<p>You know, we keep overlooking UD…don’t know why…I guess because it is so heavily catholic…which is not a PROBLEM, I just think of it as catholic and think to myself, “we’re not catholic!” It should probably be on our list.</p>
<p>He keeps saying BYU…which also has an excellent B-School…and is such an amazing value…and I have a good friend he admires who will live out there, but his dad doesn’t want him falling in love with a Mormon girl - because someone will need to convert, and if you are a Christian, Mormonism just …well, isn’t Christian. More easilty Catholic than Mormon, certainly.</p>
<p>He would love bama football, but he was grade accelerated and kind of young…might be too far away.</p>
<p>How old will your son be when he graduates. I can understand the age concern. Both my boys are kind of young for their grade because we’re from Calif where kids can start Kindergarten much younger than most of the country. When they graduated from high school, many of their classmates were 10 months to 16 months older than they were.</p>
<p>A tip for parents of young college kids. When your child applies and gets accepted to various colleges, have him/her join the Facebook group for that group of incoming freshmen. It’s a great way to find roommates/suitemates that have their acts together. It can be a big relief to parents of younger kids to have roommates who are more mature and can be good role models for youngish freshmen. </p>
<p>Also, schools that have honors dorms are often a great place for more mature-acting roommates (not 100%, but better chance!)</p>
<p>He’ll be barely 17 when he graduates. Great idea about a Facebook matchup.
The Honors dorms make a big difference. It might even make enough of a difference to make IU more “conservative-friendly”. It’s tough for us to take IU off the list. It is a great school and he would likely qualify for generous merit. But it can be a pretty wild place. I know he is disenchanted by his older sister’s experience there…and they are not the same kids. He is just more conservative in all ways. He’d probably be fine there, but it scares him.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should take IU off the list. Their business school is ranked higher than Miami, especially, their accounting and entrepreneurship programs.</p>
<p>University of Alabama is in Tuscaloosa. University of Alabama at Huntsville is in Huntsville. </p>
<p>I second Depauw U as a good school to consider for him, although I do not know about business/finance/accounting there. Maybe Transylvania U in Kentucky? U of Evansville? Take a look and see if either of those look like possibles.</p>
<p>Because of the recent shooting, people keep confusing Bama with UAHuntsville. Two different universities. UAH is not a satellite of Bama. It’s a separate university.</p>
<p>I don’t think he should take IU off the list, either, but in our area, hundreds of kids from his class will likely go there…which takes away some of the luster in his mind. And he see’s it as very large and out of control. They don’t get their #1 party rep from nowhere. There is a no-alcohol frat there, though, where the kids look pretty square - like him . A school like IU has all types. The Academy of Finance at his school does a trip there. Perhaps their salesmanship will change his mind. I’m a Kelley School of Biz girl, myself.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you are even exploring all these options here. Look at the numbers in post #8. Other than BYU, you have one obvious choice based on your criteria. That would be IU (Bloomington) at just under $20K (full COA, in state). Or, you could save more if he lives at home and goes to a directional state school in your area. Schools with “as big a rep as he can do”, are academically superior to Indiana, have business majors or top econ departments, grant substantial merit aid to students with 3.6 GPAs, are not party schools, and are not very liberal, are few and far between.</p>
<p>Indiana has a pretty good reputation. Though for someone with that much Math talent, maybe he could do better than a straight Business degree. Compared to degrees in either Accounting, Marketing or Finance, both starting and mid-career median salaries are higher for degrees in many other fields (including Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, and virtually any branch of engineering.) By mid career, by the way, the difference in median earnings between IU graduates and graduates of a top private university (not just Ivies but also a LAC like Colgate) can be as much as $40K/year.</p>
<p>If he’s willing to consider a Math degree, and would consider a respected, moderately selective small private LAC that grants enough merit aid to maybe make this doable, then check out St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. This is a Lutheran college, not super conservative but apparently very wholesome. They have one of the highest per capita rates in the country for graduates who go on to earn Math PhDs. Safe, nice small town. Definitely not a party school.</p>
<p>A huge percentage of kids who “think” they want to major in business actually have no idea what it really involves and wind up switching majors. I wouldn’t make the choice just on the business major. Of course, at a place like IU you have lots of options.</p>
<p>Another respected small college that grants merit scholarships is Centre College. Full COA is about $40K; merit aid was granted to 110 students in a recent entering class; the average grant was about $17K. Their average SATs and grades appear to put the OP’s son in a good position for a significant merit award.</p>
<p>Like many selective LACs, Centre College does not have a Business major, but they do offer a “pre-MBA” program.</p>
<p>Forbes ranks Centre College 13th in the country. Caused a bit of a snit among some CC posters to see it come out ahead of schools like MIT, Chicago, and Stanford. Being Forbes,
they consider value as well as academics in their formula.</p>
<p>How about exploring more on the religious-affiliated front? I’m thinking specifically of Wheaton College (IL). Expensive, but think there is big merit there.</p>
<p>I don’t really do the religious thing, but have come across enough impressive grads from there in my career that the school has opned my eyes to the academic quality that can come along with the bible larning.</p>
<p>And on COA, as shocking as all these numbers are, I figure room/board at $10k anywhere, so you are really saying $15K for the tuition … (I guess I’m trying to make a business case for your bright kid for a little bump in the budget if IU doesn’t create the warm fuzzies for him).</p>
<p>But if it is really about bumping up a prestige level, I think you’re gonna need a bigger check …</p>
<p>We considered a visit to Centre…and may still go, but he went to a huge high school and wants a bigger school. He’s pretty convinced that he wants to study business/finance/econ. He’s also now pretty convinced that he wants to try for the Honors program at Miami. He’s also pretty convinced that IU is not for him…partly because so many kids from this area go there. Partly because he hates Big 10 sports :), partly because no matter how good people think IU is, it is a big party school and the kids he knows there will be leading the party pack. (He’s also an SEC guy - dad went to UK Med School.) He is analytical, but not interested in Math as a “pure” subject. He drives the Asians in his class crazy. Does very little homework or prep work and aces the tests. He is very personable and handsome and charming and sees his life in business…and I do too, really. He will take a more analytical track than the average B-school student. Knows for sure he doesn’t want to do engineering. I work for an engineering firm and his grandfather and greatgrandfather were Rose Hulman EEs. Say what you want, but most engineers do not make what they are worth. He’s willing to take the challenging math classes…they are offering a third year of calc next year at his high school. He plans to take it…enthusiastically…but as a major…he’s more interested in econ. He has observed a lot in his 16 years…sees people in different careers tied to desks and beating their heads against the wall…like his dad in medicine. I think he has a pretty good idea of what he wants out of life. It looks like it will be Miami for undergrad. He proclaimed it tonight as “the perfect school” when we took him out to celebrate his Math SAT. A couple other of his friends are trying to go there, too…both outstanding kids. His plan? 4.0 in the honors program, business/finance major/econ minor, good GMAT scores, participation in school leadership activities and rec sports…and then a good grad school. He’s a kid who lives to a plan. He always has been. He asks a lot of questions of people he admires and works right at the level it takes to get what he wants. (Usually nothing more) Interesting kid. So unlike his older, hipster sister…who “feels” her way through life How such different kids come from the same genetics, I’ll never understand.</p>
<p>That said, Miami does seem like an excellent choice: business and econ programs both highly regarded. I think Miami makes the list of top UGs going on to Econ PhDs.</p>
<p>I belive we can wrap this one up in a bow. :)</p>
<p>Try UNC. Admission is extremely competitive for non-NC residents, but his SAT score is up there. His GPA is a bit low, but the SAT score, course load, and good ecs gives him a shot.</p>
. A school like IU has all types. The Academy of Finance at his school does a trip there. Perhaps their salesmanship will change his mind. I’m a Kelley School of Biz girl, myself.</p>