There’s no substitute for visiting campuses when you’re trying to decide from among multiple opportunities.. At scholarship schools, this is called an "Official Visit." The school offers it.

Take as many Official Visits as the NCAA permits for your sport. The college pays for everything for your youngster, and may even pay your lodging and meals. You’ll probably need to cover your own travel (some schools reimburse mileage) and souvenirs, though.

It’s a violation of NCAA regs for the school to give you even something as small as a keychain, so don’t expect a gift bonanza.

Parents often tour the campus separate from kids on these visits. Your youngster will spend lots of time with players and probably attend some "social gatherings" in the evenings, especially if you visit over a weekend. Expect to see him the next morning with bloodshot eyes from, at the very least, a lack of sleep. Welcome to college, kid!

What should you look for during these visits? A sense of belonging, mainly. Do the players seem happy and excited about the sport and the school? Can your child imagine spending the next four or five years with them as some of his best friends? How about the coaches: Do they know all of the players by name?  Do all of the coaches make an effort to greet you and get to know you? If not, it could be the school is hiding one or two stiffs to avoid turning your youngster off.

Common wisdom says you should evaluate the school with no consideration to athletics. That’s definitely the right thing to do if you’re not getting scholarship money.

But if your child has been offered a scholarship, the "sports" part of the visit is at least as important as the academic one. Maybe (dare I say?) more so.

Scholarship sports are a year-round commitment. A scholarship athlete might spend 25 to 40 hours a week with his coaches and teammates during the season, and 10 or 20 hours a week with them in the off season. Does that sound like something to ignore when evaluating offers?

Don't get too hung up on academic reputations, either. With a few notable exceptions, the logo on the sheepskin isn’t likely to springboard your young graduate’s resume onto the Chairman’s "hire this kid" list. The quality and value of your child’s education will have more to do with the effort he puts into it.

The last stop before you leave campus may be a one-on-one meeting with the head coach where he’ll try to get a commitment from your child on the spot. Some coaches "suggest" that your child commit now so he doesn’t lose the offer to another recruit.

Unless your youngster is dead-lock in favor of the school, make no commitment at this point. Let him sleep on it for a few days. Have some detailed followup conversations about the staff, the campus environment, potential teammates, etc.

As Signing Day approaches for your sport, it’s likely you’ll get more phone calls and visits from competing recruiters. They may even turn up the pressure ("When do you think you’ll be able to decide? We need to let some of the other kids know.")

Fight the urge to just say, "OK we’ll take it," unless and until your child knows in his heart where he wants to go.

Once he’s made a decision, it’s a nice touch for him to call and thank other coaches who’ve offered scholarships. Burn no bridges; you never know!

But at this point, your youngster’s decision must become a true commitment. No looking back, no regretting, no wishing he’d gotten an offer from some other school.

Throw away the t-shirts and visors you bought during those "other" visits. His loyalty and yours must be to the school and coaching staff that just placed their reputations and careers in the hands of that 18-year-old kid who still has to be reminded to put out the garbage.

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