I would visit a college but I just do not think I have a chance of being accepted anywhere with a 3.4 GPA and 1140 SAT
@Titan431 of course you can. There are many colleges that would like a student with those stats. Why don’t you start a new thread about it and we can offer suggestions?
Only about 2500+ schools would welcome you. Esp if you have some $$$
Titan- there are many, many colleges, both public and private, for which you would be a good fit. Remember- 1000 is the average SAT by definition- and generally it is only those who want to go to college who take the test. Likewise a B+ gpa is above average.
This site (CC) tends to be geared to the (very) high end college applications. Most schools are given no attention. You need to talk with your HS guidance counselor about the affordable options for kids from your school with comparable numbers.
Virginia Tech went to the top of the list after we visited late last fall.
Had we visited earlier my son would have applied ED. Scheduling a time to fly into the area and tour several schools within a 300 mile radius made it impossible for us to get there before November 1st.
In the interest of full disclosure, his cousin is a Junior at VT and we caught up with her a day prior to the official tour for the “behind the scenes” tour. We walked the whole campus. We saw all the fraternity/sorority houses. She showed us the tailgate field and described game days in detail. We walked through the athletic facilities. She took us to lunch at her favorite dining hall. My son loved that you can walk right off campus and be in downtown Blacksburg.
The next day we attended an official information session and campus tour. Both were very well done. Our tour guide was a very upbeat theater major and she did an excellent job. My son loved the hokie stone architecture. It impressed him that virtually every student was wearing VT gear. It gave him the impression that the kids were really invested in the school community. For such a large school, he was struck by the compact nature of the actual campus and the walkability factor. We had a scheduled meeting with the Department Head of his potential major and she couldn’t have been nicer, or more generous with her time. The weather was perfect. The whole visit had a great vibe and that really stuck with him.
I’m and alumn of another VA school and I joked with him that even I wanted to go to Tech after that visit.
@Time2Shine Good luck to your son! I miss my visits to Blacksburg when my son was there! I agree with you about how compact the campus feels, despite the size of the school. It is so nice to walk off campus and have the town, with all the shops, restaurants, and bars, be right there. I like that about UVA and Charlottesville as well, with the Corner being adjacent to the university.
@Titan124 That is just a silly comment. You already have a thread open asking for suggestions and many have already been suggested. You should also do your own research – get your hands on some college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) at your library and start reading, talk to your guidance counselor, look at Naviance if your HS has it etc.
@Time2Shine and @sevmom Do either of you know what VT is like for non-STEM students? Based on the review you gave I looked it up, and it sounds great.
@citymama9 My son was in engineering but he had friends with other majors- business was popular. There are lots of clubs, intramual and club sports. The football ( with tailgates) and basketball games are fun and well attended. The kids seem generally happy there. They are known for their good food! Lots of companies recruit on campus.
I’m really looking forward to visiting VA Tech with my junior during spring break - I’ve never been to that part of the state. It’s not uncommon for 50 kids from each class to go there (10% of the class). Hopefully he’ll be inspired to get his GPA to a 4.1 this year so he can up his acceptance chances.
My D16 has friends studying environmental science, agriculture and international relations at Tech, but no engineers! They all love it. I just wish it were easier to get there from the DC area.
VT has gotten really popular in the last few years which is making it more challenging to get accepted. Non-engineering applicants definitely have an easier road to acceptance than their engineering counterparts.
Off list - Villanova and BC - great campus’ and reputation but seemed too preppy for my D. Miami, Ohio - great campus, location too remote and not much to do in local town except party - great if that is what you want
Moved up: Pitt - loved the location and city, full college experience with a lot to do. Northeastern - liked the campus, focus on co-ops and access to Boston. Fordham - loved the Rose Hill campus and access to NYC - still a bit concerned about location in the Bronx. Loyola Maryland - again loverly campus but also concerned on location in Baltimore.
@citymama9 My niece is a business major. None of her friends, that we met, were in the engineering program either. They all seemed genuinely happy. I agree with @sevmom that there are plenty of clubs on campus to keep you engaged. The food is all farm to table…literally.
When my niece showed him this video of the football team taking the field to Enter Sandman he was hooked:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkwedgEH3gs
The jumping in the stands actually registered on the Richter Scale once.
https://www.gobblercountry.com/2016/2/21/11084308/virginia-tech-football-hokies
1 Like
And VT just beat #10 UNC last night in Blacksburg in basketball and the kids went wild! Lots of school spirit. Good outdoor activities, hiking, nearby But, like any school, it is not for everyone. It is large but welcoming. But maybe not the best fit for kids and families that are gravitating toward smaller schools , LAC’s, city schools, elite schools, etc. Go Hokies!
1 Like
@timetoshine Enter Sandman is becoming a bucket list item for many college football fans. Just like the Jump Around is at Wisconsin. Camp Randall definitly shakes as I am sure Lane Stadium does.
1 Like
Round 2 of college tours:
UP: University of Redlands: HUGE surprise. Stunning campus, friendly vibe. Sat in on a class, very small and professor knew all of the students by name. Great merit scholarships as well.
Up: St. Olaf: In the middle of winter and we were so impressed. Great facilities, beautiful campus, small campus. Everyone smiled and said hello. My D really believes in the nice part - she feels the fit. Went to the top 3.
Down: Pepperdine - campus is beautiful with the best views of the Malibu and Pacific but in a surprising way, it is isolated. Traffic from Pepperdine to LA was horrible and the immediate area is residential. The restaurants are where Hollywood stars would hang out vs college students. While we are not super religious, the forced once a week church activity attendance (with sign in) seemed a bit much.
Off the list: Whittier College. Not feeling the vibe and the dorms were rowdy and this was on a Tuesday. We also had concerns over the quality of the entering class, grad rates. Not as studious as we were hoping and different from how some of the alums described the campus to us.
OK: Carleton - in the same town as St Olaf but with a better reputation. Also had a friendly vibe but we liked St Olaf campus better. Daughter would pick St Olaf over Carl.
OK: Macalester: The Mac was another excellent school, friendly and nice campus. D still like St Olaf the best and would put this 2nd over the Carleton. Location was better than St Olaf or Carl for entertainment I thought. All 3 campuses felt right.
The final list will be: Norte Dame, Whitman, Geneseo, St. Olaf, Occidental, and Redlands.
i don’t have the ability to visit schools, but i’ll add to this thread anyway!
schools i eventually crossed off:
— colgate: the greek scene is very heavy, and i heard it wasn’t lgbt+ friendly.
— tulane/davidson/uofrichmond: i’m from the south, so i felt geographically disadvantaged.
— reed: although i’m liberal, reed simply seems too much. the curriculum seems like a gpa killer as well.
— trinity (ct): i heard it wasn’t lgbt+ friendly, and my father hates hartford, lol.
— nyu: there is simply no way i could afford this school.
— swarthmore/pomona/williams: although i adored them all, the low acceptance rates scared me away.
— pitzer/claremont mckenna: the low acceptance rates were pretty frightening to me, and i didn’t think i would fit in the with “granola/hippy/outdoorsy” vibe pitzer gave me or the “government/political science/debate” vibe claremont mckenna gave me either.
schools i eventually added:
— union (ny): the psychology department is pretty rockin’, and DI hockey games don’t hurt! campus is beautiful.
— uofrochester/cwru: the smaller undergraduate populations and cognitive science programs drew me to them both! i adore both of them. they’re both in my top five as of right now.
— macalester: the campus is incredibly lgbt+ friendly, it’s located in st. paul, it has a cognitive science department, AND it’s a liberal arts college! freakin’ rad.
— connecticut college: the campus is beautiful, and they have a behavioral neuroscience program. it’s also pretty lgbt+ friendly, and the videos on youtube of the staff dancing to “can’t stop the feeling” by justin timberlake did but a smile on my face, lol.
— denison: i added denison because it’s a match school for me. i’m still doing research on it.
— bates: with its strong curriculum and history of social justice, i felt bates was a really good fit for me.
this was simply my train of thought throughout my decision-making process. i applied ED2 to grinnell, and i applied regular decision to the rest of my colleges.
1 Like
U. Of Wisconsin, Madison- UP
Marquette U.- OFF
Loyola University Chicago-OFF
Depaul U. - Down
Just finished my son’s first college trip. This trip to the Midwest was aimed at giving him a better idea of what he is looking for in a college.
We are from California and my son is not opposed to a significant weather change and seasons. He loves urban life and currently goes to a college prep boarding school (also my alma Mater) just to give a little background.
Madison was amazing with students that were clearly happy. Big, social school in a great college city/town. Excellent academics but very selective.
Then comes the smaller Jesuit universities. The vibes just didn’t seem as pleasant and the tour guides were all obviously not able to be honest about the party scene at these schools. When my son would inquire about the social scene and things students do for fun the tour guides really (and quite honestly) sounded pretty robotic and swept the topic under the rug. We really had to pry it out of them to get a hint that some kids drink.
Our Loyola University Chicago tour guide was an absolute joke. He talked very quickly and didn’t stop talking about himself, never asked a question of my son and barely allowed us time to ask a question. He really chased us away from the school all together.
Lastly, we approached two students on our own and the first thing each student reported when asked if they like the school was that it was boring and nobody parties at all.
@gmhdds lol, not exactly sure what school wants to advertise/promote that their student population is into a heavy party scene.
My eldest DD is a sophomore at Marquette, I can assure you she finds PLENTY of opportunity to enjoy a robust social life. Academically it is a fine school and she has found the professors to be knowledgeable, kind and interested in the success of their students! Marquette is in Milwaukee, a city with a big beer culture; the 3rd ward is nearby and has a very hipster/young vibe. Lots of on campus organizations. Many kids do community outreach for “fun”. My DD plays Quidditch, not exactly to most “serious” of EC activities.
DD2018 has been accepted at Loyola (although I do not think she will attend). It is definitely a bit quieter than Marquette, at least the several times we have been on campus. But still seems like there is lots to do.
If you are looking for a big party school…you can’t go wrong with UW-Madison!
We found most urban schools are not as focused on the what we do for fun, mainly because they are urban and there are so many opportunities available to students beyond the campus borders.
Here’s a selection of the colleges we visited, excluding those that have already been heavily reviewed.
DOWN
Pepperdine University - I agree with @Charlietrojan on this one. My son spent a few days here for an EC over the summer. Despite its beautiful location, the campus does seem isolated. There were few dining options close by, and the university did not seem to have the offerings you see on other campuses. One afternoon was set aside for students to go to the beach, but it was such a trek my son said he could not see himself going to the beach often if he attended. It does have a great business school, so worth considering if that’s your intended major.
Colorado School of Mines - My son visited this one with his father. I had high hopes for it, since it is a solid engineering program, but they were turned off by the small campus. My son also said the campus looked dead and the students they saw looked like they never stepped out of their dorm rooms. My son could also not see himself saying that he would be attending “Mines”. Wish they would change their name to Colorado Institute of Technology.
Clarement Colleges - Agree with @kalons that the super-low admit rate is a turn off. The location, a suburb with a couple of strip malls within walking distance, was also not very appealing. It’s far from LA and the beach. When you tour one of the colleges, they will tell you that you can take classes in the other colleges, but the impression we got was that most students stayed pretty much within their own college, which seemed small and confining to my sons.
Santa Clara University - The campus is lovely, but the neighborhood outside is not that great. It seemed like students would be pretty confined to the campus, with only the occasional school-sponsored trip somewhere. My son was turned off by the requirement that students take three classes in religion. Although the tour guide tried to sell the many different classes they offered, it seemed like a large amount of time that could be better spent on his major. During the information session, we sat behind a mother who was trying to convince her already-admitted daughter that this was a great school, when the daughter clearly did not want to go there.
UP - Son applied to all
UC Irvine - Toured with both my sons and we were all surprised how much we liked it. We had low expectations, but the campus was beautiful and they were adding new housing as well as a student marketplace. The academics all seemed solid, and we were surprised to learn that the author of “Game of Thrones” attended their Master’s writing program.
UC Santa Barbara - The campus is amazing with the beach just steps away. Is known as a party school (Isla Vista), but serious academics can thrive here with six Nobel laureates affiliated. You can also get the small college environment with their College of Creative Studies, which you have to apply to. We all liked the dining hall we visited, which was beautiful and had views of the ocean. Food was pretty tasty too.
Lehigh University - Son visited and had low expectations. He came away loving it. He really liked the architecture and could relate to the students he met. Their strong engineering program was also a draw. He could really see himself attending this one.