<p>Yes, I am very aware that the merit aid will far outweigh any athletic aid. D3 gives no athletic aid. If you are a football or basketball player they can help you find aid but it is not “athletic”. NAIA can offer athletic money. So far that is only about $3000 per year but it could increase some.</p>
<p>To give you an idea, Kenyon’s net price calculator says net price of $19,285 x 4 = $77140. Cumberlands is $27,000. He would get $20,000 merit award + $3000 for athletics so about $4000 x 4 = $16,000. Difference is $61,140. He will also get some small scholarship money here locally.</p>
<p>I have been thinking about what a poster said about the best college may not be the best college. We are talking about where would he be happy. His search is far from over. I took the 2 extremes for my question.</p>
<p>Several posters don’t seem to realize how important being on a team can be to an athlete. He is not getting special attention or special dorms. He just loves the training and the rush of being in races. Running clubs and 5k’s are great but it would not be the same as a varsity team that really gets after it. By the same token, I could never fully understand someone’s passion for marching band or playing in a symphony.</p>
<p>midwestdadof2–marching band and playing in the symphony are the same “rush”, being part of a “team” and the thrill of performing. Our kids do all three-sports, marching band and symphony and they like all of them for those reasons.</p>
<p>I completely understand that the “best” school isn’t always the BEST school for a particular kid, midwestdadof2. My daughter picked a safety over a couple of other schools that were “better.” My only caution would be to avoid a school where, say, the graduation rate is 26 percent (as in the case of Cumberland), which is so very low one wonders about the caliber and (perhaps even more important) the motivation of the kids at the school. There are a lot of options in between Cumberland and Kenyon that would be great. I do not underestimate the importance of a team to a kid’s school experience. Best of luck to your son!</p>
<p>I know a lot of die hard athletes, H was one of them, who quit after they are in college. Often the reason is the commitment that’s required at college level is a lot higher than high school level, there is little time left for school work and social life. A good friend’s son insisted on if he couldn’t swim Div I at a school then he wasn’t going to consider it. He ended up at a school which wasn’t his top choice just so he could swim. He quit only after a year because of conflict with his class scheduling, and he said, “At the end of day, I need to get a job after school and swimming is not going to do it for me.” </p>
<p>Playing varsity sports is a huge commitment. It is like having a second job. What a 17 year old think is important maybe very different than a 20 year old. My personal view is that a school needs to be a good fit academically as well, it is best not to pick a school just for sports or ECs, because after all our kids are going to college for education.</p>
<p>Thank you ucbalumnus for directing me here to b@r!um’s posts. Very enlightening!</p>
<p>B@r!um, if you see this could you please give some input on my thread here asking for suggestions for universities for my D to consider as a math major? Thank you!</p>
<p>I think you need to consider how your son is likely to fare academically at the schools you are considering. Kenyon is very strong academically, but will your son take advantage and make the most of it? If so, then I say go for it. If not, then I would say save your money. The school is important, but you also need to consider the student’s motivation and drive and intellectual curiosity.</p>