Should she take a chance?

[Greenmonsters]

IMO, the best advice for most is to pick a college that will meet your DD's needs and objectives regardless of whether softball is involved or not. Our student athlete DDs are just one career-ending injury, coaching change, incoming class of stud players, life priority change, major change, boyfriend/girlfriend change etc away from being just regular students. Important to try to get it right the first time even though transferring in/out is always an option, however they miss the opportunity to spend four years growing, maturing, and sharing experiences with other freshman who are likely to become some or their closest life-long friends.

One size doesn't fit all.

 

[Lenski]

In some ways, interest in a program offered by a limited number of schools makes the college search process easier. I found a list of schools that offer Respiratory Therapy degrees. Many are JUCO/CC that offer an AS, then there are some four year schools. I assume Lenski's DD plans to start at a JUCO where she can take accredited courses that will transfer to a four year school, where she will earn her BS.

Lenski, I think the concern some have for your DD is that she is a good student with a strong ACT, but that she plans to attend a JUCO. Around my area, JUCOs and CCs are an academic joke. Our public HS will not accept courses from the local CCs for acceleration, and will only accept the courses as remedial (if you failed the lowest level HS course in that subject). Our public HS will accept summer courses from other local HS programs for acceleration.

Once in a while, my older two have found themselves in a classroom with some students who are "lower performing". They want to tear their hair out. They don't learn anything, or if they do, they pick up on the concept in a day, yet the class spends a month on the concept. I think what others are trying to say is that your DD may get to where she wants to be, may earn her 4 year degree in Respiratory Therapy, but those first two years will be painful and a waste of her academic talents.

Perhaps these JUCOs have some solid students. I know that JUCOs/CCs vary in quality, and there are some good JUCOs/CCs in certain areas of the country. If that is the case, go for it. If you research the average ACT score and it is 10 points or more below your kid's score, I would seriously consider the academic experience. Have her sit in on a class. Then have her go sit in on the same class (subject/course title) at a school you consider to be a decent four year school. My eldest did this to compare some colleges, and the level of teaching and classroom discussion was very revealing.

My dd is in her sophomore year at a 4 year school and is on track to obtain her BS in Respiratory Care. Solastminute is the person that posed the question and concerns, not me.

 

[JAD]

What does your DD want to do long term? If her goal is to play D1 ball then going the JUCO route and having the first two year paid in full in a great way to go! I would suggest communicating with the D1 coaches of some of the schools your DD would like to play for, and ask them which JUCO would be a better choice if the long term goal is transferring to a D1 school.

I would also like to point out that your DD's degree will be from where she finishes, not where she started.

 

[NoGolfTil2017]

Sorry Lenski, my bad. Good luck to your daughter with her plans. I thought your daughter had not yet started college.

I hope the OP might consider my post though...while college isn't purely about academics, potentially going to a school that covers material you mastered in middle school is not a good fit.