Choosing between a full athletic scholarship at BC or Ivy League schools

Parents Forum
21

I think that it comes down to this.

Is football or an education more important.

If football, then it would seem that the best opportunities post college would be playing on a team that would highlight his talents for recruitment to a pro team would be the most important.

If education, then looking at the best college for his educational needs without regard to the football program would be important.

He is just one of the very fortunate to have these opportunities.

22

The rules have changed in the NCAA and now schools can give 4-5 year scholarships. I know the Pac 12 and B1G 10 are now giving 4 year guarantees, so injury is no longer a concern (for your bones, yes, but for your scholarship, no). I’m not sure how far the ACC is in the transformation process. Ask if this is a concern of yours.

He’s going to just have to pick. It’s not like he’s giving up an education to go to BC and play football, he’s still getting a great education. He’s getting both. He can always go to Harvard for grad school.

23

Rubber fall. BC is an excellent and selective college. This student will certainly be able to get a top notch education at BC.

I’m not sure he will be playing top notch football at the Ivies. Seems to me the education plus football opportunities at BC would collectively be better for him.

24

He should go to an Ivy. If your son can get any IVY education, with all the contacts etc. that come with that for $20,000 you should do it. Period.

25

Will football commitments at BC limit the classes your son can take? If not, will the time (far more than the NCAA limit) required for football - including travel - make taking advantage of the scholarship more difficult than it might be at an Ivy League school? Is it actually more likely that your son would get noticed and, at the least, invited to the NFL combine if he is a standout in the Ivy League and multiple year starter instead of being red-shirted and possibly recruited over at BC?

26

The other questions is what kind of student is your son? Would he have had a shot at an Ivy without football? Would Wharton be an academic stretch for him? Not that BC is an easy school by any means. With the demands of football, I would want to make sure he is able to succeed academically as well. Good luck to him! What a wonderful decision to have to make.

27

I admit I have no experience with this. That said, here are the questions I would ask.

  1. Is he really NFL material? It's hard to tell this far in advance, but do your best. If he plays for BC, is he LIKELY to be one of the 3 each year offered a pro contract? Looking at the others being recruited for his year, would most people consider him one of BC's top 3 recruits? If he is and if he is dreaming of the NFL, I'd vote for BC IF he likes the coaching staff.

1a. How much playing time is he likely to get at each school? I know of one player who chose Yale because he thought he would be its top recruit that year and he’d get a lot of playing time. He figured at a football power school, he wouldn’t. He played for Yale. He made the pros–but washed out within a year or two. I suspect that in this individual’s case, he would NOT have made the pros at all had he gone to a school where he would not have gotten as much playing time. He probably developed more as a player because he got more playing time.

  1. How good a student is he? It's hard to play a varsity sport and get good grades. The Ivies put limits on practice and post-season play that other schools don't have. Now, this is one of the reasons fewer Ivy players make the pros, but it's another reason it's easier to be a serious scholar at an Ivy.
  2. How committed is he to majoring in economics? Has he at least taken AP economics so he know whether he likes it? How good are his math skills? A lot of kids think they want to major in econ until they figure out it's essential to be strong in math. ( Wharton isn't actually a business major. It's a BS in economics. If he's "into" Wharton, my understanding is that it's fairly easy to switch out into the College of Arts and Sciences. (I think that's what MOWC's kid did. ) So, don't worry about being "locked into" a major. )
  3. What kind of social life does he want? IMO, there is a lot of difference betwen the social lives at these schools. I'd prefer not to go into detail but if he thinks they are all the same, he's wrong and should spend some time on campus without involving the football team if possible. I'm NOT saying that one has a "better" social scene than any others. I'm ONLY saying they have DIFFERENT social scenes which would appeal to different kinds of people.
  4. Finally, while it does have consequences, remember that there's always the chance of transferring if he finds he doesn't like his choice. He does need to keep his grades up for that to be an option.

Congrats to him! He’s got a choice many would envy.

28

Congratulations to your son! What an awesome situation to be in.
BC is a top notch school that anyone should be proud to attend. If your son has aspirations of playing professionally BC would be the logical choice.
Our daughter is a Freshman at Harvard and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience she is having, the opportunities that are available to her and the atmosphere that exists there. It truly is remarkable and incredibly special.
If your son isn’t absolutely certain he would like to play professionally then receiving an Ivy league education would be difficult to pass up. I bet he would look good in Crimson!

29

The good news is that you can’t made a big mistake when you have such great options. Congratulations to your son for pursuing excellence not only on the football field but in his academics as well.

Nobody can answer this for you. Certainly BC has the superior football program. It will push him – BC will most likely have better strength/conditioning available, a higher level of competition both within the team and with other teams BC plays which would help prepare for the next level, I’m sure you can google the exact numbers but not a ton of Ivy players make it to the NFL. I’ve recently seen both Notre Dame (my husband’s alma mater) and Penn (my alma mater) play football and while the Ivy players are very good, they are on the whole (some exceptions for sure) a step slower and a bit smaller than the ND players. Ivy football is great, but it is not on the same level as BC would be. It is a huge plus that BC is a fantastic school and Caroll had a strong reputation. If he wants a career in the NFL, IMO BC would have an edge. He could always go to a top MBA program (especially if his cost of attending BC is zero) after football.

If he wants a career in business right after college then I’d say Harvard/Yale/Wharton would have an edge. The education and contacts one can make at these schools is tremendous.

I think you need to sit down with your S and see where his heart lies. Again, no bad choices here.

30

Very good point that transferring may be an option (no need to sit out if transferring between FBS and FCS; obviously, going down a level is easier). So is taking the graduate student exemption if he redshirts and graduates with a year of eligibility left.

31

Cornell alumnus Brian Walters will be playing for the Seattle Seahawks tomorrow in the Super Bowl, Brian’s second NFL championship game in his four years in the NFL. If money is not an obstacle, you son should pick the campus that he thinks he will overall enjoy the most.

32

Am I the only person here who would be seriously concerned about the head injury issue? Sorry to be a downer, but I think it is clear at this point that it is very real.

33

Danger is the same at most schools, maybe less at schools that have top programs and top equipment.

34

Consolation, I think by the time a kid is getting recruited for D1 football, most of those decisions about injuries, etc. have already been made by the kid and family. My sons played lots of sports growing up-basketball, volleyball, baseball primarily . The only two sports I can think of that we probably would not have allowed them to participate in were football and wrestling, and luckily they showed no interest. But if a kid has taken a football path, hopefully they and their families have already considered the potential risks.

35

My feeling is that your family should look at what you honestly expect for his eventual career. Is it likely to be NFL? Or not. If not, I would in a minute choose the Ivy school if you can swing it financially. BC is a fine school. It’s not Harvard or Yale.

36

I don’t get it - is the risk of playing football at BC much more than playing football at Harvard or Yale? I don’t think that is the conversation being had here, the kid wants to play.

If he is truly not sure where to go, go to BC and if he wants to transfer to an Ivy, be prepared to sit out.

My friend was on the football team at the non-HYP Ivy I attended. He was taken away from his studies a lot, and though I attended most games like most of us students did, I never saw him in a play. College football teams have 85 football scholarships, so it is very likely your son may not start at BC just by the numbers.

In the long run, an injury at an Ivy will just give him more time for his studies. But if he is injured at BC and thinks at any point in time that’s why he should have gone for the best school possible, that’s a sign he should think Ivy.

Good luck to him, we don’t have those kinds of choices.

37

If you believe that your son is a pro material then he should contact Stanford again before making any decision.
Call all Ivies finaid offices to verify that your older son was not considered attending college in their finaid calculations. Your costs at Ivies will go up by 1.5-2k starting sophomore year as student contribution will go up. Be prepared to cover his work-study as it may not be feasible to work, train and study.
We had to make a comparable decision (minus Pro possibilities) and chose an Ivy. But I know some parents who thought that 10k/y for HYP was too much money. Good luck with your decision.

38

Has your son been to an ivy football game? While the Harvard- Yale game is a big deal with lots of fans and excitement, your average Ivy league football game is closer to a high school game than it is to a typical BC game.

39

I cannot imagine passing up Yale or Harvard on the fairly faint chance that your S will have an NFL career. How long does the average NFL career last? What are the chances that he would be Tom Brady, and what are the chances that he would be Junior Seau?

I had a HS classmate who was a HS All American and got a 4-yr football scholarship to Notre Dame. He played maybe two or three years in the NFL.

I should probably bow out. I am not a football fan.

40

Go to BC, Save your money…no brainier.