<p>I just found this forum and it is the answer to my prayers since I am having a very difficult time working through all this college stuff as my oldest child gets ready to apply. </p>
<p>My daughter is a hardworking student at a less than stellar high school. She has an unweighted 3.64 GPA, and is ranked 26/259 (weighted GPA is 4.25 and rank 20/259). Her SAT I's - 560 math and 600 verbal. She is taking them again in Oct. in hopes of improvement. She has good extra-curriculars (NHS, musical theater, founder of jewish awareness club - but not editor, captain, or president of anything). </p>
<p>She would like to go to school in mid-Atlantic or close to mid-Atlantic NE area with a school with a fairly vibrant jewish community, little greek presence, and mid to large size in an area where there is some cultural life. </p>
<p>Right now the toughest schools she is applying to are: BU, U. Md, and Univ. Pittsburgh. (She is also applying to American Univ., Drew, UMBC, Towson, U.Mass and U.Hartford). Are there schools I am missing? Am I underestimating her chances of getting in at more competitive places? </p>
<p>Goucher and Skidmore come to mind as add ons. You don't say what your daughter is interested in but you might consider all the schools in Philly.....there are quite a few and the number of Jewish students is high. </p>
<p>As to selling a girl short.......I tend to think of the list as directly related to your daughter's personal ability/desire to get a thin letter. Many stories of reach school acceptances abound and if you aren't willing to reach..... On the other hand if a thin letter or a number of them would devastate your child/family I would reduce the risk and expense. Only you can answer this. I mean how much do you want the " I can't believe they let me in" experience???</p>
<p>Good luck......there are giant numbers of schools in the area you are looking that meet your criteria.</p>
<p>I was also going to suggest U Delaware. As well, Hofstra seems like a very good match for what she seeks. We really liked that campus and her stats seem quite good for that school.</p>
<p>Are you planning on visiting schools?</p>
<p>You mention that the hs is less than stellar. Does that also apply to the Guidance Office? If the Guidance Office is good, it may have stats from your school as to where past students applied, their GPA/SAT and whether accepted/denied/WL. This could help you id her "chances" at the more competitive schools.</p>
<p>What is the Jewish population at the HS? Is your daughter a lone wolf or part of a very small group? It sounds as if the population is not very high or you would have a list of schools that you were more certain of. You will get excellent help here on CC...welcome to the forum and get ready for tons of support and suggestions. As to the small Greek life.....I am sure you know your daughter but if she found a group of Jewish sisters in a Sorority would that necessarily be a bad thing? Just curious.</p>
<p>The guidance office is staffed by well-meaning but seriously overworked and under-qualified people. Little help there. I already asked what schools our grads have gotten into and couldn't get any answer! </p>
<p>I was afraid that Hofstra would be a suitcase school and Goucher seems just too small. My daughter keeps saying she wants a mid to large schools for the bigger social life. </p>
<p>She is your basic "nice girl," very straight, socializes with friends by going to movies, out to dinner etc. not partying, drinking or carrying on. She wants to go to a school that will have lots of on-campus activities, clubs etc., one that is not a huge party school and that will not be located "in the middle of nowhere." Having grown up in the 'burbs, she loves the idea of being in a more urban feeling location. Due to recent anxiety issues, she is a little concerned about being too far away from home. I keep thinking there is some school in PA that I've missed.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Syracuse University, University of Deleware, Rutgers, Northeastern?</p>
<p>Don't know how they compare specifically with the schools you have listed but they are fairly good sized schools in the geographic are you are looking at and have decent Jewish communities (i think - second or third hand knowledge). You haven't mentioned anything about what your daughter would like to study.</p>
<p>Have you checked out the hilllel college guide at hillel.org? Its a good starting point, but you have to make sure you go to the individual schools site to check for current info. (and on any campus visits, try to speak to someone from the campus hillel to get a real sense of what really happens). What it means for a campus to have a "vibrant Jewish community" can vary widely depending on what is important to your child. Does it mean she'd like there to be a sizeable Jewish population so that there are likely to be people who understand her cultural touchstones? Does it mean religious services? Does it mean Israeli cultural events? Kosher for Passover food? The answer will be different for different kids -- your child needs to know what it means to her so she can decide if the school she likes really has is.</p>
<p>Re greek presence - as long as you are looking at larger schools, I don't know that this is as important an issue as it would be at a smaller one where the greek scene can become the only scene. </p>
<p>Re her chances - her class rank and weighted grades are quite good - the fact that she is challenging herself at what you describe as a "less tha stellar school" is good. Does she have any ap exams she's done well on? Even though colleges don't ask for ap info, if her scores are good, it can't hurt to let them know about them. SAT grades are weaker - if she can improve those, she can certainly improve her chances. A strong essay can help her stand out in the applicant pool.</p>
<p>Don't worry about "underestimating" her chances -- you can consider schools you think she may not get in to as reaches - apply to some if there are ones she'd love to attend, but don't count on them, and be thrilled if she gets in. Making sure she is applying to schools where she has a reaistic chance is the greatest favor you can do for your child -- its easy to reach, its often much harder to be realistic. Also remember, schools like to admit applicants who will accept them (makes their numbers look better) - so if she can show interest in the schools (visits, interviews) it can sometimes help also.</p>
<p>When looking at Goucher you might be more appropriate by stepping back and looking at the "area". Schools in close proximity.......look at the city. Philly is a good example of a "college town". Schools of varying selectivity, size and focus but all in a close proximity. When going about Philly where there is much to do you would have a hard time telling who is from Penn versus who is from Temple or Curtis Conservatory.....really. Lots of young people, public transport and many many things to do in the city.....restaurants galore. </p>
<p>Baltimore is similar in that there are multiple schools in close proximity.</p>
<p>My daughter is not at all a lone wolf. She is a joiner and has many friends through her various activities, although she can be shy about initiating plans for socializing with new friends outside of school (same is not true for old friends). </p>
<p>Her high school of approx 1100 has about 15 jewish students at most. She has enjoyed sharing her jewish culture with her many non-jewish friends but definitely doesn't want to encounter the same environment in college. </p>
<p>As to her wish for little greek life, I think she is concerned about some of the negative images of sororities she has seen in the movies and on t.v. - hazing, exclusiveness, raucous parties etc. Her few older friends have just headed off to college this fall - so no real life feedback from them. I imagine a jewish sorority might ameliorate some of her concerns. </p>
<p>Although she keeps talking about going to a big school, I have my concerns given her recent experience with anxiety attacks. On the other hand, I don't want to talk her into a smaller school only to find that she is unhappy there and wishes she had gone to a larger school.</p>
<p>GWU is a great place! It's much nearer to downtown DC than American Univ, and oozes the excitement of the city life. I graduated from GWU quite of few years ago; my husband from AU. I was a Roman Catholic girl with many Jewish friends. The Jewish population at GWU is vibrant and active. The university has wonderful diversity, and offers many exciting internship and learning opportunities.</p>
<p>Since GWU is closer in, you can literally walk to the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian museums, the monuments, the shopping, Georgetown (great for night life). And taxi and bus transportation is right at your door, if you decide not to bring a car (on-street parking can be hard to come by, and it's really not necessary).</p>
<p>GWU offers tons of off-campus things to do throughout the year. That's one of the things that really sold me on the school. It has many strong departments and many ties to the social, cultural, and political happenings in Washington. CNN, for example, broadcasts some of its political programs from the studios of GWU.</p>
<p>GWU is all good! I'm a great fan! Give it a look. To be balanced...the only drawback is the current pricetag...not cheap...but if it's a fit, go for it.</p>
<p>re anxiety and small schools -
on the one hand, i think it is easy to assume that a smaller school would be more 'nurturing." on the other hand, i think it is easier to fear that a smaller school can make it harder to find one's nitch since there may be fewer nitches.</p>
<p>perhaps you need to discuss with your daughter why she wants a larger school -- if her reasons are realistic and make sense for her personality, it argues for respecting her views. but you may also want to show her a smaller school that you otherwise think would be perfect for her so she can get a sense of how important this really is to her.</p>
<p>my daughter was the opposite - convinced she wanted small. we took her to see a large school that had EVERYTHING else she wanted in a school. and sure enough, she didn't like it because it was too big. but at least we then knew that this really was an important factor for her and didn't have to wonder if we'd left schools off her list that we shouldn't have.</p>
<p>Hi Simcha- our kids are looking at a lot of the same things. NE-urban area and a Jewish community presence on campus. Your d's stats are a bit higher than my kids, but I am familiar with some of the schools you are considering. As U Md.,and Delaware are extremely popular with Long Island kids, I do not know if her SAT score will get her in. Kids seem to need close to 1300 to get into those 2 schools. Towson is also becoming extremely popular. An 1160 should do it, but I still do not think it is a sure bet. Its hard to think that 1 test can make the difference regarding getting accepted to college, but unfortunately, the competition is so great from NY&NJ even schools like Towson are hard to get into. I think you are on target with the schools you are applying to and would think you will get some positive response from Pittsburg-U Mass and others. My d is considering Temple and West Chester which are both in the Philly area She also is applying to Towson (but I am not counting on an acceptance). We are applying to SUNY's too. I do not know what state you are in. Actually SUNY's seem to like OOS kids as not too many apply. You may want to check out Albany or Buffalo as an OOS kid with an 1160, may have a good shot in getting in. You may also want to check out U Conn. It seems a lot of kids who are now getting rejected from U Md. and Delaware are applying there. Give us more info on you d and maybe we can come up with some good ideas. You may want to rethink Goucher- though it is small, it is near Baltimore and alot of other colleges in that area. My d too hates the idea of a small school and also wants access to an urban area. Good luck.</p>
<p>Yes, Rutgers and Muhlenberg seem good. The other <em>somewhat</em> close to Phila schools we looked at (Lehigh and Lafayette) are a little small, a little high on the reported Greek life (we didn't think it overwhelming but some do) and maybe little reach-y based on her current SATs (!*!#@! those SATs - not all of our kids perform at their best on them).</p>
<p>Re Hofstra - we only spent a morning there, so I can't be sure re suitcase school. I did not get that impression. Worth a visit I think; it has a lot that fits your D very well. There is so much to do in Manhattan on the weekends, I can't imagine that everyone disappears to ...where?... Westchester?</p>
<p>as noted in my previous post - the hillel site is a great starting point - but we have found schools for which it made the Jewish presence seem greater than it was, and some for which it made it seem less. this is not meant as a criticism of that site - it is a wonderful valuable resource - just always try to check with the school's hillel to verify where things currently stand.</p>
<p>I just spent last weekend taking the train from Philly to DC and then Baltimore. I had not trouble, it was cheap and I stayed in DC overnite. Three ballgames in three days was the mission so folks who don't think Baltimore has other stuff to do aren't looking too hard. I mean DC/PhillyNYC.....trains are cheap and easy. If a kid wants stuff to do outside of Baltimore it is all there.</p>
<p>Simcha -- On the issue of a vibrant Jewish community, I agree with those who have suggested Skidmore, Union, and GWU. Others to consider are Ithaca College and Rutgers. All these schools have good-sized Jewish populations (although the absolute numbers vary greatly with the size of the school) and active Hillels. Given your daughter's experience as a grassroots Jewish leader in a high school with few Jewish peers, she might enjoy being at one of the smaller schools, where she could hit the ground running as someone with expertise in building community. </p>
<p>Hillel.org is a great resource, but some of the info is not current. Click on the hyperlink to each school's own Hillel website and you get current info, as well as a much better picture of Jewish life on each campus (programming, services, availability of Kosher meals, etc.). Often there's a FAQ section with a great snapshot, which is a good place to start.</p>