<p>I have spent a great deal of time researching colleges, but have never considered going anywhere too far south, so now that I have broadened my possibilities a little bit, I don't even know where to start looking.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me anything about schools in particularly Florida, and maybe SC and NC? The big Florida schools all have so few people out of state that I'm having difficulty determining how difficult acceptance would be for me.</p>
<p>-Nowhere less than 10,000 undergrads - preferably a lot more, though.
-A lot of school spirit and great sports
-Nice campus, good location in good college town/city</p>
<p>From NJ
At a somewhat prestigious boarding school in CT</p>
<p>GPA: 3.5 UW/3.8W
(This is a very rough estimate, due to my school's weird grading system. Strong upward trend, demanding course load, although that is not really reflected in the GPA - low freshmen grades when I was unable to take any honors or APs brings it down quite a bit.)</p>
<p>SATs: 670M, 700CR, 750W, 2120 total (first time, should go up a bit)</p>
<p>University of Georgia fits your criteria and would be a match with your numbers. Athens is a great college and music town. Atlanta is about an hour away.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech has good to great sports but school spirit and college life are lacking. It is also not great in non-science/engineering subjects.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to look smaller with less sports emphasis, College of Charleston is worth a look.</p>
<p>In Florida:</p>
<p>You should be able to get into Florida State. U of Florida would be harder OOS but they have their own grade weighting system that might increase your GPA and give you a shot.</p>
<p>UGA beats Clemson hands down. Went their for grad school. Great college town, traditions, academic programs, and yes, foooooooooooootball. Not to mention its not to far from Atlanta for weekend getaways. Check it out, it was also voted one of the top 10 college values in the US.</p>
<p>We liked Clemson better than UGa…but UGa was nice, too.</p>
<p>Regina…</p>
<p>You’re right, getting into UF is very difficult out of state. I imagine that the few that are admitted are athletes or offer some unusual benefit. </p>
<p>Is money a concern? OOS publics can be expensive, although some do offer scholarships.</p>
<p>How much will your parents spend each year on your education?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the suggestions - this has given me a fantastic starting point. I felt so overwhelmed, because I know so much about practically every school in New England, but nothing about certain other regions.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids:
Money is not a concern in that it would make or break my decision; that being said, after three years of boarding school tuition, I would love an opportunity to save my parents as much money as possible. After aiming for Boston College practically my entire life, most tuitions look pretty inexpensive by comparison. ;)</p>
<p>I have no idea for a major yet. Right now I’m leaning toward law school after college, but not sure about undergrad.</p>
<p>As for Clemson vs. UGA, Clemson isn’t that far behind Georgia (in the latest US News rankings, Georgia was only 3 spots ahead of Clemson). It all depends on what major you want to study in as each school has it’s strengths and weaknesses (Clemson - engineering, sciences, nursing, not liberal arts)</p>
<p>*I have no idea for a major yet. Right now I’m leaning toward law school after college, but not sure about undergrad. *</p>
<p>Ahhh…law school. So, maybe some kind of liberal arts education or perhaps a create your own major. </p>
<p>Although someone who wants to go to law school can major in anything they want, undergrads are encouraged to “choose courses that will enhance their abilities in the areas of critical thinking, oral and written expression, and logical and analytical reasoning.”</p>
<p>Do you plan on taking the SAT again? or perhaps taking the ACT? Although your scores are fine, since you took them mid junior year, it’s very likely that your scores will increase if you sit for the exams again.</p>
<p>Going to mention Clemson again, because I feel it fits. Auburn is the same way. Both schools may be low matches for you though, so in regards to harder schools of that size in the south it is much harder. UNC seems to fit the bill, and Duke if you want to throw in a mid-high reach. Miami is actually a good match, and you’ll get a significant guaranteed scholarship because of your scores if you are accepted.</p>
<p>I am definitely retaking the SAT again this spring, and it’s more than likely I will take it again next fall. I’m expecting an improvement in math and writing - not that writing matters very much. I am not planning to take the ACT.</p>
<p>Again, thank you all so much! It’s been extremely helpful to receive outside input.</p>
<p>If she’s going to do some kind of liberal arts major, then Auburn wouldn’t be the recommended school. Alabama would. Alabama is much stronger in the liberal arts than Auburn, and Bama has a first tier law school.</p>
<p>Of course they both have beautiful campuses and fun sports programs with spirited fans.</p>
<p>Actually, his math score is about 30-40%. His reading is about 75-80% and his writing would be somewhere around 90%. So all his numbers fall comfortably in the middle 50% (or down).</p>
<p>Duke is a small school, something the OP is not looking for. It only has ~6,000 undergrads. This may almost constitute blasphemy, but I’d recommend UNC haha.</p>
<p>The math score is the important one, and it’s below average. The grades aren’t very impressive, either. I won’t say it’s impossible but I wouldn’t bet on him getting in.</p>