According to College Navigator, there’s no religious affiliation at U. of the Pacific:
Funny you should mention that. Was recently looking through a big box of old papers my dad saved that included all the correspondence between him and my college. Lots of letters back and forth, his hand-written on lined paper. They granted a little more, but not a lot. But it all worked out. All of us kids worked a lot to pay the difference (work study plus outside jobs), plus took loans. We all ended up in good careers. Still wish my parents had spent the money on a better life (or saved for their own futures.)
I do think things have changed, at least at some schools. We were all high-stats kids. Nowadays elite colleges look for First Gen, high acheiving Pell kids. Back then they didn’t.
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I went to Penn State so I am very familiar with topography of a land grant university. 
He is taking ACT in June. Do some schools want to see an ACT score v. SAT?
Nope – both are equally valued in the US. The only one I ever came across was 4 years ago when the University of Toronto only wanted SAT (at least for my son’s intended major) – but based on a very quick Google search I think that has changed.
Has he taken any timed practice tests at home? That’s a good way to see if ACT is a better fit than SAT etc. And it helps them learn from their mistakes . But it has to be a timed practice test – and use the official released tests, not the third-party versions.
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He does not like practice tests…
Not sure how to respond to that.
If he wants the boost that a strong act or sat score might give him, practice tests can really help. He can take timed sections if he doesn’t want to take a full-on timed test.
Given various comment you have made about a seeming lack of motivation, is he possibly suffering from depression?
And, if not and if he is used to coasting through school, that’s definitely something to be aware of when choosing good-fit colleges.
There’s a long list of things he doesn’t/won’t like:
Practice tests
Filing taxes
Filing his expense reports at work to get reimbursed for travel
Getting his wisdom teeth removed
Changing the oil on his car
Getting an emissions test on said car, depending on the state it’s registered in
Changing the filters on the air conditioner.
Etc. At some point, what we like/don’t like is irrelevant. Are you being flippant or is he immature for his chronological age?
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I am not going to get into analyzing his personality, do not think it is helpful. He took AP Chem exam yesterday that lasted over four hours and thought it was no big deal. He is a good test taker, let’s leave at that.
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Neither does mine, who is also a good test-taker. Just have him read the description of the sections. Leave a practice test around in case he wants to take it, and then have him take the real test at a test center. See how he does. It won’t do any harm.
I sympathize about the personality thing based on my S23. Do what you can.
Sounds like one of my sons. Wouldn’t listen to me. He changed his mind when he saw his friends scores after taking prep classes.
It was late in the game but with a little tutoring he upped his score. Probably would’ve been more if he started earlier. Eventually they have to live with their choices.
He received some nice scholarships. A few were close to making the schools affordable but not quite. An extra 20 points might’ve helped. Actually, I’m pretty sure it would’ve helped. Again, choices and consequences.
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Hey, he’s your kid. You’re the one who has posted a couple of things about him that suggest that being “light” on EC’s is not his only challenge vis-a-vis college.
Your kid, do it your way. But when you post on an anonymous message board, you have the option of ignoring what isn’t relevant, thinking about what is, or just ignoring the thread you’ve started. You do you.
There are lots of fantastic test-takers who discover when taking a timed practice test that there is a type of question they ALWAYS get wrong (usually because they skim the prompt OR skim the choices). That’s what practice tests do- identify your achillles heel.
Best of luck to your son.
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From their website:
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Don’t quote me on that number. I still get some updates and emails from FSU. That’s the number that stuck in my head. Seems reasonable though. It was 31 for S21 and FSU has become an even more difficult admit.
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I don’t see a need for test prep or artificially adding EC’s. His SAT’s are fine. He likes to read, that’s great. If he gets a job this summer, that’s great too- anything.
I disagree with the idea that in the US, only Ivies, 7 sisters, and certain state U’s are universally recognized. There are also the “little Ivies” like Tufts, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Bard, Bowdoin, Conn. College (I am no doubt leaving some out). And the Colleges that Change Lives (love Clark) Colleges That Change Lives – Changing Lives. One Student At A Time. (ctcl.org) and countless others like Skidmore, Grinnell, Davidson, Macalaster, St. Olaf, Lewis and Clark, Colorado College… I could go on and on. I think that it is common among people new to this country to focus on “top schools” but it isn’t hard to research others. (I still use Loren Pope’s book on Beyond the Ivy League" or something like that.) So many people have given great suggestions.
I also don’t think he needs to be near DC or a state capitol, since he can intern or volunteer or work during the summers. And his interests may change.
I would leave this kid alone. Your relationship is more important than test scores. I had a son who didn’t want to engage about college. (Turns out it was hard for him to face so he was avoidant.) One day I told him he didn’t have to go to college at all, that was fine with me, and that if there was a school he wanted to visit, just let me know. (He was a top student.) I went out and when I came back he had a color coded chart!
The main issue is cost, it seems, and that does require some parental involvement and strategizing. For that reason, a state U sounds good, but there may be other schools that are generous with him based on stats.
I think it is fine to withhold spending money, not in a punitive way, but maybe tell him summer is a good time to practice earning and paying. Unless he has something else that he wants to do that is impactful enough to earn some merit!
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My son was a lot like this too. He was class of 2022, so we were dealing with the logistics of testing at the height of the pandemic. He sat for the ACT once while wearing an n95 mask because this was prior to vaccinations. He scored a 34, and refused to retake or sit for the SAT. He had friends with scores in the same range who retook for the higher scores. At least from an admissions standpoint, my son fared as well or better than his friends did. The OPs son already has a 1480 SAT. So my question for you or @DramaMama2021 who were seeking merit- is there a certain score that this student should be aiming for to optimize merit?
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Good question. IMO it comes down to the selectivity/“rejectivity” of the application list.
1480 is an excellent score and with the right list the OP’s son should have multiple options in budget. If he is not interested in taking another test, I would not push it.
We started our merit research mid junior year when our D informed us she was interested in medicine. Once we looked at the costs of schools on her preliminary college list and added in the cost of med school, we sat her down for a chat to explain that she may be on her own for med school if we paid full freight for private undergrad. Luckily she is a practical kid so we worked with her school college counselor to adjust the list to include two instate options (free tuition) and OOS privates known for tuition discounts. After that, we looked at competitive merit opportunities, some of which required a school nomination.
I think the OP’s son will do well with his current test at schools with tuition discounts to attract high stat students. If he likes schools like Miami-OH with auto-merit, even better because he’ll know exactly what he will get. If he’s determined to try for competitive scholarships at more selective schools, I’d ask him if he wanted to test again as 1500+ will give him a better chance. It should be up to him. With light EC’s I personally would not pressure my kid to go for competitive merit.
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I am not new to this country, I’ve lived in the States for over 30 years, the majority of my adult life
@compmom, my son reminds me of your son in terms of his current approach to college search, which is to say he wants to avoid it. Earlier today I’ve texted him a number of links to college programs recommended by good folks on this thread. I sent him info on RIU, UGA, FSU and U of Denver. I asked him to follow up with his counselor regarding Naviance admissions breakdown by major. His response to my attempts to engage him - one word text -No. 
no one ever suggested that parenting was easy, right…
Would a 20 point bump in SAT score really make a big difference in terms of competitiveness for merit scholarships, given his overall resume? I think 1480 on SAT translates to 33 ACT. If he gets 34 on ACT in June, is that really going to move the needle in his favor?
I forgot to mention his school took the official, required for graduation SAT test two weeks ago with results expected to be released this week. Fingers and toes crossed.
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A score of 1500/34 seemed to put you in the running for full-ride or top scholarship bucket. At least that was the case for S20.
We’re a donut family so he was looking at business schools just outside T20. Fordham, SMU and UMiami (FL) come to mind. SMU was around $45k COA, Fordham around $53k and Miami didn’t offer much which was disappointing. Kids from our HS were getting $25k+ scholarships 2-3 years earlier with lower stats.
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