CC newbie saying hi, sharing nervousness (LOL), and asking for insight

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi all. Just wanted to say hello, let you know how helpful I'm finding all of your posts, and see if anyone wants to share any words of wisdom or tips with me. I'm a mom of four, with the oldest being a senior. I think we have a good set of schools picked out for my son, but I'm so nervous about his getting in and then about how much financial aid we're going to get. </p>

<p>We live in upstate NY and he wants to stay within relatively easy driving distance. Our list at this point is Williams, Bard, Vassar, Hampshire, Wesleyan, and UVM. He wanted to apply ED to Williams, so that's what he did, but we're not even at the application deadline yet and the waiting is already killing me. (He's quite laid back, though, so it's completely NOT bothering him at all - which is great!)</p>

<p>Williams and Wesleyan are the reach schools. Bard, Vassar, and Hampshire are the matches. And UVM is the safety (though financially, we need to think about that some more since they're known for not giving much FA). We had SUNY New Paltz as a safety school too, but when we visited, he didn't like it much at all. (I had pretty serious concerns as well.) I suppose Hampshire could be considered a likely/safety school, but not as definite as UVM.</p>

<p>His stats and such are very good but they're not nearly as stellar as a lot of what I've seen on this site!
SAT: R 710, M 790, W 630
HS Avg: 3.8 unweighted (taking all AP and honors courses)
SAT II: just took Math Level II and US History, so no scores right now
ECs are seemingly lighter than many students', but the handful he has he's been doing for years and is very, very passionate about. (I hope that helps make up for the lack of quantity.)</p>

<p>He's an interesting kid with some very interesting experiences. Some of that I think colleges will pick up on but some of it I know they won't/can't. For example, he's an incredibly independent thinker and didn't at all fit into our very rigid and structured middle school, so he ended up being home-schooled for 7th and 8th grades. When he was 12 and 13, he took regular math and Spanish courses at our local community college, earning 16 credits and getting an A in each course. (Transcript has been sent to the colleges.) He also got very heavily involved with an immersive wilderness program that has become a critical component of his life and that he is still participating in. And he's a pretty amazing song writer and self-taught guitar player, and is lead guitar and vocals in a rock band (another critical component of his life). (After being startled by his raw skills, we did then sign him up for both guitar and vocal lessons, both of which he still takes.)</p>

<p>To me, his biased mom, those things help make him a very unique and interesting individual. But I don't know if colleges will agree or if he'll just be par for the course as far as applicants are concerned. </p>

<p>What colleges won't necessarily see (but hopefully will get a glimpse of through his essays since they ended up being VERY reflective of who he is) is HIM - the introspective, long-haired, bearded, philosophical vegetarian who walks a couple miles to school bare-footed every day (even though he could take the bus) and who sleeps out back in our little playhouse-turned-into-a-sleeping-shack more often than he sleeps inside in his bedroom. Yes, he's different! :)</p>

<p>So far, we've visited Williams, Hampshire, UVM, and New Paltz. He likes them in that order, with New Paltz actually getting crossed off the list. He's not super crazy about UVM but thinks he'd be fine there. He wanted to apply ED to Williams because he found the tutorials very appealing, got good vibes from the people we met, really liked the campus, and it's the closest to home. But since Williams is so hard to get into, we've gone ahead and scheduled visits to Bard and Vassar in the next couple of weeks just to get them under our belt. Wesleyan is also very hard to get into and is a bit farther of a drive for us, so we'll save that visit for later if we need it.</p>

<p>Any insight into what kind of interest Williams might have in an applicant like my son? If he doesn't get accepted there, can you think of other schools that might be particularly good fits for him that are within a couple hours drive from New York's capital region? It would be nice to have another one or two "matches" on the list if we need to go back to it.</p>

<p>Sorry this is so long!! And thanks for sharing anything you think might be helpful! :)</p>

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<p>Welcome Fosterre…</p>

<p>Since we are waaaayyyy down south, sorry to say have limited knowledge or experience with the schools you mentioned. (Although I did try to peak my son’s interest in Hampshire, but he is just not interested in going that far north.)</p>

<p>From everything I have heard about ECs, it is truly about quality (ie passion) and not quantity (ie getting involved in everything just to pad the ol’ resume. ) Your son’s stats seem pretty strong and I can tell you are a proud mom. I am sure others with more experience can ascertain whether you have got the right mix of reaches, matches and likelies.</p>

<p>Just wanted to say Welcome to CC!!</p>

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<p>Williams has a low acceptance rate (17 percent) and is a tough school for any student, conventional or unconventional, to gain acceptance to. Your son’s stats seem to put him in the mix, but as is the case with any school that takes fewer than 1 in 5 applicants, there’s no easy way to predict his chances.</p>

<p>Hampshire, on the other hand, has an acceptance rate of around 60 percent. You son’s stats are well above the school’s average. I would be very surprised if he was not offered a seat at Hampshire. It’s a great school for outside-the-box kids.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that applying to Williams ED1 make sense, but your son should prepare to apply to other schools if Williams doesn’t pan out.</p>

<p>You may want to schedule visits ASAP so that your son will have the option to apply ED2 if he falls in love with a second school. Some schools won’t scheduling interviews past Christmas.</p>

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<p>I think he has a good chance at Bard, and is a shoe-in at UVM. I don’t know Hampshire, but imagine his chances are excellent there too. Williams is obviously pretty much a lottery school. You just have to hope for the best - the nice thing about ED is unless he gets deferred - he’ll have an answer. (My older son got deferred at 2 EA schools, but happily had already heard from one of his safeties that he was in and was going to get a merit scholarship.) If finances are an issue you may still want to look at schools that offer good merit aid if you don’t like any of the SUNY’s.</p>

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<p>Did he consider SUNY Geneseo as a safety?</p>

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<p>Thanks, kelijake1987, for the nice welcome!</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the thoughts so far! No, we haven’t looked at Geneseo. It’s quite a bit farther away from home than he wants to be and I think it would also be too traditional for him. </p>

<p>He has submitted EA applications to Bard, UVM, and Hampshire. Both Vassar and Wesleyan have Jan 1 ED2 dates, so I was thinking he could try that route if he doesn’t get into Williams and ends up picking one of them as a clear 2nd choice. </p>

<p>I just have a feeling that time is going to go so s-l-o-w-l-y the next several months!</p>

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<p>Welcome. New Yorker and Williams mom.</p>

<p>I am sure your son is awesome and everything you say he is. However, as folks have indicated it’s a hard get. I think my son was accepted because he wanted to study in very undersubscribed departments – music and classics.</p>

<p>Nothing in the profile you posted screams Williams admit, but you never know. Don’t be fooled by the higher ED acceptance rate. A lot of those acceptances are URM’s, athletes, legacies and development kids.</p>

<p>Having said all that, my kid applied at the same schools and would have been happy at any of them. Sometimes I wished he had attended a different one.</p>

<p>If the deadline hasn’t past, you might want to apply EA to Bard. If Williams is a rejection or a deferral (I went through this scenario with my D) it’s nice to have that Bard acceptance. I think Bard will love his Math SAT score.</p>

<p>I feel a bit concerned that you don’t have a financial safety. UVM is a wonderful school, but it’s pricey for out of staters.</p>

<p>You might consider insisting that he apply to one SUNY. One of mine had Albany, one Stony Brook. We did get FA, but it was nice knowing I could afford to send them to college.</p>

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<p>OP- it’s an anxious time for sure.</p>

<p>Does your HS have naviance and can you see where kids with your son’s profile have been accepted (and have not)? that’s going to be more valuable to you than hearing about a random kid on a ranch in Wyoming who got into Williams. Where your son’s stats line up with other kids from his HS is more predictive than anything the rest of us can tell you. Yes, what makes him special as a human being and his other interests may or may not push him over the edge- but seeing where other kids from his HS have gone will give you some reassurance.</p>

<p>The single best piece of advice I got during the application period was to remember that these colleges are first and foremost academic institutions. Yes, it is nice to have written a novel by age 16 or to have played at Carnegie Hall. But the starting point will be your son’s academic profile.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I agree you’ll sleep better with a financial safety or two in hand. Any interest in the Canadian schools? Or for his music interests… SUNY Purchase?</p>

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<p>Hello New Yorker and Williams mom!! For Williams, my son indicated interest in Philosophy. I have no idea what that will mean for him. Yes, we learned about the higher ED acceptance rate (I think from this forum), and it was discouraging to say the least. It is what it is though. Your child applied at the same ones we’re looking at?? That’s neat. </p>

<p>I really think my son would be happy at any of the ones we’re currently looking at, but I hope I’m not missing any other obvious ones. I just hate not knowing. I’m a planner, and it pains me to not be able to plan, to just be sitting here waiting to hear. LOL </p>

<p>Yep, we made Bard’s EA deadline and we’re visiting on Nov 17, so we’ll see how all of that goes.</p>

<p>Our true financial safety is his living at home and attending one of the local community colleges. I’ve fussed with the NPCs, and while I know they’re not exact, it seems like we would end up having to pay about the same at the privates we’re looking at as a SUNY. It seems like it would be very unusual for us to get any aid for a SUNY. (Disclaimer: I’ve worked at SUNY System for almost 15 years and have lots of SUNY sources I’m always prodding for information.) I’m not terribly worried since we fortunately have his grandparents helping to pay for his college costs. Strangely enough (or perhaps not), it almost seems like UVM might be the most expensive one of the bunch for us. A little sad.</p>

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<p>These little LAC’s assume that most applicants are academically talented. I don’t think that either of my kids got into their chosen schools based on academics alone.</p>

<p>OP: Sorry we cross posted and my comments on Bard EA are extraneous. And I meant to say Binghamton, not Albany. UMass Amherst offered honors college with merit money. Something to think about.</p>

<p>Bard has several full tuition scholarships for science majors, at least they used to.</p>

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<p>These little LAC’s assume that most applicants are academically talented. I don’t think that either of my kids got into their chosen schools based on academics alone.</p>

<p>OP: Sorry we cross posted and my comments on Bard EA are extraneous. And I meant to say Binghamton, not Albany. UMass Amherst offered honors college with merit money. Something to think about.</p>

<p>Bard has several full tuition scholarships for science majors, at least they used to.</p>

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<p>Skidmore? Bowdoin too far? Middlebury not a safety but an easier admit than Williams.</p>

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<p>It might be possible for a student to like both Williams and Bard, but it would be a little odd. (My d. was accepted at both, attended neither, but, after visiting, Williams clearly wasn’t her cup of tea, and Bard would have been just fine. Got full tuition at Bard, really good aid at Williams, and went to Smith, mainly because the academics in her areas of interest were superior.)</p>

<p>I’m a Williams grad, and my wife a Hampshire dropout.</p>

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<p>Hi blossom. Yes, his school uses Naviance, and we (his father and I) have been using it regularly to look at the applied and accepted stats - what an amazing resource! DS just uses it for the basics of communication with his guidance counselor, forms, etc. Stat-wise, he’s right on the average scatterplot cusp for both Williams and Wesleyan, above for the others. </p>

<p>I have long loved McGill and secretly hoped that one of my children would go there, but it’s farther away than he would be willing to go. Also have thought a little bit about SUNY Purchase but am concerned about how different his scores are than their average ones. (I hope that doesn’t sound terrible. Before visiting New Paltz, I wouldn’t have had that concern, but after that visit I’ve been thinking more and more that he really would fit in a lot better in a generally higher intellectual environment.) I have a friend who works at Purchase, though, so I could touch base with her and see what she thinks.</p>

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<p>I know several kids at Purchase and would not describe any of them as intellectuals- but a few of them are truly gifted artists and the others are talented kids who may not have “come into their own” yet. I don’t think your concerns are off-base but it’s something to explore. </p>

<p>If he’s on the average for Williams and Wes all you can do is wait it out. I know kids who loved Wes who ended up at Conn College (not quite a safety but I don’t think it’s had the rise in popularity that Wes has had over the last few years.)</p>

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<p>fosterte, he sounds like a great kid. I think your list is well-thought-out and good as far as it goes, and I think he is likely to get into a number of the schools, but I would want to be really certain that you had a financial safety other than staying home and going to CC, which does NOT seem like an appropriate academic solution for a kid like this. I think SUNY Geneseo, the LAC of the SUNY system, or perhaps SUNY Purchase, would be decent choices.</p>

<p>I am a bit concerned about a 630 on the Writing section, but if one is going to have a significantly lower score, that is the place to have it… I hope that his essays show that he is a good writer.</p>

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<p>What about SUNY Bing? I’m curious what turned you off to New Paltz.</p>

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<p>With 4 kids,just be sure to consider all the kid’s needs. Especially with a high functioning first born(not uncommon), it can be tempting to tell the kid to go anywhere and we’ll pay for it. It is not uncommon (with other than wealthy families) to see the first kid going to an expensive private and the next ones going elsewhere and much cheaper. The younger kids can really feel shortchanged.Be sure the grandparents are committed too. Many tales here of grandparents/relatives that don’t end up coming through. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Consolation, I wish that writing section score had been a little higher too, but I didn’t want to make a big deal about it and have him keep taking the test until it was. I really like his essays a lot and hope they do show to the admissions folks that he is a good writer. I’m wondering if part of the issue on the writing part of the test is that his writing is very reflective of how his thinking tends to be a little different. At first, I was nervous his essays were too off-center but then I realized they show very clearly who he is, and I’m trusting that if a college doesn’t appreciate his writing, then that’s not the right place for him to be. He uses a lot of symbolism and metaphors. In his main essay, he talked about a significant experience - the first year of his Sacred Fire (coming of age) program whereby he had to be in the wilderness by himself for 24 hours tending a fire with no tools or tent, no cut wood, no food, and no assistance. He started by painting a very clear visual of a couple of the ups and downs of his tending the fire, but then he morphed it into a deep and philosophical discussion about <em>tending his fire</em> (if you know what I mean), the real lesson he got out of the experience. During the first year of middle school, a big part of his problems were the teachers just not being able to connect with or understand him, and if the test readers were anything like them, I can imagine imagine their being like “what in the world is this?!”. We’ll see. You either get it and love it, or you don’t. He needs to be someplace that gets it and loves it! :)</p>

<p>You guys have great ideas and suggestions, and I’m really glad I posted. Thank you!! I’m going to take a fresh look at Geneseo and Purchase with the focus on finding a SUNY to be a financial safety. No SUNY centers for this kid though. Buffalo and Stony Brook are too big and too urban for him. I don’t think Binghamton would be a good social fit, and I don’t think Albany would be a good academic fit.</p>