OSU is currently my number one school, but I live in Massachusetts and I want some schools on my list that are closer to home. I like that it’s a big school with a lot of school spirit. On the academic side I like the many study abroad and research options available and the good business program (I want to major in Accounting). I can afford to pay about $30000 a year (with probable merit aid OSU would fit that). I also like that OSU is LGBT friendly.
My GPA is 91 and my ACT is a 32 (36R/35E/30S/28M)
Thank you!
The ones that immediately come to mind are Penn State, Boston College and Rutgers.(Rutgers doesn’t seem to have a lot of school spirit, though. At least it didn’t when I lived nearby on Staten Island about 20 years ago.)
Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse. UConn are some ideas to research. Perhaps SUNY Buffalo might work as well, although that won’t have the big time sports. Not sure about merit aid, it is typically difficult to get OOS merit aid. And I’d imagine they would be LGBT friendly but you’d have to do your research.
A lot of my friends go to Rutgers and it has fairly strong school spirit although it doesn’t take itself as seriously - you won’t find anyone all too upset after yet another Saturday loss, but people do get excited for games and the tailgates are apparently quite an affair. Also look in to Cuse, UCONN, UNH, or Providence.
The University of Delaware has good business programs and lots of school spirit. They do also offer decent amounts of merit aid to OOS students. We have family in Massachusetts, it is about a 4 1/2 hour drive to western MA and 6ish to Boston area. There is Amtrak service nearby also.
I dont think it is a perfect fit, but maybe Northeastern would be a good option. They have a great program for first generation student called Torch Scholars (http://www.northeastern.edu/torch/) that covers tuition. It is a large school in a big-ish city. Greek life is a small, but thriving part of campus, and it has D1 sports. Hockey game routinely sell out and basketball went to the NCAA tournament last year and is hosting Michigan State on campus next month.
Nobody ever talked about Rutgers when I lived on nearby Staten Island. Other schools I’ve lived near or attended, like Ohio State, USC, UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Cal, have a huge presence and are very visible in their surrounding areas.
What scale does your school use for GPA? Does it not use the normal 4.0 UW and 5.0 Weighted scale? I’m asking because you said your GPA is posted as 91…
Syracuse and UConn were also my first thoughts, and maybe Buffalo. How far are you willing to go? If Penn State and UDel are on the table, then Maryland could be too. It’s about the same distance driving as Penn State.
Villanova is a lot smaller than Ohio State, but it does have a lot of school spirit. I also don’t know how spirited University of Vermont students are, but it’s an excellent public university (although you might as well attend UMass, which is also an excellent place to be).
I would also suggest Rutgers (although I am a student here so I might be a bit biased!). School spirit is definitely evident here but like others said before, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I am also out of state and have gotten significant financial aid (with basically the exact same stats as you). You may get into the new Honors College too (that means more scholarship!). I am in the business school and it is definitely a good place to be. Rutgers, although not necessarily known for business, is becoming much more competitive in the business world. We recently became a target school for Barclays, meaning we are among good company with the Ivies. In terms of LGBT, I would consider Rutgers one of the most LGBT friendly school I have ever seen (and I toured many, MANY schools). All the orientation leaders sport LGBT friendly pins and stickers all throughout orientation, they hold seminars on how to use respectful pronouns, etc. Again, I might be a little biased, but I came from a very similar situation as you and am sincerely loving my time here.
Rutgers is definitely LGBT friendly. I know several people who go there, and they all enjoy it. It does seem to be the biggest party school in New Jersey, but that’s not really saying much.
I know Montclair isn’t the best school, and your stats are a bit high for them, but it really does meet all of that criteria. It has amazing study abroad options, and it’s a big school, with a lot of spirit. It would be in your budget, and you’d be eligible for their Honors Program. They have a great business program as well, they just built a new six-story building that’s strictly business. I really recommend Montclair.
