Psychology is one of those majors where they really encourage a masters or PHD in the career field, so I'd definitely look into schools that have:
- a recognized psychology program
- a program that you will be able to maintain high grades in
- The type of psychology the school is known for if there is a specific one that you believe in(are you wanting to specialize in anything? some schools are known for which psychologist theories their professors agree with/research/promote and have bigger labs,etc. to teach and research)
-good research resources/labs,etc available
I believe University of MN-Twin Cities is highly ranked for psychology programs.
I'd also visit the schools that you can, as the atmosphere of a school is so crucial. If you can't see yourself living there when you're visiting, it's probably not the right fit for you.
Cheer wise, I know that University of Alabama is very competitive. They only take a few new athletes each year for the Crimson squad, which already is made up of less than 10 couples. They just added an All girl team (White squad) of around 20 girls, but I would imagine that is also extremely competitive. University of MN-Twin Cities also has a coed squad and an all girl squad, which I have also heard are very competitive (when I say competitive, I mean squad roundoff BHS fulls, elite stunts, good technique and height in jumps, etc.). Both Alabama and MN-Twin Cities are UCA competitive schools. The University of WI-Oshkosh cheer team seems to be less competitive than the other two schools skills wise (standing backhandsprings, ground up stunts,etc.), and is a mix of a few guys and a lot of girls. They competed at "Wow factor sports" nationals in Minnesota last year, so it seems to be a program that is trying to build, where as the other two are already established high level programs.
