My entire playing career and most of my coaching career has been at the D3 level.

As a D3 coach, many of the players I recruited were also considering junior college (JC) options.

Here was my mindset:

JC is only a good fit for below average students.

As a D3 coach, this mindset served my recruiting pitch well. I used to ask high-academic prospects:

“Why would you go to a JC with such a high GPA? You won’t be challenged academically.”

Now that I work as a recruiting advisor for College Athlete Advantage, my perspective has changed. I now realize:

MANY high school players do NOT list academics as the top priority for their college search.

This may seem shortsighted on the surface. After all, they are “STUDENT-athletes,” not “ATHLETE-students,” right?

Here’s the deeper answer: It depends.

Academics SHOULD be an important factor for EVERY high school player who wants to play in college (AND they should study hard once they get to college).

It doesn’t have to be the TOP factor for PICKING a college, however.

Imagine the following scenario:

Billy is a high school player with an intense desire to play in college.

He’s an excellent student (3.80 GPA/27 ACT) who wants to study business in college.

He won’t choose a college that doesn’t have a good business program, but it doesn’t have to be one of the top business programs in the country.

Here’s how he ranks his important factors:

1. Development

2. Playing Time

3. Level

4. Facilities

5. Academics

In this scenario, JC could be a great fit for Billy…especially if he’s not a high-level prospect coming out of high school.

Picking the right JC will satisfy ALL the factors on his list and give him the chance to develop into a high-level player after two years.

Below are some reasons FOR and AGAINST choosing a JC out of high school:

Before I get to the reasons, I want to let you know that I advise/coach/mentor high school and junior college baseball players from start to finish through the recruiting process.

The players I work with have unlimited access to me (and my team of advisors through College Athlete Advantage).

If you’d like to learn more, reply to this email or send me a text at 319-883-0242 to set up a FREE consultation.

You can also click here for more details.

Reasons TO Choose a Junior College

Academics

I put academics on both lists, but for VERY different reasons.

The classes a junior colleges are less challenging than classes at four-year schools, which makes junior college a better fit for students athletes who…

• Struggle academically in high school

• Want less academic stress so they can focus more on baseball

The JC route is also a good option for high school players who don’t know what they want to study in college.

Cost

Tuition at junior colleges is typically thousands of dollars cheaper than four-year colleges and universities.

Junior colleges can also offer baseball scholarships, making the cost even more affordable.

Development

Junior college baseball programs CAN offer better environments for development than many four-year programs for a couple reasons:

• Classes are not as difficult, allowing players to focus more on baseball development.

• The coaches at JC programs can spent more time with their players (they aren’t restricted as much as NCAA schools).

With that being said, it’s important for me to point out:

• Development is ALWAYS more about YOU than any other factor. How hungry are YOU and how hard are YOU willing to work.

• There are MANY four-year programs that are EXCELLENT at player development.

Reason NOT TO Choose a Junior College

Academics

In general, the academic rigor at four-year colleges is far greater than junior colleges.

Choose a four-year college if…

• Academics is a high priority

• You desire challenging courses

• You want a better athletic/academic balance (this is best at D3 schools)

Campus Life

The campus life at four-year schools is more robust junior colleges.

Here’s what I mean by campus life:

• Dorm life

• Cafeteria options

• Clubs/organizations to join

• Greek life

• Other sporting events to attend

• Etc.

Facilities

With some exceptions, the baseball facilities (and overall athletic facilities) are better at four-year colleges than junior colleges.

By “better,” I mostly mean that they look nicer. It’s important to compare functionality (what you can actually DO in the facilities) before aesthetics (how the facilities look.

Other Considerations

Room and Board

Almost all four-year colleges offer room and board options for their players. Many junior colleges do as well, but not all.

This is definitely something to explore with each school you look at. For junior colleges that don’t offer room and board, ask the coaching staff questions about possible living arrangements.

The cost for room and board (for the colleges that offer it) will likely be similar for four-year college and junior colleges.

Transferring Credits

It’s possible that not all credits from a junior college will transfer to a four-year college.

To protect the integrity of a degree with their name on it, many four-year colleges limit the number of transfer credits they will accept.

This means it’s possible you will have to take classes for more than four years to earn your bachelor’s degree.

Keep this possibility in mind when choosing between junior college and four-year options.

I hope this helps!

Feel free to reply/comment with any questions and/or insights.

All the best!

- Matt

P.S. If you'd like to schedule a free consultation with me to discuss your specific recruiting process, reply to this email or sent me a text at 319-883-0242.