<p>If his SAT's are decent - +1800 then PSU, Va Tech and WVa may just be good fits for him.
How about Rutgers? University of Maryland? If he wants to go south then University of South Carolina - they are gaga over football and give wonderful out of state scholarships. They just love out of state kids.
What about Boston College? The ultimate sports town.<br>
Our high school has sent several kids to WVA and they love it. Perhaps check out Pitt as well- I know several kids who just love it there.
Time for a road trip!</p>
<p>I think we are heading midwest next, considering Penn State, Univ. of Cinncinnati, and Ohio State. My neighbor's son had a great campus visit at Univ. of Maryland, so I have heard very positive things about this school! My sister-in-law teaches at Rutgers, so that is probably worth a trip as well. I went to school in Boston and loved it but I think BC will be out of our price range since we have 5 children and this is just the tip of the tuition iceberg. After son #1 goes off to college in 2009, we have son #2 starting in 2010, son #3 in 2012, son #4 in 2014, and then a daughter in 2018.</p>
<p>West Virgina was an idea but I have heard from alumni it is a major party school. I do not know anything, really, about S. Carolina. (Out of state scholarship help would be fantastic.) A road trip in that direction would be nice, also; my sister just moved to Charlotte.</p>
<p>Connecticut Mom, pm me if you have any questions about any of these schools. We just went through this (D1, etc) and have been to MANY of the schools your son is interested in. If you need any info give me a shout.</p>
<p>I'd suggest looking at the USNWR top 100 or so and look for big time sports schools ... Stanford, Duke (football sucks), UNC, UVA, Michigan, UT, etc will pop right out. Then lay on top geographic and majors and the list will get pretty small. BTW adding your concern about size of school would wipe out a lot of the publics so the list might look more like Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Vandy, etc.</p>
<p>Hi Connecticut Mom--I thought that I'd add my two cents since I have one child who just graduated from UCONN and one at OSU--so I know both campuses quite well. I am a bit surprised that you think that UCONN facilities are a bit antiquated--there has been tremendous building there since 2000--the chemistry, IT, engineering, business schools are all state of the art. Connecticut is the wealthiest state in the union, and they are pouring tons of money into its flagship university. February IS a dreary month at any of the northern schools, so it is always a hard time to get a feel of the physical surroundings--Spring and Fall are better. Storrs is a small town, but my son had a wonderful experience at UCONN and has done extremely well. I know that the size of OSU might be daunting, but I can honestly say that I have never been treated with more individual attention at any school than at OSU, and we looked at many, very prestigeous, expensive universities. It helps to be in the Honors program--early class selection, incredible dorms, and small classes all help. Columbus has a lot to offer, and the opportunities there are endless. We have been very, very impressed with both schools. Big city activities in Columbus are more available than in Storrs, but many students prefer to stay on campus, so it depends on individual preferences. In-state vrs. out-of-state tuition may be a deciding factor.</p>
<p>^^^^
my impressions of Storrs as well. We visited in the summer and I thought the campus was quite beautiful. It is in the country but not far from Hartford or even Boston</p>
<p>If he wants journalism and likes basketball - consider Temple U. It is in Philly- the campus is extremely safe, the communications dept is accredited and you can't get better college basketball than Philadelphia.</p>
<p>USC (South Carolina) is just about an hour south of Charlotte. University of Alabama and Auburn have relatively cheap oos tuition and offer scholarships to oos kids as well. Football down there is just nuts. ;)</p>
<p>The better undergrad schools are going to be the private ones: Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Duke, Stanford, Wake Forest, Boston College, Wake Forest, etc. But cost is always a consideration.</p>
<p>Thanks for the posts. I did not mean to offend UConn alum, just being candid about my impression. We have lived in Conn for 14 years and know lots of people who have graduated from this school or are sending their kids there now. I am also aware of the resources being poured into the school by the state, and the progress that has been made with regard to facilities, attracting top ranked teachers, etc. Aside from my gut feeling about campus beauty or whether 10 year old buildings look a little worn, it is a matter of some concern that the state is suing the architects and contractors involved in the construction of both the law library and Hilltop Apartments. Someone once advised me to get a copy of the student paper when you go for a campus visit. The front page news for our Feb. 18 visit was "Settlement Reached in Hilltop Construction Scandal" and "State Sues Law School Contractors for $15 Million". Reading these 2 articles about "botched construction" and "shoddy and substandard work" at UConn were not an inspiring start to the day.</p>
<p>Overall, I think it comes down to the teachers. Great teaching can inspire and change a person's life. The food, the dorms, the sports teams, the campus views, etc are considerations, but not the heart of the matter. Since incoming college freshmen often change their major, we are really looking for wonderful undergrauate teaching across the board. To find that in an affordable package is the challenge.</p>
<p>Haven't read all the posts here, so sorry if this is a repeat. UNC-CH, top journalism program, D1 sports, tough OOS admit, but not impossible, good merit scholarships (for OOS, full freight for most, if awarded a scholarship-- athletic or merit). Relatively small (~17,000 undergraduates) for a public university.</p>
<p>If he turns out to like UMich and UW Madison, which I think are both top notch academically as well as big into their athletic teams, he should apply very early, and I'm talking like as soon as the applications are released. It is much much easier to get in at the earliest possible time!</p>
<p>If you thought the UConn campus was run-down and not impressive. Don't go to Rutgers or Maryland. Prepare to be disappointed. Is it just me or do all colleges look the same?</p>