College Choices!

This blog post is about the journey to college and some of the information I have gained so far in the search for the right school for my boys. We began the search last summer when James really began getting a lot of interest from different college coaches. I have to figure out what is best for two young men who will be graduating in 2020. Two young men with two different personalities that will most likely end up in two different colleges. It is extremely overwhelming and very stressful this search for the right college. So much information to absorb and research that my biggest fear is I will miss a program or school that would be perfect for one of them.

Tyler is interested in pursuing study in Biology and his long term goal is to become a Dermatologist. Tyler is not interested in pursuing a sport in college, maybe something recreational but nothing serious. His first choice so far is Florida State. We toured FSU before Thanksgiving and all of us where impressed with all that the school has to offer. A few of the points that I really liked was the layout of the campus and some of the services they have for their students. A big plus in my book is the tutoring center. With two boys who have dyslexia and ADHD this was a welcome sight. The students can go into the center any day and get help with any subject.

One big point that I cannot stress enough is that for schools such as FSU they look at course load and create their own GPA based on the courses you take. AP, Dual Enrollment and IB courses are worth more points than the regular course load. This was an important piece of information that I did not know before and validated my point of pushing both boys to take harder courses. This is also a reality check for those students who are not taking upper level courses but have straight A's. Just because you have a 4.0 and your course load includes classes such as team sports, weightlifting, drivers ed, basic math and the easiest course load you can take does not mean you will be accepted into a college such as FSU.

They look very closely as the content of your high school courses and yes, senior year counts. This was the second important fact I learned. They look at your course load for senior year and it can make the difference in you being accepted or not. They recommend that you take a high level Math senior year along with at least two to three more core classes. Tyler and James both will need mainly electives senior year however because of the information I have discovered I will push them both to take at least three upper level courses including a Math.

So far for Tyler FSU is on the list. We will be going to see Auburn and Alabama in March. I also want to take Tyler to see Southern Mississippi and South Alabama. I have heard really good things about both of these schools.

James on the other hand is a whole different stress level because of swim. Playing a sport in college is a whole different learning curve and my biggest advice is to start early. We started at the end of sophomore year and I really wish we had started some research earlier than that. Contact from schools and military academies began last summer. Some of the schools James has heard from are U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, The U.S. Air Force Academy, William and Mary College, Kenyon College, John Hopkins University, La Salle University and many other colleges/universities. Just about every day there is a new email from a different school. While this is wonderful it is also very time consuming because for each one he is researching their field of studies/academics, researching the coach and trying to decide if it is a place he could see himself attending. James has also contacted schools other than the ones listed such as FSU, Auburn, Alabama and some others.

He has some serious long term goals one of which is to become a surgeon, (Neuroscience) is first on his list. James has pretty much ruled out the Military Academies while financially this would be a great way to go he just does not feel he has the temperament to be in the military. One of the main things he is researching about each college is their Biology or Pre-Med program.

I highly suggest that if your child is good at a sport and plans on pursuing it in school you need to do some research. I would start by reading the recruitment rules from the NCAA and to make yourself familiar with the steps to take to play a sport in college. This point I cannot stress enough do not wait on your coaches, they are not going to do this for you. They will answer calls and emails from prospective schools interested in your athlete but they are not going to take the initiative to contact schools for your athlete. This whole process is on you and your athlete. In junior year you need to register your athlete through the NCAA Eligibility Center this costs $90.00 to do and it takes a year to finalize your athletes eligibility. If you are only pursuing Division 3 schools you do not need to do this but for Division 1 or Division 2 it is a must. The next step is to get on some recruiting sites. For fellow swimmer families the one to be on is College Swimming one of James coaches told me this is the site that most coaches refer to when recruiting. I did pay for the full service for this site it was not very expensive and it allows you to upload photos/video. If you are a part of GPAC Coach Phil Kraus has put together some handouts that were a good place to start.

The next step to do is to figure out if your athlete will pursue a D1, D2 or D3 program. The differences are financial and can also determine the amount of participation on the team your athlete achieves. D1 schools such as Florida State, University of Florida, Alabama and Auburn for example give the most money for athletic scholarships. These scholarships are highly competitive and your athlete needs to be the best of the best to not only get them but also be on the "A" Team while at the college. For example, for FSU James has to achieve a summer Junior National cut in order to be considered for the team. Even with a Junior National summer cut it does not mean he would be a part of the "A" Team. For smaller D1 schools such as William and Mary and LaSalle University which are interested in James the summer Junior National cut may not be mandatory. Division 2 schools give a smaller amount of money for athletic scholarships. These schools are usually a bit smaller and more intimate in class size. Your athlete would also have a better chance of competing. Division 3 schools while they do not offer athletic scholarships are usually pretty good about finding academic monies for your athlete. This is especially true if your student is academically sound and a hard worker. There are some great D3 schools out their such as Johns Hopkins that may be perfect fit for James long term. At this point we are not ruling anything out and researching to see what is the best place for James long term.

One of James coaches said that the one thing you need to decide is if you want to be a, "Big fish in a small pond" or a "Small fish in a big pond". How much competition time do you want and how hard do you want to work.

I know I have not talked about testing particularly the ACT and the SAT. I feel that will be an entire post itself and will work on that at a later date. For my fellow sports moms and moms of juniors/seniors my hat is off to you it is such an emotional time. I find myself being so happy for them and then so sad for myself. The changes keep coming and some of them are so hard to absorb. Class of 2020 is marching toward me whether I want it to or not. My research is not over and every day I learn something else new. I will keep sharing what I have learned and will learn as my family goes through this process.