It is all so subjective. I live in Western PA.There seems to be alot of bashing on the PASSHE system on here. Particularly schools Clarion, Edinboro. In my neighborhood I have three graduates from Clarion that I know of…one is a teacher, one is a doctor and a third manages a non profit. They have nothing but great things to say about the school.I am a Slippery Rock grad…I like to promote the PASSHE system but no relationship with Clarion…Just think it is interesting.
By the way…if you haven’t been to Bloomsburg recently, campus is beautiful and town is cute with lots of eateries, shops and such.
It’s difficult to overhear conversations about places you’ve applied. I always told my kids that when the local cc or state schools came up in conversation with friends to try to find something good to say about them. You never know who may be listening. And there are good things to be found at most schools.
They both had friends who were certain in the fall that they were going to residential college or name brand schools who, come May, put a deposit down at the local commuter school or cc. I think the fact that my kids had only positive things to say about the local colleges made it easier for their friends to tell them they had a change in plans. And so many plans did change between September and May.
My D gets an earful about her acceptance to Arcadia (well you’re not actually going to GO there, right?) because it’s “not good enough for her.” Will she end up there? I don’t know because she’s applied ED elsewhere and we will see how that shakes out, but she would have a great experience at Arcadia and traveling abroad multiple years- and they gave her an amazing scholarship. Why in the world would she look down on that? I hope your D ends up at the best place for her and your family, and that she becomes secure enough in her choices to shut down that type of talk.
Has she visited any of her chosen schools yet? If not, visiting should give her more reasons to like them and not think less of them because she’s heard some other high school students (who don’t know any more about those schools than she does) mock them for being “party schools.” Seriously, what do they know? They’re just repeating what they’ve heard other people say.
One of my kids went to a small private HS in an affluent community, on scholarship. For college acceptances, she got a full ride offer and several full tuition offers, mostly from OOS public flagships – and she was not interested in attending any of them.
She was a very good student in HS, and she wanted prestige. She wanted people to LIGHT UP when she said where she was going to college. It was very hard on her at first. Her self-worth was tied up in where she was going to go to college. Many of her classmates were going to top schools, without any apparent concern for cost of attendance. She wanted to be one of those kids, telling everyone she was going to a Top 20 school.
We “made her” take the best financial offer, which was at the “lowly” OOS public flagship. Senior year of HS was tough, and so was most of freshman year of college. She is so much happier now, and is looking for the best financial package for grad school.
Sometimes there are no right words to say or advice to give.
If they could only foresee that it’s not where you go but what you do there. So hard for the kid who wants the “Oh Wow!” reaction to really be able to internalize that.
I don’t know if my daughter hears much trash talk about the state schools she’s applied to (we’re in PA too), but the more I look at costs and see other campuses, the more I’m prone to talk them up. I know in my heart she’d be perfectly happy at a couple of them. We have a certain amount to contribute but she’ll likely need to take student loans (also potentially parent plus loans) to cover the difference if she doesn’t go with one. I’m trying to explain how the difference of even $5K in tuition, which might not seem like a lot, could come out to half a year’s salary by the time she graduates. She’ll need to pay for a new car at some point, a vacation, a house. Emotions have so far ruled where she wants to go. She just thinks she’ll pay it all off after graduation, no big deal.
Also wanted to mention we live right by WCU and West Chester feels like the quintessential college town. It’s safe, has a lot to do for college students (and visiting parents) within walking distance, and is not far from philly. Not to mention it seems like a highly regarded state school. My daughter applied there too as a commuter. I couldn’t see spending the money for room and board since we’re so close but otherwise it would be her top choice.
She doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Seriously, why would she want to go to a college, so she could be around arrogant people like that anyway?
I recommend one thing, though. Private schools tend be unpredictable with their financial aid offerings, so you want to keep a good strong affordable back-up school just in case, like Penn State, for instance. If she has a high SAT/ACT score and/or top grades, check out Southern schools like Alabama and Texas State University. They tend to be quite generous with merit aid for nonresidents.
Best advice I can offer is to tell her never let negative minded people take up space in your head. Those types drag you down. People with a positive outlook tend to lift you up.
@cozminok: you may sweeten the deal by saying you’ll pay for the first year of room&board (second year can be under conditions:" will depend on her grades and whether she earns money…") That first year of independence really matters. If it’d be her first choice if you weren’t to make her commute, wouldn’t that work out better for you to have her at WCU and on campus, than at a more expensive choice?
Also, always apply for Honors Program as you’ll get more resources devoted to your education.
Academically, WCU is a good notch above the other PASSHE schools. Hopefully the funding will return (it’s been the major problem with PASSHE schools compared to branch campuses: not enough funding.)
Don’t discount private universities in PA - they well know Penn State/Pitt may not be affordable so they make their financial aid packages enticing for instate students ;). If you give your child’s stats and your budget range we can suggest possibilities. It’s especially important for students to have a choice in the Spring so that they don’t feel like they’re settling or are being backed into a corner.
@MYOS1634 What I meant to say was WCU would probably be her first choice if we didn’t already live there. It seems anticlimactic somehow to go away to a place you already know like the back of your hand, if that makes sense. She may not even get in, as it’s competitive and her stats are average (3.4gpa/1090SAT). Out of the other PASSHE schools, she likes Bloomsburg because it seems to have a good elementary ed program, it’s not too small, and it has the little downtown within walking distance. It’s a little far away, but you can’t have it all. Top of her list is Temple, though I am bracing for heartbreak. She is also waiting to hear back from Duquesne and Towson (alumni parent). If I’m overlooking any private colleges that might offer merit for her range, I’d welcome suggestions.
What’s her rigor? Math through algebra2 or precalculus? Stats? Foreign language through level 3? Some honors or mostly honors or mostly regular?
Depending on rigor yes there may be options. What’s your budget?
Temple : did she apply Temple Option?
Living on campus makes a big difference, kids who live in the town where the college is located feel they’re in a different town than the one they knew as kids. Obviously moving away offers more opportunities to discover a new area, new people, a new part of American culture…
McDaniel College in Maryland has an automatic 25K/year scholarship for children of school employees and children of veterans or active duty military personnel. Our son could have gone for around 20K per year with this and a small grant.
@MYOS1634 She’s in precalc now. 5 years of French, honors for last two years. College prep for math and science (1 honors lab science this year), honors for all English and history. No APs. Budget ideally in the $15K range for tuition and fees if I’m being realistic. Room and board doesn’t seem to vary too much at the schools we’ve looked at.
No, she applied early action. Their site recommended Temple Option for 3.5 and up and her scores seemed borderline too. She has good ECs, essay, and recs, I think. I read education majors dropped in recent years, but I’m not sure that helps or is even noticed at a competitive school. I think it doesn’t. More students tend to be accepted early action compared to regular and temple option, though that probably has more to do with the quality of early applicants than anything else.
That’s a helpful perspective re: living on campus. I project my own ideas into so much and really need to let her lead. I am learning. Once we hear back from WCU, I’ll see where she is. I wonder if you can change from commuter to resident after the fact? We even thought she’d stand a better chance of getting in if she was a commuter.
