<p>My S really liked Bates (there for a Katrina semester) and I think it could work for the kid you describe. Smart kids, but not too intense. Not frat-dominated. My kid is <em>not</em> so social, yet he found the welcoming atmosphere drew him in to a number of activities; and found his way socially very nicely.</p>
<p>Still, what popped into my mind for the kid you describe is more of a mid-sized University with an honors program. mini keeps bringing up avoiding the overly rural and I think you/he should look at more urban environments. More to do, less chance that socializing is built around frat parties and drinking. Oh, the drinking will be there but there will also be so much else to do. The Honors program gives him a peer group to "rise to the occasion" with. And he also might do better (I don't know, just a thought) where he is in the top tranche of the school population.</p>
<p>Finally, as to admissions success - not sure how a combination of rather stellar SAT (1470+) score but rather lackluster GPA (89) will work. He should not necessarily be targetting the reachiest of schools. Williams, Wesleyan, Carleton - I'm guessing they are chance-y for this profile kid. Of course, no one knows, least of all me. But that would be how I would handicap it.</p>
<p>adigal- you briefly asked about connecticut college. might definitely be worth looking into- very smart, very friendly and social student body, very active ski team!</p>
<p>JV and Adigal,
My humblest apologies. I read the 1450-1475 SAT numbers and missed the phrase right after them "without the writing section." </p>
<p>Those are FINE Sat's. I need to slow down.</p>
<p>I'm so sorry for my error, Adigal.</p>
<p>With those SAT's, look at Oberlin College, outside of Cleveland. Every person is an individual there and "all the children are above average." (Garrison Keillor) No frats, drinking's minimal, a bit "PC" sometimes, students have an authentic love of learning, great access to professors, friendly/humorous/creative tone to the student body. ExCo and cooperative housing options are socially productive and teach skills outside of academics, too. Musical conservatory is on same campus, with new Jazz Studies grant.</p>
<p>I'd second Colorado College for this type of kid, especially if he scores well. It's getting more and more competitive but my son, who sounds very much like your son in many ways really liked the 1 class at a time concept. My S always had one class that pushed the limits of multi-tasking and that one class inevitably he spent the last couple weeks cramming and playing catch up. Also, my son never liked surfing college websites and he'd flip half heartedly through viewbooks, didn't want to watch videos... but he did like reading college course catelogs much to my amazement. His criteria for picking colleges consisted of proximity to skiable terrain, small with no busy roads through the middle of campus, "fun sounding" classes. One concept that kick started our college hunt early in his junior year was to find what hit his hot buttons then go find more "just like" it -- ordered coursebooks or printed out the departments he liked, piled them on top of the pile of clothes in his room and shut the door. By golly, sometime in the summer between his junior and senior year he emerged with THE list in hand. His essay unfortunately centered on how "boring" high school was and how much he looked forward to such and such a class because they don't offer blah blah blah in high school. But I figured let 'er rip and let the chips fall, it's him real and raw. The only thing besides skiing my son does really, really well is write...and he has his own style. It worked out fine for him. He is a B+ boy - As in classes he likes, Bs in classes he didn't like and a couple icky Cs in math - which he detests with a passion...with above average ACT/SAT scores. He's social and teachers like 'em...even the ones that gave him a C so he had good recs. He took SAT only once, said good enough if they don't want me, I don't want them and never looked back. Obviously Dartmouth was not on our list. Grin.</p>
<p>Boys are in demand and this is a bit unfair stats wise in many liberal arts colleges where there are more girls applying. But this could be a plus for you. I like Mary Washington in Fredericksburg VA for OOS boys...still 40 percent male. When we visited MW a boy told my son "we don't pay for our friends." No frats. For an unusual very traditional all male environment that seems to really bring out maturity in students, Hampden Sydney. Take a look at Franklin and Marshall and Gettysburg and Dickinson in PA. It is hard to skip class in smaller colleges without your prof missing you and calling you on it. Jewel small colleges in the south include Centre College in KY. Rhodes College in Memphis. I would encourage him to not eliminate schools based on frats but to instead join the 60% not in them and run his own race at any school. Roanoke College in Salem, VA is a fine school.</p>
<p>St Johns in Anapolis, MD. They also have a campus in New Mexico (think skiing) and there is no problem moving between campuses. However the kif better like to write. It is not especially popular on CC, I think because CC is full of uber-liberals suspicious of any curriculm based on a bunch of dead white men but if you like history there is nothing like reading the original sources.</p>
<p>It is a small young LAC with beautiful campus adjancent to Scripp-Florida. Every student get merit scholarship. Chemistry and Biology student will get $10,000 per year scholarship from National Science Foudation. Every student do research/thesis. Some chemistry student continue their Ph.D. study at place like Caltech and MIT. It is a rather friendly relax place. No a big name school, easy to get into. Consider it a safety.</p>
<p>Oh and don't be thrown by the name. St John's is not religiously affiliated. We have a state school in Maryland named St Mary's. Go figure - it is named after the town.</p>
<p>My daughter is very similar in profile to your son. She's a freshman at Claremont McKenna College in California. They look for "leadership" and lots of extracurricular involvement from very bright students. There is a CMC type-very bright-very social-very athletic. If your son is interested in History it could be wonderful for him. His GPA may be a little on the low side. The average SAT is 1400 so he is in the range there. We visited over parents' weekend and were very impressed. An added benefit is that is one of the most diverse of the top LACs both ethnically and economically. They meet 100% of need with a very generous financial aid package and very little in the way of student loans. Four nights a week there are nationally known speakers at a dinner open to all students at the Athenaeum, We are very liberal politically, CMC has a big poli-sci and government focus and they pride themselves on a student body that represents all ends of the political spectrum. My daughter has actually really enjoyed the dialogue that fosters.</p>
<p>He's a sophomore, therefore I think the majority of posters are seriously underestimating the power of a male applicant with 1450+ SATs, three sports, big ECs, and a 92 average. He'd be a winner at a bunch of schools--including some of the top ones--particularily if your school doesn't send a lot of kids to top schools.</p>
<p>Check out the scattergrams at your school if they keep them.</p>
<p>Make sure he does well on the junior year PSATs so that he might qualify for NM.</p>
<p>Take the SATIIs as he completes the subject in high school.</p>
<p>PM soozievt about how to 'sell' an avid skier to top schools.</p>
<p>Look at top schools where the ratio fo girls to boys is 60 to 40--which will give your sporty guy a boost.</p>
<p>Don't sell him short--and give him opportunities to excel in the next few years. Wait until you see what a difference those testorerone boosts will give him. He's going to become a much more focused boy in the next 18 months--particularily in areas that interest him. Let him soar.</p>
<p>Come on over to the Sinner's Alley thread where mOthers of The Sons From Hell and The Sons From Space have been collecting merit awards and acceptances that only seemed like a dream two years ago.</p>
<p>Boys are not girls. Most of them are nowhere near as diligent as girls when it comes to high school. Trust adcom to pick out undeveloped male talent when they see it.</p>
<p>Have you thought on enrolling him in a summer program? If he needs structure, I'd recommend one of the boarding school programs such as that offered by Exeter, Andover, Taft, etc. rather than one of the college programs for high school students, but those are possibilities too. If history is his "thing," he can take history. </p>
<p>The work load will be more than he's used to. He'll get some help with his writing. If he's lucky, he will get a teacher who will spark some interest. Years ago, my college boy friend's parents did this for his kid sister. She ended up with mono--from working so hard and sleeping so little. It was actually pretty funny, because she'd never cared about or done well at school before and they never dreamed she'd overwork herself.They had sent her there to try to get her SOMEWHAT interested in academics and it really exceeded their expectations. </p>
<p>Yes, most of these programs are expensive, but some do give scholarships. Even if you end up paying full freight, it can be well worth it if it turns your kid around academically. </p>
<p>It may help answer some qustions as to how high he should aim as well. If he goes and comes back raving about how great it was and he really gets into studying, then go for the reach school. If he coasts through without working much, then don't. </p>
<p>It's just an idea. If he's that "into" history, he might really enjoy it.</p>
<p>Jonri's point is a good one IMO. Have you looked into CTY? My S did it last summer - might be too late to apply but might still be spots. The first time these kinds of guys hit a pool of their peers who don't necessarily fit the geek mold it can really jump start them.</p>
<p>I also thought that this fellow needs a summer college experience. I highly recommend William and Mary's PreCollegiate Summer Program in Colonial History..they also offer a three week course in post Colonial to Civil War History. My sons have also done CTY. I cannot praise the Wm and Mary staff highly enough. This is a college credited course with a field trip every day and 1500 pages (I think that is what son told me) of juried history journal articles to peruse over the session. Excellent lecturers and field PhDs whereever you travel in this course. Very high quality leadership from staff there. My son at Duke is still building on the foundation that this program laid for him in history, and is still very appreciative. My son went at age 16 and they opened his eyes to what college was going to hold for him.<br>
Also I saw St. Johns Santa Fe last summer..lovely setting on the hills right out of town.</p>
<p>Adigal, Welcome! My son's scores and grades (I think, would an 89 be a B+?) were in the same ballpark as your son's. He wasn't involved in team sports but is very outdoorsy and physically active. He's had a wonderful run at Williams for many of the reasons that you've mentioned: Small classes, extroverted intellectually engaged kids with multiple interests, nurturing supportive professors. Being surrounded by super achievers has been a very good thing for him.</p>
<p>Although the academics at Williams -- and I would think Wesleyan -- can be very intense, unless you're aiming for all A's you'll manage okay. If they accept you they want to keep you and there is plenty of academic support.</p>
<p>Other LACs that my son was interested in that I think would fit your son's wish list are Hamilton, Skidmore, Kenyon, Conn College. I'd add Middlebury to that list. My son didn't look at Wheaton but he has a friend there who really loves the place. He's a classic brilliant under achiever. I recently spoke to his father who is a PhD with top school credentials and he was thrilled with the education and internship opportunities that his son was receiving at Wheaton.</p>
<p>Recommendations, essays and a holistic presentation of what for lack of better word I would call his "persona" have a big impact on admissions at selective LACs. His sports and Ecs are very good. He should be thinking about how to reinforce and overlay his interests to round out his on-paper personality. Also, if the faculty at his high school are as laid back as you say, he needs to be very selective about who will be writing his recommendations in order to make sure that intellectual spark is adequately highlighted.</p>
<p>last thought Colby College..very intimate family like setting with faculty and friends. Anyone going to a small school stuck in the snow without a night life alternative needs a good head on his or her shoulders re drinking however. But they have terrific outdoor fun there and get a terrific education...graduates love the place.</p>
<p>With skiing, since you looked at Williams, have you also thought of:</p>
<p>Vassar, where being a boy is a slight competitive advantage, as it is at any LAC these days, since "everybody" says university sports and science grad schools appeal to boys. I don't get it, but that's the conventional wisdom out there. </p>
<p>Amherst College where the workload is very serious but they explicitly mention their "family" environment. They still have "open curriculum" (like Brown) so no departmental distribution requirements. In fact, the faculty advisors encourage students to round out their schedule across the disciplines, and most do just that. It's in the FIve College Consortium, so even though there're only 1800 students (50/50 male/female), there are many more students (25,000) at the other 4 campuses (Smith [l00% women], Mt. Holyoke [100%women] , UMass at Amherst [large state flagship u] Hampshire [created by the other 4 in the l960's to allow maximum coursework interaction across all 5 campuses, graduated documentary filmmaker Ken Brooks). Free connecting shuttle busses, open course exchange among the 5; open EC's for the most part. However, I'm not sure where he'd ski except cross-country? Downhill, maybe at Mt. Tom on the Holyoke Range nearby, but if you're from the West, Mt. Tom is to laugh so depends on expectations :) Very selective; no interviews (so they can't meet this charming fellow) but if he can write sparkling on his essay, he could show his personality that way. They read every essay, rec letter, etc. with great care rather than interview applicants. Always a "high reach" because of the numbers applying, and they turn away triple-800's when they must, so never ever count on these top LAC's with high selectivity ratios. No frats, although there's an optional party culture among sports team students left over from the bad old days when it was an all male college, I guess. </p>
<p>Univ of Vermont, I've heard, is beloved by skiiers and hugely fun.</p>
<p>adigal: Don't forget to run the EFC calculator. It might be helpful for you (if you might need aid) to have a rough idea what pricing factors might be lurking behind your decision of what schools to tour.</p>
<p>I still don't see why all these rural LACs. The kid feels like he is in a "culturally underdeveloped" area, and likes courses that are far from the usual core (which are the vast bulk of classes at even the best LACs.)</p>
<p>I'd throw out Williams, Colby, Middlebury, Vassar, Hamilton, Colgate, Carleton, Conn College, Kenyon, Skidmore, etc. as not even being close to meeting his expressed needs and aspirations. Amherst only because of the Five-College Consortium.</p>
<p>I'd find urban, mid-sized universities, or state universities with good honors programs, or, if you must, LACs in urban areas, and preferably those in consortia. Pitzer meets all the characteristics specified, and is one hour from skiing. Evergreen is an hour and a half. Maybe Tufts.</p>
<p>Your point is very good that he likes culture, and the schools we are looking at are for the most part, rural. Thanks - that is what I was hoping to get from you all!</p>