Hi all.
I have a D18 and an S22. Two very different kids. D18 is loving her school choice. If I could move that school to the NE or Midwest it would be the perfect school for S22. We lived in the South our whole lives until last summer. Now I find myself a fish out of water in the college search as we now live in the NE and DS loves the weather and seasons and wants to stay in the NE or Midwest.
If he wanted to attend a southern school I would have this search wrapped up in about 2 seconds as that is where I went to school as well and it is my wheelhouse. But…
S22 is a great kid but not an academic superstar. A- B+ kid at an all boys Catholic prep school. Takes accelerated classes but no honors or AP. Plays 2 varsity sports and works a job.
His number one college requirement is D1 power 5 football. See why this would be easier in the south? We are full pay, I don’t want to spend more than 45K a year and pretty sure he would get any merit. He does not test well (has testing accommodations for extended time due to brain damage/ processing delay from Lyme disease).
He will be majoring in accounting and looking for the 5 year program where they are placed at the end of the 4th year making good money. Our goals are… not looking for some academic powerhouse, just want him to be able to hang In There with decent grades. I want him to have fun and enjoy big sports and D1 football.
Honestly i could care less about his grades. As long as he comes out with a good paying job and had a lot of fun my college goals for him will be checked.
We love Purdue, but I don’t know that he can get in. Also like Michigan State. Weighted GPA is 3.96, but he is only a sophomore. Just trying to get some schools on the radar as I am out of my element in this part of the country.
@momofsenior1
Yes, standardized testing will be tough. He does not test well. Of course we will have him prepping with a tutor this summer but I am not optimistic.
Our state flagship is UMASS Amherst which is a great school but not big enough sports for him and kinda in the middle of nowhere IMO. Although D18 is also kinda in the middle of nowhere so maybe he should just suck it up. lol!
I think we may be looking for a unicorn here with his wishes versus his academic performance, but we will give it a shot. Thanks for your suggestions.
P5 sports in New England are sparse - Penn State is the closest, though the coach is building something special at Buffalo. Otherwise, you need to look at the B1G schools or MAC schools as the best bet.
@OhiBro
Great suggestion! He would love Ohio State, but we are pushing 45K out of state which isn’t the end of the world, but getting up there. Will definitely put it on our list. Like I said, not expecting merit so have to assume that will be our cost, but your are right, fantastic sports school! Even though I have rooted against them all of my life because I was born in Clemson!
@StanleyCup2018
Penn state is a great suggestion. I agree the D1 power 5 up here are few and far between. Big change from where I grew up and D18 attends. This whole move has been a culture shock for me in many ways.
I appreciate your response. As much as he wants to stay up this way, I think back south will be his best bet. Hopefully I can convince him. Thank you for your reply.
@Eeyore123
Hadn’t thought about Nebraska! I hate the god awful cold weather but he loves it so that could be a great school to check out! Thank you for the suggestion.
If you are willing to go even further then Utah has a strong football team and seasons. It’s also a very economical out of state choice because you can get residency. I think Kansas is the only other state with similarly liberal residency rules and may also be worth a look.
I would take a look at University of Iowa. Such good school spirit, rah rah, football is major campus draw, beautiful classic campus. Super enthusiastic alums. Loved the town. Reasonable out of state tuition, and the best part is that you can figure out both admission and merit award before you even apply (Regent score system). My daughter and I both loved it, but came in second to CA school (she wanted warmth–coming from Chicago)
Also second the idea of looking at Nebraska. Great bargain out of state with medium good grades/ACT (also can figure out merit from website ahead of time).
@politeperson
Agree. He is killing me with P5 @bobo44 and @momofsenior1
I think Iowa is a great one! Hadn’t thought about that. I’ll go check Naviance and COA
Cc posters are the best. I wouldn’t have thought about some of these schools!
As I mentioned, with his stats and requirements I know we are looking for a unicorn. Thank you all!
He might be perfect at an Oregon or Washington. Tennessee too. All are seasonal weather wise and football is big. As I’m sure you know.
Also, if he gets into Division 1 ice hockey and basketball lots of schools in New England and NE can enter the equation! Providence College is more of sports enthusiast spot than most would know and a great school.
But a school you should really look at is Bryant University in Rhode Island. It’s one of the three B’s for high end NE business schools. Babson Bentley and Bryant. UG business school and masters in accounting. It’s the schools specialty and is fantastic. Internships are excellent. Recently became division 1 in football and it’s becoming a focus there. Plus division 1 men’s lacrosse is big and they hired the former duke head coach just a few years ago as well.
Maybe N.C. State for more temperate climes in the winter, but a bit more seasonal. With big time football.
Pitt is a great school. Not really a safety at all anymore. However your sons profile doesn’t seem that bad at all.
But really he sounds like a FSU kind of kid to me. That would be fun for him and pretty darn good school too.
