<p>CIA, I have no idea about aid, but I really doubt that you’ll see a great package at American. JMO though.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that before. American is just sort of a “let’s see what happens” school. My application fee will be waived and they accept the common app so it’s just a matter of filling out the supplement.</p>
<p>nightchef, did you get enough financial aid (if you applied for it?)?
Does anybody else have any experiences with University of Rochester?</p>
<p>Back from visits to Ithaca and RIT. Getting closer to figuring this thing out. We liked Ithaca less then we thought we would and RIT more then I thought. The geeky feeling at Ithaca feels better for son but I think son feels a bit unsure about the large size and the challenge of the workload. My nephew just finished his freshman year and said that he hardly had time to eat. The program was excellent though - If anyone has a student interested in the majors that RIT offers but is not quite sure - this was a good way to learn about majors and careers. - [RIT</a> College & Careers Homepage](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/careers/]RIT”>http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/careers/) The parent programs were also very helpful and well thought out.</p>
<p>Champing at the bit a little here - the list has been solid for a while now. I get excited thinking we could have the safeties in hand in a couple of months, maybe even a couple more that have rolling admissions. She’s getting all of her materials ready and I think is starting to feel prepared to go in there and get it done. Some confidence boosts this summer (aside from the rough test results) have really motivated her. Also she has many friends about to leave for college, and she’s very excited about it being her turn next.</p>
<p>She’s also the type who could get a 4.0 this coming semester and it wouldn’t change her GPA by more than a few hundredths. The only way her grades could look different is if they do a full weighting approach (helps) or take out the arts/non-academics (hurts). That’s up to the schools. If she can manage to keep this semester (or first quarter, really) down to only a couple of Bs, she’s golden. And that’s pretty likely - Chem and Calc will be a challenge, but a B is in reach; AP Gov might slip her up, but as I’m saying one more B isn’t going to significantly impact her overall GPA, and it’s an AP, after all. She has pretty much guaranteed As in the other 4 of her 7 classes (one is AP Lit), as long as she does the work, and she’s gotten way better about that. Anything that doesn’t have tests is good for her.</p>
<p>We still might add a little cluster of schools to pad her chances - but that I think will depend on how much energy she has for applications. It’s her job to make a list of all of the essays and document wrangling she’ll need to do for each one. </p>
<p>I’M really ready. I find myself dreaming of this time next year … but I know the months in between will be rich with experience and growth, for all of us. I think senior year is an amazing process, very surprising.</p>
<p>Good suggestion. We have been researching St. J this weekend! </p>
<p>I saw Emmybet’s comments about senior grades unlikely to change the overall GPA much if at all- and had come to the same conclusion. Assuming some very good grades fall into place, it could reveal to a school that S1 is continuing the upward trend. That is the only signficant plus I see to waiting for RD. But even with that in mind, any thoughts on why early action applications for a 3.3 student would not be a good idea??</p>
<p>CIA, you might also look at Saint Joseph’s. Questionning and CIA, I note there is a fairly active separate message board for St Joe on CC. It is very popular among my Catholic friends both in Philly and NJ–I suspect they will be generous with aid to help attract kids from further away.</p>
<p>At the risk of sounding like Saint Joe’s biggest Jewish cheerleader, close friends have looked at it because of my urging and are very happily sending their kids there. High graduation rate, very strong school spirit, stately campus and devoted alumni network.</p>
<p>Is the Catholic presence there overwhelming? In looking at Catholic/Jesuit schools, I’ve been careful to only select schools where religion 1) won’t interfere with education 2) make me feel uncomfortable.</p>
<p>I’m Catholic but don’t practice and may not even believe.</p>
<p>That’s best asked at the St Joe forum, where current students can comment.</p>
<p>CIA,</p>
<p>I would recommend that you take a peek at the University of Scranton. We knew nothing about it, but researched it and were very impressed. It is a Jesuit school, and does appear to be very “Up & Coming”. In fact, D had many options, but will be headed there as a member of the Class of 2014 nursing program in a few weeks…;)</p>
<p>D is not religious at all.</p>
<p>Hi everyone, just kind of bumping the thread, to get us off the 3rd page!</p>
<p>Next week is the big essay push. I will be very glad. Then the big talk about whether to take ACT again - I don’t want to insult her, but I feel compelled to say it’s an option. </p>
<p>Yes, for these 3.X kids the applications will reflect some stumbles, how they maybe needed some time in HS to get it together, and maybe an upward trend won’t be “in time.” But I’m happy with her list and so is she. Her reaches are all based on auditions - nothing to do with her grades or scores. So we do have rejections that could break her heart … but taking more tests or raising her grades won’t be what makes the difference.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to this whole next year of growth and excitement, whether or not it’s in time to “help” in the application process.</p>
<p>I am curious how the interviews will go… I think interviews can really help kids in this bracket, but only if they go well.</p>
<p>Son has his first one next week! It’s at a reach school (probably not best for a first interview) but it is the only time we will be on that campus. He’s a very personable kid with tons of friends, but he’s quiet and humble when interacting with adults. I’m worried he may forget to mention half the things that he has excelled at (when he met with his guidance counselor, he barely spoke at all, even when she prompted him with questions.) And even when he is excited about things, he’s very “laid back” about it, definitely not a self-saleman or an animated talker. I don’t want him to prep his answers, because it can backfire if the kid is not natural. He’s really got a lot going for him, and I just have to trust that he will feel confident enough to be himself, and I hope that the interviewer will see him as a real asset to the campus (which of course he would be!)</p>
<p>Best of luck to both of you!
Unit, perhaps your son will be a welcome change from the hyper self-promoters the interviewer usually meets! I trust you have also considered whether his personality is better suited for a non-reach, perhaps one where he will feel he is more among kids with his personality–and perhaps get more attention from professors (and merit $).</p>
<p>I’m sure your S has done things like this before, but I know the feeling - sending them into a room where it’s now only up to them to make it work. Well, of course we do this every day sending them to school, sports, etc., but it’s not so momentous (usually), or such a one-time-only chance.</p>
<p>I’ve had a little practice, since my D - by her own choice - has been auditioning in music and theater since she was little. They go in - and you hope the people are nice and can see them for who they are and what they can offer - but all you can do is wait and find out afterwards. A huge test for a parent!</p>
<p>But like everything it is a skill and a crapshoot and a learning experience all at once. I agree that the interview is very unpredictable, and if it doesn’t go well, it can show that maybe the school isn’t so great after all (or that it IS so great after all) … or it can mean nothing. I was very turned off at an Ivy interview and changed my whole point of view about where I wanted to go, and I am very grateful for that, and have always considered it their loss! My D didn’t interview at one of her schools (yet - it will be part of the audition), but she had a wonderful chat with the head of the department, that taught her a ton both about the school and about what she wanted.</p>
<p>Good luck to your S and hurray for this first hurdle being over with!</p>
<p>I made my own thread but it received few replies. I did get some helpful statistics, though.</p>
<p>Has anyone heard of Roosevelt U?</p>
<p>Interesting reflections on the whole interview process. For various reasons, I’ve been in the position of interviewing huge amounts of teens, and I’ve usually found that they do an impressive job. For one thing, even the shyest, most introverted kids figure out how to step up to the plate for this. Also, schools aren’t looking for an army of bubbly,hyper-articulate Future Leaders of America. The quieter kid with an interesting resume might come across as “reflective” or “soulful” or “with a charming modesty”. (Youthful arrogance can be a killer but kids who historically “don’t interview well” don’t usually commit that sin.)
In other news: my D did a pre-college program at BU and, Boy, did that wind up being worth its wait in gold. She’s much more comfortable with the roomate situation now, and staying at a big city school strengthened her understanding that our list of small LACs made the most sense for her. We’re making two more college visits next week (Lawrence, Knox) and I’ll write those up soon after.</p>
<p>I mean, weight in gold.
Hmm…wonder where the dyslexia comes from…</p>
<p>CIA, Roosevelt in Chicago? I know nothing about it, but I know that it made one of my son’s earlier lists based on what he read on their website. I think it’s off the list as of now, but this is the “amoeba list” in how it grows/shrinks/moves… if you find out anything about it, please let us know.</p>
<p>I’m all for experiences that tell them what they like, and what they don’t like. I loved sending my kids to camps on college campuses, or any chance they had to be on college campuses. They had such a grasp of what that means! I’m also glad that both of my Ds stayed in very typical dorm rooms and ate very typical dorm food, and realized that’s the way it usually is - neither of them cared about food or dorms in touring potential schools, just didn’t think it would mean that much to them, beyond the typical. </p>
<p>It took just one college tour to convince D1 that she did not want an urban campus - too noisy. D2 loves BU, as a matter of fact - every time we’ve driven by, or walked around, or spent time on campus, she likes it more and more. But she also likes Bard, which is incredibly non-urban. Except for a (pretty long) train ride to NYC that’s available, I’d say it has some of the fewest town, let alone city, amenities there could be. But I think she’s able to entertain both ideas at once, as part of her spectrum of interests. BU and Bard top her lists of auditioned theater schools and LACs (they’re basically her “reaches,” as well as being the polar opposites in location. But I trust that she knows that she’d be OK at either one.</p>
<p>As for Roosevelt, CIA’s separate thread on the schools said it all, as far as I know. It’s a very urban (10X as urban as BU, more like NYU - you walk down a major downtown street, and a door has “Roosevelt” printed on it, so you figure, oh, there’s a Roosevelt building; in Boston Emerson would be more comparable, campus-wise). Academically it has a broad mix of students, and lots of commuters and pre-professionals, but probably a very diverse group, including returning students. And its performing arts are considered superior to much of the rest of it, but in general it’s well-respected. I don’t think someone who wants any kind of campus feel should consider it, though. Chicago’s Loop is very big city - exciting for someone who likes that atmosphere. We know several people at Columbia College, which shares buildings with Roosevelt, and it’s a fun place to be for that kind of person.</p>
<p>I emailed a professor at Roosevelt in the department in which I’m planning to major. I just want the academics to be solid. If you know anything about that, I’d love your opinion! I love the city and don’t mind the lack of campus. </p>
<p>I’m also applying to DePaul.</p>