Commuting from home to save money for future grad school, college counselor disagrees

[UpperValley]

I want to give an update on our situation and give thanks for all helpful insights.

Son #3 just got an invitation for a weekend visit at Fort Lewis college, to spend time with the cycling team and be assessed by the cycling coaches.

This sounds a bit off-schedule compared to the process that, to extent of my knowledge, football HS athletes go through. But cycling is not football, so maybe things works differently.

I'm a bit skeptical of the academic credentials of Fort Lewis college, it is not on top-50 LAC rankings of US News Report. But I'm also skeptical of the whole ranking thing, so I'll try to gather more information about its academics standards.

[3Triplet]

Op: I have been reading your posts with interest... Three of my own and it makes me feel better to read your about your process times three...I have so many friends who talk about feeling like they have done such a better job with their second child learning so much/making mistakes along the way with their first that I often feel pressure to make sure we help guide correctly along three different paths simultaneously...it can keep me up at night 😊 Our three will more than likely need grad school as well and that is factoring into decisions to some extent...best of luck during this exciting time!

[cptofthehouse]

UpperValley, I am a great fan of LACs and though some are not ranked or as well known as the bigger schools, they can be wonderful. I have a friend from years ago who went to Durango, CO for cycling. His dad was in higher education for years an felt that the school was a great match for the kid and was the best way for him to continue cycling in college. I don't remember the college name, just the name of the town.

And my son just graduated from a little LAC in your town, probably minutes from you. He turned down IVy to go there and loved every minute of his years there. It could not have been a better match for him an dthe academics were top notch,, but more importantly served up the way he could best absorb them. The only down side is that everyone here thinks he went to a small state school out west and their eyes glaze over at the cocktail parties A nice merit award was in the picture to soften the high cost as well. Frankly, at the time it was not my first choice for him, but it was the best match for him.

My suggestion to you and your athlete son is to look at some like colleges and have him visit and compare. My oldest was a college athlete and at that lever of competition, the match between the progam and the kid is very important as it can be a good part of the college life.