Reccomendation for schools in great college towns & have DI football teams

College Search & Selection
1

<p>After visiting the University of Oregon, I have decided that I need to go to a school that a big time D1 football program and is located in a college town. I'm somewhat interested in attending Oregon, but I rather attend a school that is stronger in academics. Also, after visiting UW-Seattle, I have decided that I would rather not go to a school that is located in a big city. I live in California and I hate USC, have absolutely zero chance at Cal and Stanford, and UCLA is a big reach for me, so I need to look OOS. I plan on majoring in civil engineering or business (leaning towards business), so any suggested universities need to have a business and/or engineering school.</p>

<p>Here are my choices so far:
1. Notre Dame (dream school, but it is a reach)
2. UCLA (another dream school, but it is a reach)
3. Texas (match)
4. Oregon (safety)
5. Cal Poly SLO (match, not sure if I want to attend because it’s kind of nerdy and lacks a D1-A football team)
6. UCSB (match, not sure if I want to attend because of no football team, but love the location)
7. University of Washington- Seattle (match, love the school, but hate cities and the weather sucks)</p>

<p>P.S. I have absolutely no interest in attending Michigan or Penn State because I am a Notre Dame fan and have an eternal hatred for those schools.</p>

<p>Suggestions?????</p>

2

<p>Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M</p>

<p>Both are known for engineering, A&M better known nationally.
Idk about business for either one.
Both in great college towns!</p>

3

<p>Not sure about majors at all of these but all nice small college towns (UCLA is not in a college “town”- so then not sure of your definition of town but I will try)</p>

<p>West Coast-</p>

<p>Oregon State (Corvallis) good engineering (don’t think U of Oregon has engineering)
Washington State (Pullman)
Boise State
University of Colorado (Boulder)</p>

<p>Others:</p>

<p>University of Kentucky (Lexington)
University of Tennessee (Knoxville)
The Ohio State University (Columbus- on the larger side of “town”)
University of Wisconsin Madison (great college town)</p>

4

<p>Second UW-Madison. One of the best all-around schools, football team is usually in the top 25, basketball team is usually in the top 25, hockey team is always a contender for the championship, top 40 academic ranking by USNWR, and Madison is one of the top 5 places to live in the country.</p>

5

<p>How about Purdue even though your a ND fan? West Lafayette isn’t a great college town compared to others though. +2 on the recommendation on Wisconsin.</p>

6

<p>In order to really give you some recommendations we’ll need a little more info: GPA, scores, what your family can afford…</p>

7

<p>University of Florida is similar in some respects to University of Texas. Great college town and BIG on D1 Football. Also pretty good Engineering Department. OP should look in on it</p>

8

<p>GPA will be a 3.8-3.9 W, SAT is 1800 (horrible, but I am going to study all summer and take it again in October and hopefully score around 1950). EC’s include 2 varsity sports (take up most of my time), volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, volunteering to referee for a local flag football league (also might coach), and volunteering for church. I think my family can afford almost all state schools if I am able to gain residency, but if I don’t receive financial aid at privates, they will probably be out of reach.</p>

9

<p>You won’t be able to “gain” residency in another state unless your family packs up and moves there at least 12 months before you enroll in college. Time spent in a state after enrolling doesn’t count toward residency - otherwise, all sophomores would be in-state residents.</p>

10

<p>UIUC
Iowa
Michigan
Georgia Tech</p>

11

<p>University of Michigan- Even though you hate it, it’s perfect for everything you want. Ross Business school is number 4 in the country and they have an exceptional Engineering school.
They’re good at football (or soon will be, but hey we have the most wins of all time)
Ann Arbor is one of the best cities in America-great food, great places
Also, Michigan is a top 20 school, possibly the number 1 or 2 public school in the entire country.</p>

12

<p>Thanks to all for the suggestions!
boiledegg- UCLA is my one exception to my preference of college towns. I love the Westwood area and it is one of the few places in LA that I enjoy.</p>

<p>OK State: I’ve been considering this school after visiting a college fair because I can receive an OOS tuition waiver because of my GPA and test scores. I’m just wondering what are the people like at OK State? Also, how is Stillwater?</p>

<p>Texas A&M: I’ve always had an interest in this school because of the great football tradition and strong civil engineering program. But I heard that it is ultra conservative (I don’t like politics pushed on me), Is this true?</p>

<p>Wash St: I’m not really a Cougar fan and it is sort of in the middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>Boise State: Interested because of OOS tuition waiver and football program. Also it is near ski areas and that is a +.</p>

<p>Oregon State: Not really a Beaver fan, but willing to consider it.</p>

<p>University of Colorado: Know people that went there and said it was impossible to find on campus hosing as a frosh. It does have a strong engineering program.</p>

<p>UK: Not really interested in going to school in the South</p>

<p>Tennessee: Same as UK</p>

<p>Ohio State: I really don’t like the Buckeyes and I have relatives that went there and they say the weather is miserable. </p>

<p>University of Wisconsin Madison: I really like this school and have heard great things about Madison, but I’m not sure if I can brave the harsh Wisconsin weather. But I am a fan of the UW football, basketball and hockey teams. This would be one of my top choices if I grew up in the Midwest.</p>

<p>Purdue: I could never root for the Boilermakers even though they are top 5 in civil engineering.</p>

<p>Florida: I have considered this school because it is so similar to UT, but I heard that on campus housing for freshmen is really difficult to obtain. How humid does it get in Gainesville and is Gainseville like the rest of the South?</p>

13

<p>You don’t have to root for the Boilermakers in every sport… I have a friend who is also a die hard ND fan as well and he goes to Purdue. He cheers for Purdue but when it comes to ND sports its a whole new story…</p>

14

<p>The Wisconsin winter is a huge negative. But honestly, you have described Wisconsin exactly when asking for a school suggestion. If you like it, I think you’ll be able to brave the winters alright. There’s a decent sized difference between a UM-Twin Cities/Carleton/Macalester winter and a Wisconsin/UChicago winter.</p>

<p>UW-Madison is considered one of the top public schools in the country, is in a great College town, has an awesome sports atmosphere (the Basketball team is known for its home-court advantage) and throws what probably is the biggest College party in the Midwest (if not the country), Halloween at Madison. Students from Northwestern, Chicago, UM-Twin Cities, and all the other Wisconsin State schools come down for Halloween. Its a ridiculous party.</p>

<p>Plus, if you’re interested in Engineering, one of Wisconsin’s best programs (maybe even their best) is in engineering.</p>

<p>The winter sucks, but it really seems to perfectly fit you. You should definitely apply, at least.</p>

15

<p>Agree with gadad- gaining in-state residency will be virtually impossible at most schools so make sure you look carefully at finances and make sure you have a financial safety (or two) in the mix if this will be an issue. </p>

<p>It is good to know yourself and you seem to know which schools and areas you do not think will be good matches. If you can visit, I think that can make all the difference in the world. OSU and Corvallis do provide a great college “atmosphere” and might be worth a peek.</p>

<p>As for the South- I think each Southern school has its own flavor, although I have never been to Gainesville. </p>

<p>The SEC schools have a unique D1 football atmosphere. If you have ever attended an SEC football home game- it is an incredible experience. Not sure if it is the humid weather or the “southern” atmosphere/environment that you don’t think you will like, but each school is very different. </p>

<p>Good luck to you- I hope you find your perfect fit!</p>

16

<p>Winter is not that bad. Just get the right clothes and it can be fun–skating, skiing, warm fires. Many sunny days. Madison is perfect for you.</p>

17

<p>UNC-Chapel Hill. Beautiful college town and a very up-and-coming D1 football team (look for us to be ranked preseason again this year). The football atmosphere in Chapel Hill is great, and once the football season ends you can always look forward to basketball season!</p>

18

<p>^ UNC has no engineering school.</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>UNC has a top-10 business school though, and the OP said that he was leaning towards business. </p>

<p>NC State has a good engineering program, but it is located in a pretty big city so I don’t think it would meet the OP’s criteria.</p>

20

<p>I’ll be a freshmen next year at UF, so I can answer some of your questions.</p>

<p>“I heard that on campus housing for freshmen is really difficult to obtain.”</p>

<p>Thats a common misconception. Campus housing for freshmen is based off when you submit your admission application, so if you apply by October, you will likely have some form of housing. </p>

<p>“How humid does it get in Gainesville”</p>

<p>It can get pretty humid in Gainesville, especially in the late spring/summer; it is nicknamed “The Swamp” for a reason. However, winter is actually temperate, dry, and really nice (usually 50-70F) </p>

<p>“Gainseville like the rest of the South?”</p>

<p>Surprisingly no, UF has never been that entrenched in the whole southern culture, especially compared to schools like Georgia or Auburn. While there are some southern frats, I really never perceived the school as being that southern, likely because the school has a very large Jewish population from South Florida and the administration has been pushing hard on raising campus “diversity”.</p>