35 ACT with spotty grades; needs merit aid

Parents Forum
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<p>A friend's son is the subject of this question.</p>

<p>He is super brilliant, somewhat of a slacker (resents doing homework when he knows the material, etc.), and will be the first in his family to attend college. </p>

<p>His ACT composite was 35. His GPA is mediocre, due to homework pulling grades down. He's extremely quirky. He's very mathematically gifted but thinks he'd probably like to major in humanities. </p>

<p>He's a very decent, straight edge, nice kid, who marches to his own drummer.</p>

<p>Finally, the parents may not qualify for aid due to home equity, but they are "house poor" so probably need merit aid to swing college comfortably.</p>

<p>Any schools seeking brilliant oddballs... that also give merit money...?</p>

<p>Thanks for ideas!</p>

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<p>Your son sounds very much like mine. Son got almost a free ride at U of AL and admission to the honors college.</p>

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<p>Having sent a similar S to a large public where he got wonderful merit aid, was in their honors program, yet flunked out due to partying too much (something that S never had gotten before), I strongly suggest sending him to a place like a LAC where a brilliant kid will get tucked under the wing of a professor, and also will connect quickly with other very bright students.</p>

<p>LACs also are excellent places for bright males in particular to get merit aid.</p>

<p>My younger S (who also had high scores, mediore grades) is at Rollins College, and has blossomed there, including getting excellent grades. He got some merit aid, and there is fabulous merit aid for students who have better gpas than younger S had. Check it out.</p>

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<p>Sorry to sidetrack...but your posts always give me pause, Northstarmom!! Son hasn't partied much but is looking forward to socialization in college. Scared about the big environment (& most schools he's looking at for his major are large!). Rollins keeps sending us paperwork. Great to have a variety of views/experiences about this whole thing...</p>

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<p>This kid is VERY straight edge and I think he would be okay in any size environment. he is utterly unconcerned with peer pressure, very individualistic.</p>

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<p>My S who fell into the partying life was extremely straight edge and individualistic when he went off to college. He only went to work (at a local newspaper), school, and home, and I knew where he was because by his own choice, he didn't have a driver's license yet. </p>

<p>He went to college and fell in with an older crowd who admired him for his brains, individualistic views, and wit. He met them at the student newspaper, where my S excelled as a journalist. He got into partying with them.</p>

<p>Soooo... never say never....</p>

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<p>Earlham....</p>

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<p>It used to be that The University of Chicago would take a chance on a kid like that. I know of two students with poor grades and 1600s back in the day who were admitted to Chicago and to no other comparable schools. I have no idea if the U of C still does this.
One time the local high school called me in to a meeting about a similar student. They wanted my input as a home school parent. He was ending up with Cs and Ds in classes where teachers would give zeros for missing homework. He dropped out of school early in 11th grade to home school and eventually applied to and attended Amherst College. He was helped by a program at the U of C where some Chicago Public School kids (and by legal extension home schoolers) were able to take classes there. University of Chicago professors aren't much on busywork.</p>

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<p>I have heard opinion, that GPA is indication of willingness to work hard. ACT in most part is indication of superior reading skills. I belive in working hard because these are people who tend to perform at job, these are athletes who perform brilliantly. Michael Phelps would be nowhere if with all his exceptional talent, he was a slacker. Most colleges' reps indicated that GPA is valued more than ACT. There are probably exceptions to this rule. Having said that, the best of luck to this young man! He will realize at some point that he will be unstoppable if he adds hard work to his brilliant mind.</p>

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<p>How about Deep Springs College? No busy work there & no tuition either.</p>

<p>Deep</a> Springs College</p>

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<p>UChicago still does admit a few students with spotty GPA's and high test scores (such as my son), but is not known for giving merit aid to such students. </p>

<p>I can think of a few colleges where this boy would most likely get merit aid, if he doesn't mind being a big fish in a small pond. For instance, there are lots of smallish, not too well known LAC's in the midwest that would probably give a kid like this merit aid -- a lot of these schools need more boys, and would like his test scores.</p>

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<p>mstee: like Beloit, that sort of place?</p>

<p>Thanks for all the ideas so far!</p>

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<p>I too think Earlham may be a terrific fit, but they aren't known for being particularly generous with merit money.</p>

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<p>Ohio University. Full in state tuition for anyone with a 32 ACT or over. Probably would qualify for more scholarship money.</p>

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<p>Doesn't he fit the bill for Reed College? Don't know anything about their merit aid though.</p>

<p>Colorado College, with the one-subject-at-a-time block schedule that might appeal to him, offers merit scholarships. Not sure how important the gpa is, though. </p>

<p>Other LACs offering merit aid: Denison. Whitman. University of Puget Sound. </p>

<p>Smaller private unis: UofP, University of Redlands, Chapman U. </p>

<p>Maybe he should look closely at the Johnston Center at U of Redlands. Let's students design their own majors.</p>

<p>The</a> Johnston Center for Integrative Studies | --a radical vision for undergraduate education for forty years--</p>

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<p>Actually don't believe Reed gives merit aid but they do offer SOME need-based. My friend's D applied & was accepted. Their package was significantly lower than Seattle Us & they said there were limited on their merit awards, so ultimately she chose the latter in their honor's program & is happy there.</p>

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<p>Beloit would be worth a shot, I think, and Earlham, but I thinking of even lesser known ones such as Concordia (in Moorhead, MN) or Gustavus Adolphus or St. John's in MN, or Northwestern (the one in Iowa, where two of my nieces go) or Whitworth in WA. </p>

<p>I would also take a look at places like Macalester and Grinnell if the kid is really sharp -- I don't know if they would give merit aid, though -- has he done anything that would catch an admission officer's eye -- written anything noteworthy? Scored high in a math competition, written a software program or anything like that? </p>

<p>I have a daughter at a small liberal arts college in the midwest. I'm not going to name it here, just because I don't want to start a debate. It is great in some ways -- it is giving her opportunities she wouldn't otherwise have, such as a really nice summer internship in science last summer that she enjoyed, found challenging (and paid fairly well too). She is finding the overall atmosphere there, though, not as stimulating intellectually, as she thought it would be. I know that she is getting a fine education, though. It is sometimes hard to pin down what makes a college stimulating to some and not others. Her strategy is to take more classes than is typical. I think if she were involved in more extra-curricular things (like a sports team or choir) she would be happier. She is also getting a little bored with small town life -- there aren't enough good places to eat -- no good Indian restaurants, for example. We are so spoiled here in the Bay Area with so many good places to eat ethnic food . . . that's something to consider too -- does he care about things like that, the liveliness of the town, cold weather, places to eat?</p>

<p>UChicago is very stimulating academically, but I had a feeling (who knows if it is right or not?) that she wouldn't thrive there. She is smart, quirky, but not <em>driven</em>, I would say, if one can describe someone in three words or less . . .</p>

<p>Ha ha, that is an answer that meanders all over the place . . . </p>

<p>My other suggestion is a school that is different for a California school -- Humboldt State. There are some quirky smart kids up there that march to their own drummers (I have a son that graduated recently from there). It is inexpensive compared to a lot of other options.</p>

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<p>Reed definitely fits the quirky oddball label, but no merit money as far as I know, especially with a lowish gpa.
Grinnell gives money, but is very isolated.
New College of Florida, maybe? Cheap, quirky, and intellectual, but tiny and in Sarasota, FL.
Macalester, but probably won't get much money.
Bard College, quirky, smart oddballs, but wealthy and pretentious Bard gives 10 full rides/year for math/science kids.
Oberlin, but probably won't get money and the gpa might be too low.</p>

<p>Good Luck to him, he sounds like an interesting kid.</p>

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<p>These are great ideas. Ohio University is a great call; I hadn't heard of that program...</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>towson univ. had offered a special admissions program.........lower gpa's and higher SAT's (males only).......but they dropped it in 2007. i don't know if there are other universities out there that might be offering similar special admissions programs or not but maybe that is something that you could check into further.</p>

<p>it's possible that he could target schools where his test scores are much higher than the average freshman profile scores. </p>

<p>i think there are some schools that may be more known for math/science but that would like to enroll more humanities majors........so maybe those would be ones to check out as well........case western reserve comes to mind..........maybe some of the engineering schools.......colorado school of mines, missouri univ. of science and technology, south dakota school of mines, rpi, etc.</p>