Just another update on DS… He took the SAT in October and then he applied to his remaining schools. His GPA is a 2…9 and RSAT is 1040.
Accepted
Ole Miss
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Alabama
University of South Alabama
East Carolina University
Eastern Kentucky University
Kent State
SCAD
Still waiting to hear from University of Kentucky and LSU. Both are reach schools. Hoping to hear by Thanksgiving.
Congrats to all who have had acceptances! There are so many options out there for our children!
@SadGyalAl16 have you considered Towson or Salisbury U in MD? Both have strong nursing programs and your stats sound very much in line with the applicants who are accepted. My DS16 is at Salisbury now for Computer Info Systems and really likes it. He has several friends in the nursing and education programs and they all have positive feedback on their professors and the courses. Our DS had a 1090 SAT and a bit higher than a 3.0, but did not have an especially difficult courseload. Just figured I’d pass these suggestions along.
Just to share, in recent years my students with similar stats have gotten into Arizona, Northern Arizona (with WUE it made it affordable), Nevada (Reno), New Mexico State, and Boise State. I think when a student has similar stats, it is important to apply early action. It just seems to help in the student being successful with admissions. The most surprising acceptance one of my students got was one with a 3.1 with a 24 ACT getting into Purdue (non-engineering major).
One way I teach my students with similar stats to find colleges is through the collegedata website. On the admission tab I try to find an acceptance rate of at least 20% for students in their grade range or lower matching their ACT/SAT score. I then make sure they do a quality application and apply early. So far everyone has been able to find an affordable college and some have even gotten merit. What I love hearing (which is usually the case) is that all are doing better academically in college than they did in high school.
My kids aren’t class of 2018 (they are currently juniors) but DD’s GPA is hovering at 3.0 and DS’s likely won’t get there, but they will both be going on to 4-year schools. While I understand that high school GPA is a predictor of college GPA, in our case our kids have faced so much in middle and high school that we don’t feel they shouldn’t keep going with their educations just because they are in the middle of the pack and not superstars at this point. I appreciate the success stories and the support here.
I can really use the comaraderie of parents in this situation. My daughter has a 2.8 and SAT scores of 1100 (510 in Math, 600 in English), does poorly in Math and Science and okay in English, takes a lot of art courses and enjoys them but is not especially talented at the moment (though I tell her it takes practice). She says she wants to be a creative writing major. She has some LD issues, but isn’t that bad, and her public high school hasn’t been much help. She could have really used some good teaching in high school, which she didn’t get.
I really would love to see her in a small LAC with personalized instruction, where she isn’t just a number. She loves to participate in class discussions. So I’ve been looking at many of the Colleges that Change Lives schools, and she’ll apply to some, but really, what is her chance of getting into those schools with a lousy 2.8? And her only honors class is AP English, as well as Regent’s classes because we are in NY. She’s applying to:
Warren Wilson
Agnes Scott
Goucher
McDaniel
Guilford
Eckerd
Wells
as well as various SUNYs, Purchase, Oneota, Fredonia, Potsdam, probably others, all of which list averages starting well over 3.0, which are ideal price-wise but I fear too big for a kid who needs a professor to recognize her face.
@redpoint as a fellow NYer, I would suggest looking into some of the small catholic colleges like Canisius, St. Bonaventure and Niagara. They sound like exactly the type of educational environment you are looking for.
@redpoint I would recommend Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. I think 1200 or 1800 students? Nice little campus, very close knit and the students definitely form tight relationships with their professors. My son decided it was too small, but I loved it! I think she would have a very good shot. And in my experience, she will get the merit for having a 3.0 GPA if she gets accepted, even if she doesn’t have a 3.0.
There are a lot of small schools in North and South Carolina that offer the small classes, art and are in small towns. Queens, Limestone, Presbyterian, Beaumont Abbey. Flagler is a lively college right in St. Augustine FL.
Just a general statement here. There is a great school for just about every kid. Don’t think not going to a Ivy or top notch state school is the end of the world. For every University of Texas student there are 10 Texas State or University of Texas at San Antonio students. Those kids are just as happy with there choices as any one else. College confidential kinds of skews the numbers but there are plenty of kids like ours out there. This is a great thread and it helps more people than you would every imagine.
Great point @Grainraiser. My friend’s Stanford grad D is now working with Oregon State and UC Merced grads in her science-related job. There are many paths to success.
DS was accepted to the University of Kentucky and we are thrilled! Still need to hear from LSU. DS decided to apply to VCU Arts as well. Even though he didn’t like VCU, we recognize that VCU Arts is top notch. Not sure he will even get in to the Art school but it’s worth a shot since it is in-state tuition for us.
It would REALLY boost her self confidence right about now to get a letter of acceptance from anyone. She hasn’t heard anything from anyone other than Community Colleges-- her safeties-- and it would be wonderful for her to know that someone has chosen her to attend their school. I’m confident that she applied to schools she’ll get into, but it would be nice for her to get the confidence boost. She had a crying session last night about not getting in anywhere.
@bjkmom This is such a stressful time for our kids. Colleges are getting inundated with applications and we are all on pins and needles waiting to hear. Schools with rolling admissions tend to make their decisions quickly in September and early October, but after that they get backlogged and it takes a long time. I hope you daughter hears something very soon!
@redpoint --Bloomfield College in NJ would take a student with that GPA and probably give a scholarship for the SAT. They have a solid creative writing program. The poet Patrick Rosal (huge national reputation), went there.
bjkmom,have her apply to both Iowa State University and University of Nebraska Lincoln. Both schools are fairly large, but are super quick in letting you know if you are accepted. They are more about standardized test score than g.p.a.'s. Both schools have very large endowments and give out Merit Money. OOS tuition is’nt bad.