<p>sally - UT Austin is because we have family who live in Austin and work at the university, so i’m more comfortable with that. Same with Michigan. I agree with the NYU point - it’s really just so we have the option if nothing else works out. Her cousin is attending Stern for MBA, so there is that.</p>
<p>Makes sense. Although without knowing the cousin, I wouldn’t expect a student in the demanding environment of the Stern MBA program to have a lot of time for an 18-year-old relative. (I admit to having an anti-NYU bias, btw.)</p>
<p>Is there any reason you have not considered St. Mary’s, the sister school of Notre Dame?</p>
<p>I’m going to just say that having some family in the city or even working at a university with 20,000 undergrads isn’t really going to make it a smaller place. It doesn’t reduce class sizes, improve degree counseling, or make it easier to find a niche in a large campus. At best it gives you someone you know to touch base with every few weeks. But I personally would not consider that enough to “shrink” the size of a large campus like that (and I attended one of those colleges, quite close to home).</p>
<p>You are obviously a concerned Dad. While not wishing to contribute to the shaming associated with seeking treatment…I have worked for the Mental Health Assn so I realize that this sounds like just jumping on board with prejudice…but, I can assure you that colleges are sued by parents whose children are suicidal or depressed and that adcoms are going to believe that peers and RAs are not really equipped to deal with anyone who has been so depressed that there has been a break from reality, no matter how fleeting.
I feel that is is AOK to have GC state that family has been proactive in seeking treatment and solutions to help daughter deal with family issues and related depression and daughter is on a recovery arc now. but the average reader does not understand how depression can shake a reality base up temporarily and be psychotic. </p>
<p>Leave that to sort out after you have admissions in hand. Not asking you to share a great deal of detail on this forum but if there has been a troubled relationship with mother, I really like the idea of liberal arts college where mentors are accessible as adults and teachers. Even at mid sized schools like Vandy/Duke/Emory/Northwestern…access to full profs is somewhat limited to special courses or activities.<br>
Haverford professors …many live on campus, and are called by their first names. Students annually meet and write their own standards of conduct as a class. It is just a very warm and caring community of bright kids with a caring faculty. The tricky part is that many LACs (Haverford included) have zip merit money and devote money only to need scholarships. So an application there if you can’t pay your EFC will garner nothing but wasted time. (we did this to our second son btw–he was admitted to Swat and Haverford and then we decided we couldn’t afford them.). And remember, your EFC will alter year to year based on each year’s facts. So I am unclear about your plans regarding full pay vs need pay when I look at your list. We had state colleges we could afford that we were happy about and then pursued merit money as full payees with second son.<br>
Her grades might keep her out of Rice (plus she has likely missed the chance for the scheduling of an on campus evaluative interview at Rice and Haverford) but Rice has a community of learners and a residential community housing system like Yale’s that I think is very very admirable and egalitarian and supportive. Rice was giving 30% of applicants a stipend of merit after the recession. Not sure what they are doing now. Our son loved the place but didn’t win merit there. The Rice discount is significant but not full tuition. I am not loving UTAustin on that list even with family there and wondering about some of the mega sized classroom schools you have going there at out of state pay rates. I know Ann Arbor is one of those happy atmosphere college towns however where the peers tend to lend a great deal of energy and pleasure to being there.<br>
With Bryn Mawr you also get Haverford.</p>
<p>That’s true. Honestly, if I had to rank schools by preference, any UC besides R, M, and SC would be no question. The GC just told us that 60% of the admissions decision is based on GPA, and they won’t look at other circumstances (besides Berk and LA, both almost guaranteed rejections.) After that is USC, Barnard, Scripps, BMC, and so on. We haven’t considered St. Mary’s because of the lack of diversity there, I believe only 15% are minorities. While D doesn’t need as diverse a school as here in the bay area, I’m not sure D would be happy there.</p>
<p>@Faline: thanks for the great reply! 
As far as money goes, I’ve saved up a great deal for college tuition; I just want to make sure it’s going somewhere really worth it. Otherwise, UCs would be a better option financially. I was iffy about UT Austin as well, so thank you for the input. I didn’t think she’d have a high chance of admission at the schools you stated, but do you feel she would?</p>
<p>You haven’t really commented on the finances (which can really be an issue when parents are separated). Can you afford full pay at all of these schools? Are you looking for need based and/or merit aid? If you can afford them, that is one less factor in the complicated equation of finding a college.</p>
<p>I would love if she could get merit aid or need-based aid, but at this point I have about $180k saved up for her college tuition.</p>
<p>Have you considered Smith. Besides being a women’s LAC it is located in a great smaller college town … to me it seems like a very warm and comfortable for many students?</p>
<p>In Massachusetts, Clark University (Worcester, only school visited by Freud!) and Lesley University (Cambridge, has a unique program in holistic psychology) are great for psychology. We like schools like Bennington and Sarah Lawrence. Google their academics and you will see they are a little different in terms of independent choices and interdisciplinary work.</p>
<p>Loren Pope’s books, especially Colleges that Change Lives, is a good resource: there is a website too.</p>
<p>Though being close to home might be a good idea if she has strong relationships to count on.</p>
<p>The essay is tricky. One of my kids has health issues and did the same thing: didn’t mention it in her main essay but did mention it in the supplementary one that asked if there was anything else she wanted to say. However, it was impressionistic, about how, at 4 years old, she folded her clothes neatly on the hospital chair, hoping that if she was a “good” girl the diagnosis would go away.</p>
<p>She let the rest of her record speak for itself in terms of her ability to overcome. If your daughter is doing well this year, the same will be true for her. She could write something very brief and matter of fact that just states she had some family problems. But I think overall she is better off if the guidance counselor does this.</p>
<p>It is not clear if her diagnosis is for bipolar or unipolar depression. In either case, you don’t have to let the college know in advance, and it may indeed be better not to. However, as soon as she is admitted, get in touch with the disabilities office. They often have a deadline of May 1st for contact. Research and write a letter with a list of accommodations for worst case scenarios, have it signed by an MD, and submit. You might also definitely want to purchase tuition refund insurance, but make sure they cover psychiatric conditions.</p>
<p>I think a GPA like that, which is still pretty good, and the excellent ACT, rec’s, ec’s etc. she will have a good shot at lots of schools. But I would be concerned about recurrence of depression. If psychosis is involved, it is definitely brain-based, not just situational blues. I don’t know if she is on Lithium but it can be very healing for the brain that suffers depression.</p>
<p>FightingIrish. What a wonderful gift for your daughter. It sounds like the cost of college really isn’t a huge issue. It is nice to have that as a non-issue!</p>
<p>I think you are on the right path. You are looking for a close, safe environment with good programs. There will be many options. just choose carefully with your daughter.</p>
<p>I will put in one more shameless plug for Santa Clara University. It is on the smaller side…less than 5000 undergrads. The Jesuit environment is an excellent one. It might be worth a look-see.</p>
<p>I live about 10 minutes away from Haverford and Bryn Mawr and think they are both great options. Very bright and kind student body. I am a local photographer and do photo sessions there a lot so I do get a sense of the kids. How they respond to me being there, how they interact with my subjects (small children) and also how they are with my dogs who I walk there frequently. I was there just this morning (Bryn Mawr) and happened to notice that they had posters all over about a campus effort to take the stigma out of all forms of mental illness so that tome is a positive sign about the student body’s attitude towards these things! Plus they are both unbelievably gorgeous campus’s. Bryn Mawr has this giant pond that is at the bottom of a grassy hill surrounded by weeping willow trees and if you look back up the hill the school looks like a castle. Haverford also has a pond (bigger) filled with ducks and walking trails throughout the campus. Bryn Mawr feels more nurturing, I always see girls sitting on the grass overlooking the pond.</p>
<p>I was going to suggest Clark U in Massachusetts also, but another poster beat me to it. Nationally renowned department in Psychology, her ACT is above the top 20% of admits, they award non-need merit scholarships, average admitted gpa is 3.5 and overall admit rate is about 70%.</p>
<p>I liked Clark a lot when we visited … the most enthusiastic and helpful students of any school my kids visited … seems like it would be a very supportive environment also. And don’t they have a free masters or free 5th year program also?</p>
<p>Maybe this has been said but…I don’t think I’d go into all the extenuating circumstances of mental health issues.</p>
<p>The first thing it makes me think about is whether this is the type of person that does something crazy at the school. And by crazy, I mean the type of stuff you hear on the news and all of it is negative.</p>
<p>I know that mental health issues come with a stigma that is wrong to apply to all people but it is a stigma that persists.</p>
<p>I have about $180k saved up for her college tuition.</p>
<p>If you and your wife divorce (or stay separated), could your wife take half of that?</p>
<p>Also just saw this on Clark’s admission page:<br>
"Clark is looking for individuals who can champion new ideas, accept differences and successfully become part of our growing community. Our Admissions Committee wants to form a complete and holistic picture of you. The committee considers:</p>
<p>Academic commitment. Clarkies care deeply about their studies, and the Clark experience is so much more than just learning in a traditional classroom. It also encompasses hands-on research, fieldwork and study abroad experiences. To be able to take advantage of the myriad academic opportunities at Clark—both inside and outside the classroom—you should have a strong A/B average. If you have shown a steady improvement in your grades from early in your high school career to your senior year, you are also an ideal candidate. In fact, you could be among some of the most successful students at Clark."</p>
<p>Tuition is currently $39, 200, a bit less than most East Coast privates.</p>
<p>Definitely going to check out Clark, it looks like it would be a really good fit for her. I’ve read Colleges That Change Lives (that’s where I heard of Willamette), and remember considering Clark and Whitman as possibilities. Doesn’t hurt to apply!</p>
<p>When I say “temporary psychotic features”, I don’t mean a psychosis. It was very mild and brief at period when MDD was at its worst, around last Feb, but it’s definitely staying out of the essay as it could easily be misconstrued. I just feel that with such a heavy dip in grades for an extended period of time (not trying to turn it into an excuse!), ‘family problems’ won’t really mean much to an adcom; so many families go through difficult family situations.</p>
<p>I am considering Smith, and I’m so glad to hear such great things about BMC and Haverford! @moments it sounds like both schools are lovely and from my research would be a great fit for D. Thanks for your input! @thumper we are considering SCU, a friend goes there and loves it.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the incredible help! I just have a final question if I may. I feel U of Oregon, Willamette, and UCR+M will be good safeties for D. Does anyone know what super-reaches (Top 20/25) might be an option? I know it’s very unlikely, but I’ve heard some schools are more ‘understanding’ than others, and we’ve agreed that she could take some shots for the heck of it.</p>
<p>You can look at the Common Data Set information for each of the schools you are interested in and see how many kids they let in with her GPA. Without any special awards/abilities/accomplishments/hooks I think you would be wasting her time (and your application fee money), not to mention setting her up for the emotional consequences of rejection. Sorry to be so blunt. Perhaps others will be more encouraging.</p>
<p>Understandable. Nonetheless, thanks for the help everyone!</p>