<p>What are some schools that are big on the whole football scene with a balance of semi-decent academics? I love watching the games and would love to be a part of it in person. I'm particularly interested in the SEC schools (I'm from Cali so it's kinda odd I suppose), definitely no USC or UCLA, sorry, just not my cup of tea...</p>
<p>U Florida has a huge football scene with strong academics.
U Michigan, U Wisconsin and other Big 10 schools also fit the category.</p>
<p>But, if USC and UCLA are “not your cup of tea”, then I don’t know if these suggestions will meet your needs.</p>
<p>glad to hear you’re looking at the SEC. there’s nothing like it.</p>
<p>i’m not sure exactly where your grades and scores fit in, but florida is a valid option but doesn’t really have the same culture as the other SEC schools. if your grades are top notch, check out vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Definitely don’t have the stats to get into Vanderbilt, maybe for grad school; Vanderbilt is one of my favorite schools.</p>
<p>Stats wise, GPA is about 3.5 ish, SAT is 1250; and the usual AP, Honors, ECs</p>
<p>I already got accepted into Tennessee but am looking for more challenging schools for Business majors..I’m interested in either Big 10 or SEC schools mostly but am open to anything else.</p>
<p>Check out the University of South Carolina…we were very impressed when we visited.</p>
<p>Depends on your major. If you’re engineering I know it isn’t SEC but Virginia Tech has a great scene and great engineering academics.</p>
<p>mormantie,</p>
<p>Here is some data on many schools in the Big 10, the SEC, the Big East and the ACC. I don’t think you’d have a lot of chance at places like Northwestern or Vanderbilt or Duke or U Virginia or U North Carolina and maybe Boston College, but everywhere else your SAT scores place you in the 25/75 range. I also included a few other stats that allow you to get some sense of the size of these schools (the Big 10 schools have undergraduate populations about 50% larger than those in the SEC) and nature of the classroom experience. I also included info on the respective acceptance rates so you could get a sense of the difficulty of admission (although this will differ by state according to their willingness to admit OOS students). Good luck.</p>
<h1>of undergrads, College , Freshman Retention , 6-Yr Grad Rate , % of Classes under 20 , % of Classes over 50 , Student/Faculty ratio , SAT or ACT 25/75 , Acceptance Rate</h1>
<pre><code>BIG TEN
</code></pre>
<p>25,555 U Michigan , 96% , 87% , 45% , 17% , 15/1 , 1210-1420 , 47%
30,055 U Wisconsin , 93% , 79% , 43% , 18% , 13/1 , 26-30 , 58%
31,472 U Illinois , 92% , 82% , 37% , 18% , 17/1 , 25-30 , 65%
36,613 Penn State , 93% , 85% , 30% , 18% , 17/1 , 1080-1280 , 58%
38,479 Ohio State , 90% , 71% , 35% , 19% , 13/1 , 24-29 , 68%
31,290 Purdue , 85% , 70% , 34% , 19% , 14/1 , 1020-1250 , 85%
20,738 U Iowa , 83% , 66% , 48% , 11% , 15/1 , 23-27 , 83%
32,113 U Minnesota , 86% , 61% , 41% , 16% , 15/1 , 23-28 , 57%
35,821 Michigan State , 90% , 74% , 23% , 22% , 17/1 , 22-27 , 73%
29,828 Indiana U , 88% , 72% , 42% , 20% , 18/1 , 1000-1240 , 80%</p>
<pre><code>SEC
</code></pre>
<p>35,110 U Florida , 94% , 79% , 39% , 20% , 21/1 , 1140-1360 , 48%
25,437 U Georgia , 93% , 77% , 35% , 11% , 18/1 , 1130-1320 , 58%
19,471 U Alabama , 85% , 63% , 43% , 15% , 19/1 , 21-27 , 70%
19,367 Auburn , 85% , 63% , 27% , 14% , 18/1 , 22-27 , 72%
20,619 U Tennessee , 80% , 60% , 33% , 8% , 15/1 , 23-28 , 74%
18,648 U South Carolina , 85% , 63% , 42% , 10% , 17/1 , 1060-1260 , 63%
14,350 U Arkansas , 83% , 56% , 37% , 15% , 17/1 , 22-28 , 68%</p>
<pre><code>BIG EAST
</code></pre>
<p>11,546 Syracuse , 92% , 82% , 66% , 8% , 12/1 , 1120-1330 , 51%
26,691, Rutgers , 89% , 73% , 42% , 20% , 14/1 , 1100-1210 , 58%
17,246 U Pittsburgh , 89% , 73% , 44% , 16% , 17/1 , 1130-1225 , 56%
16,347 U Connecticut , 91% , 74% , 44% , 15% , 17/1 , 1090-1290 , 51%</p>
<pre><code>ACC
</code></pre>
<p>12,361 Georgia Tech , 92% , 77% , 42% , 20% , 14/1 , 1230-1400 , 69%
9020 Boston Coll , 95% , 91% , 39% , 9% , 13/1 , 1250-1420 , 29%
10,509 U Miami , 88% , 73% , 48% , 7% , 13/1 , 1180-1360 , 40%
25,104 U Maryland , 93% , 79% , 35% , 15% , 18/1 , 1170-1390 , 44%
14,172 Clemson , 88% , 75% , 43% , 11% , 14/1 , 1120-1310 , 55%
21,997 Virginia Tech , 88% , 79% , 22% , 21% , 16/1 , 1100-1290 , 68%
23,730 NC State , 90% , 70% , 33% , 16% , 16/1 , 1080-1280 , 61%
31,347 Florida State , 88% , 68% , 35% , 14% , 21/1 , 1070-1250 , 59%</p>
<p>
Michigan and Wisconsin are probably out of reach with those stats, especially if you’re out of state, but you should have a decent shot at the next tier of Big 10 schools (Michigan State, Ohio State, and maybe Indiana and Penn State). </p>
<p>Also try Florida State, if you’re looking for something warmer. And maybe Clemson, if you like Tennessee.</p>
<p>Yeah. I’d agree that Florida State and Clemson have SEC-like atmospheres without actually being in the SEC.</p>
<p>I don’t think that any of the listed schools are out of reach except for perhaps Boston College.</p>
<p>25% of U Michigan’s incoming class has SAT scores below 1210. That is almost 1500 students who will come in at that level or lower. Not sure how many of those will be OOS, but the entire class is about 66% IS/34% OOS. As for GPA, U Michigan classifies their stats relative to a 3.0 and 98% of their enrollees are at this level. As the OP has a 1250 and 3.5, I might characterize him as a high match to low reach for U Michigan. </p>
<p>As U Wisconsin is slightly less selective (but with a larger percentage of OOS students), I think his chances there are a touch better.</p>
<p>Ehh..he’s at the lower end statistically for both schools, and state residency is also a huge factor at both. I know a few kids who applied OOS to both with better stats and got rejected (3.6-ish GPAs, upper 1300s on the SATs).</p>
<p>USF is steadily improving, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU all have some good programs. I guess it really depends on a balance of things–importance of academics, sports, fin. aid, location, etc.</p>
<p>He’s at the lower end for both schools, but still in the 25/75 window and the OOS numbers at both U Michigan (33%) and U Wisconsin (38%) are among the most generous around the country. By comparison, Clemson is 32%, U Tennessee is only 13% (and OP got in there). </p>
<p>My feeling is the OP has a decent chance as none of the listed colleges are that difficult to get in. Maybe he/she won’t get in to U Michigan or U Wisconsin, but it is not that far-fetched either, so why not try if that is a school and an environment that interests you?</p>
<p>It’s likely that the OP wants to get out of CA, but IMHO it seems foolish to pass up in-state tuition at a California public university to pay OOS tuition at another public university…especially when academic reputations are the same.</p>
<p>What are you getting for the premium? A more vibrant football scene?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses!</p>
<p>I’m definitely trying to get out of CA, just to experience other parts of the country. The main reason I chose the SEC is because 1) good football spirit and 2) OOS tuition isn’t as crazy as some other schools.</p>
<p>I actually looked at U Wisconsin but wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get in so I didn’t apply, even though I’m interested in the school</p>
<p>mormantie, when did you apply to tennessee? how long did it take to get your acceptance?</p>
<p>and you should definitely consider Clemson. the football atmosphere there is totally crazy! it’s amazing.</p>
<p>mormantie…I want the same atmosphere and major as you. California is a great place, but if you want a football atmosphere its USC/UCLA/UCB…and you have to be a fricken genius to get into those schools.</p>
<p>I decided to apply to University of Miami, Florida State, and Indiana University. While IU’s football team isn’t huge…its great in basketball and soccer, and the football team is definitely on the rise. Also their business program in Top 10.</p>
<p>Good luck…I also looked into Washington State, Iowa, Clemson, LSU, Penn State, Arizona State, UArizona, UOregon, CU-Boulder…so you might want to check out some of those.</p>
<p>I think you would have a worthwhile shot at Wisconsin and the application process is not overly demanding. The overall atmosphere is both exciting and unique. Only the weather is a negative but if you like skiing, etc it can be fun in winter too.</p>
<p>Southercharm,
I applied in early October and was notified of my acceptance in early November. However it only took them a few days after my file was complete to make a decision.</p>
<p>I definitely looked at Clemson and it’s on my list of possible schools, along with LSU.</p>
<p>I will definitely apply to Wisconsin now that quite a few people think that I have a semi-decent chance of getting in…I’m not opposed to the weather since my current top two schools are RIT (accepted) and Syracuse (Applied)</p>
<p>UT austin?</p>