its time to pick your college or univesrity

The letters have arrived.  The merit scholarship awards and costs of school have been calculated (with a staggering amount of zeros) and junior still doesn't know where to go to school.

I offer 3 basic pieces of advice:

1.  Don't take any classes before 9:30 AM.  Trust me kids it doesn't matter if they are offering the MOST AMAZING CLASS EVER!!!! at college nothing is amazing that requires you to get up when the clock still has an 8 on it.  Don't do it.  Your final GPA will thank you.

2.  If you got a clue where you want to live geographically pick a school in that location.  Your decision might be purely geographical---for example if you want to live in the pacific northwest, then pick a school in the pacific northwest.  Or it could be driven by job interest + location---If you think you want to be in advertising in New York go to school in New England---and if you think maybe Chicago is an ok fall back look at Northwestern.  Do not go to SMU if you think you want to be in advertising in New York---pick a lesser name school in New England.   Why?  The most important thing you get for your $300k investment is contacts and while schools draw students from all over the country there is always a pretty strong local flavor to the professors and their connections, along with career placement.  So while Harvard draws kids from all 50 states when they graduate a majority stay in New England and that network is valuable.  And if you want a summer job at CAA (hollywood talent agency) and you are at USC or UCLA you might have a shot---the student at Oberlin (middle of nowhere Ohio) won't have a prayer.

What the heck does all this have to do with Aspen Green Acres?  See advice #3.

3.  If you expect to play a sport in college look at how big the conference is.  And by big I mean how many miles do you have to drive to play games.  This will totally affect your college experience.  For example I went to Trinity College in CT which is part of the NESCAC.  The longest drive between schools is from Conn College to Bates clocking in at about 3 1/2 hours.  Their closest competition was Wesleyan which is less than half the distance to my daughters closest travel game in Glenwood springs (50 min).  Playing a sport at Trinity did not mean giving up being a student to be an athlete.  On the other extreme you could be playing D1 sports in a big 10 school and be looking at a 16 hour drive or flight from U of Nebraska to Penn State.  Yea this is a bit of apples and oranges (d3 New England vs D1 midwest) but the point is useful.  Check out what your travel would look like and everything else being equal choose less travel.

My daughter's joke of a soccer season started up---I am not sure which is a bigger joke---driving to Montrose (3 hours) or playing games on virtually no practice.  Or the real joke---asking kids and parents to make this kinda time sacrifice for a development team that will have had 2 practices before playing their first two games at their home field which is 50 minutes away.  I suspect this will be the last season she participates in soccer.  Chicago readers enjoy your much shorter travel.