Good point! We will still apply and it will still be #1 on the list, but trying to be realistic and look for all other options too.
Studying Japanese is important to him. He already has done over a year of self study at home (plenty of time during the pandemic) and we will certainly emphasize that through essays, but as he said to me the other day āIām not paying 200K to learn Japaneseā so trying to be holistic and realistic about what we hope to accomplish with his college education"
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Love that show! Team Turkey Hill here!
We were actually visiting Temple yesterday! We also have a friend who goes to Temple Japan. Definitely donāt think he would want to spend all 4 years in Japan when he is concerned about being too far from home lol, but he does want to go there to study abroad so we need to consider it. Urban campuses are a little overwhelming for him, but weāll see. Yes, that GPA is unweighted. He has taken all AP and honors so his weighted is over 4.0, but I donāt think most colleges look at weighted anyway.
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Yes, it is funny that he wants to study abroad 1/2 way around the world, but not be too far away for his residential college! Heās a man of many contradictions actually. Heās actually very self aware and a total introvert and understands that he may need a transitional time in his 1st year or 2 where he can be residential, but still escape back to what he is familiar with if needed. He has anxiety and I think it best to stick with his wishes. We are fortunate to live in an area of the country that has a lot of options. West Chester University is close by and has Japanese language and is on our list for state schools. Temple University is a state affiliate, but is also close enough and on our list. Both are a little larger than what he would like, but he is open to a little larger, just not a little farther.
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I understand. Iām just saying that there may be better opportunities to reduce the cost than you think. He presents an interesting profile which a college might value. Admissions + financial aid is more holistic than just crunching numbers.
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True, but Dickinson doesnāt admit by major.
And they are on to the game (I know thatās NOT what OPās S is doing) that an applicant picks a relatively obscure major thinking it will give an admissions bump.
Based on Dickinsonās CDS, it is highly unlikely that an applicant who doesnāt qualify for need-based aid will get their COA to $35K. Statistics | Statistics | Dickinson College
Youāre treating Dickinson like itās super selective. Itās not. They have accepted 40-50% of their applicants in recent years 48% this year. They publish data on āaccepted studentsā, but the important number here is yield. Only 18% of those accepted actually enrolled in the most recent year that they report. They donāt tell you the stats on that group, which is the group with whom youāre competing for scholarships and other awards. One thing for sure is that the 18% who actually attend donāt have numbers as high as the total group who were accepted.
Look at the linked information. 89% of those attending are receiving some form of aid. 55% are receiving scholarship aid. Very few are paying sticker price. I donāt care if they admit by major. Thus student is a good candidate for admissions there. If they want him to come, thereās a chance that theyāll find a way. They have seats to fill. Iāve seen parents negotiate with colleges like Dickinson. As I said, itās a reach, but there is a possibility here. They have to show demonstrated interest, write excellent essays, schedule an interview, and then engage Admissions/Financial Aid in conversations if accepted. Retaking SAT for higher score might help. Itās possible. Not trying to raise unrealistic expectations, just saying possible.
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I agree OPās S should apply to Dickinson and should negotiate merit aid, because it could work out and get to $35K or less COA.
But, the 2020-21 CDS shows that of the 594 Dickinson undergrad students who donāt have financial need, only 46% (276) received merit (H2A). The average of that merit was $15,259.
The other troubling thing with Dickinson is that the CDS generally show higher average merit for entering first years as compared to total undergrad averagesā¦which means merit aid decreases post-first year.
This is an important question to ask when ānegotiatingā first year meritā¦if it isnāt guaranteed to stay around that level for years 2 through 4 thatās an important fact to know.
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I was going to suggest West Chester. Itās a nice school in a great town and I think it often gets overlooked.
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If heās willing to flex on size, U of Delaware is much smaller than the PA flagships (19K undergrads), with a very manageable, suburban setting, and itās about the same distance from home as West Chester. Japanese Studies | University of Delaware Not quite in range price-wise - looks like the maximum OOS merit gets the price down to 36-37K, and I donāt know where heād land merit-wise - but perhaps close enough to be worth a mention, since the Japanese program seems quite robust and itās very good for IR/econ too. Depending on what kind of career he wants, UDel could pay off in terms of recruiting connections.
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Before covid, my 3.9/34 gpa got $18,000 a year from UD (and attends). Last year they supposedly re-calculated gpa and focused on that more than test scores, my 3.9/33 act daughter was offered $15,000, my 3.6/30 act was offered maybe $10,000?
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we visited UD (another personal favorite of mine, beautiful campus and such a cute main street). Iām sure heāll apply there. The World Scholars program is of interest to him (again with the willingness to travel abroad but not go to a college that is far from home lol). He did like the school, but felt a little overwhelmed by the size. Stated āI feel like the smaller schools are more intimateā. Also concerned that OOS costs might be too high, but I still think itās worth a shot so he will probably apply there.
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My daughter toured 3 times, the first time she thought it was too big, the next 2 times it got smaller. Sheās a senior and has yet to use the bus, she even walked from her off campus apartment. Students there seem to love it, and they are extremely proud of their study abroad programs, UD was the first to have them and there are so many options (winter break is from December to February so that students can do a winter semester abroad (my daughter was going to New Zealand before it was canceled due to covid).
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More like Turkey Hill, Rutters, and Sheetz! 
Just kidding - I love all three! Used to live in York County.
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to my pleasant surprise I had my son open his HS transcript this morning to find that his unweighted GPA is actually 3.96 (weighted 4.2). He has had all Aās in HS with the exception of 1 B (85) last year in AP Chem. Iām not sure why I thought it was 3.7. Iām hopeful that this will increase his chances for both admission and merit!
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It sure will. I assume that heāll take the SAT again this fall? Scores go up with the practice of taking the test in a high percent of cases.
I was a kid like that.
I didnāt mind going on short term exchange programs, didnāt mind going overseas as an au pair for six months during a gap year, was happiest during my junior year abroad, but I was scared about going away to college and stayed within a 1,5 h drive, going home every weekend until after my junior year abroad.
I somehow felt that I could handle the adventure, but not the mundane.
FWIW, I still wish I had been able to start out at a school that wasnāt a regional suitcase school like mine. It often felt like everyone up and left on Friday afternoon, and the kids who stayed on the weekends complained about feeing bored and lonely. It got better in the upper years. I would carefully look at the community and the weekend programming. Being tethered to home for too long isnāt a good thing for a young adult.
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He is, in October. We figured it couldnāt hurt. My older son took the SAT 3x, but Covid made standardized testing so much for difficult for these kids.
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Beware small PA small colleges/universitiesā¦yikes
Bloomberg - Are you a robot??
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