<p>SluggerDad,</p>
<p>I agree with MomofBack2Back2Back. I think you are mixing things up and getting way ahead of yourself. </p>
<p>First, identify exactly what is his academic and athletic goals keeping in mind the sport can be a huge factor.? Are we talking about playing football at Alabama or fencing at Yale? As you would expect those examples will have very different paths. Second, try not to get ahead of yourself. Talk to people who recognize talent (guidance councelors and/or coaches, scouts) and can suggest the best way to develop his talents. Seek to understand your son’s realistic chances. I’ve just started the process with my third son in baseball. I’ve learned with my two oldest son’s that college baseball is ridiculously competitive, but I know his chances are slightly less than 6% of high school baseball players go onto play in college for an NCAA team. Third, try to educate yourself on the recruiting process and develop a plan. You need a starting point for understanding the recruiting process. My suggestion is to sit down with your son and discuss future college possibilities. Get a feel for what he is thinking at this time. If he doesn’t know that is fine, you’ll at least know that you’ll need to keep it general. Revisit the discussion in 6 months. Fourth, remember athletic scholarships sound sexy but they are limited in scope to mostly year to year, D1 and D2 schools, and the total amount of money. In all cases athletic scholarships are at the coaches discretion year to year if you are fortunate. Academic scholarship dollars are much greater than athletic scholarships in total. Academic scholarships are typically for 4 years and under your son’s control with his grade performance. </p>
<p>In addition, 'd evaluate your current situation. If your son is getting value from his prep school…stick with it. If he is better served at another school than look into it. My two oldest sons went to public (magnet) high schools, and got fantastic educations. They are doing very well in college. In my area, I have no hesitation with the public high schools. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>