First issue is a few on your list don’t have business.
At some you’ll have to go TO.
What’s your highest math - excluding stats?
Taking lacrosse out - all your targets except UVM and St Joes sound like reaches to me.
GPA is low (for those schools - it’s not low), test score low for some abd im assuming you have a full palate of APs so your rigor might be low for them.
What would you major in at the schools like Lafayette and Colgate that don’t have business? I’m guessing Econ but know that Econ and business are not similar.
If you’re looking to be matched with respect to schools appropriate to your level of lacrosse, I would suggest posting in the athletic recruiting forum:
If you’re posting in this forum, then are you looking to be matched to schools in case you decide you don’t want to play your sport in college or if you don’t get a recruiting offer that you like?
I’m planning on playing lacrosse in college. I would either study economics or finance if a school did not business. I’m taking pre calc honors this year and took Algebra 2 honors last year
Even if you don’t know your exact rank, what would you estimate? Top 5% 10%? 20%? 50%? Bottom 50%?
At some schools, a 3.6UW GPA might be in the top 50%. At other schools, if there is less grade inflation, it might be higher. Having some sense of how you compare with your peers is part of the analysis of schools with competitive admissions.
Additionally, how does the rigor of your coursework compare with the courses that have been offered at your school? Are you taking all or nearly all of the AP classes available? Or will you end up not taking a number of them? Again, this comparison of what you’ve done compared to what was available to you will be part of the review process in the college admissions’ offices.
Also consider that economics and an undergrad business program are two different paths. Economics is a liberal arts course of study which can get theoretical at the upper levels. With a business degree you will take a business core and then major in one of the disiplines (ex. finance, accounting, marketing, etc.). Both are fine ways to go but I’d take the time to look at the curriculum differences (most colleges have online catalogs) and see if you think one path is preferable.
I’m not taking into consideration your potential as an athletic recruit. If a coach wants you and you pass a school’s pre-read, then you’re in a completely different ballgame. But, in looking at whether you have a balanced list of schools, below are my guesses as to your chances of admission, viewing lacrosse only as a sport where you’ve had success and longevity (i.e., a good EC).
My chancing (for the schools on your current list and the “matching” schools) is based on your current ACT score, but your score is likely to increase as you learn more in school. Depending on how much it increases, the schools might move up one category. But some schools, like BU, Colgate, and U. of Richmond, would remain low probability simply because of the (low) percentage of admits generally. Additionally, I’m guessing that you are not at a school that lacks significant grade inflation and that you have not taken the most rigorous courses at your school. If I’m incorrect, then that could also change the chancing.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Saint Joseph
Likely (60-79%)
U. of Vermont
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Gettysburg
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Franklin and Marshall
Lafayette
Low Probability (less than 20%)
BU
Colgate
U. of Richmond
Lehigh
Bucknell
Villanova
I have no clue as to how competitive these schools are for lacrosse, but they all have varsity teams. I’ve indicated their overall NCAA classification (though if they’re a one-off on a particular sport (like Johns Hopkins with…lacrosse?) then you would need to verify that. They are sorted by my guesses as to your chances for admission.
Extremely Likely
Christopher Newport (VA): About 4400 undergrads, D3
Endicott (MA): About 3100 undergrads, D3
Merrimack (MA): About 4200 undergrads, D1
Saint Anselm (NH): About 2k undergrads, D2
Salve Regina (RI): About 2200 undergrads, D3
Washington & Jefferson (PA ): About 1100 undergrads, D3
Likely
Bryant (RI): About 3200 undergrads, D1
Hampden-Sydney (VA): About 800 undergrads at this men’s college, D3
Hobart William Smith (NY): About 1600 undergrads, D3
If they don’t have business, they won’t have finance. Econ is a social science - think history, poli sci - yes, more numbers but it’s not finance.
F&M will be a reach but has a business major.
Gettysburg a target. Also has a business major although these may be more generalist than finance.
As you have unlimited funds to pay, this will give you an edge at some schools as they are need aware and love full pay.
With recruiting though, it’s more about who will want you - and where will you qualify. If the Lafayette coach said no, but Hobart said yes, wouldn’t you then look there?
You mentioned Swat - I don’t see a way for you to get in there- but perhaps a coach has pull, as an example.
Lacrosse recruiting window starts September 1 of a recruits junior year. Goalies and FOGOs tend to be the first commitments given how specialized and limited in numbers the roles are. Much of the informal observational recruiting at summer club programs takes place in advance of that date.
Where do you stand in that process?
Are you a senior or did you start on varsity as an 8th grader? Do you play for one of the elite summer travel programs?
Swarthmore is Div 3 vs Bucknell at Div 1. These are very different recruitment processes but more importantly the coaches have significantly different influence over admissions at these types of schools.
Yes but that would mean he was the starting goalie for a large public school in NY as an 8th grader. If so he would likely have solid offers in 2 weeks. Just want to understand where he is in the recruiting cycle as some things seem a bit odd.
I play currently on the top club circuit and have been told by my club coach that I am good enough to play mid-low div 1 lacrosse I have been starter since 8th grade
I do take the most rigorous courses my school does not let us take ap classes until junior year and I am in honors math the only non honors class I take is Spanish
Congratulations! That sounds like you may have an opportunity to attend a more selective school than those currently implied by your academic statistics. I would wait until direct communication opens in a few weeks and work with your coach to identify options.
You may be in a position to leverage your playing ability into a school that fits your overall desires that currently isnt on your radar screen.
I have been very involved in HS and college lacrosse for 30 years and hadn’t heard of an 8th grade varsity starter in NY at a competitive program so I am impressed. Good luck.
Bucknell seems like potentially a great fit that’s strong for your interests. It isn’t a “Your only chance of getting in would be as an athletic recruit” type school - your stats are pretty close to their median - but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The lacrosse team isn’t in the upper half of the D1 rankings, but again you’ll need to gauge where you want to be - how strong of a team can you get recruited for, and what kind of balance do you want to strike between team strength vs. being a stand-out player who gets lots of playing time.
Between your existing list and the suggestions that AustenNut and others have made, you seem to have a great range of schools to look at. You have UVM on your list, so you apparently aren’t completely averse to smaller public flagship U’s… so I would suggest also looking into U of Delaware, which lands in between UVM and Villanova/Lehigh in the lax rankings, and has a robust business program and a vibe that seems well-aligned with other schools that you like. With 19K undergrads, UDel is a bit bigger than UVM but really doesn’t feel huge and could be a really nice environment for you. Their Honors College could be a possibility for you if your junior year goes well academically.