A good match???????

<p>What universities should my son researching????? He goes to high school in New York. He currently has about an 88 average.</p>

<p>That is a verrryy broad question and I think you’d do better giving a little more general info (and deleting specific HS name). What grade is he in and has he taken the SAT yet (if so, what was his score)? Does he have a particular major in mind? Does he want a big school/small school and does he have any other requirements? Does he want to stay in NY? Finally, and this is very important, how much do you intend to contribute to his college costs each year and do you know your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)?</p>

<p>I would like him to attend a catholic college in the northeast. We will be paying for his secondary education. He is interested in finance, but I would like him to go to business school after he attends a four year college. He takes his SAT in May and currently is being tutored.</p>

<p>A few points:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The current expectation for students who want to go to business school to earn an MBA is that they will work for a few years after college graduation. So they have to figure out a way to make themselves qualified for some sort of job on the basis of their undergraduate education. This is something that your son should take into account in his planning.</p></li>
<li><p>Does your son share your preference for limiting his choices to Catholic schools?</p></li>
<li><p>How is he doing in math? I ask because my daughter was a teaching assistant for a college finance course, and it was common for students to struggle with the course material because of an inadequate understanding of basic high school algebra. Finance could be a great career choice for a student who is comfortable with math, but one who has difficulty with math might want to reconsider.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Terry, you should first give us some guidelines (what year, gpa, ECs? test scores, etc.). What does his GC say and do you agree? Your GC presumably knows your son better than we do (we are, afterall, total strangers). There are books that only list Catholic colleges, if that’s his intention. Please be sure to do lots of research. There are just too many factors that can determine a “good match”.</p>

<p>Is **he **interested in finance, business school and Catholic schools? Did he take the PSAT? How does he generally do on standardized tests?</p>

<p>I think you NEED to consider more than just Catholic colleges. You also need to be open to what your son, not you, thinks is a college worth considering. Catholics can easily continue in the faith at even large liberal flagships. Those that choose to drop out of church attendance et al will do so regardless of which college they attend. Avoid being too controlling of his future. It is HIS life, not yours. By now you have done your job to raise him with the values you wish. He needs to own the college choosing and application process- internal locus of control, not your external control. It doesn’t matter that you are paying except to eliminate choices you can’t afford, paying does not give you the right to make the decisions.</p>

<p>First consider possible majors- sciences/humanities/social sciences/engineering/teaching in addition to finance. Have him have at least two other choices besides finance. Most college freshmen change their major so he should look at the overall college/university, not just the business school. He needs to consider campus size, and all sorts of other nonacademic factors. He may find more religious Catholics at a secular school than some run by the Catholic Church.</p>

<p>As stated above- masters degrees in business are usually done after working two or more years. Business grad schools look for work experience. He may choose a nonbusiness major and then a business masters. It is too soon for him to limit himself to one specific business major. That will come once he has college experience.</p>