She IS a high stat student…who is looking for merit aid at some pretty competitive schools.
Maybe I missed it…but how much in merit aid do you need for her to attend these schools?
Any chance she will be retaking the SAT? Her score is quite good, but she might have a better chance at merit aid at competitive colleges with a higher SAT score.
This is the type of information perhaps a college consultant can help you tease out!
I don’t think OP needs merit aid, sounds like it would be a nice to have. He is more concerned to find schools that are right fit. If I could afford it, I would do the same. Merit money is a way for schools to buy talent and upgrade.
I can see why it would be nice to have the siblings close to each other for holidays and breaks so they could get together. Just something to keep in mind, but air travel within the US has really declined. Delays and cancellations are so common now, that I have my kids fly out the night before an international trip. It is a real pain but I just can’t count on the connection any more, even with precheck and global entry. Just a mess.
@menloparkmom 1440 SAT, IB (4 Higher Levels per semester) all 6s & 7s which translates to someowhere near a 4.0 UW depending on which school is doing the calculation. Weighted, IDK close to a 5.0 I guess (there’s no direct formula) 6 days a week ballet with summer intensives at American Ballet Theater and Boston Ballet. Currently at Ashiya International Ballet School in Japan studying ballet and attending international school in Kobe. Started human Rights Club at her school and interested in social justice and mental health.
Both of girls spent almost every summer at ABT while in high school. D2 tried to convince me to let her go to a high school in NYC so she could focus more on ballet. They ended up going to the same large uni and danced at the club level. By the time they got to college they just couldn’t dance 20+ hours/week with very intensive course loads.
Your daughter will find social justice and human rights opportunities at just about every college. She will also be able to major in psychology just about anywhere.
However…she sounds like a bright young lady…and you said she was interested in some competitive schools in the northeast.
I’m still not clear why she wants to continue ballet at this level once she gets to college.
She could find dancing opportunities in many places.
What was the matter with the three college consultants you got estimates from? Did any of them have the skill set you think you need for your daughter?
@ReelLife
will she be a Jr or Sr this coming year?
if she will be a Jr, then have her take the PSAT in Oct- somewhere, somehow- it can lead to lots of merit $$ at many colleges, including USC !
And have her take the SAT again, toward the end of her Jr year.
@thumper1 The only reason she takes ballet is because she loves it. It doesn’t have to be in school, it could be at a local studio outside of school. As far as consultants, one outsourced the work to students which I didn’t like and one I’m still considering and in fact, just talked to her again this morning- she seems to really know her stuff. I think maybe I just wanted a reality check- am I crazy to pay this. Also, maybe I could get recommendations for others I might check.
@menloparkmom Thanks for the feedback. She’s a rising senior and frankly, her SAT scores are plenty good enough. The school counselor and I are joining forces to stop her from taking the test again because she doesn’t need to put the pressure on herself to do any more or any better than she’s already doing. She’s taking the subject tests in the fall and there’s not room in the schedule for more than that.
Scores have changed. More kids prep, more kids take the tests multiple times. The standard for what constitutes good scores has changed. Nothing wrong with the current scores, but they are on the low side for the most competitive colleges. Something like 30k students score over 750 in math, and 25k do so in verbal. Scores are particularly high among upper middle class girls, who apply to college in disproportionately high numbers.
@roycroftmom According to stats she’s done better than 97% of test takers. That’s plenty good. She’ll end up where she ends up. I can read statistics, her scores are adequate to get her into most schools. Don’t worry about her, she’ll be fine. I would like her to maintain the attitude that learning is not a contest.
I really appreciate everyone’s feedback. Again, it’s awesome! So thanks. I do get a little protective of my DD when people encourage her to do more and spend more and retake tests and all that madness. I just want the application procedure to be a time when she can express who she is and find a place where she will be happy and comfortable. It’s not about getting into the shiniest name brand school. Just so you understand where I’m coming from. That’s why the original question was about finding a consultant to guide that process. And then everyone started talking about money and test scores and all that. I know we parents want the absolute best for our kids and we’re all very passionate about college admissions, but she really needs to find a place to thrive and if it’s Local Town Community College or nowhere or some Ivy, I’m fine. I don’t need her to prove to anyone anything, I just want her to find the fit for where she is, not try to become someone else’s idea of what she could be. So thanks everyone for helping me clarify the process a bit. And I’m sure over the next few months it will evolve and become soemthing different than it is today. So thanks for your patience as my DD and our family figure this all out! What a journey!
@ReelLife I like your attitude about your D and this process. It suggests to me that you don’t need the services of a consultant. Finding a good fit for her is important, and I suggest spending your money on college visits (after researching them here or elsewhere) instead. Good luck!
We did it ourselves for D1,and hired a consultant for D2. In regard to your ED decision, consultant had a three pronged rule. 1- If I get into this school, I will happily rescind every other decision and celebrate. 2- I can afford to pay sticker price (excluding need-based aid included in the school’s NPC). 3- my parents are completely on-board with my decision. Both girls did as many early action apps for their chosen schools as possible. D2 had a much better admission rate than D1, which I attribute to the professional counseling. In a word, they know what the schools are looking for,and shape the package better than we did with D1. D2 also really bonded with her consultant, which had a positive impact on the process. I felt a left out at times with D2, but it’s not about me…it’s about the fit. I will say that both girls got into their first choice of school, although D1 was initially deferred. So…it came out great for both!
I would echo the chorus that you really need to visit the schools, or at least visit a variety of schools to get a feel for what your daughter wants. Both schools visited a school that was their top choice on paper, that fell absolutely flat when visiting! One turned out to be WAY too rural… she thought that sounded great until she got there. The other one packaged itself beautifully, but was jaw droppingly awful. It was abundantly clear that students who attended had never visited. We did ten schools with D2. Only three ended up on the final application list, but she added others she had not visited based on a higher level of knowledge of what she did and did not want. No more rural, or giant schools… and we learned some great tools about judging the specific major departments by seeing a variety. One of her majors is art… I can really “see”art departments now!!
Op’s D will not be considered as an international and her application will be read within her region, both of those factors will be to her advantage. Her SAt scores will be compared with other Japanese students, not necessary with the overall population.
FYI, even though my kids danced at the club level, many of those dancers in the club(s) were semi professional level. There are some top tier schools that are more interested to have performing arts students than others, so the daughter may have more of a hook. Schools like Columbia and Barnard have many dancer applicants, so having dance as an EC may not be as impressive as at a school like Duke or Princeton. I know a young man who is going to Columbia as a part time freshman so he could continue to dance at the nyc ballet, but he is in the company.
Op - you may have heard that ED is one free option an applicant has and i would encourage your daughter to use it and use it wisely. Visit the school and make sure it is the one. D2 dated a young man from Swarthmore. He was a very talented musician. He loved it, but may not be for everyone.
Like what?
I mean no disrespect, and yes, the scores are good, but suggest a lot of caution before you focus on Swarthmore or similar schools, with a score range of 1440 to 1550. An unhooked female applicant near the bottom of the score midrange is very unlikely to be admitted. Finding the right fit works on both sides of the process. I would agree you should hire a counselor.
Correction Swarthmore range is 1420 to 1550.
Here are Facts & Figures on Swarthmore
https://www.swarthmore.edu/about/facts-figures
@roycroftmom is right - it’s a reach. But it’s a reach for everyone, not just your D.
There are plenty of excellent liberal arts schools where a 1440 would put your D at the 50% or higher range. Take a look at those - You can still apply to Swarthmore, just make sure you’ve got some Matches and Safeties as well. Because small liberal arts schools have small sized freshmen classes, there are fewer seats that everyone is vying for. Makes them very competitive.
Keep us posted.