<p>My dad and some other people keep telling me that I need to go to a "top school" or maybe even Ivy League. I have some friends who will likely go Ivy League and have siblings there already. But I want to stay in the south, and close to home. My dad insists I will be fine once I am at college and even says he thinks I want to stay close for my boyfriend. This is not true. </p>
<p>I live in the bible belt. I hold my religious beliefs to be very important. My dad is not religious at all. I am interested in Baylor. My dad says I am ruining my education. He says I am settling. He also says I will be closing doors.</p>
<p>I likely will go to grad school. At that point, I would be more open to move far away. I also plan to apply to Rice, but I know I might not get in. The other schools on my list had been Williams, Dartmouth, Washington University, and Yale. But now that I am at the end of my junior year, the reality of college is sinking in. And I do not think I would like to be at any of those schools. I have no interest in going to the north. I do not even own a winter coat and would like to keep it that way. And I do not want to feel out of place for my Christian beliefs. I am very open to other's beliefs, so that does not bother me. I don't go around wearing shirts with bible verses on it, although I would not be opposed to it, I just don't. I want to be in school with other people like me. And I really do not want to move far away.</p>
<p>My mom says to "smile and nod" with dad. She will smooth things over with him once I make a decision.</p>
<p>Regardless, I need to find more schools to look at. None of the state universities interest me. I have a teacher telling me to consider UT Austin Plan 2. I will go look at it, but I really do not want a huge university like that.</p>
<p>I would love suggestions and ideas.</p>
<p>Also, my dad says good graduate schools, such as Wash U, likely won't accept me if I am coming from an undergrad like Baylor University. Baylor is not tier 1, and it is known as a religious school. I would love to hear anyone's opinions on this too.</p>
<p>undecided2014, it’s not clear whether or not there are any financial considerations to be factored into the equation, but I hope your dad realizes how difficult it is to gain admission to the Ivy League is these days:</p>
<p>Rice, Vanderbilt, Duke, UVA, William & Mary, and UNC-Chapel Hill are all of similar caliber to the Ivies, and are highly selective as well, so perhaps you should explore them as alternatives firmly situated in the South. Don’t forget to choose some good safeties, however, or you could find yourself heartbroken, regardless of your stats/credentials. Perhaps Baylor would fit into that category.</p>
<p>Also, just for the record, there are plenty of devout Christians in the Ivy League; they aren’t a dominant group on campus, but I wouldn’t assume that just because these schools are in the northeast that everyone there is a heathen. I knew plenty of kids in Intervarsity at Penn when I was a student there, and I believe IV is active at all the Ivies.</p>
<p>Rhodes College (Memphis) may be a great fit for you and satisfy your Dad’s wishes as well. No, it’s not the Ivy League, but it is a good school and you have to be a good student to get in. The campus is beautiful and there is likely an active community of Christian students.</p>
<p>Rhodes is a great school (as are Hendrix and Sewanee). If LACs are an option, I would also look at Davidson and Washington & Lee, both of which are highly ranked on USN&WR (#12 & #14, respectively), which I’m guessing might impress OP’s dad.</p>