<p>I'm about done with my sophomore year in high school and I am trying to plan summer and/or fall visits right now to colleges I am interested in. I live in Michigan but have my heart set on going to an SEC school. I am trying to create a list of all the schools I want to visit during my trip down south. I plan on majoring in public relations (particularly in the sports and entertainment world) and minoring in spanish, but i also have interest in international relations. Anyone have any suggestions on certain colleges I should definitely visit?</p>
<p>Why exactly do you want only an SEC school?</p>
<p>What are your stats? How much can you afford to pay?</p>
<p>I want a big school that will also offer me a good education. Even though it may sound stupid, I am a huge sports fan and love football games!!! I do attend a rigorous private school and take all honors and AP courses so I don’t want to go to a school that cannot offer me a good education. Two of my main reasons for wanting to go to the south are the weather ( I CANNOT DEAL WITH THE COLD MICHIGAN WEATHER ANYMORE) and because I love the people in the south and just the whole overall feel of it. I have a pretty financially stable family so for right now I’m not looking at how much each costs.</p>
<p>Investigate the Honors Programs at all the flagships. This way you’ll have a great education and the huge sports scene. In addition, some schools (like UAlabama) offer really good merit scholarships to OOS students with great stats. Since we don’t know your stats we can’t really say more…
As for weather, be ready for really muggy weather though. Winters are nice, but Spring can be tough (especially if your dorm isn’t air conditioned - happens sometimes).</p>
<p>This is coming from a wimpy Californian, but IMO the South (except for Florida) doesn’t have great weather. If you really want to avoid the cold and humidity, you should come out West to either California or Arizona. The weather is far nicer, and USC has a pretty rabid fan base.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>The weather at the University of Alabama is very similar to UFlorida except that it will get a bit colder in the winter…but certainly not anything like you have in Mich! You will need to wear a hoodie in the winter. A few times the temp will drop (usually from some NE storm that has drifted south), but those are temporary.</p>
<p>Alabama weather is mostly sunny blue skies with white puffy clouds. Humidity is mosly in the summer when school is out, so not much of a problem during the school year.</p>
<p>Fall is amazing, the changing colors and perfect temp. Spring is beautiful with the hardwood trees blooming and tulips planted around campus. Bama’s landscaping is kept up very well, with seasonal flowers blooming year round.</p>
<p>Bama has amazing sports, spirit, and traditions. The school is gorgeous and has top notch facilities.</p>
<p>what are your test scores and GPA? If they’re strong and you apply before Dec 1, you may qualify for a scholarship.</p>
<p>Do ask your parents how much they’ll pay. They may be financially strong, but not want to pay OOS costs. </p>
<p>BTW…Alabama has a VERY strong PR dept. Ranked within the top few spots each year for the past few years. </p>
<p>Alabama has one of the most regionally diverse campuses in the SEC since so many students come from OOS. </p>
<p>Go to the Bama forum here on CC for more info:
[University</a> of Alabama - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/]University”>University of Alabama - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Most of the schools in the SEC either get snow or have winters that hover just around freezing. I’m sure LSU, UF, and maybe Alabama will have better weather, but IMHO for a student who truly wants to avoid cold, most of the SEC schools aren’t the best places for it. </p>
<p>That being said, to a Michigan resident, the winters might feel amazing. </p>
<p>University of Georgia has outstanding communications and business programs. Because of the HOPE scholarship (a scholarship given to Georgia residents which waves tuition at an in-state university), the average student was a high achiever in high school, and fairly intelligent. It’s one of the stronger SEC schools.</p>
<p>The winter down in the SEC schools may be considered “freezing” to people from the south; however, someone from Michigan will find the winter to be no big deal. It will be chilly, but it will rarely break into the 20s and it might snow only 1 or 2 times with a max of 1/4 inch. So that is nothing compared to Michigan. The fall and spring will be amazing for you. In terms of schools, I would look at Vanderbilt’s HOD program. We don’t know your stats so its hard to say if you are even a match for Vandy but they are by and far the best in the SEC. After Vandy, I would look at the honors programs at all the other schools.</p>
<p>Even a Kentucky winter would be a noticeable change for a Michigander. LSU, UF, UGA, both Alabama schools, TAMU, and Mississippi State will all probably seem like they don’t have winter at all if you’re used to Michigan.</p>
<p>Last weekend was unusually chilly in NY for Memorial Day. DS goes to Alabama. We were outside in low-50s, cloudy and breezy. I said man, it feels like October, not end of May. He said it feels like January to him.</p>
<p>Anyone from the north will be very happy with southern winters.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions! Some information about me as a student: I go to a very rigorous all girls catholic school. I had a kind of rough sophomore year and my cumulative GPA dropped to about a 3.65 (our grading scale doesn’t use “+” or “-” unfortunately or round up so a 89.9% is just a plain B) since I took all honors and spanish 3. Next year I am not taking an honors or AP in science and I am getting a MUCH BETTER math teacher and am determined to get my cumulative back up to about a 3.8-3.85 by the end of junior year. I am very confident I can do this and my school counselor agrees. My strength is in testing. I am a very good standardized test taker. My score on the PLAN test was an equivalent to a 29 on the ACT. I will be taking both the ACT and SAT this summer. I also am taking prep courses for both tests and have already began doing workbooks for the math portions. My counselor also told me I will most likely be able to get national merit aid or whatever that is for the PSAT I will be taking in the fall. My strongest test scores and grades are in English/writing and history. I take 2 years ahead in math but it is starting to give me some issues. Like I said I plan on majoring in PR or something related and minoring in spanish so science and math aren’t really my main focuses or strengths. I am an active member of foreign language club, SADD, and NHS. I run cross country and play lacrosse. Lacrosse is my passion and I would love to be able to play it a little in college, if possible. I will graduate with over 100 community service hours. I plan on getting much more involved in school my remaining 2 years. Sorry I’m giving so much information I just am trying to give you guys a better idea of the kind of student I am!! Alabama is number 1 on my visit list right now. Does anyone know anything about Florida State?</p>
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<p>I know that it’s not in the SEC</p>
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<p>Sorry my knowledge of who is in what conference and what not does not expand too much past the Big Ten. I should of said just said southern schools.</p>
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<p>USC is my absolute dream school. I have been saying I would go there since I knew what college even was! I love California and even if I do go to school in the south or wherever, I am hoping to get an internship in LA. I wish more than anything that I could go to USC but it is honestly just too a little too expensive for us right now :(</p>
<p>UCLA is also an option. California in general is known for having some of the best public universities. I also suggest you check out Cal State - Fullerton! Very close to LA, good reputation, and crazy cheap.</p>
<p>. I will be taking both the ACT and SAT this summer</p>
<p>Those tests aren’t offered in the summer. Practice this summer and sign up for the fall exams.</p>
<p>UCLA is also an option</p>
<p>If USC is too expensive, than OOS UCLA would likely be as well. Over $50k per year.</p>
<p>CSUFullerton is a good school, but it sounds like this student wants Big Div I football.</p>
<p>Alabama sounds like a great match, and you will likely get in if your stats stay where they are. Your motivation to bring your grades and scores as high as possible is that the higher they go, the less UA will cost. You should also look at Auburn and LSU. </p>
<p>UF and UGA are harder to get into and will likely cost you more, but still worth exploring.</p>
<p>My counselor also told me I will most likely be able to get national merit aid or whatever that is for the PSAT I will be taking in the fall</p>
<p>Your counselor shouldn’t have said that without seeing your junior year PSAT results, and without knowing which school you’d be attending, etc. </p>
<p>Your PSAT results will determine whether you make NMSF for the state of Michigan. I think the cut-off for Mich is around 212 or so. If you make the cutoff for NMSF, and you make NMFinalst, then you might qualify for some national merit scholarship money. If you were to get accepted to a school that gives assured NMF awards, and you attended that school, then you’d get that award.</p>
<p>I am going to do some research on Auburn because I don’t know much about it. I am not really considering any schools in California right now, it was kind of a USC or nothing idea for me since it is literally so far away. UF would be amazing and my parents encourage it as well, but I know it is very difficult to get into 
My dad has suggested Ole
Miss to me but once again I do not know much about it. Strangely enough I feel like I have heard and read some really negative things about LSU and how it doesn’t have that same “southern college feel” as schools like UGA or Bama, which really surprised and disappointed me. Can anyone tell me if this is true or not?</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids: my counselor told me this because we actually took a PRACTICE PSAT in early April. My school does this so the counselor can let us know if we could possibly get NM so then we can study for it over the summer, because most people don’t bother prepping for SAT or PSAT here in Michigan. It’s very ACT focused as you probably know. But I thought I would explain to you how my counselor already knows this</p>