So I’m a community college student here in California and I don’t play basketball but I’m planning to transfer to a big basketball school because I’m a big basketball fan and I want to go to a school where it has a top basketball program. Schools I’m for sure applying to are Kentucky and Kansas. I know I’m sounding like I’m not focused on the academics but that’s not true. I want to have fun memories of graduating from a school that has a top program and I know I will get a great education at one of these schools at the same time. If you did or are going to Kansas or Kentucky now, please tell me what it’s like there! Thanks!
College sports promote school spirit like almost nothing else can. Nothing wrong with tilting your college list based upon that, but don’t let that be the primary driver.
For basketball, you should also consider Carolina and Duke.
The thing about that is that consumes maybe 1 afternoon or evening a week for home games during a few months of the year. So say 6 hours times 12 weeks = 72 hours per school year. Out of say, 3000 waking hours when you are awake on campus – attending classes, studying, eating, researching, hanging out with the people there. And paying for the privilege.
As an out of state transfer student, your financial aid at public universities may be minimal. My take is that you need to look at cost & academics first, then basketball. It makes more sense to shoot for a Div I team than a “top team”. You have some choices within the UC system that are likely going to be cheaper than OOS options. While you might not get the thrill of a team going deep into March Madness (but you might!), you will get to attend home games and sees lot of good teams.
My S started out wanting to find a college/university with great basketball. After touring several schools, he finally decided he wanted a small liberal arts college instead. He remains a huge fan and even from his New England school was invited to be a blogger for his favorite college team in the midwest.
One thing to check out is how difficult it is for students to get tickets, and.the price. If you find one school at which it’s fairly easy to get tickets & they aren’t too expensive, it might be a slam dunk for that school, and you’ll soon be traveling there.
Arizona , Michigan State, wisconsin, and Iowa are also rabid hoops schools. They might make good backboard schools. I mean "backup.’’
Kentucky doesn’t have strong academics, though. Sports is all that school has keeping it afloat. Kansas is decent. The others are great, though. Make sure you can find the best of both worlds!
I know a kid who attended a University strictly because he was a fan of the sports teams, and by sophomore year had transferred out. There’s nothing wrong with having that as a part of your search but please consider other factors seriously as well.
As for your financial aid question, run the Net Price Calculator for the schools you are considering.
Other schools to consider: Gonzaga and (closer to home for you) St. Mary’s College of CA.
@dodgers3222 - Kansas and Kentucky are wonderful schools with devoted alumni! I also chose my alma mater, in part, since it had a Div 1 program. It helped make my college experience even more fun and memorable.
@PurpleTitan - YES!!! Love Aztec & Bruin basketball! Both teams had an off year in 2015/16 with UCLA having a 15-17 record, while SDSU was 28-10. The Bruins had an outstanding recruiting season this year, and SDSU has a terrific incoming team.
Attending an SDSU game is an event, and tickets are in demand. There is a huge amount of student and community support, and the school has a 96% return rate for season ticket holders. We also have a very strong and rowdy student section called “The Show,” which has been named one of the top student sections in Division 1 basketball. Here’s the latest attendance stats for Div 1 teams - SDSU comes in #27 and UCLA is #60. SDSU’s average attendance is 12,414 (Viejas Arena seats 12,414) and UCLA’s is 7,711 (Pauley Pavillion seats a little over 13,000.) I know this is way more info than anyone wanted, but we’re having basketball season withdrawals at my house…
The net price calculators on each school website are probably going to be helpful to you. Although transfer students do not always get FA that is as good as freshman at some schools. But run them to see what your costs look like. If you are under 24, you probably will need to include your parent’s information regardless of whether they will help you pay or not. Odds are very good that your best options will be your in-state publics (UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley), although I guess we have no idea if you have the academic chops to get in there).
You will find when you run the calculator for out of state public universities that you are generally going to be charged out of state tuition, which is quite a bit higher than in-state students pay. And most state universities don’t give much need based aid to out of state students, too. That is why people are pushing the UCs.
If you give stats, someone might be able to help you figure out which UCs make sense. I only know that the rules for UC transfers are complicated and picky, as I am not from CA, but there are others out here who can help.
It’s very important the school offers an environment you like, so basketball along with academics is a great way to choose.
However, think also about the program in the context of how important it is to the school not just how good it is. There are lots of schools with top RPI’s where the importance of the program and student attendance is higher in a relative sense. Gonzaga and St.Mary’s were mentioned and there are more like that.
@dodgers3222 - Regarding financial aid and CA public universities - The UC system has the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan for accepted undergrad students who are CA residents, qualify for financial aid, and whose total family income is less than $80,000. Many of the UC and CSU schools have institutional scholarships, too. Researching each school’s website to see what scholarships are available based upon your financial need, major, gpa, etc. is a great way to learn more about what each university has to offer financially.
Also, check out the Western Undergraduate Exchange to see if you’re eligible for that program’s reduced tuition rate for participating universities.
I suggest you contact the coach and tell them your interested in becoming one of the team managers. They all have them and they all need freshman. You will be connected to the team much more than you can imagine. You can either send a letter or contact the basketball secretary.
The college environment including sports since that is important to you should be one consideration in choosing a school. The school should fit other criteria as well such as meeting you academic and financial needs.