Can we talk big fish/small pond again?

[plansrme]

I am sure this has been discussed elsewhere, but I would love to hear some thoughts on academic fit and what I am calling, in my house, the "three little pigs" dilemma.  My athlete daughter has 3 or 4 top contenders for her talents right now.  She likes all of the three or four, and they are all comparable from a swim standpoint.  Academically, however, they run the gamut.  My daughter is a good student, but not a great one; she has reading comprehension issues, but she does fine. Most likely major at this point is nursing.  So, we have:

 

1.  Little Pig No. 1, the small pig:  a school were she would get a big chunk of academic money on top of swim money and would be at about the 75% percentile based on test scores.  School has retention rate issues but is working on that pretty aggressively.  School has the added benefit of being the most flexible for nursing majors.

 

2.  Little Pig No. 2, the medium pig:  She would be right smack in the middle based on test scores.  Probably going to be our most expensive option but still within budget, although this coach has not actually given us numbers yet.  (There are actually two contenders in this category.)

 

3.  Little Pig No.  3:  the big pig:  She would be at the 25th percentile based on test scores.  Has already been offered a full swim ride here, but there are things that make me doubt it would be a good fit for her, and the uncertainty over whether she could keep up academically is one.  We have ruled out pursuing other schools that would be this big of a stretch academically (she's turned down feelers from CalTech and the USNA, for instance!), but this one came after her pretty aggressively.

 

I would love to hear how your students navigated similar situations and how it's worked out.

 

 

 

[snowbeltmom]

I am sure this has been discussed elsewhere, but I would love to hear some thoughts on academic fit and what I am calling, in my house, the "three little pigs" dilemma.  My athlete daughter has 3 or 4 top contenders for her talents right now.  She likes all of the three or four, and they are all comparable from a swim standpoint.  Academically, however, they run the gamut.  My daughter is a good student, but not a great one; she has reading comprehension issues, but she does fine. Most likely major at this point is nursing.  So, we have:

 

1.  Little Pig No. 1, the small pig:  a school were she would get a big chunk of academic money on top of swim money and would be at about the 75% percentile based on test scores.  School has retention rate issues but is working on that pretty aggressively.  School has the added benefit of being the most flexible for nursing majors.

 

2.  Little Pig No. 2, the medium pig:  She would be right smack in the middle based on test scores.  Probably going to be our most expensive option but still within budget, although this coach has not actually given us numbers yet.  (There are actually two contenders in this category.)

 

3.  Little Pig No.  3:  the big pig:  She would be at the 25th percentile based on test scores.  Has already been offered a full swim ride here, but there are things that make me doubt it would be a good fit for her, and the uncertainty over whether she could keep up academically is one.  We have ruled out pursuing other schools that would be this big of a stretch academically (she's turned down feelers from CalTech and the USNA, for instance!), but this one came after her pretty aggressively.

 

I would love to hear how your students navigated similar situations and how it's worked out

 

 

College athletics, even at the DIV 3 level, is a big time commitment.  During season, my son spends about 30 hours a week with the team.   My son is fortunate that his school has a dedicated block of time for Varsity practices and no classes are running during that block, so there is never a conflict between class time and practice.   This is not true at a lot of schools, and you may want to check into the schools on your daughter's list to see how they handle this issue.

 

Based on your post, it sounds like your daughter is looking at DIV 1 schools.  As you know, that is a big year-round time commitment.    I would be leery about Little Pig No. 3, considering that your daughter is pursuing a degree in nursing, which a a time consuming major with a lot of labs.

 

Good luck!

[Calm37]

:iagree: A nursing major will be a big demand on her time. I remember, as a freshman med. tech. major, all the lab hours. My chem. class alone had 7 lab hours each week.

[Frances]

Will she be directly admitted into the nursing major or will her first year be pre-nursing with a later applicationto nursing? If the latter, is admission to nursing guaranteed if grades are maintained or competitive?

 

As long as the nursing programs at the less academically competitive programs are well regarded and have good pass rates for licensing exams, I wouldn't hesitate to choose one of them over the third option, as long as the finances are doable. Give the time commitment of both scholarship athletics and nursing, I would hesitate with #3, unless there were very compelling reasons for choosing it.

[creekland]

I'd stick with options one or two and eliminate three.  It's rare for a student to do well at a school when they enter at the bottom stats-wise and even more rare if they have something eating up their time like sports (or a job).  It's far more common for them to get discouraged and feel they aren't smart...  Those are just odds - not absolutes.

 

Between options one and two you need to look at her personality.  Do you think she'd relish being at the top finding a tribe there or sink down to be "average" and not stick out?  I've seen both happen...

 

With a sports commitment, assuming she's happy at the school overall, I'd likely hedge toward option one.  I'd also be checking to be sure their nursing grads did ok on state tests, etc.

[katilac]

Little Pig has a clear lead in my viewpoint! 

 

If the nursing program has decent test stats, that's almost certainly the one I would recommend.

[LisaKinVA]

Of D1 schools, the Service Academies are most focused on life/athletic balance, because they have to be.  Coaches are very limited.  

 

But, it comes down to the program and the coaching philosophy.  We have one D1 school expressly state that swimming and Mechanical Engineering is very compatible with their program.  We've had one D3 school talk about a very substantial swimming commitment being difficult to manage with a degree in Mech E.  And, one D2 program emphasize the importance of developing the "whole person."  

 

I'd push back on the programs, with the intended major, ask to speak to others who may be in a similar major and on the team.  Ask them what their lives are like, how they enjoy it -- if there's enough downtime, etc.  

 

I thought the D1 programs were out for my son. I was wrong.  MOST D1 programs will be out for my son.  Some are not.

Edited May 27, 2017 by LisaK in VA is in IT

[elegantlion]

I'm a history major, but working in our nursing department over the summer. Our program is two years of pre-nursing and two year of nursing classes. I know we do have some student athletes in the program, so it is doable (we're a regional state university). It can be a lot of work. Depending upon pre-reqs etc, they can be taking 16-18 credit hours a semester the entire 4 years. I don't think any semester would be less than 15. Nursing also will have clinicals and labs, which can involve off campus training. 

 

Personally, I would try to sit down with the athletic and nursing departments of interested schools and get an idea of what supports are in place. Also, what tutoring is available. I know our A&P class is notoriously difficult and generally it is only the people who attend the tutoring sessions get As. I would check accreditation and job placement percentages of the nursing programs as well.

 

I'm a big fish in a small pond. I like the personalized attention I get in my department. I like the opportunities I have available to me, but the reality is I am missing out on some things because we just cannot offer them in a department of our size.  

[snowbeltmom]

I am sure this has been discussed elsewhere, but I would love to hear some thoughts on academic fit and what I am calling, in my house, the "three little pigs" dilemma.  My athlete daughter has 3 or 4 top contenders for her talents right now.  She likes all of the three or four, and they are all comparable from a swim standpoint.  Academically, however, they run the gamut.  My daughter is a good student, but not a great one; she has reading comprehension issues, but she does fine. Most likely major at this point is nursing.  So, we have:

 

I would love to hear how your students navigated similar situations and how it's worked out.

 

How have you determined that the teams are all comparable from a swim standpoint?  I don't know anything about swimming beyond rec swim team, so ignore my comments if they are not applicable to swimming, but my current senior found a wide variation between tennis programs even though they looked comparable on paper.

 

Has your daughter had a chance to watch some practices and swim meets?  Watching matches and practice sessions was a great way for my son to observe the coach behavior and the chemistry between teammates.  Your daughter is going to be spending most of her non-academic time with her teammates.  Great teammates make for an awesome experience. 

 

Has your daughter had a chance to do overnights?  My son also found these helpful.

 

[plansrme]

What, no love for Little Pig No. 2?  No. 2 is my personal favorite, so I was hoping to get some back-up here. 

 

Little Pig No. 1 says they are one of the few nursing schools that offers clinicals in the summer, so their nursing student athletes have the flexibility to schedule some of their most time-consuming classes then.  LP1 is also going to be the cheapest.  It's just not a school that is going to impress anyone.  I KNOW!  I KNOW!  So shallow--if it's the right fit, it's the right fit.  I'm still kind of hoping she goes up for her OV and doesn't like the girls. . ..

[creekland]

What, no love for Little Pig No. 2?  No. 2 is my personal favorite, so I was hoping to get some back-up here. 

 

Little Pig No. 1 says they are one of the few nursing schools that offers clinicals in the summer, so their nursing student athletes have the flexibility to schedule some of their most time-consuming classes then.  LP1 is also going to be the cheapest.  It's just not a school that is going to impress anyone.  I KNOW!  I KNOW!  So shallow--if it's the right fit, it's the right fit.  I'm still kind of hoping she goes up for her OV and doesn't like the girls. . ..

 

Honestly... I've yet to ask any nurse I've ever had where they went to school.  I only started asking doctors when middle son wanted to go pre-med and I wanted advice for him.

 

If all are affordable and graduates do well, I'd probably let her pick between one and two, but would definitely caution about three academically.

[Mom22ns]

What, no love for Little Pig No. 2?  No. 2 is my personal favorite, so I was hoping to get some back-up here. 

 

Little Pig No. 1 says they are one of the few nursing schools that offers clinicals in the summer, so their nursing student athletes have the flexibility to schedule some of their most time-consuming classes then.  LP1 is also going to be the cheapest.  It's just not a school that is going to impress anyone.  I KNOW!  I KNOW!  So shallow--if it's the right fit, it's the right fit.  I'm still kind of hoping she goes up for her OV and doesn't like the girls. . ..

 

I would consider Pigs 1 & 2 :). 

 

I would compare NCLEX pass rates from both schools and I would look hard at nursing program admissions. Is it a direct admit or a separate application? Most are separate and those dd looked at had between a 16-40% admit rate. Nursing programs are super competitive. Being in the bottom quarter going in would make that admit more of a long shot than I'd want to go for. 

 

Being able to schedule some summer clinicals and having a more flexible program is extremely rare and could be a life-saver for a competitive athlete! I would make sure you talk to the head of the nursing program at each school about the reality of being a competitive athlete and a nursing student. I don't think it would be possible at dd's school and I think they would tell you that up front. How flexible they are willing to be for an athlete could be a deciding factor. 

[LisaKinVA]

Strictly speaking, more technical programs that have specific accreditation pathways (I believe most RN programs are accredited), you aren't going to find a huge difference in the quality of the program from school to school.  This is similar to what we're looking at for ABET Mechanical Engineering schools.  

 

Even the Little Pig #1 school, which DS has the largest academic award the requirements to get into the Mech E department are the same at Little Pig #2 and Little Pig #3. The difference is how that plays out on a day-to-day basis.  

 

Our Little Pig #1 school is not currently ABET accredited (but will be at the end of DS's sophomore year). Has very basic equipment/labs, and will be hiring new professors every year -- which means some of the courses will still be a bit uncharted in how they are taught -- but the content covered is still there.

 

Our Little Pig #2 school has been ABET accredited for over 20 years, and is a respected program (even if I had never heard of the school before Thursday). They routinely finish in the top 5 or 10 in national engineering contests, place students in paid internships all over the country, and have a D2 program. They have good equipment, great labs, and instructors who know their courses.

 

Our Little Pig #3 school is a Service Academy (Two D3, one D1).  And, because of how they work things -- while it would be tough, it is very do-able.

 

We haven't been to the "Big" schools yet, but academically those "Big" school programs are going to be much like the small schools, just with larger class sizes.  

 

What is tipping my son towards the programs (or away) has been the swim coach.  We spend on average an hour with each coach.  The more interested they are in my son, the more "can do" they are, the more excited they are about the program, the more excited DS is about them.  The more stand-offish they are, distant, or in one case -- forgot they even sent DS a letter, invited him to come to visit, and forgot his junior times already placed him in the top 5 of his current squad (of 15 men), and basically made it seem like DS was going to have a difficult time swimming in their program -- yeah, that was a total turn-off.

 

My son needs a coach he connects with.  He needs a positive coach who hears him say, I want to be at trials in 2020 and says, "I will help you reach that goal." 

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

Which school will still be affordable if she has drop seim?

[Frances]

What, no love for Little Pig No. 2? No. 2 is my personal favorite, so I was hoping to get some back-up here.

 

Little Pig No. 1 says they are one of the few nursing schools that offers clinicals in the summer, so their nursing student athletes have the flexibility to schedule some of their most time-consuming classes then. LP1 is also going to be the cheapest. It's just not a school that is going to impress anyone. I KNOW! I KNOW! So shallow--if it's the right fit, it's the right fit. I'm still kind of hoping she goes up for her OV and doesn't like the girls. . ..

My niece just finished her pre-nursing year at a school that I would bet the vast majority of people on this board have never heard of. But it has an excellent nursing program with almost 100% passing rates for licensing and 100% job placement. For nursing, I would be far more concerned about those stats and how competitive it is to move from pre-nursing to nursing than the overall perceived reputation of the university.

[katilac]

What, no love for Little Pig No. 2?  No. 2 is my personal favorite, so I was hoping to get some back-up here. 

 

Little Pig No. 1 says they are one of the few nursing schools that offers clinicals in the summer, so their nursing student athletes have the flexibility to schedule some of their most time-consuming classes then.  LP1 is also going to be the cheapest.  

 

 

Dude. Learn to love this pig! 

 

Clinicals in the summer seems like a huge positive. 

[MysteryJen]

If we learned anything during D1 recruiting it was this, if coaches are talking, there is lying going on. This does not mean that they are intentionally lying, but they will say what they think you want to hear. They are salesmen/saleswomen during the recruiting process. And you are selling the swimmer, no one is being completely honest in this process, except you should be. You should be scrupulously honest, only submit times from SWIMS, coaches must be able to verify times. Once you accept that, you can make better decisions. 

 

For plansrme, to me, clearly little pig 1 is the best option right now. But you do not have to make a decision now, nor should you feel pressured to do so. July 1 you will get phone calls from lots of programs and those might be great options as well. The first question to ask the programs that are interested now are: do you have seniors in nursing on the team who have swum all four years? Get names, check out social media, reach out to ask questions. No seniors? a few juniors? you have a little piece in the answer of whether a nursing major is truly compatible with swimming AT THAT SCHOOL. Because every program will be different.

 

I cannot stress how important official visits are. This is the time the athlete really gets to see the team as a whole, both at work and play. Yes, it is orchestrated, but frequently just by being in dorm rooms and listening, you can learn quite a bit about coaches and the team. Dd1 turned down a full ride, and a 90% offer after visits with no regrets. She was able to see team dynamics and also had a few unguarded conversations that were very illuminating. Elegantlion is very spot on with the observation that the team will be the core of your friend group. For freshman year, nearly 100% of the friend group. Teammates are more important than the coaches.

 

For Lisa, having had a front row seat to mens D1 recruiting this year, it is rough at the top D1 schools. The boys I know who went to UT Austin in the past three years were well over 6 ft, top 16 at Summer Jr Nationals in multiple events, they went in with OT times and pretty small scholarships. Even at a middle sort of D1 school that allows walk ons, walk ons were the ones redshirted or only had exhibition swims, and were "encouraged" to be finished with swimming. We even saw this year, several schools that although they would honor one year of the athletic scholarship told the athletes that the roster was full and they would be unable to be on the team. Honestly, the boys that had the best outcomes (not the stars of the swim world, but regular winter/summer jr nats qualifiers) waited until the spring signing date. I would definitely be concerned about $ that was riding on getting a time senior year. It is a rough and stressful year (even if you sign in November) and too many things can derail a quest for a time.

 

As always, ymmv and this was just our experience.

[hellen]

Strictly speaking, more technical programs that have specific accreditation pathways (I believe most RN programs are accredited), you aren't going to find a huge difference in the quality of the program from school to school. This is similar to what we're looking at for ABET Mechanical Engineering schools.

 

That may be true for engineering but it's not quite the case for nursing. A better nursing school will give you access to better clinical opportunities and more options after graduating. For example, a local hospital would only hire new graduates from a certain school to work in the OR. Graduates of other programs needed experience first. Better clinical opportunities include more patient responsibility and different rotations like ER, ICU, wound specialist, etc.

 

The quality of the nursing program will be known by many nurses at the local hospital. You could ask around about the reputation.

[creekland]

That may be true for engineering but it's not quite the case for nursing. A better nursing school will give you access to better clinical opportunities and more options after graduating. For example, a local hospital would only hire new graduates from a certain school to work in the OR. Graduates of other programs needed experience first. Better clinical opportunities include more patient responsibility and different rotations like ER, ICU, wound specialist, etc.

 

The quality of the nursing program will be known by many nurses at the local hospital. You could ask around about the reputation.

 

I can't speak for Mechanical Engineering, but I know Civil Engineering is similar.  ABET might make one think they're all the same, but reality seems to suggest otherwise.  Many employers I know (well, hubby knows) have favorite and not at all favorite schools for new grads, all based upon competency of previous grads.  It's worth it to see what those in the field think.

[8filltheheart]

Dude. Learn to love this pig!

 

Clinicals in the summer seems like a huge positive.

:iagree: It is huge. (Wish I could insert a big fat pig emoji! :) )

[plansrme]

 

 

For plansrme, to me, clearly little pig 1 is the best option right now. But you do not have to make a decision now, nor should you feel pressured to do so. July 1 you will get phone calls from lots of programs and those might be great options as well. The first question to ask the programs that are interested now are: do you have seniors in nursing on the team who have swum all four years? Get names, check out social media, reach out to ask questions. No seniors? a few juniors? you have a little piece in the answer of whether a nursing major is truly compatible with swimming AT THAT SCHOOL. Because every program will be different.

 

I cannot stress how important official visits are. This is the time the athlete really gets to see the team as a whole, both at work and play. Yes, it is orchestrated, but frequently just by being in dorm rooms and listening, you can learn quite a bit about coaches and the team. Dd1 turned down a full ride, and a 90% offer after visits with no regrets. She was able to see team dynamics and also had a few unguarded conversations that were very illuminating. Elegantlion is very spot on with the observation that the team will be the core of your friend group. For freshman year, nearly 100% of the friend group. Teammates are more important than the coaches.

 

 

 

She is definitely not feeling pressured to make a decision now (well, LP3 did, but she told them she wasn't making a decision this early) and has actually told every school she is waiting until OVs, so no worries there.  She is all about how she likes the other girls.  She is hoping to narrow OVs down to three favorites, though, as she's seen most of her friends not take all five with no regrets.  Narrowing them down based on academic fit is my only goal at this point, not to actually make the final decision (not that it is my decision to make, of course).  I have some info in my back pocket that will tank this particular LP#3 in her eyes, and it seems the consensus is that I might want to pull it out.  Of course, other LP#3s may come along in the next month or so.  Right now, there are a couple of schools that would be LP#1s and two or three that would be LP#2s, with minor variations, but only the one #3.

[LisaKinVA]

That may be true for engineering but it's not quite the case for nursing. A better nursing school will give you access to better clinical opportunities and more options after graduating. For example, a local hospital would only hire new graduates from a certain school to work in the OR. Graduates of other programs needed experience first. Better clinical opportunities include more patient responsibility and different rotations like ER, ICU, wound specialist, etc.

 

The quality of the nursing program will be known by many nurses at the local hospital. You could ask around about the reputation.

 

 

I can't speak for Mechanical Engineering, but I know Civil Engineering is similar.  ABET might make one think they're all the same, but reality seems to suggest otherwise.  Many employers I know (well, hubby knows) have favorite and not at all favorite schools for new grads, all based upon competency of previous grads.  It's worth it to see what those in the field think.

My post wasn't clear -- I meant to be referring to the quality of the students entering the program would be similar -- vs the average student attending. There can be huge differences in the program (especially with regard to job placement).  We are asking questions of the programs we visit with regard to job placement, internships available, if they are paid/unpaid, the types of companies that they place their kids with -- and if possible, getting DS the opportunity to "meet" (by email/skype) a current and/or former student from the program.  I guess I was trying to indicate that her daughter's peer group within her major would not be as stark a difference (same would be true for math majors, physics majors...where I've seen the stark differences is in the elementary education and other humanities degrees).

 

My concern with DS's favorite D3 program is that it is not established, that the internships and relationships aren't really there yet.  I don't have concerns like that with the D2 program.  I wasn't worried about the quality of the students in his area of major.

 

ETA:  This isn't to say that a top-ranked engineering program at USNA, MIT, CalTech wouldn't be far different from most of the programs we're looking at with the LAC's but between the D2/D3 and certain D1 programs there isn't as much of a difference.

 

Most of the D1 schools (UT Austin and TCU), will lose their luster a bit after he meets the coaches.  I'm not sure how UA will treat him, mostly because he is an acquaintance of mine. (saying I "know" him would be a stretch  ;) ).  

 

The scholarship he was offered was based off of his current times -- the option to increase the scholarship by making the cuts at the next level is available.  This is not your typical college coach (although, he did a great job of recruiting).  He comes in with a really good reputation, and I know people who have known him for years and no one has a negative thing to say about him.  DS's job will be to work on securing additional scholarships to meet the need based upon the current amount offered.  In essence, he needs to secure about $10,000 a year in additional scholarships to attend without loans or work-study (this includes $$$ for transportation, books, fees, incidentals). He has a really good chance at a couple of scholarships that will be another $5-7,000 a year as well.  But in the meantime, he's going to apply for at least one scholarship each week until he reaches the magic number.  If he hits the times (which actually is not unreasonable, given his training history, and the improvements to his training program we're making), any extra scholarship money he has (not awarded by the school) would be subject to taxes, but we could at least put it in a bank account for future expenses, study abroad opportunities or his masters degree.  This school is probably as close as he can get to being a perfect fit (it's not 100% of what he was looking for, but it gets pretty close)

Edited May 28, 2017 by LisaK in VA is in IT

[bettyandbob]

Pig 1

 

Definitely eliminate pig 3. Swimming scholarship is like working full-time. So she'd be working full-time while trying to compete academically in an environment where she is at the lower end of the group. Sounds like a disaster.

[GoodGrief]

Speaking as someone with a BSN. I will say it's definitely true that no one will care where she went to school to get her nursing degree.

 

How does she feel about the coaches? A good coach can make or break the experience. I'd weigh that fairly heavily in the decision making process.

 

Also, how affordable is the school if she gets injured and loses the scholarship?

[snowbeltmom]

Speaking as someone with a BSN. I will say it's definitely true that no one will care where she went to school to get her nursing degree.

 

How does she feel about the coaches? A good coach can make or break the experience. I'd weigh that fairly heavily in the decision making process.

 

Also, how affordable is the school if she gets injured and loses the scholarship?

 

With regard to the coaches, you also have to look out for the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - the coach that is very personable and friendly during the recruiting process and then borders on abusive to his players.  In our experience, the best way to determine the true character of the coach is to attend a meet or practice anonymously.  My younger son also asked for opinions from kids who played in the same conferences.  In his case, the same coach's name was mentioned as a team to avoid.  However, this coach's actual players never indicated that there was an issue with the coach's behavior, yet my son discovered by talking to a player from another team that this coach had been sanctioned by the NCAA for his abusive behavior toward his players (which we later verified).

 

Another factor that my son took into account was the team behavior at matches.  My son didn't want to play for a team where the players were disrespectful to their opponents on the court.  Attending matches easily revealed these teams. 

 

(I was at the NCAA National Championships with my oldest son this week.  My husband and I arrived in time to see the team National Finals the night before my son was scheduled to play in the individuals.  We arrived about 1/2 way through the match.  When I sat down, I asked the guy sitting next to me if he had a son playing in the match.  He told me that he didn't, that he was just a local tennis fan who had come out to see some tennis.  He then pointed to the team that my younger son had eliminated immediately during his recruiting process after watching them play for 5 minutes and said, "I don't know either of the teams, but I am hoping that team loses as they are a bunch of a$$holes."   This was a team that looked like a great fit on paper for my son.)

 

A friend of my boys just came back from his first year of college.  He regrets that he didn't spend more time investigating the team and the coach.  He had a miserable year, but can't quit the team because he needs his athletic scholarship in order to afford the school.  He said he thought about transferring, but he thinks he would have to sit out a year per NCAA rules and he doesn't think the athletic money offered would be as high as it would have been going in as a freshman.

 

We found that once the academic piece was figured out, there was an entire other piece of the puzzle that needed to be determined. Ymmv 

 

Good luck.

 

 

[teachermom2834]

My ds is only a D3 athlete but a very important piece of the puzzle , no matter what level athlete, is what will happen if the sport does not work out. It is okay if the sport pushes one school to the favorite position but it cannot be the primary factor. The frequency with which the athletic side falls apart, even at the D1 level, is so high. What is the backup plan if sport doesn't work out and is everyone comfortable with that? (Just something to ask yourself).

 

I agree with doing homework on coaches. We had general impressions from recruiting but once my ds ended up at his school he really got the read on opposing coaches.

 

There are so many parts to fit together for athletes. It has been worth it for my ds. D3 is perfect for him in intensity and he is greatly enjoying his experience even without an athletic scholarship.

 

Good luck!

[FaithManor]

I say number one. I think that it sounds like a good blend of fit and finances, and that's a winning combo especially if she is going to play a sport, and the major has flexibility.

[plansrme]

The coach at Little Pig #1 offered her a full ride athletic scholarship tonight without regard to academic $$.  You know, the lore is that no one gets a full ride in an equivalency sport, and she's been offered two.  Frankly, I'm going to need Little Pig #2 to show up big.  She now has confirmed dates for OVs for both LPs 1 and 2 in September, so we should have everything squared away in early October.  

 

I do think LP #3 is off of the table, and I didn't even have to pull out my secret weapon, i.e., that this is one of the schools that was going to get a Chick-fil-A on campus until student protests caused the administration to retract their invitation.  This girl LOVES her Chick-fil-A.