<p>That one of my requirments for a school to have is a decent football and basketball program? Don't get me wrong, I'm all about academic rigor and I love learning, but is it somewhat childish that those are some have to haves for school?</p>
<p>Nope, that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to go to an LAC. DI or bust, even if it’s an Ivy league school with a mediocre bbl team for DI standards (although Harvard is pretty good this year…).</p>
<p>Not childish at all. Strong athletic programs can enhance the college experience and school spirit. There are plenty of great universities with rich football and basketball traditions:</p>
<p>Davidson College (Basketball)
Duke University (Basketball)
Georgetown University (Basketball)
Indiana University-Bloomington (Basketball)
Michigan State University (Football and Basketball)
Ohio State University (Football and Basketball)
Pennsylvania State University-University Park (Football)
Stanford University (Football)
Syracuse University (Basketball)
University of Florida (Football and Basketball)
University of Iowa (Football)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Football and Basketball)
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Baskebtall)
University of Notre Dame (Football and Basketball)
University of Texas-Austin (Football and Basketball)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Football and Basketball)</p>
<p>The above list is only a sample. There are certainly several programs that I neglected to mention.</p>
<p>Even in the Ivy League, which is not known for athletic excellence, some programs do well, such as Harvard, Penn and Princeton have strong basketball programs.</p>
<p>One of the more surprising programs is Davidson College’s basketball program. Considering that it is an elite LAC, the fact that they mamage to hang with programs such as Duke on a frequent basis is very impressive. I think Davidson beat Kansas this year.</p>
<p>Relax, it is fine to want to be in a school with good college athletics, school spirit etc. For some people that is really part of the experience they want in a college. It is good that you know it ahead of time so you can look at appropriate schools. Fortunately there are lots of excellent academic schools which have big time sports. Lots of top state flagships will have big sports and strong academics. If you are from CA, then UCLA might be a good fit at a good price. Since I don’t know your GPA/SAT/price range it is hard to be very specific but some that come to mind quickly include: Notre Dame, Stanford, UMichigan, UTexas, UVA, USC, UNC, Wisconsin, UFlorida and the list could go on and on… Good luck.</p>