AVC Coach wrote:IMHO, it's a bit short sighted choose a lower tier university just because they throw you some money. It may save you money for 4 years but but it will definitely hamper your earning potential over the next 30 years. Sure, with hard work, you can get rich and be successful, yadda yadda yadda but if, as a parent, you have the opportunity to not just open the door for your kid but push them through, why not do it? Personally, I think there's no choice between attending OU over a TX DII. OU will provide a better academic environment, being an athlete at OU will open up far more networking opportunities for internships, jobs, etc...all of which make it much easier to get ahead later in life.
That sounds great until this kid graduates and then spends the rest of his life paying back student loans. If he can get an education for free why not get it?
I gotta agree with Morry on this one.
In some lines of work, it can help to have a degree from a more well-known school, but I think in most, it is far better to be in a situation of having less debt. Many smaller schools are well-respected academically, and all schools have alumni that are out there working, so there's always a chance that the person who interviews him for a job went to that school and it ends up being an advantage over a bigger school. In many fields, it really doesn't matter that much, grades, accomplishments, internships, etc matter more.
I was about one semester away from graduating from University of Georgia. I left to go pole vault for an NAIA school that is terrible academically. I realized that in my field (sports) no one cared where my degree was from, they cared about what I had accomplished. By the time I graduated, I had competed at (NAIA) Nationals 5 times, been Sports Information Director for my team for 3 years, sold a picture to Track & Field News, and coached a DIII All-American. I would not have had any of those opportunities at UGA.
When the economy sucks (and who knows where it will be in 5-6 years), it can be tough to find a job no matter where your degree is from. My husband got laid off right after we got married in December. Between us we have no debt, and have been able to stay in free housing at the parks the whole time in exchange for volunteering, so we are able to afford to live for very little. If we were trying to pay off student loans, the situation would be crippling and we'd probably end up in the parents basement. Graduating college with little to no debt could give him the freedom to pursue less lucrative things like internships or low-paying entry-level jobs in an area he loves. Having a lot of debt traps many college grads into working at Starbucks for years because of the half-decent pay and benefits.
And yes, OU has some major credibility issues with the vault. Your son could walk-on to just about any school in the country and never have to worry about his ability to vault as long as he stays healthy and out of trouble. OU is one of the only major schools with a track record of saying "sorry, we just don't want to have pole vaulters this year."
