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So when I graduate from high school I would like to go to a school with good spirit (High basketball/football/baseball game turnout) good academics (I have a 3.89 gpa and not sure of my ACT, but in sure it will be AT VERY LEAST 28) and a kind of lively place (no missisipi or wyoming)
Thanks for your help!
Those are more important than 'spirit'.... and I don't even know what you mean by lively.
Well I already knew that, that is why I also asked for places with good academics, also:
Lively,
: very active and energetic
: full of energy, excitement, or feeling
: full of movement or activity
That is what was meant by lively (I thought it was obvious) and as for major and affordability, that can be determined at a later date. As of now, I would like school suggestions based on the what I asked in the question, so that I may compile a list at a later date, than narrow it down based on what seems to fit my interests. also how could you discount spirit? That is an important aspect of school. Spirit is a good gauge of what the social life on campus will be like, higher spirit would usually translate to a better social scene, which is very important because humans are social creatures.
With high grades and test scores, and assuming the rest of your application is strong, you would have a lot of choices before considering what you can afford, what you want to study, and where you want to be.
Some schools known for their spirit, especially around sports: Duke, UCLA, USC,Michigan, Texas, Ohio State, UNC.
Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Penn,and Columbia are certainly vibrant, though less sports-centric -- especially Columbia!
Beyond this you can find vibrancy and excitement at many city schools just by virtue of where they are. These would be places like NYU, Boston U, U of Washington (Seattle), Georgetown, Reed (Portland), DePaul (Chicago).
In general it sounds like small liberal arts colleges, often in the country or small towns, usually won't have the level of vibrancy and liveliness you want, while big state schools and schools in lively cities usually will.
If I was you (and I was), I'd find something that wouldn't put you in any debt. If you can get scholarships, fine (and with your grades you probably can).
If you can't get scholarships, go the cheapest route possible - two years at a community college, transfer to a cheap state local school all while living at home. Major in something practical. Get a job and start saving your money. You can watch your colleagues root for their schools' basketball teams while they pay down their $50K student loans. Meanwhile you're beefing up your 401(k).
It's better to major in something practical from a no name school than it is to major in some BS-ology from some big football/basketball school.
Michigan would fit your criteria pretty well, academically and spirit-wise. Everyone knows about their football traditions and their decent Basketball team, but they also have solid program for hockey, swimming, and a few other sports I'm sure I didn't mention. Baseball, not sure.
Keep in mind that in a school like that, kids are bright, competitive, and you can easily get lost in the crowd. It's a large undergrad/grad program that totals 40,000 students, spread across a huge campus. But there's no doubt that Ann Arbor is an extremely energetic town, and if you find your niche, you'll love the experience.
But as others suggested, the "fit" really depends on what you want to do.
I'd suggest Ohio State University. University of Michigan, Syracuse (SU is a private) Penn State and West Virgian University also come to mind. WVU could be a safety school.
Where exactly did this poster ask anyone about "debt"? Why is "debt: always thrown into the mix when a young person is looking for a college that's a good fit?
Why not throw "spirit" into the questions of a person seeking a cheap college? It would make about as much sense.
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