I understand that, @homerdog, my kids also attended a school with no grade inflation. My observation is that colleges are increasingly less understanding of that than they were even, say 3 years ago. And too many parents think they will be able to get scores up with time, preparation or a magical tutor. It may happen, but it may not. Hope is not an effective strategy.
I have driven through upstate NY many times; one of my kids went to school there. It’s not for everybody. Between my two kids we looked at 12 schools throughout the upstate area and we covered a lot of territory. My younger D crossed off upstate NY completely.
My daughter’s school was a 20 minute drive to Ithaca, which is a beautiful town, and a 40 minute drive to Syracuse. The students with cars did occasionally venture out to these places, but for the most part they stayed on campus or right on the main strip…which consisted of one main road. They did do a lot of hiking in Ithaca (which is gorgeous).
It’s not unusual to drive for miles and miles on back country roads with no lights…and lots of cows. Lots and lots of cows. Somebody mentioned St. Lawrence University…don’t kid yourself about that area (Potsdam, Canton). The town is very cute, but tiny. Once you leave the immediate area there is nothing. Total nothingness. If you are lucky you can go to Walmart (it’s a really nice one btw) and get a sandwich at Subway. Some people love that…others don’t.
If this student wants a college town that is available by foot, then she needs to choose her school accordingly.
I am almost tempted to recommend Ithaca College as another possible safety. The 75% ACT is a 30 and they do give merit. Ithaca is a great college town…not sure how far the school is from the town.
As far as GPA goes, Naviance from @homerdog’s school as well as the college counselor will be the most helpful indicator. For a high school with rigor and the lack of grade inflation commonly seen, CC standards on GPA can be totally off the mark.
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Agreed. But results from 3-5 years ago can be misleading as well. Check with your school’s college counselor for current insight.
Knowing Homerdog’s been through this with her son, I trust her to understand the process. My only tips now are to really focus on safeties and matches as reaches are easier to find (might take some compromises) and that it can be definitely be more competitive for females than males.
Regarding gpa- a 3.75 UW is higher than an A-. For an applicant taking honors/APs at a rigorous high school, that’s a very strong gpa and plenty good for schools like Richmond and Wake.
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Our high school does not weight and has very few 4.0s. A 3.75 would likely get you top 15- 20% in the class at least, in a class full of high achievers. In fact, according to Naviance dots, it appears that the number of 4.0 GPAs during the time frame listed (10 years?) can be counted on one hand. I think it depends on how well your high school rigor is known by the colleges. We have kids get in almost every year to some very top schools - Ivies, UChicago, WashU, Duke, Northwestern, Middlebury, Colby, Amherst, Pomona, etc. A 3.75 is fantastic at our high school.
Maybe I didn’t call this out at any point but D is in all honors and will take AP level classes in all main subjects - English, math, science, history, and French by senior year. Eight APs total. She’s had five Bs and they came in honors science or math classes. I think it shows that she’s willing to take the risk and rigor. All As in English, History, and French and electives. I understand that it’s harder for girls but I think being from the Midwest still might help her for some of the schools. S19’s uw GPA was 3.79 a the end of junior year so that’s what was sent to schools. Shes not too far off.
Of course I will get updated info from the GCs.
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Nope, not too far off at all. Especially if she finds a place she wants to apply ED.
I also wouldn’t underestimate OP’s D’s ability to increase her test scores. D20 was in all Honors and AP classes as well, yet only managed a 28 and 29 on her first two ACT scores. After working with a private tutor, she increased her score to a 32, 33 super scored. Those last two scores occurred in the fall of senior year. OP’s D has plenty of time.
Agree. My D20 and S23 attend one of the T15 public schools in our state. Although they weight GPAs, we have several students with non-weighted GPAs under 4.0 who are admitted to these top schools as well. Our GC’s stress to look at Naviance (which shows the last 3 years) for indications of what is possible because our HS is know for its rigor and lack of grade inflation. For further information, you can see the GC and they will look specifically at last year’s numbers for you. Trust that the admissions reps know the schools.
Back to the original question…
Yep. While Colgate, Hamilton, and Bates all have shuttles that run daily to the nearby towns (and Utica for Colgate and Hamilton) it’s not the same as being able to walk. And let’s be clear: even if the town is less than a mile from the college, the frigid NE temps (and snow) could make that walk undesirable.
Just wanted to say @homerdog that it sounds like you have raised two wonderful kids who will make the most of any opportunity presented to them and it nice to see you are an involved parent that is looking out for their best interests. I’m not worried for either one of your kids. Look forward to continuing to follow their journeys!
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Very nice @socaldad2002 !
Happy Chanukah and New Year. I hope you receive a bunch of Blue Devil gear during the holidays!!
Our school does weighted GPAs as well. D’s is around a 4.4. I didn’t mention it because weighted GPAs are calculated in so many different ways that I don’t think it really helps for you all to know that info. While kids with 4.7 and above are typically the ones getting into elite universities, she’s not shooting for those. No Vandy, Duke, etc. for D. I think her list is pretty realistic.
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There’s no need to take a shuttle to town at Bates unless you want to go to Portland. There are pharmacies, convenience stores, restaurants, the local student bar, and a couple of hospitals all within a few blocks of campus. The center of Lewiston, the second largest city in Maine, is within a mile of student housing.
Sadly, Bates is not in the middle of a cute college town, but the twin cities of Lewiston-Auburn are about the same size as Utica.
Getting back on topic, it sounds like @homerdog’s daughter is very much on the right track and that Homerdog is as well!
Yep. My mistake. I was thinking of Colby. Though some might be okay with downtown Waterville and the shuttle or jitney.
So, you may have already ruled out all-women’s colleges. But, a quick reminder that Smith and Northampton are one of the great walkable town/gown combinations (not to mention, Amherst and Amherst). Maybe, consider Skidmore and Saratoga Springs?
Just chiming in to add my thanks for starting this thread. I was already paying attention to your D’s developing list, since she has some overlap with my S21’s interests, esp. non-BFA ballet. He loved our visit to Skidmore, but if your daughter is set on warm weather that wouldn’t work for her. I didn’t take him to see Dickinson because I’d read on CC that they don’t have much in the way of performance opportunities for ballet, in spite of the connection to CPYB. Would be happy to be corrected if it turns out that’s wrong. And I’m looking forward to reading about your visits to Wake Forest and Richmond, although based on this thread they both sound too conservative to be a good fit for my kid.
@homerdog thanks for sharing. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming visits help inform your D21’s decision. Our children sound very similar. S18 attends a Maine LAC after choosing it over Davidson (which we both loved). He was accepted to Richmond as a Presidential Scholar, but as amazing as Richmond is, the southern vibe was just too strong for him. (We are New Englanders) He did not feel that way about Davidson. D20 was just accepted ED to Boston College. Her list looked similar to your D21 and in the end chose BC for the size (midsize schools felt like the right fit to her), location (outside of the city, but quick and easy access), school spirit (D1 sports), beautiful campus, and liberal arts focus. (Although not as intense as her brother, she is intellectually curious, enjoys a variety of subjects, and is not set on a major as of yet). We toured Villanova and Providence and both were low on her list as she felt they were too religious. After visiting BC several times, she never felt that way. I attended BC a million years ago. (I even took one of those oral finals with a priest discussed in an earlier post on this thread!!) I always felt that the religious aspect of the school was available to those interested, but not something that was pushed on students. Good luck with the process the second time around! I will be following along 
@xyz123a Thanks for posting! That’s hugely helpful. D knows three freshman at BC very well. She’s mentioned that they all are having good experiences but are also glad they have each other to check in with if they need a little comfort from home. None of them live together but it’s still nice to have a familiar friend to call on. D has mentioned that she thinks that, while it’s not a deal breaker, having some friends from home at a particular college could be a tipping point for her. Congrats on the ED acceptance!
It’s so interesting to hear about each person’s perception of the different schools. As I’ve shared, our S18 attends Richmond (presidential scholarship) and does not feel a southern vibe there (but maybe he’s oblivious?). Most of his friends (and now a girlfriend!) are from the NE, and a few are from the west coast. He has one good friend from NC (who is his first Jewish friend! We’re Jewish but a tiny minority where we live).
He also liked Colgate, but like an earlier poster, that drive from the airport to school put us off. I’m not sure what we would have done if he REALLY loved it more than his other choices.
Others have suggested Lafayette, which was also a merit choice S liked, and I liked very much. But, we were in a blizzard there during the scholarship weekend.
I’m sure you’re planning to do this, but make sure she sits in on a class at all the schools. We didn’t visit any of S’s choices (other than a couple for scholarship days) until acceptances. He chose Richmond due to an excellent classroom experience there vs. his other options and the unique Leadership school. He goes into the city to work with disadvantaged kids for one of those classes. Internships are part of that program as they progress (I think you’d mentioned your D might be interested in that school).
And, re ACTs, our older S went from a 26 on the 10th grade practice to a 34 in 11th grade after a prep class. She’ll go up for sure!!
I’m only on page 3 of this thread, but has anyone mentioned Colorado College or University of Denver? Know folks who went to each and loved their experiences.
Macalester?