs!

Great news I am happy for him. We were in the same boat. We did not qualify for need based aid. But Son received enough merit Aid that it was competitive with the state schools. 

Glad he found a spot. If you do not mind could you share his intended Major? 

I hope Stevens has a video feed.

 I can attest to the roller coaster ride of D3 recruiting! I have much more gray hair now. Glad to hear your son found a good fit, that's all that really matters.

Congrats. I have been very impressed with Aldins. While he was recruiting my son to his then D3 school, he was very very candid on the admissions issues associated with D3s. It turned S away from D3s.

Stevens is a job factory when it comes to the financial field.

With your upcoming one, most of the extremely high academic schools take into consideration if a family is paying for multiple kids in college and adjust the FA upward accordingly. The trouble is, when only one remains in school, FA is reduced. The job of these colleges is to squeeze the middle class like a lemon.

Congrats!

Steve,

Thanks for posting with such detail.  Very informative...  Really pleased to hear that your son has a school he's interested in and can continue to play ball (& Parent's can help make it work).

Good luck to your son at Stevens!!! 

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

Great news I am happy for him. We were in the same boat. We did not qualify for need based aid. But Son received enough merit Aid that it was competitive with the state schools. 

Glad he found a spot. If you do not mind could you share his intended Major? 

I hope Stevens has a video feed.

Video feed - hilarious!  I think they do actually - they're a tech school after all right!

He at this point is pretty "narrow-minded" - his dream is to find a job in baseball after graduating.  I think he's going to go the Business Management / Econonics route.  Really good in math, but no interest in engineering at this point.

Goosegg posted:

Congrats. I have been very impressed with Aldins. While he was recruiting my son to his then D3 school, he was very very candid on the admissions issues associated with D3s. It turned S away from D3s.

Stevens is a job factory when it comes to the financial field.

With your upcoming one, most of the extremely high academic schools take into consideration if a family is paying for multiple kids in college and adjust the FA upward accordingly. The trouble is, when only one remains in school, FA is reduced. The job of these colleges is to squeeze the middle class like a lemon.

Thanks for the reply Goosegg... agree with you on Stevens - lots of "top 10" write-ups for post-graduation jobs, salaries, etc.  And also agree - very high on Coach Aldins - former Harvard / MIT assistant... young, bright, and interested in raising the profile of the program.

We do hope we might get a bit of help in my younger son's first year, but then for his years 2-4 we'll be back to one kid in college, so yes, we expect aid to be reduced.  Son #2 at this point is a bit higher in academics and a bit lower on the "baseball or bust" scale, so he may go a different path anyway.  We'll see!

Congrats to your son and the entire family ! Coach Aldins was my son's coach at The Stanford All Star Camp. A really good coach and person. Son was recruited by him too.Hard guy to say no too. 

The UC's are a very difficult to get into as you pointed out. My son's HS teammate had scores similar to your son's.He applied to Berkeley and UCLA for his "safety" schools . Denied at both. Denied at Notre Dame and Boston College which were his dream schools. Fortunately for him Villanova said yes. 

I think your son made a great decision choosing Stevens.He'll get a great education (without 500 seat lecture halls), play for a good team and coach, develop friendships and bonds with teammates that will last a lifetime, and have access to an outstanding and influential alumni network , many of whom are located across the river in Manhattan.

NE, thrilled to hear the news! Stevens is great in both academic and baseball. Please do come back and tell us about your son's experience after fall practice starts.

Also sent you a PM for some specific questions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share the outcome....really appreciate the info as I think we will be making the exact same decision a year from now! I am going to PM you too. Thanks again!!!

I just found this post and would like to add my 2 cents. My son is a senior at Stevens on the team right now and couldn't be more pleased with his last 4 years.  We are from Florida so we also are a thousand miles away from him but the trips to NJ/NY have been some of the greatest of our lives.  Stevens team is a true family.  Coach Aldins, Coach Freeman and Coach Z are outstanding leaders.  There is so much to take advantage of at Stevens, Hoboken and New York City that I could write 10 pages and still only scratch the surface.  I remember how exciting the planning before sending him was.  It is hard to believe it's almost over.  There is not one aspect of the School or the Baseball team that I have to complain about.  I know that's not true for everyone but in our case it has been an amazing experience.  Rest assured that whatever your child wants to accomplish in life, the opportunity exists at Stevens.

I'm happy to hear about new Ducks and wish you the best of luck.

Feel free to DM if you wish.

Tallydad posted:

 Rest assured that whatever your child wants to accomplish in life, the opportunity exists at Stevens.

 

You make it sound great.  But I floated the idea of Stevens past my kid not long ago and he said, okay I'll check it out.  Then a couple days later, he says, "Hey, Dad, Stevens Tech...  75% guys."   And just shook his head.

So it looks like some opportunities may be in short supply there.