Current 10th grader at college prep school 3.1-3.2 GPA [NC resident]

Chance Me / Match Me
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I think he would prefer and thrive more in a smaller environment, where he can have a relationship with his teacher and classmates. So high point would probably be a good choice or example. He is quite “outdoorsy”- would love to be in Florida or perhaps in the mountains for that reason to.

If there would be a chance of him playing basketball in college, that would change the dynamic I would think. That’s not our primary drive but if it happened, I’m sure he would like that! And it wouldn’t be to receive a scholarship it would be to get him into a good school and keep him busy with something constructive while he’s there. Thank you!

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App State is far from huge. Is a small big school and Boone is a small town.

On the other hand NC State is massive and out of reach for a 3.2 GPA without good test scores.

App State is a reach school with those current grades as is UNC-Wilmington.

UNC-Charlotte is a target (maybe a hard target). ECU is a target.

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GPA always matters, but recruited athletes have more leeway than other students. Has he really looked at where he could reasonably play? As a sophomore, it seems like he’d be in discussions if he was recruitable for basketball, but that was not my son’s sport. D3 basketball in the south with business doesn’t seem like a ton of options. A quicks search is pulling up Berry College or Rhodes. If he’s an excellent player and can garner strong coach support a Washington & Lee or Davidson maybe, but he’d need to be showing a strong upward trend academically as well. How important is region to him vs basketball?

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• High Point U – not my fave school, but yes I think that is a possibility. I’d put it in the Target category
• App State – big reach with the current GPA. 90% of kids at App State have a better GPA so it is a long shot. Average GPA at App State is 3.84. Average SAT is 1200. You can look this stuff up yourself by looking up the Common Data Set for these schools. Common Data Set CDS Dashboard | analytics.appstate.edu
• Ole Miss - not sure
• Elon - hard reach, unless he is recruited for basketball
• East Carolina - target
• UNC-Charlotte - hard target
• UNC-Wilmington - hard target/low reach
• NC State - out of reach with that GPA and no good test scores

Look up the Common Data Set and the other schools.

UNC-Greensboro should be a good safety for him. Could look at Guilford, Lees-McRae, Warren-Wilson, UNC-Asheville if they have anything that interests him – they are not big business schools.

ETA: other NC schools to look at are Western Carolina, maybe Campbell – it is Baptist Christian. He might like William Peace U. Might be able to play basketball for them. It’s in downtown Raleigh so a fun area, used to be all women, but added men in 2012.

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I don’t think he could do Davidson even with basketball. Elon maybe.

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Agree if academics don’t change, but as a current Sophomore, the GPA is based on one year of grades. There’s quite a bit of time for significant improvement. It’s one of the tougher parts of recruiting is you’re trying to judge where GPA and test scores are going to land well before you have great data. Basketball is also a higher profile sport, where I have heard academics have more wiggle room, but it’s not my area.

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Basketball is secondary for him. He has potential, but I think he would be a late recruit.

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Thank you. How about Flagler College, Tampa University, or any other colleges in Florida? Or Texas, VA?

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I’m a NC person so I know about the NC schools. I don’t know the Florida schools. I would just be looking up the Common Data Set, which you can do too. I would think maybe James Madison University in VA might be in his ballpark, but not sure.

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Do you mean University of Tampa?

I think Flagler is a realistic expectation. But I’m not an adcom.

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Correct university of Tampa.

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OK, I’m going to skip the biggies. Business has many sub areas and some schools may have, as an example, finance. But other things.

You mentioned HPU. It’s a very unique school and yes it does have great outcomes. They teach “life skills” which - I mean, it appears but I don’t know anyone there - but it’s sort of thought of as a spoon fed school and less academicky, whether that’s right or wrong. But their published career results are outstanding. They don’t have a common data set that I see so I can’t see economic diversity - but I’m gonna guess many/most are full pay - we visited and it’s just that kind of school.

I do think you need to limit. You say cost isn’t a factor and he’d go anywhere - but does he want to go to Wyoming or South Dakota? So I think you keep in range. They’ll be plenty of choices.

I’d also say - at most places, kids find jobs. Career centers will have Handshake (an online college indeed for jobs), and help like resume and interview workshops and more. Some schools may deliver on campus interviews, moreso from local companies. But kids today can end up anywhere but it will be through their efforts, with help from the schools if they want it - but few will have jobs handed to them (short of personal contacts).

I’m going to stay in your geography with small schools - but expand a little bit north because I think there are some worthy ones.. And I’m not worried about a specific major other than business - and I’ll try to stay, like HPU, under 6K kids. OK, I didn’t but I included some a bit bigger that I thought could work or that you mentioned - but left off the really big ones. Note that relations with profs can be good anywhere (even big schools), but it’s up to the kids - they have to make an effort, going to office hours, meeting profs after class, etc.

With that, here’s some to consider - when they time comes - but I still say, your college counselors are best - because a 3.1 at your school might be like a 3.8 elsewhere. I don’t think you go test free until you truly know but this will eliminate some public schools - all of Florida, as an example.

I’m not including any religious and I put in a few directional (E, S, N, W) but not all as they will typically more local than from all over but I left some in I think can fit.

Alabama

Montevallo 2K kids

UA Huntsville 6800 kids

Arkansas

Hendrix - has a bus econ major and accounting but not other bus disciplines. 1100 kids - it could be a reach but if it is, it’s reasonable. affiliated with methodists but I don’t believe is religious. But you can check.

Florida

Eckerd -1,900 kids - on the bay (outdoors)

Flager - 2,400 kids

Rollins - 2,640 kids - reach but reasonable

Stetson - 2,300 kids

Tampa - a bit bigger, 9900 kids and super popular - so likely a reach even if stats meet. Full pay will definitely help

Georgia

Ga State College & U - 5,600 kids - not test optional but you are early, he might score better, and their applicants already have lower scores. Their 25/75 range is 1030/1270 on the SAT and 21/26 on the ACT

Ogelthorpe - 1,500 kids.

W Georgia - 8500 kids (I hadn’t heard of it either but it’s where my boss went.

Kentucky (you had on your list)

Murray State - 7800 kids

Louisiana

Centenary - affiliated with methodists but I don’t believe is religious. But you can check. 685 kids

ULL - a bit big, 13K but seems to draw (based on merit)

Maryland - some good outdoorsy

Goucher - 965 kids

Saint Mary’s - public Honors College but not hard admit. 1640 kids. Maybe slight reach, maybe not.

Salisbury - 6,200 kids

Washington College - 916 kids

Mississippi

Southern Miss - 8,400 kids

North Carolina

Elon - reach - but full pay could win. 6,400 kids - great outcomes.

UNC Asheville - 2,900 kids

W Carolina - 11,000 kids - in the mountains but maybe a bit too big.

South Carolina

Charleston - less outdoors although lots of ocean water. 11,000 kids in a party place

Coastal Carolina - 11,000 kids - inland a bit from Myrtle - going to be an easier in than Charleston.

Furman - 2,300 kids - reach but you are full pay - worth a shot

Wintrhop - 3,200 kids

Tennessee

East Tennessee State - 11K kids

Rhodes - reach but will love full pay. 1900 kids.

Tennessee Tech - 7,900 kids - tons of nature nearby

UT Chatt - about 10K kids - tons of nature nearby

UT Martin - 6,200 kids

Texas

None - there are some but I don’t see the value given you have so many closer.

Virginia

Christopher Newport - 4400 kids - and it has the rare feat of being rated high on campus (it is, i stopped) and highly rated food and dorms - almost like HPU :slight_smile: Nothing wrong with eating and living well.

Mary Washington - 3,612

Radford - 6,200 kids

W Virginia

U Charleston 2,100 kids

Marshall 8,200 kids

Extra credit - a bit further but Susquehanna in PA gets rave reviews. It’s 2,200 kids.

Hope that opens some ideas

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Thank you so much! This is great insight and greatly appreciated. My son and I will look at all of these more online. And by the way, we are fine with a Christian or Catholic setting not a deterrent for us. I thought liberty University could be a good possibility, but it is huge! So if there are any other ones that you’ve heard of that or Christian with a good business program. We would consider those as well..

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Definitely check out Campbell then. Pretty well regarded academically.

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Here are some religious schools to consider:

Alabama

U of Mobile - 1700 kids - Baptist

Spring Hill College - 800 kids - Catholic

Georgia

Mercer - a reach but worthy reach - 4800 kids, Baptist or used to be

Berry - 2200 kids - Christian

Kentucky

Bellarmine - 2300 kids - Catholic

Louisiana

Loyola 3200 Kids Catholic

Maryland

Loyola Maryland - 3900 kids - Catholic

North Carolina

Campbell - 2800 kids - Baptist

Catawba - 1200 kids, not sure religion but by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton

Gardner Webb -1800 kids - Christian

Guilford - 1160 kids - Quaker

South Carolina

Charleston Southern = 2900 kids - Baptist

Tennessee

Belmont - 7300 kids, Christian

Lee - 3200 kids, Christ centered education

Lipscomb - 3000 kids, Christian, reasonable reach

Virginia

Randolph Macon - 1600 students - Methodist

Shenandoah 4K students - Methodist

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Guilford is not really religious any more than Duke is or Warren Wilson is. All of those schools have chapels on campus, but aren’t really religious in every day life. I think a religious student could be happy at any one of them, but religion doesn’t play a big part in the studies. I think at Campbell more students are religious in their everyday life, but I could be off on that.

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Understood - Guilford is Quaker - I’m not sure if that’s even a religion but I noted is at that what it showed.

I know folks in Raleigh. Campbell is religious for sure. Yes, Duke and Syracuse and more came from methodist lineage. Of course, those schools aren’t on these lists but if they were, I’d have put them on the original list - before the OP said religious is ok. Not sure they seek religious (unlikely since Tampa seems to be the top choice based on the other created thread).

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Quaker is a religion. Ecumenical.