But those weren’t the numbers that most-influenced Cornish in deciding which school to attend.

It was numbers like stocks, bonds and even one that’s not so quantifiable — where he could get the best value for his education — that persuaded Cornish to attend Columbia University in New York City next fall. Not scholarship dollars or stats.

“I chose Columbia because it’s an Ivy League education and it’s in New York City. I figured that would be pretty cool,” he said. Cornish will play football for the Lions, who compete on the Division I-AA level, but will not receive any financial help to do it since Ivy League Schools don’t grant athletic scholarships.

By choosing Columbia, Cornish turned down thousands of dollars in scholarship money from schools that wanted him to play football.

It’s not hard to figure out why.

As a defensive end/linebacker for Frederick , the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Cornish posted 148 tackles during his senior season, including 51 for a loss and eight sacks.

He was named The Frederick News-Post Defensive Player of the Year and was an honorable mention all-state selection.

“Alex is like a mad scientist,” Frederick football coach Vince Ahearn said.

“When you see the intensity and emotion he plays with on the field and how aggressive he is, and then realize how smart a person he is, it’s like ‘Whoa.’”

Cornish, who has a weighted grade-point average of 4.0, has many other interests besides football. He likes science and enjoys reading non-fiction and classic literature.

He said he really doesn’t follow the college game much and, aside from his beloved Washington Redskins, only casually watches the NFL.

“If I was going to try and play the highest caliber of football I can play, I would probably just go to Maryland and walk on,” he said.

“I was trying to get into a school that would benefit me in other ways. I mean, I am still going to play four years of football and get an Ivy League education.”

Cornish plans to major in economics at Columbia, which is only a short cab ride from Wall Street.

He sees himself as a stock broker one day, although his mother, Tracey, wants him to major in political science.

“She doesn’t necessarily think I am smart enough to handle economics because I am not that great at math. She thinks I will try it for a few weeks and get bored with it,” he said.

“I don’t know. I think she wants me to run for President one day.”

Cornish was blown away during his visit to the Columbia campus.

During breakfast, he glanced out the window and was offered a spectacular view overlooking the city.

“That’s when I realized that this was the place I wanted to be,” he said.

As he toured the campus, he noticed the sophistication of its students, some of whom were watching flat-screened plasma televisions in their dorm rooms.

“The beauty of it is it’s New York City,” he said. “Even if I feel like I don’t fit in somewhere, there are like 50,000 other places I can go. I am sure I can find something to do.”

Although, with his football schedule and a full academic course load, Cornish realizes his free time will be sparse.

To help keep his grades up, Cornish will work with academic advisors through the football team.

“They’ll kind of do what my mom has been doing all of these years, only in college-coach form,” he said.

Cornish has always had an eye on his future. He even wants to learn Chinese because it might create a future job or business prospect.

“I don’t base a lot of my decisions on right now. I like to have a broader view of the world and see where that might lead me,” he said.

“I know football is probably not in my future after I graduate. Even if I make it to the NFL, it will probably be hard just to get on the field. That’s why I wanted to go to a school that would give the most options in a place where there are so many things to do.”