I think we sell kids short when we contribute their college choices solely to party opportunities around the school. It's not like partying at college is a new phenomenon, so if that was the case then schools like Norwich and Middlebury never would've risen to prominence. And even then, it's not like partying doesn't exist. Even at a dry campus military school like Norwich anyone wanting to party will find plenty of opportunities.
Kids, specifically athletes, choosing what college to attend is a complex puzzle. Coaches, facilities, program investment, personal development, playing time, etc. All of these pitches could've been made and are being made. Programs like Salve, where maybe the facilities are behind, can stress other components more forcefully, like playing time.
But these kids are choosing a college and very few, even the best players from the top teams, go pro. So academic programs and opportunities play a role for a lot of them. I think it's easy to write these guys off as caring only, or at least primarily, about hockey. But, speaking for Norwich anyways, the hockey team has a very good record of producing great student-athletes. Braeden Ostepchuk is a prime example of this, having been named to four Academic All-American teams and being a member of the Norwich engineering team that won a NASA competition about deploying a drone to Mars (or something like that).
So if we want to dig a little deeper, regarding Salve and like programs, what are these kids majoring in? Are a good amount majoring in programs that Salve is known for? It's a complicated puzzle. And if Salve can sell school investment in building a quality hockey program while stressing quality academic programs that students are interested in, then this should be considered and credit should be given.
