choosing and getting into college

[NoNo]

I didn't go there, but the University of Maryland is a very good school and it's public. It is about 8 miles from the center of DC (and very close to Proteus, the Best Bike Shop Around!) George Mason is also public and quite good. It's on the DC Metro line. James Madison is a further out, but a good school, too (and public). Of course, being an out-of-state student will mean that tuition is high in all public schools. I don't know much about VCU even though I live in Richmond, but it seems to be a vibrant and active place. It has a great art and design program, and city planning is also pretty good. So is social work, I hear, and I'm sure all the rest, too. Richmond is a neat city with lots to do. The University of Richmond is here, too. It's small and private, but very pretty.

+1 to U of MD (and the community college route).
Fear the Turtle!

03 Alum here! Absolutely the best area to go to college, as there are so many oportunities for internships in any field. And don't worry too much about declaring a major going into college. Most people change it anyway, and the first year is spent taking core classes. Most likely, one of those classes will stoke a fire and help him find what he wants to do. As a junior, he should be doing SATs this year so that next fall all he has to worry about is sending applications in.

The next thing to think about is what kind of campus environment he'd be comfortable in. A few years ago two of my cousins were looking at schools. I took them down to UMD and Towson. Neither liked Towson, one like UMD, one hated it. For her, the campus and student body was WAY too large and she didn't like the urban environment. It's very important to be comfortable in the place you're going to call home the next 4 years. Even places that look perfect on paper may strike you differently once you're there, so visit, visit, visit!