Sigh. When an athlete is considering a school, the team, coach program IS very important. They spend a lot of time at their sport and it has to be a fit. So, it figures largely. You can’t get everything when going the athletic route, so you do try to balance things. It didn’t work out well for many athletes even keeling the balance and having options. My kid was privileged in that he didn’t need a scholarship, and was capable of doing the schoolwork , was amply academically prepared. Not always the case
@MariettaDad, I agree with most all of what you wrote. A lot of folks I know burned with spike in OOS and R/B Hikes after first year or two. It’s important to see what the cost of upper class housing is and what options are available. At many schools, you get a double room in the freshman dorms, but after that it’s an apartment or single, and pricier. Getting off campus digs is a money saver at UBuffalo or Pitt. Not so much at USC or NYU. Take a good look at that student ghetto around the campus. It can cut down costs drastically in future years,…or not.
That contingency plan about what to do if can’t grad in 4 years—- well, might as well face it now: if kid is a class or 2 short at the 11th hour, and I see this all of the time, the best thing to do most of the time is to bite the danged bullet and get it done with that summer. I know some hardline parents regretting they didn’t do do with kids who didn’t get degree for a semester or two of extra time at that school. They left to earn the money and life took over. That’s a reason why I really advise people to stay away from those danged loans from the get go. They may be a life saver at the tail end but not if you are already stuffed to the whazoo with loans. It can happen with even the most talented kid. Easier to deal with it the first two years. After that third year, yes, thAt money in the pot is a consideration as well as time spent. I have a kid who went back to school after a 9 year hiatus and was lucky enough to find a school that would take those old credits and get him out in less than a year. Many schools require a 2 year residence, won’t take old credits, picky about credits they take, etc. i have a friend whose son and niece were on a perpetual treadmill to get their degrees. Wasn’t going to happen with the rules in place. The shame was that the niece should have gotten her degree in 4 1/2 years from the get go but a mishap and parental tough love led to this situation
“Let’s hope colleges are ‘super rigorous.’ We need more grit, resilience, intelligence, and appreciation of the same.” (Post #118)
I doubt anyone on CC has much against grit, resilience, or intelligence (or rigorous schools) but there are many scrappy, persevering, smart kids who worked their butts off in high school who run into challenges in college that can make an anticipated college GPA much harder to obtain that expected. Depression, serious illness, death of a family member, or being assaulted are just a few that come to mind.
“Parents and students need to very carefully consider scholarship renewal GPA, but I wouldn’t automatically cross off a scholarship requiring a GPA higher than 3.0. Some of the best scholarships (mostly full rides) out there require up to a 3.5 to renew. Instead, ask questions of admin, parents and current students about the risk to assess whether it’s one that makes sense for your student.”
Absolutely. D18’s scholarship requires a 3.5 GPA to maintain it, but we were told no one has ever lost the scholarship due to falling short of that level and we could view the full distribution of GPA by major and course. So there were no concerns on our part (justifiably as her GPA after the first year is ~3.9).
A perspective from parents of a student athlete… It is a very long and difficult road, so stay steady and be prepared for all the ups and downs of it. Rely on no one but yourselves. Support your athlete for the joy of it, the family camaraderie and your child’s love of the sport. Do not do it for money! If that happens to come your way count it as an extra blessing.
Enjoy the ride and don’t get caught up in the craziness of it. It can easily be a several year process. Make sure your child focuses on the school first and the sport second. They are there to get an education. Remember, coaches come and go quite often and this can really change the landscape for you.
Prepare your child to handle face to face rejection. At the right time, your child needs to be able to respectfully confront the coach whether or not there is a place for them on that team. Be open and honest with coaches. They often work together and share information on prospects
Be realistic about what schools match your child academically and athletically. Focus on those schools while also having a long shot but understand it is a long shot. Everyone isn’t playing D1 in the ACC.
If your child is pursuing both academic and athletic dreams/goals there is a tremendous amount of pressure they can put on themselves while feeling isolated since they walk in both circles. Give them the space and down time they need to relieve that pressure.
And for the love of Pete, parents please stay off the field, away from the refs, out of the coach’s office and let your children play!
@1stTimeThruMom Some of my son’s merit scholarships came with 3.0 or 3.25 average requirements, others with the requirement that they remain in good standing and making academic progress (generally a 2.0 GPA and graduating within 4 or 4.5 years). I called one of the schools and asked why they didn’t have a GPA requirement for the scholarship ( I I know, looking a gift horse in the mouth) and they said they didn’t want to discourage students from taking hard classes because the school was so rigorous.
@pickledginger “I doubt anyone on CC has much against grit, resilience, or intelligence (or rigorous schools) but there are many scrappy, persevering, smart kids who worked their butts off in high school who run into challenges in college that can make an anticipated college GPA much harder to obtain that expected. Depression, serious illness, death of a family member, or being assaulted are just a few that come to mind.”
Indeed…Lucky I got some need-based aid not dependent on a GPA when I went to college. I went to a pretty rigorous HS and, shall we say, my first year at college was less than stellar. First taste of freedom has it’s price. Nevertheless I graduated on time.
@Theoden Sounds like a smart move by the college. Sad to think kids might not challenge themselves for fear of losing their scholarship. I get it — I had to keep a 2.6 (then the university average at Lehigh) to keep my scholarships. Which college is this?
I too was lucky that back in the day my aid was need based as I bombed the first 1.5 semesters.
I think there are plenty kids out there with grit and resilience. I do know my D19 is more ready for college than I was at her age. She is definitely smarter. And she is totally embracing working gig type jobs. It is like a bunch of part-time jobs(which are easier to get) that add up to well over 40 hour work weeks. Some are off book and for cash. She started really getting it going last semester of senior year. It is like the kid is never home. She is also gaining the skills of being a personal assistant with all the scheduling she has to do most of it with adults. She was home one Sunday for like 7 hours straight. I said why are you here shouldn’t you be working.
Yeah - well if I’m gonna lose a scholarship, you bet I’ll avoid that STATS class or the other dreaded weeder classes. Hello under-water basket weaving.
Allegheny requires a 1.0 GPA for the first year, then it goes up from there https://sites.allegheny.edu/finaid/current-students/academic-progress-policy/ You need to graduate in 5 yrs. If you’re an honors student, you may need to keep a 3.0 to keep all the privileges.(special advisement, first crack at internships and scholarships for special study)
@1stTimeThruMom Indeed, or maybe for the kid who gets shell-shocked at a super-rigorous college or takes too many hard classes their first year and is a bit overwhelmed. I remember a class in Ancient and Medieval Political Theory, which I took as a Sophomore, where the professor told me I was tied with someone else for second highest grade in my class (of 25-30 people) which was maybe a B or B+, Imagine if they had Rate My Professor back then and my scholarship was riding on it. You bet I wouldn’t have taken that class, and you bet I would never have read Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics or Augustine’s Confessions, or Thomas Aquinas on Government. He was one of the toughest graders and I was one of his best students - imagine the rest of the class. But what would have been lost if all my scholarship was riding on it. My ability to analyze complex philosophical texts was entirely developed in that class. Plato and Augustine were among the great reading moments of my life. They opened doors of perception I might never have gone near.
One of the best things we did was work with a financial advisor when my oldest was a freshman to give us a realistic picture of what we should be looking at spending for college while being older parents, having a 2nd kid in the hopper. He recommend we spend about 1/4 of what our EFC is. Our EFC is astronomical and does not at all reflect any real number we can actually afford. Good to know that ahead[قیر](http://nilpala.com)of time. Meant my high stat kid was looking for merit and not wasting a ton of time on schools we could never afford.
