Jake Gets an Official Visit

Jake is a very good player. (I’m going to use pseudonyms.) He’s been pretty sure for a while that he wants to go to College A. He really likes the school and they offered him a great athletic scholarship. He hasn’t committed, but they want an answer. Soon.

Just when everything seemed to be falling into place, it got more complicated — in a good way. A couple weeks ago, Jake played really well in a tournament. The coach at College C approached Jake’s club coach after a game and asked about Jake’s plans.

After hearing about this, Jake was really excited. He did exactly the right thing. He went home to send a message to the coach at College B.

The coach replied almost immediately and invited Jake to come on an official visit. It was unfolding at a crazy pace, and Jake was totally pumped. But this is where it got complicated.

College B has a reputation of being a party school. Jake knows this is an amazing opportunity, but he is not into that stuff. What should he do?

After some discussion, it was agreed that Jake shouldn’t judge College B by its reputation alone — that he should give it a fair shake, visit, and see for himself. He’s going on that visit soon.

It was fun watching this story unfold for Jake. It’s a great example of how to deal with awesome new opportunities that present themselves along the way. And it’s a really important reminder that you shouldn’t base your decision on reputation alone. Visiting a campus can make a huge difference.