Match my son (HS Jr) who is on the spectrum and loves sports... and is sort of all over the place with his schools of interest [IL resident, 3.38 GPA]

Chance Me / Match Me
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  • US citizen
  • Chicago
  • IB program in a nonselective public
  • Parents (divorced) both active members of the media; triple legacy at Penn and very strong connections to UChicago but even if he could get in I don’t think he would like either

Cost Constraints / Budget
n/a

Intended Major(s)
Sports management is by far his first choice… then English/Creative Writing… then probably the non-quant heavy social sciences

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.38
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.3
  • Class Rank: n/a
  • ACT/SAT Scores: has yet to take. PSAT was 1150

List your HS coursework

  • English: Third year of IB track
  • Math: Honors Algebra and Geometry
  • Science: Honors Bio, Chemistry, and Physics
  • History and social studies: AP Human Geography, AP US, IB Global Politics
  • Language other than English: Three years of honors Spanish
  • Visual or performing arts: IB Visual Art
  • Other academic courses: Drivers ed?

Extracurriculars
Varsity baseball, soccer team manager, two competitive summer HS writing programs (one in NYC, one in Portland); more to come…

Essays/LORs/Other
*He will likely have an LOR or two from writers of some note

Schools
*Syracuse (Falk) is his A1 top choice (actually, not fully true: Northwestern is his dream but he understands that’s not going to happen; Fordham; Saint Mary’s of California; Richmond; Miami (FL); Butler; Creighton

As might be evident from his school interests, he’s kind of bouncing around. Right now he is leaning heavily toward sports management as a major and is very serious about Falk. I don’t know what his chances would be like and also have some concerns about his fit at the school (he’s gregarious and friendly but socially awkward/clumsy). He loves writing as well, though he isn’t sure if he wants to concentrate on it. He doesn’t want a small liberal arts school – SMC and Richmond are outliers. He was at a lovely liberal arts school in the PNW over the summer and had fun but also knew that it wasn’t his crowd, either.

Of all of his choices so far I think Saint Mary’s might be the best fit/most realistic, despite being so far away and so small. I guess I wonder what might be a place that would give him time and space to explore his interests or let him cultivate new ones?

Thanks!

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Gonzaga might be a fit if he likes Butler and Creighton. My daughter had all three on her list for Comms and they have a lot in common.

Elon, Baylor, SMU? Some of the other mid size Catholic schools like Loyola Chicago or University of Dayton?

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I know you said that SMC and Richmond were outliers, but I’d have him check out Susquehanna. There are three minor league teams in the area (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) where he may be able to get some professional experience, too (Penguins (AHL team), Shock (National Premier Soccer League), and RailRiders (AAA baseball)). And there are business majors here, and I’ve often heard it recommended that students not get too specialized of a college degree (i.e. do management vs. sports management, or mechanical engineering vs. aerospace engineering). And though he hasn’t expressed an interested in sports communications, Susquehanna has some robust offerings in that area, including four sports productions per week.

But if your son’s interested in sports management, it would probably help to get some professional experience. Below are some areas with multiple minor league teams that aren’t overrun with college students. I’ve listed some colleges by them that might be worth checking out.

Allentown/Bethlehem (Lehigh Valley), PA

  • Phantoms, AHL
  • IronPigs, AAA baseball
  • United, USL League Two

Consider Lehigh (high reach), Muhlenberg, or Moravian

Birmingham, AL

  • Stallions, USFL team
  • Squadron, NBA G League
  • Barons, AA baseball

Consider U. of Alabama – Birmingham or Samford

Charleston, SC

  • Stingrays, ECHL team
  • Riverdogs, Single A
  • Battery, USL League

Consider College of Charleston

Charlotte, NC

  • Checkers, AHL team
  • Knights, AAA baseball
  • Eagles, USL League Two
  • Independence II, USL League Two

Consider UNC – Charlotte or Queens

Des Moines, IA

  • Wild, AHL team
  • Cubs, AAA baseball
  • Menace, USL League Two

Consider Drake

Fort Wayne, IN

  • Mad Ants, NBA G League
  • Komets, ECHL team
  • Tin Caps, High-A baseball
  • Fort Wayne FC, USL League Two

Consider Purdue – Fort Wayne

Grand Rapids, MI

  • Gold, NBA G League
  • Griffins, AHL team
  • Midwest United FC, USL League Two

Consider Calvin, Aquinas, or Grand Valley (with that last one getting some good reviews from recent students here)

Greensboro, NC

  • Swarm, NBA G League
  • Grasshoppers, High-A baseball
  • Fusion U23, USL League Two

Consider UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina A&T, or Guilford

Hartford, CT

  • Wolf Pack, AHL team
  • Hartford City FC, National Premier Soccer League
  • AC Connecticut, USL League Two
  • Yard Goats, AA baseball

Consider Trinity (high reach) or U. of Hartford…and the area is also home to ESPN

Houston, TX

  • Gamblers, USFL team
  • Roughnecks, XFL team
  • Dynamo 2, MLS Next Pro
  • Space Cowboys, AAA baseball
  • AC Houston Sur, USL League Two
  • AHFC Royals, USL League Two
  • Houston FC, USL League Two

Consider U. of Houston

Indianapolis, IN

  • Fuel, ECHL team
  • Indians, AAA baseball

You’re already considering Butler, but he may want to check out U. of Indianapolis or IUPUI (can’t think of the new name…Purdue-Indianpolis maybe?)

Las Vegas/Henderson, NV

  • Vipers, XFL team
  • Legends, National Premier Soccer League
  • Aviators, AAA baseball
  • Ignite, NBA G League
  • Silver Knights, AHL

Consider UNLV or Nevada State College

San Antonio, TX

  • Brahmas, XFL team
  • Cornithians, National Premier Soccer League
  • Missions, AA baseball

Consider Trinity (high reach), St. Mary’s, or U. of the Incarnate Word

Toledo, OH

  • Toledo Villa FC, USL League Two
  • Walleye, ECHL
  • Mud Hens, AAA baseball

Consider U. of Toledo

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA

  • Penguins, AHL team
  • Shock, National Premier Soccer League
  • RailRiders, AAA baseball

Consider U. of Scranton, Marywood, or Wilkes

Xavier in Cincinnati might be another good mid-sized Jesuit school to consider.

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Loyola would be appealing… if it weren’t literally down the street. I don’t think he’d mesh well with the culture at Baylor and SMU but Elon is interesting. I don’t know much about Gonzaga (except that Saint Mary’s is a basketball rival). Thank you for replying!

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My goodness, thank you! We’re about to run out and I don’t have time to give this the reply it deserves but just so it doesn’t seem like I’m not appreciative, this is just a very quick thank you before a full response.

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Since you’re looking at Syracuse, check out Ithaca College. Their writing and media programs are top notch. Lots of alums go on to work in sports reporting and management. Very collaborative and creative students.

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Gonzaga is really similar to Creighton and also Butler. Just a more PNW version. Best of luck to your son!

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@leonarddog You and he may want to look at James Madison University (JMU) in VA.

They have Sports Management Sport and Recreation Management Major Overview - JMU

It is also possible to come into JMU under an exploratory option. Choosing the Exploratory Path - JMU which gives students structured advising, and the ability to pick an exploratory track to focus their choices in their first few semesters.

If you end up looking at Richmond and Elon it could be worth adding to the trip.

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Not sure how St. Mary’s made the list then, but they have a robust Kinesiology/Sports Management program as well an excellent English department. They also field 16 D1 sports (including basketball and baseball) and have a stunning campus.

Not a fan of rankings but this was interesting:

I’m a SMC parent, so if you have any particular questions feel free to PM.

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My first thought on reading your post was Syracuse, so I wasn’t surprised to see it at the top of your list. They have pretty good disability services, but I can understand the concern about whether it’s the most social-awkwardness-friendly.

My second thought was Drexel - have you considered it? It’s similar in size to Syracuse (12K vs. 15K), very ASD-friendly, and has a coop-based Sport Business major. (There’s also a writing minor that might appeal to him.) The co-ops and the resulting longer timeline might help as far as figuring out what he likes to do. Drexel has higher median stats than St. Mary’s but also a higher acceptance rate; pretty sure it would be a safety for your son and could well give him merit aid.

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Again, thank you for all this! He has mentioned a passing interest in Houston and Drake. Lehigh would be a super reach but I’ve always thought it could be of interest - same with College of Charleston. (His cousin goes to Hartford and loves it but I think he is looking for… a place of his own.)

But there is so much to consider here (I hadn’t given Trinity TX much thought, for instance) and everything about lower level sports experience is so true. Being in a massive market has skewed his vision and expectation and trying to temper that is going to be really important.

Thank you again!

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Ithaca looks fantastic. It doesn’t have the DI cache he is hooked on but he may just need to change his frame of mind…

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@Izzy74 I didn’t realize that! He has asked about it so we’ll give it a closer look.

@KatMT JMU is intriguing and we’ll give it a look. (His mom went to UVa and I’m pretty sure she knows folks who went there.)

@aquapt It’s funny/sad/ironic that Syracuse does have such a great disability program and would be so beneficial to him except that he just refuses any sort of institutional help and would never utilize it. Similarly, Drexel could be really good but because of the proximity to Penn, he would be really self-conscious. (He’s kind of a stubborn guy, if that hasn’t become apparent.)

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I don’t think I’ve posted enough yet to PM but as soon as I can I will!

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Self conscious about what? Drexel and Penn are completely different institutions with completely different educational experiences. He’d be a proud Drexel student like thousands of others!

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Ah, that’s unfortunate - it seems like a potentially good fit otherwise.

Not sure if this would work, but Emerson is excellent for both creative writing and sports communication, and the sports communication major can be supplemented with a business minor. The school obviously isn’t an athletic powerhouse but there are so many professional and college teams in Boston that it still might offer the desired opportunities.

Maybe Elon? They have a sports management major and minor, and the English department has a creative writing minor and an English major with a creative writing concentration. (Also a Professional Writing & Rhetoric major and minor, if that’s of any interest.)

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Means no limit, or has not been determined?

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