D in denial re: admission process?

Parents Forum
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<p>My husband feels she may be a little intimidated, but my sweet D needs to get moving. I'd love some input on how to motivate her and encourage her to explore schools that might be good matches--but where admissions are slightly less competitive. She's interested in big, diverse and urban schools with strong English depts. My husband and I wish she would consider other schools with excellent faculties who love to teach.</p>

<p>She's leaning toward Columbia ED and Chicago EA but will decide this after upcoming visits. (Relatives live near both, so she has some sense of the campuses.) BC, NYU, UPenn, WashU, Barnard, and Fordham (because it is in NY) are also on her list.</p>

<p>Thank you for any ideas on additional schools and strategies. She attends a large, competitive public school.</p>

<p>PSATs 222, SATs 2220 (she does not intend to retake)</p>

<p>soph.-AP Biology 4, AP US Government 3, junior-AP Language 5, AP Latin, AP World History 4, AP Psychology 5, this year-AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, AP Human Geography, senior research project</p>

<p>National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist, should be AP Scholar of Distinction, National Latin Exam awards</p>

<p>Honor Roll student throughout her high school career, regular volunteer at children's hospital and preschool, p/t work in family business</p>

<p>Debate-President, Model United Nations-President, National Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society</p>

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<p>Does she have one sure-bet safety lined up yet? That's probably the most crucial thing to do soon.</p>

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<p>Not sure what she means by "English." Emerson would probably be a safety for her, it's urban and known for Communications and journalism.</p>

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<p>I don't see anything wrong with the list at all. Provided she likes it and you can afford it, Fordham makes a great safety, and it is said to have improved massively in the past decade or so. </p>

<p>Once she has a safety, it hardly matters. I count a total of eight schools, all fine, all urban, and that's really more than enough.</p>

<p>Big urban schools with slightly easier admissions would include George Washington, (not huge), Boston University, maybe Emory, USC. Smith is not big or urban (though it is in a great town), and a fantastic English teaching faculty.</p>

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<p>What about Tufts?</p>

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<p>Be sure she understands that if she applies to Columbia ED, she cannot apply to Chicago EA.</p>

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<p>Do you need money? If so, EA/ED may not be the best choice.</p>

<p>If so, she should look into and consider the University Professor's program at Boston University.</p>

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<p>twinmom, yes, she can. And that combination is extremely common.</p>

<p>(Columbia is not Single Choice, nor is Chicago.)</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the suggestions and quick feedback.</p>

<p>I should have said that FA will play a large role in this (Columbia's ED can be declined if the FA is insufficient). She understands this but I am afraid she'll fall in love with a school that does not come through with a workable FA package. She has worked hard and is a good kid. Her SATs broke out to CR 800, M 670, W750. The GPA is 3.79 (uw) or more.</p>

<p>She did not care for Tufts at all...was ready to leave after 10 minutes, I think. DC area schools are out (too close to home). Of course, she's getting scholarship invitations and fee waivers from schools that would love to have her, but do not interest her a bit.</p>

<p>She's interested in studying literature, not journalism. I think she really wants to study creative writing (but we've discouraged that)--though I have pointed out all our friends who are reporters & editors and managed to finish a book or two--while paying the rent :>)</p>

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<p>"I should have said that FA will play a large role in this (Columbia's ED can be declined if the FA is insufficient)."</p>

<p>Careful. Columbia says they will let you out of an ED commitment for financial reasons only to go to a less expensive, non-competitive school (i.e. state university, etc.), and that it only happens to approximately two students a year. They used to have that right up on their website. (I haven't checked lately.)</p>

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<p>If she wants to study creative writing, the best way to accomplish that dream is on someone else's dime. A talented writer with no school loans has the world as her oyster when she graduates.</p>

<p>If I were you, I'd start another thread called "Please Help Me Find the Best Creative Writing Programs at the Best Merit Aid Schools". Then I would encourage my daughter to delve into the course offerings and faculty lists at each of those schools. Then I would encourage her to fall in love with the best of those schools. Talented kids can find education and happiness in lots of different places.</p>

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<p>Bryn Mawr sounds like a great school for your daughter, and it's probably the only school in the country I'd considering transferring from Chicago to (and that's saying a lot! I adore my school!) BMC is a) near Philadelphia, yet in its own pocket, b) has a very strong relationship with Haverford and not-quite-as-strong relationships with Swat and Penn, and c) has a terrific English department. It's also an easier school to get into admissions-wise, even though the women I know there are as brilliant as can be.</p>

<p>Other suggestions include Macalester, Simmons (a super-safety women's LAC in Boston), and Sarah Lawrence College. For a bigger school, perhaps URochester, Tulane, Emory.</p>

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<p>My experience is that Columbia meets the institutional EFC very accurately (in fact goes beyond it.) They're not going to do so in loans beyond the standard federal ones, either. So if you run your figures on an institutional aid calculator, and you are comfortable with the answer, ED is not an unreasonable choice.</p>

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<p>As a National Merit Finalist, she can go to any number of schools free, gratis, and for nothing.</p>

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<ol>
<li>Choices are reasonable. In fact very good.
2.You may be up against the sudden lack of enthusiasm common among girls at the beginning of the senior year. Going to college to a teenage boy means getting out of here and having an adventure. To a teenage girl it means leaving home. Your going to a four year school, and at the end of it you're supposed to be an adult. Both of my Ds were much less enthusiastic about college at the beginning of the senior year than they had been during the junior year. I also noticed it in their friends.</li>
</ol>

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<p>I would suggest the University of Virginia to you although Charlottesville is no NYC. It is instead magically peaceful and full of artists who find the region inspirational. I notice their student publications are award winning to the max. With 30 percent from OOS and so many in staters from DC, she might find the student body quite diverse. They had a very successful year for diversity increases.
Find a real match school or two and then throw out some reach applications. Some of her schools are unpredictable.</p>

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<p>I think a grounding in great literature and history provide a strong foundation for good writing later--and a little flexibility when a change in major occurs. D's writing may or may not come later--the strong English dept. is her requirement. unalove, we looked at Bryn Mawr--D is unable to conceive of life at a smaller school. She's a city kid and cannot understand how her parents were both able to tolerate life small LACs without going nuts (and we are not going to enlighten her).</p>

<p>mardad-you might be on to something. Last spring I thought she was read to pack her bags ASAP. Now that school's begun, things are different. garland & mini, I'll double check at the next Columbia gathering, but the website language made it seem doable.</p>

<p>UVA would be fine with me, but she's does not want to go south. (But maybe she could add it as possibility.) This is a curse and a blessing, she knows what she wants.</p>

<p>Any other true match suggestions? This is my worry. I am not sure she has matches and safeties that will make her happy should she end up there. I think some schools are there just to <em>have</em> a list.</p>

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<p>Well....sort of. If Columbia meets your need as IT calculates your need to be, then you will have a tough time declining an ED acceptance. Remember, it is the college that will calculate your need, and will also determine how that need will be met (could be heavy in loans). If Columbia meets your child's need but you still think it's too much for your family, then declining that ED acceptance will likely be difficult. </p>

<p>If financial aid is a consideration, do NOT apply ED to any school. Applying ED means that you will accept admittance to that school. In advance of the ED application, you know the costs. If cost is a consideration, you should not be applying ED.</p>

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<p>You can apply ED at Columbia and EA at Chicago as long as you understand that if you apply ED you are making a commitment provided the financial aid award is okay. Because EA decisions are non-binding, this is okay. Columbia and Barnard are not single school EA, but rather ED. You can't apply to any other school ED but you can EA. DS applied to Chicago EA, was accepted but didn't receive the FA award until Spring.</p>

<p>When my DD applied to Barnard ED the admissions officer assured us we could withdraw if the award was not sufficient. She was deferred and then accepted. Barnard's award was the second highest she received. We did not want to compare offers or haggle; we just wanted an award that would allow her to go. </p>

<p>I think your list is reasonable. However, just as a point of interest both children used Bard EA as safeties. Since they were both accepted, this took some of the tension out of waiting for the final outcome.</p>

<p>My daughter was very self motivated. I got my son involved by suggesting he start the Common App. online. Since he likes the computer, this was a good strategy. He got his toe wet and went bit by bit. He also asked when his essay topic should be. His passion is STAR WARS, so I suggested he use this. At first he thought I was kidding. However, he did craft an impressive essay that was all him. This also helped him, knowing he could completely be himself.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>PS Barnard is tops for writing. The list of writers it has turned out is long and celebrated.</p>

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<p>Strong English departments are rarer than one might think. A keen student should carefully review the course offerings of each program --and check to see whether she would be able to take grad level courses as a junior/senior. In checking the course listings, she should see too many drool-worthy classes to fit inside of four years--or three years plus study abroad. A keen should also check the study abroad choices. </p>

<p>She should also inquire about the possibility of senior thesis.</p>

<p>More than general BA students, keen students of a particular subject ought to pick schools based on the courses they will enjoy in junior and senior year--not freshman year.</p>

<p>Barnard course listing:
<a href="http://www.barnard.edu/english/courses.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.barnard.edu/english/courses.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>