<p>fieldsports, I can see that you are a very dedicated parent who has put much thought and effort into planning what will be next after high school graduation, and has begun discussions with your son about it. It sounds like you have already invested many hours of research.</p>
<p>All of the work you have done and will do are unfortunately not going to guarantee college success, whether your son attends a 2 year or a 4 year school. All you can do is offer suggestions to give your son his best shot for success. I can see plenty of pros and cons for all of the choices out there. </p>
<p>My advice is to pick a school that is small, has small classes, and good academic support for your son. I would avoid even looking at schools with big time sports, especially since it sounds like your son will be very interested in them. Perhaps it is my own bias, but I sees a “rah rah” atmosphere as an added distraction that is not needed. Most schools will offer enough club sports where he should be able to participate. </p>
<p>As a NJ resident I understand well about the cost. My younger son applied to one instate school (no aid offered) and he attends a private U for the same cost as our instate public. We also considered some SUNYs, but when they had a rate hike for OOS students, we dropped the idea. I do know 2 people who attended Delhi. One went into the trades and then joined a family business. He attended about 7-8 years ago and was happy. The other person attended in the 80s, so ancient history, but at that time he was able to transfer to a 4 year private U and did graduate within 4 years. I did meet some peers of the student who attended Delhi in the 80s and FWIW I would not want my children in that group of students.</p>