Curious what folks think of the pg year. Is it gaming the system like reclassing? My son is a freshman, has been to all the right tournaments, is on one of the best club teams in the nation, but hasn't gotten any interest from colleges. He has several kids on his hs and club teams who have committed already. Athletically, he is equal to these kids, but shooting wise he's slightly behind he a started lacroase a little later than most on his team, An extra year of skill set development might do him well. Thoughts?
Think of it this way : this is a guaranteed fifth year of payments added to your college planning, often with a price tag in the $40,000-$50,000 range.
Therefore, if your son or daughter was to get a 0.25 scholarship at a four year private institution provided that he/she completes a PG year, you have financially "broken even" with your son or daughter now locked into the lacrosse program for four years. Should your child quit lacrosse in those four years, you are guaranteed to be behind in term of finances.
In a world where folks are struggling with massive collegiate debt loads, it is difficult to understand how the lacrosse culture still professes loyalty to the PG concept.
I agree with that, but aren't there scholarships to the PG schools. I have heard of kids getting a "full ride" to schools like the Deerfield Academy. I also have a question about redshirting. Does the athelete still receive their scholarship money for a redshirt year? Seems great if true. An extra year paid for to get course work done.
A PG year for athletic purposes is usually only considered after a college commitment is already made. As far as "scholarships" are concerned don't kid yourself. We're not talking about the Harvard endowment here. Thsese schools are in the business of staying viable for the long run and not in the business of charity. There is need-based financial aid available from some of these schools but it is extrememly limited and the criteria is extremely rigid and may be just in the form of loans and not grants although a combination of the two is common if you are awarded anything. That said, you will be lucky to pay only $35-$40k instead of $50-55k per year, not including an additional several thousand dollars for all of the additional expenses of a year living away from home including travel, laundry service, schoool trips, spending money etc...We looked into it and decided it didn't make sense for our family situation, particularly since our son did not have a D1 commitment.
