<p>When I look through these forum posts, I get totally depressed. I can't believe that every kid who plans on attending college is higher than a 4.0. My Barron's book has a ton of colleges that accept a smaller percentage of kids with ACT scores under 21 and from 21-25. So who are these kids? Athletes? Other kids with unique skills? </p>
<p>My soon to be senior son floats between a 2.5 and a 3.0. He got 3 A's this year in History, Marketing and German IV and C's in Chem and Trig. He attends a very academically tough private Catholic high school. He got a 23 on his ACT (but got a perfect score on the writing with a 12). His issue is time management and poor reading skills. </p>
<p>He has some pretty high career aspirations and is very excited about college. We want him to get the very best education possible without throwing him into a lions den where he would have no chance of surviving. I think a LAC with less than 3000 kids would be a good choice. It is important to my son that the college has a decent reputation. (He wants to go to Bentley and get a business degree) At this point we just want him to get a degree (any degree).</p>
<p>Someone suggested Carthage in Kenosha Wisconsin and we have put that on our list. The other ones we are looking at are Drake and Simpson in Iowa. We prefer the midwest, though I am also thinking about looking at Merrimack in Mass.</p>
<p>Thanks for listening and I am open to any comments, opinions or ideas!</p>
<p>Of course you are not–and the future is not bleak for your son!
Look at the 3.0-3.3 parents thread–lots of schools there are possibles for you.
Check out the bokk Colleges That change Lives–or at least its website.
Consider applying to East Coast schools (lots in PA) where your being from the Midwest is a plus. You can earn more points by applying Early Decision and/or not seeking aid.</p>
<p>Good luck and stay positive–he only needs 1 school (and stick with the small, nurturing LACs).</p>
<p>You might want to re-start this thread on the parents forum asking for opinions on Bentley, Drake, Simpson and Merrimack and similar schools for a “B” student. You’re likely to get more input from parents who will be familiar with the schools…</p>
<p>No way is your son alone in his situation. There are many possibilities for him, and if he wants to succeed, he will!</p>
<p>In addition to a small LAC, consider the transfer path, i.e., starting at a college that’s easy to get into, such as one of those with an open admissions policy, earning good grades in the first year, and then transferring to someplace better.</p>
<p>Such schools are often the lesser-known branch campuses of large state universities. The obvious disadvantage to attending such a school is that they are not populated with the nation’s brightest minds, but if your son is self-motivated, this could be precisely his advantage. Professors at such schools are often so delighted to have a bright, motivated student that they spend extra time mentoring him, involving him in special projects, etc., and happily providing recommendations to help him take his next step.</p>
<p>The time spent at the lesser school is an opportunity to prove one’s mettle at the college level and, if necessary, to build confidence. This is not the best option for everyone, but depending on your son’s personality, it may be worth considering.</p>
<p>I would echo taking a good, long look at the CTCL schools, many of which are in the Midwest. Heck–go ahead and buy the book. It was my bible for DS#1. One of the <many> benefits of these lesser-known LACs (although well-known on CC!) is that they will look at the entire application. Large schools have to make a first cut in the admissions process strictly based on the numbers–GPA, SAT, . . . The smaller schools will read the recommendations, read the essay, look at the whole package. DS’s GPA was not at all good, although his SATs were fairly strong. Very good recs (including one from a teacher whose class he’d gotten Cs in–but still he understood what a bright kid this was). In the end he was admitted to every school he applied to except one, with good merit aid at several.</many></p>
<p>(And re: the predominance of super achievers on CC, it sort of goes with the territory. Don’t for one minute think that this is a fair representation of the pool of kids headed to college, though.)</p>
<p>(And keep in mind what my husband said after one of DS#2’s abysmal report cards came home. “There’s always the University of Wyoming!”)</p>
<p>I would like to add that there are many very good small schools in addition to those listed in the CTCL book if you are looking for a school that is student focused. Don’t start and stop your search with CTCL schools.</p>
<p>I think the issue is whether you think he can mature in college. His ACT is good enough to do college work (and he could probably have done better if he was academically prepared).</p>
<p>If your son wants a business degree, an LAC may not be the best choice because they usually do not have undergraduate business majors.</p>
<p>A school within your state university system (with your son’s GPA, it probably won’t be the flagship) that does offer a business major might be a better choice. You may also want to check out the possibility of transferring from a regional campus or lesser school (or even a community college) to a larger and more prestigious college within the state system after the first two years. If maturity kicks in soon – as it often does for members of your son’s gender – he might be able to move up the academic pecking order in the middle of college.</p>
<p>If you are considering Simpson (beautiful campus!) you might also think about Luther, Cornell College and Wartburg College, all in Iowa. All are wonderful small LACs. Luther is a very nuturing Lutheran college in a BEAUTIFUL little valley. Strong in the sciences and the new science facility is stunning, one of a few programs that has an undergrad cadaver lab. Wartburg is another Lutheran school strong in business and the sciences. Know several students who have gotten great business internships here and they also provide opportunities to live and attend classes in Denver…a program called Wartburg West. This school seems to have good placement for kids getting in to physical therapy/pharmacy/med schools. If your S is athletic he would love the new athletic facilities here! Cornell College is another unique school where students take one class at a time. You can check out Cornell in the CTCL book.</p>
<p>I want to also mention Gustavus Aldolphis and St. John’s in Minnesota. They are very popular LACs around here.</p>
<p>I know some lower scored kids going to Indiana which has really a great business program, including the entrepenuership one which I understand is great. Northern Illinois also has a great business program. Also, there are a group of schools: Monmouth (illinois), Bradley, Augustana…Some of them are tougher to get into, but maybe…There are state schools in Iowa which might work, as well, if he’s interested in something a little bit bigger.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention University of St. Thomas in St Paul. They have a very good undergrad and grad business program. It is the largest private school in MN. They are known to be very generous with aid. A little more urban but in a beautiful neighborhood along the river.</p>
<p>If you are interested in Simpson and Drake, check out the Iowa Private Colleges Week, August 3-7. The private colleges and universities in Iowa offer a coordinated schedule of morning and afternoon information sessions that week. In two or three days, you could visit several likely campuses.</p>
<p>Be at ease; CC has a pretty skewed demographic.</p>
<p>In another post, a young lady from Texas was bemoaning her ACT 19 - having read CC I thought “yes.” But then I did a bit of research and realized that my (and her) world view was off base. There are 215 college in Texas according to Petersons. Of those, only 17 (UT, Rice, SMU,etc) has 25% ranges above 19. All the rest had an ACT of 19 well within their 25%-75% range or were non competitive. </p>
<p>Extend that correlary to GPA of 2.5 to 3.0, and one could realistically assume that, while he might not be headed to Harvard, 95% of college would love to read his application.</p>
<p>College Board has a nice search program for a good fit.</p>
<p>As someone else suggested, there are lots of schools that might work that are discussed in the 3.0-3.3 thread. For example, if you’re willing to come as far as MA, check out some of the PA schools mentioned in that thread. Don’t know how these places stack up for business, but for some reason PA has more LACs than you can shake a stick at, and many are less selective. And do look at the CTCL book as well.</p>
<p>Separately, an A in German IV is a pretty nice accomplishment. I know it’s just one grade, but that’s not an easy language. To me at least, that one is as good as an A in Physics or Trig.</p>
<p>Finally, if you son has a positive attitude about college, he’s got an important asset going for him. Play on that enthusiasm, and get excited with him about the hunt. Just because he’s looking lower on the food chain (as is my son), doesn’t mean there isn’t a good place and doesn’t mean he can’t have some fun finding it. (Of course, he probably won’t have any fun actually applying, but that’s a different story.)</p>