Not surprised he liked - other than lack of surrounds, I see similarities to Auburn. The drive in is Disney like in my opinion. So he’s got one, great affordable option.
So the original commentary stands. For MIS, Arizona is tops. For supppy chain, ASU, UTK, Michigan State and Penn State.
Guess what - you can’t afford any of them (I don’t think - but you can check the NPCs). Really you should go $35k as you mentioned concerns with travel costs and more. .
Both majors will hire well from most schools.
Look at the affordable list of suggestions above where sports was noted - the large schools - Coastal, App State, Ga Outhern, Memphis etc.
Then google the school name. Example Coastal Carolina + common data set. Go to section B2 and you can measure diversity by race.
Given your budget constraint, that might be a bit tougher but they’re out there.
Maybe keep a spreadsheet with whatever metric matters to determine diversity - % white as an example.
Just a word of caution to be aware of for MIS majors looking to apply to University of Arizona:
The MIS major at U of A has additional admission criteria. You start out as a BSBA major and you have to apply to the more specific business major you want (MIS, for example). The only way to be guaranteed a spot in that major is to earn “Admission with Excellence,” which requires maintaining a 3.75 undergrad GPA at U of A for all courses taken and for the foundational business courses.
You also have to submit a cover letter, resume, participate in an interview process.
If you don’t have a high enough GPA to get “Admission with Excellence,” then you have only 2 chances to apply to the MIS major (or any other major in the college of business) and if after chance #2 you’re not selected, then no soup for you…you’ll be a regular Business Management major.
U of A also has an Information Science major which is not in the business school and is not competitive to get into. If your student is interested in IT/MIS type of stuff but wants to pursue a more IT-focused major instead of more business-focused, they should consider this option instead. Another option would be to major in Applied Computing with an emphasis in Information Management.
I’m so happy that you both loved Mississippi State! It’s great to have an extremely likely admit than one is excited about!
Based on what you shared, I’m going to repeat a couple of recommendations and add a new one, in the hopes that this is less overwhelming and more manageable based on this clearer picture of what your son wants:
The new one:
U. of Houston (TX): About 38k undergrads at this school with spirit (esp. football). Sticker price is about $34k, and there’s a possibility of getting in-state tuition if he gets a modest scholarship (about $1500/year or so). The undergraduate enrollment is reported as 37% Hispanic, 24% Asian, 17% White, 11% Black, 5% international, 3% 2+ races, and 1% unknown.
Already mentioned
East Carolina U. (NC): About 24k undergrads and lots of school spirit. Sticker price of about $35k. Undergraduate enrollment is 62% White, 17% Black, 10% Hispanic, 4% 2+ races, 4% unknown, 2% Asian, and 1% international.
Previously mentioned and hits most of your son’s wishes, but not as racially diverse
Appalachian State (NC): About 19k undergrads and school spirit. Sticker price of about $38k. Undergraduate enrollment is 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% 2+ races, 3% Black, 2% Asian, 1% unknown.
West Virginia U.: About 19k undergrads at this state flagship. School spirit and a sticker price of about $44k, but your son would be guaranteed to get at least $8k/year in merit and potentially more depending on his weighted GPA (source). 82% White, 6% 2+ races, 4% Hispanic, 3% Black, 2% Asian, 2% international, 1% unknown.
For reference, Mississippi State is 74% White, 15% Black, 4% Hispanic, 3% 2+ races, 2% Asian, 1% unknown, and 1% international.
My kid goes to MS State. Loves it. Wanted SEC, warmth. Went in as undecided major, had a 30 on ACT, about a 3.5 GPA. They have a tuition matrix which will show you exactly what you will pay.
For my kid, it was a choice between LSU or MS State. MS St was about 80,000 cheaper for the 4 years. I also thought LSU was a little too big (graduated in a class of 139). Child loved his tour group, the friendly people they met. Not into Greek, and it’s one of the SEC with not as important.
Kid has blossomed. 3.8 GPA, Bio chem major, was able to start on a research team as a soph, and will do wrap around Masters and maybe Med School. I know they are also good in Engineering…. ECO car, and have a business lab where a faculty advisor works with you and they fund you and help. One project was on Shark Tank and got picked.
I thought it a bit homier, smaller than many of the bigger schools. Still a sleeper, so merit that might be harder at some larger schools still exists, but definitely more popular than 2 years ago
Also known as U. of Southern Mississippi . As an added plus, even before any merit aid is considered, there is only a small difference between in-state and out-of-state costs, and tuition costs are quite reasonable. On College Navigator, it appears that tuition & fees plus room & board for out-of-state students runs about $25k.
. As an added plus, even before any merit aid is considered, there is only a small difference between in-state and out-of-state costs, and tuition costs are quite reasonable. On College Navigator, it appears that tuition & fees plus room & board for out-of-state students runs about $25k.