Where would he apply for college in the greater NYC area?
He really doesn't care about where he goes. His girlfriend is applying for West Point, NYU, Columbia and other universities that he probably wouldn't get into, so his main wish is to stay in Manhattan or at least somewhere not too far away.
It's January of his senior year and I want him to have at least a couple of schools he's applied to, and maybe one or two that he gravitates towards to, but nothing spectacular. He doesn't have a favorite subject, but he loves the water, so he'd probably lean towards majoring in Marine Bio/Marine Science/Oceanography, maybe Environmental Science, though nothing too heavy.
I thought about SUNY Maritime, but at this point it looks a bit too...rigid for him. I know that students aren't required to be in the Regiment of Cadets, but I can still see it being a bit of a turn-off for him. Also, the school suggests a strong background in math and science, and...while I can see the odd A here or there (see: motivation above), he really isn't the type.
In the end he doesn't go to college at all, but parents/teachers/councilors/his girlfriend are going to be bugging him about this, so he'll definitely apply and have to sit through discussions about the colleges. The point is that everyone is bugging him about it, and he just goes along with it because it's expected, not because it's what he wants, but he also isn't just going to sit down and apply to everywhere suggested. He may not be into the idea, but he is aware that this is going to be his future and does want to be informed to an extent (until he decides it's not for him, but that decision comes in January, and I assume he will have applied in the fall for places).
Oh, and at the moment, tuition is not a factor, so it can be the most expensive school there is. His step-father is an English teacher, though, so he will have certain ideas of quality and what he wants my character to do (he realizes that English isn't his thing, but he will steer the character away from diploma mills or colleges with not-so-good reputations).
Searched: NYC colleges, college statistics CUNY, freshman applicant admissions statistics CUNY, freshman applicant admissions SUNY, college statistics SUNY, SUNY Maritime, CUNY Hunter College, CUNY Brooklyn College, colleges in NYC, colleges in New York, Marine Science majors, Marine majors on College Board.
Timeframe: Modern Day