<p>I live in Kansas and I am looking for some good safety schools. I have academcis that should make money not an option for neighbooring state schools (34 act and national merit semi finalist). </p>
<p>I was wondering what state schools were the best in the hear of America and why?</p>
<p>uhh.. what?</p>
<p>best midwest state schools are probably michigan, wisconsin, illinois, and minnesota</p>
<p>There's a lot of smart people coming out of U Illinois. I've worked with them over the years, and I've hired them. I could be wrong, but I'd guess their entrance stats are higher than most of the neighboring schools. Because there's lots of other less selective state Us in Illinois to take the weaker students. Could be wrong about this, but not about the caliber of the people I've encountered from there.</p>
<p>A guy I worked with who did undergrad at Illinois and grad at U wisconsin said Madison was easier academically and more social. </p>
<p>I've known a few Michigan grads who were also top-notch, but I didn't recruit there so can't say as much.</p>
<p>But personally I more highly respect the people I've met from these big 10 schools, as a group, to the people I worked with who were from the big 8 schools. YMMV.</p>
<p>manofsteel,</p>
<p>what's your psat? are you likely to be named a national merit finalist? you can check last year's cutoff scores on cc threads........i think last year's was maybe a 215?</p>
<p>check out oklahoma, oklahoma state, truman state.........and also texas a & m, texas tech. </p>
<p>in-state - check out washburn, ku, k-state, wichita state.</p>
<p>if you decide to look at privates........be sure to check on univ. of tulsa and baylor</p>
<p>texas A&M is a long way from the midwest, in more ways than one</p>
<p>I guess I should clarify what I ment by Midwest. Basically it works like this, you start at the exact center of Kansas and then go out from there. While University of Michigan is an incredible school and I have applied there, it is far from the Midwest. I realize that many people on the east coast think after illinois that next state is California, but I am here to tell you that there are most certainly many good states in before California. </p>
<p>However, I do apreicate the advice and condor my score was a 216 or 217. Just barley making it. I thought that pretty much all semi finalist made it to finalist so I was no too worried. If I do not make finalist I will be very sad. </p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions.</p>
<p>michigan is most definitely in the midwest according to any geographical classification</p>
<p>what you are talking about, if you are talking about west of kansas, is the southwest and the northwest</p>
<p>I am not from the east coast i am from illinois</p>
<p>monydad,</p>
<p>What are Big8? You mean Big12? This is where 10 is greater than 12. ;)</p>
<p>manofsteeletr88,
I think they call MI, WI, MN..."upper" midwest.</p>
<p>the big 12 = the former big 8 + some Texas schools recently added in a few years ago.</p>
<p>actually that gives me another suggestion, U Texas great school, not midwest but Big 12 anyway.</p>
<p>Guess what, Michigan is still in the Midwest. Colorado isn't. You're not in the center of the midwest, you''re at the southwestern edge.</p>
<p>Ohio is in the midwest too. That's where my daughter ended up; not quite out but closer to NY than MO.</p>
<p>My daughter #2 got same PSAT score, but because we moved did not make NSM. She's annoyed about that, but fortunately she likes it better here.</p>
<p>Another CC post reminded me, U Texas has an honors program, PLAN II, which was held in vey high regard by the kids from my daughter's private school. It was considered an elite program. One of the best students from her school went there, and a number were turned down. It's very hard to get into from out of state, it would appear.</p>
<p>I noticed when I was in the lower midwest that a surprising (to me)number of people had attended school at U Texas. Now that it is in the big 12 this number can only be expected to rise.</p>
<p>I believe the Texas schools are very cheap for instate, don't know about out of state. But IMO it would be worth checking into, particularly Plan II. It must have been cheap for out of state "back in the day", or else the people we know would have just gone in-state to MU, KU, etc.</p>
<p>Austin is supposed to be a great college town, and its closer to KS than U Michigan is. I recall you were interested in a med school connection; It looks like there are like 7-8 medical schools in Texas, 3-4 of which are part of the UT system. But I'm just reading something, not sure.</p>
<p>In the past a CC parent has posted favorably about the Honors program at Texas Tech. (OR was it A & M; I always get these 2 confused)</p>
<p>Fine places in the Midwest and the Great Plains.</p>
<p>Kansas University
U of Tulsa
Creighton University
U of Nebraska
Saint Louis University
Washington University
Indiana University
Ohio University
Miami University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Grinnell College
Cornell College
DePaul University
U of Chicago</p>
<p>Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and a few other states are generally considered "midwest"
Texas is definitely not midwest.</p>
<p>LakeWashington's list looks great!
I really like Cornell College.</p>
<p>Regarding post # 9 from monydad, I think he was referring to me regarding making CC comments over time about the excellent Honors College at Texas Tech. Though I am most familiar with Texas Tech, my comments also apply to other large universities with comprehensive academic and professional offerings. For students who are experimenting with different career options, an Honors College can be ideal. </p>
<p>As a freshman/sophomore, my son was a political science major. He then switched to a business major in the middle of his sophomore year (with Dad's encouragement as he has good group organizational and leadership skills). In the last couple months as a junior, he has decided to lean toward law school as option A with business (and a minor in political science) as option B.</p>
<p>Finally, some remarks on a large university and Honors College benefits to the undecided student. Testing the political waters, my son in his sophomore year had a part-time internship in the West Texas office of a U.S. Senator and then had a summer internship in D.C. with a Congressman. As a business major, he is utilizing the career placement office that is exclusive to Tech's Business School. While now leaning toward Law School, next semester he will be taking a constitutional law course in Tech's Law School (open only to some Honors College students along with the regular Law School students). in the "try it..you may like it" vein. The advantage over a liberal arts college experience is that my son will be checking out "the real thing" regarding law school classes and not just speculating about them. Again, I imagine this tasting from several pots is available at many large state university honors programs for undecided students like my son.</p>
<p>I second Lake Washington's Great Plains recommendations of the University of Oklahoma and University of Tulsa.</p>
<p>What about Mizzou? I live in Missouri, and I know that MU might not be the best school academically, but they have a fairly generous financial aid program</p>
<p>There are two "midwests." </p>
<p>1) People in Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho and the like call themseleves the "midwest" </p>
<p>2) The other definition refers to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, and the northwest part of Missouri.</p>
<p>People in the heart of the Big XII conference states do not consider Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, or Wisconsin to be "midwest". Those are Mississippi/Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes States, or Rust belt states.</p>
<p>Even Minnesota, the very eastern parts of Iowa, and St. Louis are probably NOT considered "midwest" by most people from Kansas City, or Omaha, who tend to consider only the "Great Plains" or Farm Belt states to be "midwest". (Kansas Citians all think St. Louis sucks...). Athletic conferences are actually a really good way to define the regional identity of people in the region in my opinion. Many people in Nebraska or Kansas or Oklahoma do not want to be watching a Big 10 football game if they can be watching a Big XII match up. </p>
<p>Joel Garreau's Nine Nations map is a decent representation: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:9nations.png%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:9nations.png</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
1) People in Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho and the like call themseleves the "midwest"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Idaho? that's a new one...</p>
<p>Are you deranged? By no means is Idaho in the Midwest. There are the Midwest states and the Great Plains states, with some Great Plains states being situated in the Midwest. Idaho is part of the Northwest and the Rocky Mountain west. The topography between Idaho and the prairies of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas etc. couldn't be more differenct. Egads!!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
People in the heart of the Big XII conference states do not consider Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, or Wisconsin to be "midwest"....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States</a>, looks to me BigTen is actually more midwest. Maybe Big12 is the real mixed mutt? ;)</p>
<p>Wake up and smell the coffee. Collegiate sports conferences are no longer exclusively based on regional proximity (and clearly, have little to do with academics).</p>
<p>The Big Ten (midwest) expanded to include Pennsylvania State U of the northeast.</p>
<p>The Pacific Ten accepted Arizona and Arizona State from the desert.</p>
<p>The Atlantic Coast Conference, a collection of Dixie schools, 'seized' Boston College and originally wanted Syracuse also.</p>
<p>The Big 8 (The Great Plains of the Midwest) took on the strongest survivors of the decaying Southwest (Texas) conference to become the Big 12.</p>
<p>And in each and every instance it was all about MONEY.</p>
