3.0 to 3.3 (GPA) Parents Thread (2011 HS Graduation)

Parent Cafe
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<p>kinderny – I am curious as to what makes your daughter’s school’s academic program “weird”? Also, why do you believe she hasn’t been prepared adequately for the academic rigor of a school like Hampshire?</p>

<p>I am reasonably familiar with the Kinderhook area and the publics in that part of the Hudson Valley and, on the surface, most seem to offer fairly similar academic programs due to the Regents requirements. I know there is room for flexibility in how electives are handled and whether or not a district wishes to offer a given course at a remedial, standard college prep and/or honors level. Is there something else I am missing?</p>

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<p>^^^^^I will PM you.</p>

1223

<p>You New York people may be able to help me out with a feel for a couple of colleges that are still on son’s list. Marist and Hartwick. My son really liked the CS professor that he met at Hartwick and they have given him a substantial merit award. However, it’s a small LAC so their CS/IS program is not very deep.</p>

<p>Marist, a much larger LAC, has several programs that are appealing to son and a strong connection to IBM.We went on a Saturday and didn’t meet anyone in the CS/IS programs. We have not received the fin-aid package from them, but their base cost is not horrible. It was funny but neither of us could figure out a vibe from Marist. At Hartwick everything seemed so close together and the students were really friendly. At Marist, we didn’t interact with any students except for our tour guide. I’m sure we’ll go back to Marist for another visit if their financial aid package is reasonable (just a few thousand a year would help!) but any insights into the vibe or the college or it’s location would be helpful. Wish we had looked around the area a little more, because all I remember is a shopping center across the street.</p>

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<p>kid had 3.3 during time of college admissions</p>

<p>accepted into George Mason, VCU, and American University</p>

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<p>Marist has really moved up in academic reputation in the past few years. The people I heard are happier there are more business, preprofessional rather than LAC oriented. Friend of a friend of a friend’s D (really distant connection) is transferring out after 1 year but I don’t know why other than she is not happy. I have not been there but I heard that there was " no there, there". I think a few parents elsewhere (on the Class of 2011/2015 thread maybe ?) have posted about the school and they might have a better feel. Good luck.</p>

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<p>kathiep - a colleague’s daughter went to Marist. Primarily because she could get out of there debt-free. She loved the personal attention she got at Marist - colleague said that the place was fabulous for her. She did very well at Marist, was recognized as a Fulbright scholar and spent a year in South America with an organization similar to Doctors without borders. According to my colleague, professors and staff at Marist were wonderful and helped her D put her application together for the Fulbright. Don’t have any specifics about the programs you are looking for - but hope this helps.</p>

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<p>kathiep, you might want to contact Petcat (see: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/marist-college/1088702-been-there-done.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/marist-college/1088702-been-there-done.html&lt;/a&gt;). She may be able to give you more info on Marist. She’s been very helpful.</p>

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<p>kathiep – If your son received a substantial award from Hartwick he is probably in line for a merit award in the area of $8,000 per year or so from Marist. That seems to be standard for the kids in our area who were 3.0 – 3.7 GPA students in our area with good but not outstanding standardized test scores. I’m running off to a meeting but will try to get back later on to put in my two cents on my impressions of Marist and its neighborhood.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info on Marist. We are waiting (impatiently) for those financial aid packages. As they say hudsonvalley, From your mouth to God’s ears! hmmm or maybe Marist financial aid reps’ ear! Aloha, I’ve been on the Marist forum, but will pm Petcat. Thanks for the suggestion.</p>

<p>Looking forward to hearing more about your take on Marist hudsonvalley!</p>

1230

<p>geeps … here is some quick info on some NE schools … </p>

<p>Bowdoin - SecondToGo loved the school the second he stepped on campus (during winter break!) … loves the cozy feel of the campus, the enthusiasm of the students, and the town bodering campus</p>

<p>Colby and Bates - very nice campuses … felt smaller than Bowdoin and a little more removed from their towns than Bowdoins … obviously great schools.</p>

<p>Brandeis - doesn’t look like much from the main road but once you climb the hill the campus is much more interesting and inviting then it looks below … my son thought the students were a little too nerdy for him though … my impression was a great school for students very academically orientated</p>

<p>Bentley - the campus is on the top of a hill and mostly newer brick buildings … for a mid-sized school it feels more LAC like … very enthusiastic students … great school for students interested in business/accounting … a lot of spirit around their D2 sports … excellent school for high school B/B+ students who are pretty mainstream/sports types.</p>

<p>Babson - anothe B-school in the Boston area … lots of brick buildings on a small campus in a residential suburban town … has the rep of being for conservative peppy business-types … which seems to be a reasonable rep.</p>

<p>Bryant - new beautiful campus … feels a bit like a business park (and is off a state highway much like a business park); it was built relatively recently … my son didn’t like it much but it another school that might be a good match for a B/B+ student … especially of they like Disneyland neat and orderly as opposed to city grimy/franetic … D1 school.</p>

<p>Quinniapiac - similar to Bryant in some ways … beautiful new campus but a traditional campus … the location is not great; it’s off a back road and not particuarly close to much … another school that might work for B/B+ students … again more for those who love Disneyland rather than organic city life … D1 school.</p>

<p>Wesleyan - classic LAC in a small city … students are very enthusiastic … the students from my kid’s HS who go (many every year) tend to fit the sterotype of liberal more on the granola/bikenstock end of the spectrum … so of an odd campus; central campus classic LAC but then to expand they bought a bunch of houses and use them as academic and admin buildings … great school</p>

<p>Yale - one comment … as a family that essentially lives in Boston we did not find New Haven bad at all … and the area right next to campus has a lot for students.</p>

<p>Trinity … appears to be a tough section of Hartford … but an absolute gorgeous campus and greater Hartford would provide things for students to do.</p>

<p>University of Hartford … very nice campus … but in a very residential neighborhood … for a mid-sized school feels pretty compact.</p>

<p>Clark University - one of the biggest surprises … not in the greatest neighborhood in Worcester but thr campus was a surprise … the campus is compact but was much better cared for and had more character than expected … and this school wins the award for most helpful and enthusiastic students and alumni … again a few students a year from my kids school go to Clark and as far as I can tell they all LOVE attending Clark.</p>

<p>Endicott College - small college north of Boston … pretty easy admission … has LAC majors as well as business and education majors … a very pretty campus (with a bit of the business park feel - artificial pond in the center of campus) which borders the ocean (the school has it’s own beach) … again students on campus love their school.</p>

<p>Western New England College … also a pretty easy admit … has LAC type majors as well as education and business … very nice new campus (with the Disneyland planned feel) … on the outskirts of Springfield.</p>

<p>University of Vermont … campus is located in downtown Burlington which is a GREAT college town … for a state U not that big (about 10k students) … has full range of majors and top students are very good. Another school lots of students from my kids school go to … and they are VERY happy … great choice for those looking for a college town experience with access to outdoor activities (so lots or granola birkenstock types).</p>

<p>UMass - surprised by the visits … the school feels smaller it’s size (mid teens) … the academic area is compact enough; the dorms are pretty spread out … in a nice college town … the reputation of a party school is legit so from my perspective a risk for a high potential 3.0-3.3 student (will he thrive as a big fish or get drawn to the partiers since he won’t have to work too hard to do OK) … that said a motivated student could have a great experience here.</p>

<p>RPI - great tech school which everyone knows (and yes the students looked sort of geeky) … I was floored by the campus which is a small very pretty campus … in a nice but residential neighborhood in Worcester.</p>

<p>Wheaton College - nice classic leafy LAC campus … again very enthusiastic students … in a very small residential suburban town.</p>

<p>Connecticut College … classic LAC campus in a beautiful location … good stretch for a 3.3 or student (with good SATs and an upward trend) … preppy rep looks legit … New London looks fun although about a mile from campus.</p>

<p>That pretty much covers the New England schools … a couple others that stood out that are in the Northeast </p>

<p>Skidmore - a step below the top LACs but still very solid students and besides the LAC majors has business and education (as well as arts) … so a very ecclectic set of students … the “new” campus is quite beautiful and a short walk to from a funky tourist town.</p>

<p>Ithaca College … another schools with an ecclectic set of students given the wide range of majors offered. In a GREAT college town … again very enthusiastic students … and interesting mix of mainstream/athletic and artsy types.</p>

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<p>WOW, 3togo! What a great list!</p>

<p>I agree with pretty much all of your comments on the schools we’ve visited and are familiar with. One of D’s reaches is Brandeis - and she’s definitely the kind of quirky academic/intellectual type you are referring to!</p>

<p>I have nephews at both W. New England and UMass-Amherst. They each fit the profile of this thread. Both have found those schools disappointing in many of the ways you describe - UMass too full of kids who focus on partying (although he really has loved his classes), and WNEC bland and kind of an extension of HS. Both nephews have ended up living off-campus to get away from the annoyances of dorm life, and neither one has had a particularly warm feeling about his fellow students. However, both of these guys have personality traits that maybe make them less likely to jump into social stuff enthusiastically.</p>

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<p>Geeps, I think 3togo’s comments are very accurate. For kids in the 3.0-3.5 range, however, I believe PA has more good small college choices than NE (or any other state I have seen, although I am not a national expert by any stretch). Going roughly east to west, Arcadia. St. Josephs, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, Scranton, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Susquehanna, Elizabethtown, Lycoming, Juniata, Washington & Jefferson and Alleghenny.</p>

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<p>^ agreed … both PA and NY both have a ton of great choices … there really are a ton of choices for students in the 3.0 to 3.3 range</p>

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<p>3togo…thanks for the info. Did you happen to visit Fairfield?</p>

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<p>There are also some other colleges in PA that for whatever reason are just as good (IMHO) that are not mentioned much here. Those are Moravian, DeSales, Lebanon Valley, Duquesne and our 13 State Colleges - Kutztown, West Chester, Millersville, Bloomsburg, etc. </p>

<p>DeSales, to mention just one, is an excellent small LAC that has a phenomenal theater program and an excellent Physicians Assistant program. [Physician</a> Assistant Studies](<a href=“http://www.desales.edu/physician_assistant_studies_degree_pa.aspx]Physician”>Error)</p>

<p>It’s surprising how many good choices there are out there. Several of the ones on my son’s list are ones that I only heard about on this forum, but are great colleges!</p>

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<p>hmm … two comments on my post #82 …</p>

<p>this description is WPI (not RPI) …

</p>

<p>Roger Williams - pretty easy admission … was pleasantly surprised by RWU … the campus is quite beautiful (it borders a bay and has a sailing dock) and is built aorund a classic quad … and the building are mostly quite new but with character. Again the students were very enthusiastic to be there (we saw a lax game with hundred of people attending). The campus is a little isolated … about a mile from a small tourist/summer vacation town. I like RWU more than I expected to and liked it as a safety for SecondToGo … was worried about the choice (study or party) he might make as the big fish at this school.</p>

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<p>

I totally agree and will restate this a million times … there are a ton of options for solid students. </p>

<p>I thought SecondToGo was a little out of control this summer as we ended up visiting about 40 campuses if you include drive-throughs (on the way to other schools) … however, in the end I was very happy we saw all those schools because it drove the point home … they are a ton of very good choices for 3.0-3.3 students … they just need to find the ones that work for them. </p>

<p>I think before visiting all those schools I thought I’d think a lot of schools would have a campus that is a dump or be in an absolutely terrible location or that the students would look like characters from a Dickens novel. However, instead, we saw very few schools that were terrible … we saw schools that were not a fit for SecondToGo but which would be fine for other students looking for other things.</p>

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<p>Can anyone say more about Arcadia? They have an acting BFA that looks pretty good on the website, and D is interested, but I don’t think we’ll be able to see it until the fall. </p>

<p>3togo: 40 campuses!!! Wowee! You should write a book! (Why not, I just stumbled across “The Complete Guide to College Guides”)</p>

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<p>3togo – Thanks for the description of Roger Williams. My D has been accepted there, with merit money. Now we are just waiting to hear from the last 3 schools before decision time!</p>

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<p>

sorry no (I know it’s hard to believe we missed a school)</p>