D’s List….Your opinions welcome

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, all! I’ve been lurking for a while and learning so much from this forum. Now I’d like to ask for your advice and opinions. My daughter is a senior at a large public high school. Here are her stats:</p>

<p>Class Rank: 14/400
GPA: About 3.9 (unweighted); 4.2 (weighted)
ACT: Composite 31 (English 33, Reading 33, Math 28, Science 29)</p>

<p>Academic Honors:
APEX (Academic Program for the Exceptional)
Principal’s and Distinguished Academic Honor Rolls
National Honor Society
Tri-M Music Honor Society
German Honor Society
Selected to staff of citywide student newspaper, based on grades and essay</p>

<p>Honors/AP/College Coursework:
All Honors Classes Completed in Core Curriculum during Grades 9-11 plus
2 AP Classes completed as Junior:<br>
AP US History (2 BUMMER), AP Biology (3)
5 AP Classes and 1 Honors Class this year:<br>
AP Psychology, AP US Government, AP Economics, AP English, AP Calculus, Honors German III
1 College-Level Creative Writing Course Summer of 2005:<br>
Local LAC Summer Writing Institute (earned 2 semester hours in Creative Writing)</p>

<p>Extra-Curricular:
Current employment as kennel technician at animal hospital
Private french horn instruction (6 years) and piano instruction (10 years)
Local LAC Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, first chair horn
All-State and All-Region musician each year since 7th Grade
Section leader of mellophone group, HS Marching Band
High school wind ensemble, first chair horn and section leader
High school jazz band pianist
Hornist for two church orchestras
Various college and university honor bands
Student Government Association
President of German Club
High school attendance and guidance office worker
Previous employment as customer service representative, Blockbuster
Designed and maintained web site for mellophone section of band
Certified junior dog handler for local kennel
Church nursery worker on Sundays
Youth group and church league basketball </p>

<p>D’s ambition is to become a veterinarian, so she is interested in universities which also have strong vet schools, although 3 on her list are not attached to vet schools. I know, her list is very diverse (ranging from small LAC to large universities) but she thinks she could be happy in either type. The one thing they all have in common is that they are located in the Midsouth or Southeast, which is where she’d like to stay. We’d love to have opinions on the schools below, including any thoughts on D’s chances for merit scholarships and how she would fit into any particular school’s environment. We’ve visited all of them (and others) over the past few months. Oh, and she is likely to have strong essays and recommendations. So here is her “current” list in order of preference (that preference seems to change weekly :)</p>

<p>1) Auburn University
2) University of Tennessee
3) Rhodes College
4) Vanderbilt University
5) Mississippi State University
6) Ole Miss</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your advice!</p>

2

<p>I bet she'll get into em all!</p>

3

<p>IMO she's in at all of them, with Vandy being the only real question mark. The real question is merit aid, I would assume. At Vandy-no, Ole Miss-no to very little (nobody gets much. PM me for more info.), Rhodes -some, maybe significant, but not top money. MSU-yes, much more likely and in greater amounts than Ole Miss, Auburn and Tennessee -no idea.</p>

<p>If I could suggest some (better) alternatives for merit aid-try the Honor's Colleges of U of Alabama, U of South Carolina, and U of Arkansas. Best bet for bigger bucks -Arkansas. For LAC's try Hendrix, Millsaps, and Centre. Best bet for bigger bucks-Hendrix.</p>

<p>BTW, I am also a parent of a similarly situated kid. Rhodes and Ole Miss -Barksdale Honors College are on D's list ,too, among 7-9 others depending on the day.;) All this is just personal opinion.</p>

4

<p>Thank you, uvajoe, I hope you're right!</p>

<p>And thanks, curmudgeon, I've just pm'd you with some more details.</p>

<p>I also forgot to mention that my D would like to continue performing in college symphonic bands, wind ensembles, etc., wherever she goes. Despite the fact that she is planning on majoring in Animal Science/Pre-Vet/or Biological Sciences and going on to vet school someday, she doesn't want to give up her music. </p>

<p>Whew! I guess that means I don't have to make a lamp out of her French Horn just yet! :)</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
I guess that means I don't have to make a lamp out of her French Horn

[/quote]
Well it sounds like a nice lamp though, doesn't it? D plays the tuba but doubts she will play in college. Any suggestions? Spittoon? Dirty clothes hamper?</p>

6

<p>Accelerated Program for Exceptional students = APEX</p>

<p>hhhmmm....I like that word APEX.....sounds cool...</p>

<p>I think she will also get in like the rest of the people on here......</p>

7

<p>Assuming that she wants to stay in the South, both Duke and Rice are in the not-likely-but-certainly-worth a shot category. They tend to have decent financial aid too.</p>

8

<p>Her stats are amazing. She will definetly get into all of them. Personally, I would shoot for better colleges. Duke sounds like a good match.</p>

9

<p>Ironically when it was time for me to go to school, Rhodes, Mississippi State, and Auburn were my 3 picks. I went to MSU and had a FANTASTIC experience there. I would recommend it to anyone. State and Auburn, in my opinion, really are the best on that list if she is looking into vet programs. I realize they might not be as "prestigious" as some schools, but they both have outstanding vet programs and I believe both offer early entrance so that you can start at the vet school after sophomore year if you are an outstanding applicant. (I know State does this).</p>

10

<p>My guess is all except...maybe Vanderbilt. Good luck tho.</p>

11

<p>Her GPA will count a lot for vet school admits - as will community service - esp. voluteering with a vet. Check out this aspect of it as well at the schools on her list. As Teach2005 mentions, early admit to a vet school is a BIG PLUS.</p>

12

<p>Thanks for your advice, everyone! </p>

<p>D has now pushed MS State toward the top of the list, partly because one of the vets she works for at the Animal Hospital has told her she would recommend her for the Early Acceptance Program there. This vet also graduated from MSU and loved it. Teach2005 -- we were glad to hear of your positive experience at MSU. We are going down for a closer look next weekend and to attend the GA-MS State game.</p>

<p>Again, thanks everybody for taking time to answer this post.</p>

13

<p>I recommend UNC-CH and Emory as two more additions, Duke will be a big stretch. Her stats are solid. I think she is aiming a little low...Conversely, she could get a very solid GPA at her state school on merit aid, go to her instate vet school, and save a boatload of cash in the process.</p>

14

<p>I hope you enjoy your visit. I would definitely meet with an admissions/enrollment counselor and ask about scholarships. Not only did I enjoy my time at State, but I also went for free. Call ahead and make an appointment for a tour/visit if you haven't already done so. (I was a student recruiter there years ago so I can assure you that we were just as excited about showing off our school as others were to see it.) Obviously it will have to feel right for your daughter, but it was certainly right for me. I know sometimes people on these boards seem to be "criticized" for choosing state schools. I had the stats to get into a much more prestigious school, but I enjoyed the atmosphere or a larger school and definitely felt challenged along the way. I also graduated without being up to my eyeballs in debt which allowed me the freedom to pursue two higher degrees.</p>

15

<p>Mom - friend of DD's is a freshman at MSU in the Early Acceptance Program for vet school.
PM me if you want some specific about his app experience, I don't much but I can share what I do know
The program is very competitive, as I recall, there were over 100 apps for maybe ?20 places, ?30 slots, and not all were high school students.</p>

<p>Auburn was his second choice (I'm in AL), and he looked hard at LSU as well. I would say that she should get some merit money from Auburn, although it is not as well known here as UA for "buying" good students. OOS tuition is lower than some states.</p>

<p>My daughter looked hard at Rhodes, and was offered generous money, her ACT was higher, again, extrapolating, your daughter should get some merit money. As much as I like Rhodes, according to the Mom whose son just finished this process, there is some advantage to going to a college with an attached vet school, if you want vet - it can be more competitive than med school.</p>