<p>I don’t know the definition of ‘very strong’ sports, but University of Montana admits over 90% of its applicants, has low OOS tuition and even gives scholarships to its OOS admits who (like my son) aren’t real ‘scholars.’ They LOVE their football (and basketball.) Every game is like the super bowl, and not just on campus. Plus you get a gorgeous campus and stunning setting as well.</p>
<p>to add to uab…oos costs for tuition and room…19-23K. The op’s D already qualifies for blazer elite oos merit=10K per year therefore out of pocket is 9-13K. Tier one school, nationally recognized for its sciences, and health related fields.</p>
<p>Miami U, OH. However, it is very expensive OOS. D. has been on full tuition Merit scholarships there. I am not sure how much ACT 28 will pull, but check it out. Lots of kids OOS, although it has never been clear why OOS kids would choose such expansive public.
U of Mich might be even more expensive for OOS. U of Mich is not giving lots of Merit packages, maybe ACT=34-35 would be enough. D. did not apply there with her ACT=33 because of OOS status. She has always considered UMich, but at the end, we have decided it was not worthwhile because of financial side and her plans to go to Med. School.</p>
<p>Thank you so much everyone! Here are my thoughts…U Michigan and Michigan State would be too expensive even if she got 9 or 10,000. Can’t afford the OOS.</p>
<p>My concern with some of the Southern schools mentioned…Is it tough for a “Northern” girl to fit in? We are in Chicago. A couple of kids from our HS went to Southern schools like Ole Miss and Bama and most the girls ended up coming back to Chicago at the semester…they did not even last the year. Every one of them said that they just did not feel like they fit in and that it was tough to break in to the girl groups socially.</p>
<p>Illinois does not participate in the program that gives in state tuition to states touching. I only know about N. Dakota offering in state for ILL folks. Yah, I don’t think she would go for N. Dakota.</p>
<p>Any other suggestions?? Sort of strong second tier or weak first tier schools I guess. I am going to check our list of schools w/ AT degree programs to see if UAB, and the other one’s mentioned to see if they have the programs.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any other schools…I am going to look at all of them!
j</p>
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<p>LOL, my D is going in the opposite direction (from the south to Chicago.) </p>
<p>You really have to look at it school by school. There are defintely schools in the south where the girls are perfectly “done” (hair, makeup, clothes) all the time. Big sorority scene. Boob jobs for HS graduation. Then there are others where that is not the case at all.</p>
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<p>I grew up in NJ but my parents got divorced and I would spend the summers with my mom in Alabama. There is definitely a different pace of life down there…and it would tend to be more rural. Most likely she would feel out of place and as if she is in a different “culture”.</p>
<p>buzymom3, have you checked out University of Minnesota. Its not too far from Chicago, has just a little colder climate/weather, but is a big school with everything your daughter might want. The OOS is not too bad, I think it is only $4,000 more than instate and they do give merit scholarships, although I am not sure if her ACT would warrant one. They even have OOS scholarships. A bus even travels from near the school to Chicago for a reasonable rate (anywhere from $10 to $55 one way) with only 2 stops, once in Mauston for dinner and once in Milwaukee to drop people off.</p>
<p>Just a thought, does UNI offer the kinds of scholarships that ISU does? I know a Chicago-area girl who has been very happy at UNI. However, her parents are able and willing to pay full-freight there.</p>
<p>We are originally from NJ but relo’d to TN in middle school. D1 is at UA. One of her roommates is from Chicago, the other two from Atlanta. I believe the OOS percentage is in the mid 40% now. and my D didn’t go greek; only 29% of the campus does.</p>
<p>IMHO, it is a much easier adjustment to go from north to south (where people are friendlier) than to go from south to north (where flipping the middle finger can be considered the state bird.) From what I’ve seen the adjustment factor seems to be harder when people are focused on what they’re missing vs. what they’ve gained. </p>
<p>I’m pretty active on the UA forum and there are a lot of OOS parents there. Feel free to stop over and ask away. People are pretty honest with their experiences.</p>
<p>I think that Post #13 is recommending Ohio University in Athens, Ohio (not Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio). Nice college with generous merit aid. </p>
<p>It is my son’s favorite safety school. We are in state for OU. He visited and liked it a lot, and they full in-state tuition with a 32 ACT score.</p>
<p>I did similar research with D. I have no idea if these schools have the major, but Kansas State gives decent OOS merit awards. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State start being pretty generous when the ACT is 29 or above.</p>
<p>Well I showed my daughter this forum yesterday and we looked at many of the schools mentioned. </p>
<p>A few don’t have her major which will be Athletic Training, so Minnesota and few others are off. A few are just out of our league financially…loved Miami of Ohio, but even with aid, it would be a stretch.</p>
<p>But we added Nebraska (going there on Friday next week), K-State and very interestingly University of Alabama!!</p>
<p>She is not sure about Alabama, but the comments on this thread and on the U Alabama thread intrigued her enough that we may visit for a couple of days to get a feel for it.</p>
<p>I am going to post a question or two on that forum and try to get some feel for just how ‘Southern’ it is. And actually Southern is not bad…my mom’s family is all from Texas, so I get it. Just want to be sure that she fits in being a city girl from Chicago.</p>
<p>I cannot thank you all enough! AND please feel free to PM me or post to this if you have any other suggestions.</p>
<p>lol…UA gets love and uab is the stepchild 
good luck with your search!</p>
<p>buzymom: Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., has an athletic training major. It is Missouri’s state liberal arts university and draws a very strong academically minded student body. It is far from a party school but the downside is that it is in a very small town. If your daughter wants shopping, Kirksville is not the place.</p>
<p>Buzymom:</p>
<p>In part college is about stretching yourself; getting out of your comfort zone; getting new experiences; learning about people different than you. My brother lives just outside of Birmingham, and I have been down there often and my niece will be entering Tuscaloosa in the fall. Yes there are differences. Some of them will be amusing; some of the will be amazing; some of them may be off-putting. So what? That’s true of any place especially in a state like Illinois that has pretty distinct cultures. I imagine there are a lot of very shocked first year students at UICU. </p>
<p>In my early 20s in the 1960s, a time when the regional differences were much greater on a number of issues then they are now, I went from Rutgers to UNC-Chapel Hill. Best move I ever made. Learned much. </p>
<p>If Alabama meets your financial and educational needs go for it. And, btw, it is 78 degrees right now in Tuscaloosa. For someone from Chicago, that’s not an insignificant piece of information.</p>
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I don’t know anything about the many options people presented, but I haven’t seen this comment: It’s a big school - she doesn’t have to actually see her sister or be in the same circles. </p>
<p>I also like what tsdad (#35) said.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>She should improve her GPA, ACT, SAT Subject test scores and gain entry to a top university that is need blind in admissions and meet full 100% demonstrated need without the use of parental or student loans like:</p>
<p>Harvard
Yale
Princeton
MIT
Amherst College</p>
<p>Is the student an international student or USA student? If she is a USA student then the following colleges also apply:</p>
<p>Pomona College
Stanford
Claremont McKenna College</p>
<p>buzymom: LSU offers a major in athletic training. OOS tuition is lower than many peer schools (between $16-17K) and your daughter would qualify for a $5000 merit scholarship annually for all 4 years based on her current ACT. If she bumps up her ACT to 30, she would qualify for a $10K scholarship.</p>
<p>Living in Honors Dorm at Bama with all the OOS kids (many from Northern/Western states too, not just neighboring states), small classes because of the Honors College, plus all the activities and clubs of a large school will counteract any potential problems of breaking into the ‘southern social girl groups’ (I DO understand what you mean but think it’s a far from ‘southern’ thing, although perceived cultural differences could make the ‘girl gang’ thing worse)</p>
<p>“… a top university that is need blind in admissions …”</p>
<p>Being need-blind or need-aware should be irrelevant to applicants. Being need-aware affects only the chances of admission, and only for those applicants on the cusp when the financial aid budget is depleted; it doesn’t affect the desirability of a school (unless you’re making your decision based on endowment size).</p>
<p>“… without the use of … student loans …”</p>
<p>This criterion eliminates many possible excellent schools that include ~$5k in federal loans in order to admit ~10% more needy students (and if you’re one of the 10%, you’re grateful for student loans!).</p>