I’ve been on dozens of campuses. If you’re looking for a mid-sized college, and you’re willing to go out-of-state, consider Ohio University. Not Ohio State University……Ohio University in Athens, OH. Athens is not a large town, it’s only about 60,000 people when college is in session, and the college is only about 25,000 people, but it pretty much is what you describe. For a town and a college that small, there is always something going on, and the music scene is pretty good. Even though they’re a good distance away, there is always somebody going to Columbus or Cleveland, so if you need a big city “fix”, it’s always available on a weekend. Also, OU has a lot of very strong academic programs such as journalism, engineering, music, psychology, Osteopathic Medicine, and on and on. It sounds like the perfect fit for you.

Ok, you are getting a lot of “start up business” ideas. Did you know that only 10% of start up businesses are in business after the first year. Trust me I have already run this type of business and they are hard, all the money you make goes back into the business and you have this full time job that never pays you. I actually work in a couple of college towns right now with a different type of business. I am a supplier for the products all the other businesses that everyone just mentioned. Example: Tanning salons. I work with the owners to find additional products that they can market to bring up their revenues; energy drinks (think all night studying or partying), acne treatments (hello zitty college kids), makeup or lip treatments, etc. The trick is to find really great manufactures for each of the product lines you will broker, and then hold an open discourse with the business owners really trying to help them out. Yes, you can make money with this type of business. I do work up front, and they the business owners want to make money so they worry about sell the product lines for me. But there are a few things to consider first What college town are you in? Do you have experience in sales or management? What kind of work experience do you have? How much work are you willing to put in up front to build you income to mega $$? In other words are you patient enough to start a business? I am currently mentoring 3 other entrepreneurs using this same concept in other areas. Email me back if you have questions or want to talk more about this idea. I could even point you in the right direction for suppliers if I knew your interests.

Look into Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio!! Delaware is a fairly small community but there is always something exciting going on our campus. Also, the campus is really pretty, I especially love watching the seasons change. If you feel like you need to get away from Delaware for the weekend Columbus is only a 20-30 minute drive from campus. You really get a great education in a small community atmosphere, but are close enough to the city to not feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. The website is www.owu.edu. Good for you for starting your college search early! 🙂

Good luck!

Any of the big cities in California (San Francisco, LA, San Diego)… First of all California is a great place to study because the weather is great, you can find high quality education for less money, there are great research opportunities, and the beach is so close!! SF, LA, and SD all have great universities like Stanford, UCLA, USC, UCSD and every one of these schools have great campuses!! Not only do you get a feel for the city lifestyle but the beach is close and if your looking for a music scene… LA is the place to be.

Queens College in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte is called the Queen City (Queen Charlotte) so hence the name Queens, it’s not a college for girls. It is is downtown Charlotte, plenty of concerts, beach 2.5 hours away, mountains 2.5 hours away, hot girls all over the place downtown. Charlotte is a cool place. Plus there is a hundred other universities here, not just Queens. UNCC is probably the biggest – 20 minutes from downtown.

Chico State University in Chico, CA.

Ashland, Oregon (Southern Oregon College)

Oxford, Ohio (Miami U. of Ohio)

Madison-just watch out around Halloween time…gets pretty crazy!!

cookville tenn

knoxville tenn

san luis obispo ca

Clemson, SC (Clemson) and Bloominton, IN (IU)