Off-Topic Discussion from "Colleges Crossed Off List or Moved Up After Visiting"

B teams and such definitely seem to be something to look for if you want to do intercollegiate competitions, but either don’t have the ability or don’t want to commit the time for a really serious A team.

1 Like

Some club teams in some sports are highly competitive and do have try outs and cuts. You have to ask. It very much depends on the sport.

My daughter has played club hockey at her school through undergrad and now her masters programs. She’s currently on a road trip to Seattle. Her team is awful and anyone who owns skates can play (don’t really have to know how to skate). She loves it because she is also awful. The men’s team at the same school? Competitive try outs and cuts.

My niece could have played D1 lacrosse at a fairly high level. She chose a school that only had club, and they were good but not outstanding so that’s the level at her school.

In the west, where not many schools have varsity men’s lacrosse, the club teams are really competitive. And as a bonus YOU get to pay to play! My nephew had a group of friends at CU who all could have played D1, didn’t even want to play on the school’s club team, and yet could put together a high level pick up game on a Sunday afternoon.

It sounds like @carpathia 's son wants to pick the school without considering tennis. I’m sure he’ll find either a club team or, if the club team has cuts, a group of kids who are competitive to play with. If they are cutting 2/3s of those trying out, that means there are plenty of competitive players to play with.

4 Likes

Yes, my son is a competitive climber, which is not an NCAA sport. It is an Olympic sport though and if you want to climb for some collegiate “club” teams you need to be awesome.

2 Likes

Picturing a rink full of people playing hockey without knowing how to skate - an awesome/fun image!

3 Likes

There was one woman on the team when D first started who couldn’t skate. She stood there and if someone went by too fast and knocked her over, it was downright dangerous. I could skate better than her and I haven’t skated in 20 years (like riding a bike, it comes back to you but you do pay the price in aches and pains the next day).

But she got to play, they tried to get her a little ice time, and I assume she had fun. There is beer after a game.

2 Likes

I mean these are the 3 most important things in the world right?! Playing time, fun, and beer.

9 Likes

My daughter plays club rugby at Smith College and they are very serious–they just defeated Yale to win the conference championships! She was a multi-sport varsity athlete who competed at the national level in two outside sports prior to starting college, and she finds the club team keeps her just as engaged as her previous athletic endeavors.

10 Likes

Are you saying NEU gives the students rats or squirrels, etc., stuffed with lobster? That would be a great solution to the vermin problem in Boston :slight_smile:

And if they run out of Boston rats they could for sure import NYC rats.

1 Like

Uh no, the cute, plush kind of stuffed animal that is shaped like an lobster and on sale at many places in Boston.:lobster:

2 Likes

My DS high school is 330 acres. Yes it is a boarding school.

1 Like

You haven’t seen the dorms at Case. The freshman and sophomore dorms were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and it shows. Rooms are small, walls are all cinder block, and everything is run down. On the plus side, the school is building several new dorm buildings near the existing sophomore dorms.

Back to touring dorms, you can get a good feel for the build quality and maintenance of dorms by seeing the building common areas. During our Pitt tour, the guide brought us into the largest dorm on campus to see the cafeterias, lounge areas and security. While the building wasn’t new, everything was well maintained and very nice.

I am so happy to hear this. I have been accepted to Susquehanna with a large merit scholarship. I’m hoping I get to visit before decision time. It looks amazing.

5 Likes

Oh, congratulations! I think you will be happy there and get an excellent education. :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

From the “main” thread…

As a NJ resident who spent a year going to school in Pittsburgh, I can tell you that it’s about an easy a 6 hours as you can find. From King of Prussia to the Pittsburgh exit on the PA Turnpike is 270 miles of usually clear sailing. By the time you check in, wait, fly, get your bags, and get to your destination…I prefer to drive to Pittsburgh from Philly vs. flying.

5 Likes

I note there is also a train. It is not the fast option, and does not have an ideal schedule (particularly the eastbound departure time in Pittsburgh), but it is a pleasant trip and not very expensive usually:

Supposedly in 2026 they will be adding a second train (each way) as well.

1 Like

I’ve done that ride. It’s slow…but nice. The “big moment” is the “Horseshoe Curve”…which you can watch live.

EDIT: if you look at this feed on YouTube…it gives you a count. 305 people were watching the Pennsylvanian go around the “Curve” just before 10 am…with a lively comments section of people chatting. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

2 Likes

Deep in the weeds, but the second planned train is a result of a deal to invest in improving the route between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, in ways that should make it less common for passenger trains to get delayed behind freight trains, including in that area west of Altoona. They are also going to be using their newer, nicer Airo trains:

https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-airo

So the scheduled times won’t be notably faster, but hopefully more reliable. Not necessarily competitive anyway if you have a car conveniently available, but fun for an occasional trip, and potentially useful for a carless kid.

It was hard to get our daughter from Selinsgrove, PA home to Maine. Driving was the only practical transportation. A 1000-mile round trip.

1 Like

Did the guide talk about campus life and if it empties out on the weekends?