<p>S is a sophmore, recently took the PSAT (50cr, 50m, 48w), his average is 78-80 (standard classes, no honors; small prvt sch doesn't offer APs) and his only EC is chess club.</p>
<p>I was considering the usual suspect - - former women's college, now co-ed and actively seeking boys to remedy gender imbalance. </p>
<p>Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>What are his interests?</p>
<p>S is increasingly interested in art; he just juried into a MOMA showing of high school works (only 40 works selected).</p>
<p>Is your son interested in pursuing art? Has he looked into colleges of art? There are many, ranging from RISD, Savannah College of Art, and state-based ones such as Mass College of Art. I believe that such colleges put less emphasis on pure academics and board scores. </p>
<p>Depending on his interests, he could also look into graphic designing and other majors that would make the best use of his talents and interests.</p>
<p>In addition to marite's question about whether he wants an art school or art curriculum... what else can you tell us about his preferences?</p>
<p>Large school or small? Geography? Urban/rural? Greek/not? Sports scene or not? All of the usual questions. Some of us have worked with kids of this caliber. Tons of places available to them, but hard to suggest without knowing his "wants and needs."</p>
<p>At this stage of the game, S doesn't want an art school (and DH hates the idea of art school or commun college). S would prefer LAC not too far from home (Mid-Atlantic, New Eng, Mid-West) or too conservative. He has no real interest in frats or sports, and no real pref re: urban/suburban/town/rural.</p>
<p>Some smaller schools in the East* where kids of similar stats have had admissions success: Bryant, Roger Williams, Manhattanville, Champlain, UMary Washington, Hartwick, Eckerd.</p>
<p>I think the GPA is, perhaps, where he might put his efforts over the coming year, as opposed to the test scores. Getting solidly into the 80's would be helpful.</p>
<p>I don't think you necessarily need to look to formerly all women's schools to get the gender advantage; rather any school that might be bumping up against a 60/40 female/male ratio regardless of history</p>
<p>*not that he should change his regional preference, but he does give up any geographic-diversity admissions advantage by staying closer to home</p>
<p>Thanks - I should have also included South East as an area he will consider and diversity as a factor of some significance (he was totally turned off by Roger Wm 1% black). Also, while rural is ok, remote is not.</p>
<p>I am hoping that the grades will go up. The PSAT score put college squarely on his radar and he has suddenly become aware of the relationship b/w his high school performance and college admission (apparently, he spent the entire last year asleep while his sisters applied to college).</p>
<p>OK, if you are interested in the SE, Belmont University in Nashville. It is a "University", but really a small masters uni/large LAC. Roanoke College in Roanoke Va, VCU in Richmond (it is a mid to large commuter uni, and may not be a good fit, but I mention it because it has some notable art programs, a place to minor in art and major in business or a health science field), Oglethorpe in Atlanta, a big city LAC with public trans at the doorstep. UNC- Asheville. I'm not sure that these aren't all reaches, but this is a smattering of schools I'm trying to interest my son in, his stats are fairly similar. The bad thing about the South (maybe North, too, I don't know) is that the smaller, less selective LACs are heavily filled with local kids, rich kids whose parents can afford full freight and are concerned about sending their offspring to big state U, etc,etc, not the most diverse schools.</p>
<p>We, too, are hoping for miracles with grades and test scores.</p>
<p>What about Goucher in Baltimore?</p>
<p>If "practical art" is a priority then you might consider Rhode Island School of Design.</p>
<p>If he is mainly C+ check out some of the smaller private colleges in NC,VA, PA. Wesley in Delaware. Bethany in WV.</p>
<p>All good suggestions, but U of Mary Washington is definitely going to be reach school. Might look into Champlain College, Fairleigh Dickinson, Merrimack, Suffolk U, Sacred Heart, De Sales, Rider U, Adelphi, Arcadia, and Touro.</p>
<p>Plenty of time to boost both SAT scores, and have a rising gpa next year.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be this: This summer, take him to visit a few colleges that would be just out of reach with his grades and test scores, as well as a few that would be in range if things don't change. Make sure he understands that his grades and test scores in junior year will be the deciding factor. Sometimes boys need to be able to visualize the possibilities before they get motivated. :) I'm assuming you have already ruled out any possibilty of a learning disability, and I would encourage you to provide whatever support he may need to get up to speed (tutoring, for example). </p>
<p>Endicott College in MA has a nice art program, and Lesley University in Boston has an affiliation with the Mass. Art Institute. Both would probably fall in the "in range now" category. More competitive options leaning towards the "just out of range" category might include Guilford College, the Mass. College of Liberal Arts, McDaniel in MD, Goucher in MD., and possibly Quinnipiac in CT, as well as many of the suggestions already given. (Some are a little more of a stretch than others, but the idea is to get him TO stretch next year).</p>
<p>What about York College in York PA? I don't know anything about the art programs there, but it is a very nice LAC.</p>
<p>Carolyn is spot on. My S and I went out and "looked" at a few colleges the summer between his soph and junior year. Not only did the informal visits help him decide he didn't want to go to a big U, the admissions folks were very happy to emphasize that he needed to keep his GPA at 3.5 or better to be an admit even though he was taking the "toughest" classes. My son is so laid back he's practially prone and he was all over the place grade-wise depending on if he "liked" the class or not. The admissions folks didn't say anything different than I have said, but the whole act of sitting in an office on a campus brings the reality home. S#1 clearly understood that he alone would determine where he went to college. I have recommended this to several friends and I plan on doing the same thing (post soph visits) with Son #2 and Son #3. The added benefit is they really do get a sense of what size, type of campus appeals which makes it much easier to come up with a "list" for the rising senior.</p>
<p>Happy to see that we're on the right track. I had planned to have him tour a few colleges this summer: Bennington, Hampshire, Mahnattanville and Sarah Lawrence. I'll try to add an art school (RISDI?) to gauge his interest.Goucher and Guilforrd (portfolio option!) are definitely on the list, but not during the summer, when we head north to escape the heat/humidity. S will also begin SAT tutoring this summer (he has tutors during the sch year and we're waiting for the results of psych eval to see whether he has any LDs).</p>
<p>Interesting to see Oglethorpe - - where I can kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone (D3, who, definitely has college fever, is dying to see Spelman, Geo Tech and Ag Scott). Same for Eckerd, in which D3 has expressed an interest.</p>
<p>If you come to look at Goucher, check out McDaniel - it is only about 45 minutes from Goucher.</p>
<p>If he is a sophmore and his aptitude scores look promising, I think it is way too early to downgrade college choices. I commend your proactive approach to getting ready for college. If your s can get motivated and significantly bring up his grades, and perhaps take a few advanced courses in his junior or senior year, you may find yourself "upgrading" your list of potential colleges. You say he doesn't have much in the way of extra-curriculars but if has a gift for art and pursues this as well as the chess thing, this may be more than enough for extra-curriculars.</p>
<p>Hi-I think he should reconsider the idea of art school. I'm an artist and getting into a show at MOMA is as competitive as it gets. On the other hand his grades and stats are mediocre. It sounds like he has what it takes to be admitted to a top art school. Is a mediocre LAC going to prepare him for life better than a top art school? I don't think so. Places like Parsons or RISD can prepare their students for careers other than that of a fine artist. A BFA can be a preparatory degree for a degree in Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Industrial Design, Advertising, Interior Design etc etc etc. Some art and design schools have undergraduate programs leading to a bachelors degree in the above fields-with good professional jobs possible after graduation. And with enough talent and discipline the life of a fine artist can be a wonderful life as well. I think the propaganda in this country is that talent in the visual arts can't lead to a mainstream career. Our young neighbors are an art director for a major company and a product designer for a huge household name shoe company. In their early 30s they are starting out their married lives in a $450,000 house. There is a whole new demographic of sucessful young people called "the young creatives," who have leveraged their visual skills and creative thinking into a comfortable livelihood. Tell your husband not to sell your son's talent short.</p>