<p>hey socal: Are you “in” with Matt Lauer? he’s an alum along with Laurie (Leonard) David…</p>
<p>that is one school I know absolutely NOTHING about…</p>
<p>did you send a PM to mhc about Miami of Ohio btw?</p>
<p>Miami of Ohio</p>
<p>I think this is a safety school for a B+ student and a match for a true B student.</p>
<p>Here’s a link with some data - from 2009:</p>
<p>[Miami</a> University: First-Year Student Profile](<a href=“http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/stats.cfm]Miami”>http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/stats.cfm)</p>
<p>From our large public hs - most applicants were accepted. Plenty with a 3.5 WGPA and an 1100 SAT/24 ACT were admitted.</p>
<p>About 1000 Jewish students at Miami University per Hillel website:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.muhillel.org/JewishLife06/JewishLife06.php[/url]”>http://www.muhillel.org/JewishLife06/JewishLife06.php</a></p>
<p>^^and I agree with RVM…Miami of Ohio is a “match” for a “B” student…</p>
<p>I think that OOS students, though, need to have slightly higher SAT/ACT’s (at least that’s what we were told this year)…wish I could help further; my daughter had to withdraw her application before decisions came out for EA this year…</p>
<p>The Naviance site shows that Ohio University accepts 81% of overall applicant pool. National average is a 3.4 gpa, 23 ACT and 1090 SAT. At out hs - virtually all who applied were accepted. Many were in the 3.0 - 3.2 WGPA/1000 SAT/20-22 ACT. Seems like a safety for a B student.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ohiohillel.org/students[/url]”>http://www.ohiohillel.org/students</a></p>
<p>Website indicates about 600 Jewish students.</p>
<p>I visited Ohio U many years ago. Seems like a nice enough campus but it’s really in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>As always, thanks for all your support.
Rodney, as a matter of fact, I did know Matt L before his days as host of Today. Back when he was a news reader at WOR in NY. I sent a question to MHC. Thanks for all your suggestions.</p>
<p>RVM, I hope that you are right. On paper Miami seems like a perfect fit for her. I think it is a bot more of a reach for her, but will pursue this school with vigor. Planning on visiting both ohio and Miami in April.</p>
<p>As a matter of discussion and thought…We are planning to do a one week visit to colleges in April. Here is my preliminary thoughts on where to go look. I welcome feedback.
Colorado(I think she can get in, supposed to be one of the most beautiful schools, and many kids from our HS go there and are happy). Then to Kansas(I hear Lawrence is a great small college town, lots of midwest jews and greeks, and you can get in if you have a pulse) Then to Ohio U(another school that she will get in to, don’t know much else, worth a look, unless we find a better choice) Miami Ohio(a reach school, good size, good reputation, I like this a lot for her based on what I read) Indiana(She thinks this is her dream, a real reach, I saw it with D1 and was impressed) and finally if time permits Michigan State(suggested by a friend, d2 has a friend from camp who loves it, she can get in, why not).</p>
<p>That is my thinking. I am open to suggestions, feel free to tell me why I should or should not any of the schools, and suggest others. I will do the east coast another time.</p>
<p>Thanks, and I do enjoy the quality of all your thoughts, and all your kindness</p>
<p>I like what you have thus far! One of the things I like about Indiana is that I think it is a reasonable match for a “B” student - with rolling admissions. I have seen students apply in September and get acceptances in October - so this is one of the first apps I would submit.</p>
<p>The only question I would pose to you as something to consider is that these are all mid-sized to large schools. Is that a must? I know we have debated on this thread the pros and cons of smaller schools with smaller class sizes and more personal attention from professors as being a plus for “B” students. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>RVM,
I agree with you about applying early to Rolling admission schools like Indiana. D1 had all her applications done by september 15th. She had acceptances to IU, and Pitt before Sept. ended. D2 will get hers done early as well. Her results will vary.<br>
You are correct about the size of the schools. The reasons are two fold. She thinks she wants a rah rah school, and they tend to be large. Also, from a financial standpoint, Publics are attractive to me. Business has been tough in the past couple of years. I will have two in college, yet we will not qualify for Aid. Additionally, I do not think the caliber of private school that my daughter will get in to justifies the expense. I think I have said this in an earlier post…A top school can change your life. After the top 30 or so, there are good choices among the publics. D1 was interested in going to Syracuse. While it is a good school, I did not think it was worth 53K when compared to higher ranked publics like Michigan, Washington, Maryland, Texas, and Wisconsin. I personally did not think it was a prudent investment. My D1 could not be happier than her choice of Texas. They have a top ranked film program in a very good communication school. She is not missing out on Newhouse(a great school). In addition, she is now considered in state at Texas, and tuition is under 10k, instead of 31K. An unbelievable value. We were fortunate that Texas is very liberal about gaining in state residency. You have to jump through a couple of hoops, but well worth it. I would say that every OOS sorority sister has done it, along with the jewish OOS frat boys. Leave it to us Jews to find a way to save. If any of you have an OOS kid about to go to Texas, PM me and I will walk you through it. It is far to difficult to explain here, and not worth others time. I would love to find a way for D2 to gain residency whereever she goes. We will see. </p>
<p>Sorry, I got on a tangent. I looked into UNC Asheville. This is a good Public LIberal arts school. I have come to believe that she would not be comfortable there. COC is another good small public. I really don’t think she will be able to get in there. She might try as a long reach. I struggle to find smaller, value, B Student, jewish population alternatives. Thus, we lean towards the larger Publics. I am open to suggestions, and debate. It is why I enjoy this thread so much.</p>
<p>Again, thanks RVM, for all that you do here.</p>
<p>Indiana U always gets a few kids from our NJ HS and they like it once there. Oddly, we send virtually none to Ohio; Iowa; Minnesota; Illinois; Purdue; Michigan State or states between those and California.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Socaldad: I know exactly what you mean. My DD was deciding between UDel and American. While it would have been great fun to be in DC, it’s not like she was going to major in politics. In looking at the rankings and the $$, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. Looks like you are going to have a very busy April break! Can’t wait to hear how it goes.</p>
<p>Socaldad: Your spring break trip looks great. You have a good mix of reach, match and safety schools. I agree that if your daughter wants a rah-rah atmosphere you will need to stick to medium and large schools. I do know of a few Jewish kids form my area who attended Ohio and liked it, but don’t know much about Jewish life on campus. My daughter was quite smitten with the idea of Colorado, but we decided that it was too far from home. I’ll be looking forward to hearing about the visits after you go.</p>
<p>socaldad42…just my opinion on Mich State since I am a MI resident, and pretty familiar w/ it. I think it’s a great place for a B student…large jewish population, good rep, very rah rah. One thing you might want to consider…since it is such a large school, there are a few residential colleges w/in the school that are supposed to be excellent. Not sure if it’s competitive to get into them, but maybe you want to see if there is one that meets your interests and visit it while you are there.</p>
<p>Socaldad’s comments about affordability motivated me to chime here and put in a plug for the Univ of Minnesota, TC. There is significant merit financial aid available there for OOS students (perhaps even for B/B+ students). </p>
<p>For one of our children, the choice was between both U of M’s (Minnesota and Maryland, College Park) and the merit scholarships at Minnesota sealed the deal. UMCP offered us practically nothing in merit aid – we are OOS and live in New England.</p>
<p>Also, U of MN granted 20 credits for the 4 AP exams our child took, (3 exams were a score of 3!) – a generous policy that will essentially allow our child to gain Junior standing at the end of Year One. Of course that policy could change.</p>
<p>It is a very large school which of course is not for everyone and is right in the heart of the city which also is not for everyone. Minneapolis offers an exciting downtown life as well with some terrific riverfront and downtown development over the last several years. And the Twin Cities have always been a vibrant arts, sports, culture and music center. And getting around is easy, safe and convenient via public transportation with light rail to the Mall of America and airport.</p>
<p>And yes, it is very cold in the winter…and it is far away from either coast. But a plane ride makes it 3 hours away, much less time than a train ride home from College Park would be. </p>
<p>Few if any folks near us consider schools in the Midwest (other than Indiana as someone points out). In addition to distance, part of the turn-off for the U of MN no doubt comes from its low 4-year graduation rate. But the U of MN has made significant efforts in the last 5 years to improve that rate in part due to the 4-year graduation guarantee program now in effect. </p>
<p>At least take a close look before deciding the cold, size and distance are insurmountable obstacles. Financially especially, it is worth a look – really. And as with all mega-campuses, students can find their niche. </p>
<p>We are all quite pleased, especially our child. BTW, have read this thread from time to time. Really nice discussion!</p>
<p>Socal, you seem to doing a great search, but, given the preference for large school, perhaps U. South Carolina, NC State or Georgia provide what UNC-Asheville did not? I have no idea of comparative stats, etc, but certainly they are large, high school spirit schools with less snow (which, looking out my NJ window at the snowdrifts, seems more appealing than it did previously).</p>
<p>If you want to stay in the Midwest, your choice of Kansas seems apt, and perhaps Missouri and Iowa are worth a look. If a city is not out of the question, Pitt is a fine school and both UMass and URi take a lot of OOS B students.</p>
<p>Sorry if I repeated any earlier suggestions.</p>
<p>Great post, mountainlover! I think UMinn-TC has one of the nicest campuses of the large flagships and city schools that I’ve seen. My D is thrilled to have it as a choice so far. She’s also been accepted to URI.</p>
<p>Another point I’d raise, although it complicates things a lot, is that there are lots of smaller state schools, especially in the midwest, beyond the well-known flagships. In WI, for example, there are several publics with great programs that are a good chunk smaller and a bit easier to get into than Madison: La Crosse, Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Stevens Point. They have a lot of school spirit and give many of the same benefits. Not a lot of Jewish kids, though …</p>
<p>I agree that another really lovely large state flagship is the University of Iowa. It has a really terrific little funky downtown adjacent to the campus, and really wonderful programs. And it’s a notch down in selectivity from many of the more “famous” state schools, while being an excellent university. Again, the Jewish community is small, but that is standard for the midwest.</p>
<p>yabe - welcome back!</p>
<p>Socal: After reading your post about publics and how comfortable you are with UT Austin I am trying to think if there is another Texas state school that would fulfill what your D is looking for. Austin is really the one oasis of diversity and liberalism that I know in the state. Different campuses have varying degrees of diversity and conservatism, with my S favoring one of the most conservative TAMU. I’m not sure that he gets that but then I digress. Two schools that come to mind as possibilities, are Texas State University and UTSA, both have pluses and minuses. If you have any interest I’ll try and answer your questions. I know kids at both who are happy but their perspectives will be different from your D’s since both are an easy drive from where I live and this is where the students I know come from. </p>
<p>Good Luck with your search, let me know if I can help.</p>
<p>So many thoughts, again thanks.</p>
<p>Linymom, thanks for your thoughts and support. Delaware is definitely on our list, though a long shot in my humble opinion.
Momjr, thanks for sharing about Ohio.
Umich, I will do some further research into residential colleges. MY experience from D1, is usually they are tougher to get into. I feel she is likely to be admitted to Mich. St. I will access her chances for better programs as well. Thanks
Mountain Lover You make great sales points about Minn. I looked into it a while back. I know it is considered one of the best value schools around. I will do some research into the jewish thing as well. Do they have Jewish greek houses? My concern is winter. Extremely long and harsh ones. While I am a New Englander, my D is a southern california thin blooded kid. While many schools we are looking at will have tough winters, I am afraid that Minn. is even worse. Am I correct with this thinking. Distance is not my concern. A direct flight is available.
YAbeyabe- Georgia is a great school. Athens an amazing college town. Very tough to get into these days. It was the only school that did not accept D1. While not ranked as hiigh as texas and Wisconsin, they take few OOS. I know nothing about NC State, or SC. I suspect they might not be a match for a city jewish kid. But, I am happy to look into it.
Emmybet, I will follow up on your Iowa suggestions. I do not know anyone on either coast who has gone there. I need to find out more about its demos. Thnks</p>
<p>Spectrum,</p>
<p>Thanks. I must say I have read most of your prior posts. I was surprised that your son likes AM over UT. Don’t get me wrong, A&M is a very good school. It is rising in the ranks every year. As you know and say, it is vastly different from Austin. I view A&M as more of the Republican conservative, religious right, gun toting school. I realize that may sound politically incorrect, but I think it is true.<br>
I do not know how important it is to you or your son(to my D! it was), but UT has a very large and tight Jewish community. My D has embraced this. She feels like she is around so many like minded kids. I can’t say enough, how great her time and education is.<br>
I have looked in to other Texas schools. I do not think they are right for D!. I do not think she will find what she is looking for. We have a local jewish girl who is going to Texas Tech on a sport scholarship. While she is happy with the team, she feels very out of sorts with her surroundings. She is laboring to find kids she can relate to. </p>
<p>Spectrum, thanks. I am a big fan of Austin, and Hook Em.</p>
<p>Howdy! I follow this thread because I PMed with rockvillemom about Coastal Carolina University once upon a time and she was so nice that I continue to pop over now and again to see how the search is going. And as an Aggie, I had to chime in about TAMU. I am as far from a “Republican conservative, religious right, gun toting” person as you can get, yet loved my time at TAMU. And I know students from all types of backgrounds, beliefs, political viewpoints, etc. who happily attend and call themselves a part of the Aggie family. So while TAMU may not be the right school for everyone, I hope no one will dismiss it right off the bat 
[tamuhillel.org:</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.tamuhillel.org/]tamuhillel.org:”>http://www.tamuhillel.org/)</p>
<p>Best of luck to all!</p>
<p>austinmtmom: Thank you soooo much for writing that. S has his fingers crossed to stay in the top 10% and if so I think he is Aggie bound. So far that is really where he wants to go, although I have had some reservations about it, I have hoped that as big as the school is there would be room for diversity. It seemed that way from our visit but it is hard to tell from a vacation visit. I have looked into hillel and did get a really good feeling from my communications. There is still that very conservative reputation that I do worry about so it is so nice to hear that you loved it!</p>