Daughter beginning search

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello CC,</p>

<p>My daughter is a junior just becoming interested in the college process. She is a motivated self-starter with a joy for learning. She attended a decent but not great public school for 9th and 10th grade before applying to a more rigorous charter an hour away since getting her license. She was attracted to its excellent faculty and experiential, engaged approach to learning (e.g., they kayak on a lake on campus for PE, and every student genuinely wants to learn). She makes the commute by herself daily. Her unweighted GPA is 4.0 and her SAT is 2350, but she has very little interest in tests and busywork -- she is somewhat of an intellectual at heart and revels in gaining knowledge, not grades.</p>

<p>She works 20 hours a week as shift manager at a fast food restaurant, writes for her school newspaper, tutors disadvantaged middle schoolers, and oversees a reading program at the public library, along with family commitments (she picks up her cousins from school and does their homework with them 3x a week) and many, many hours of volunteering (700? 800?). She very much enjoys rock-climbing, hiking, and reading -- when she isn't out, I find her with a book! Conventional school clubs are not her thing -- she's one to buck the system if she finds it bureaucratic or unjust.</p>

<p>That said, she is initially shy, but very mature, laid back, and accepting (she has never met a person "too weird"). She has always been one to wonder why and question authority (I am quite familiar with this particular trait!). It's a rare occasion for her to stress over grades. I think a small school would be optimal; she thrives in close-knit environments and has said she wants professors whose top priorities are teaching, as well as a quirky student body. I expect she'll attend parties every so often, but she's more likely to have fun through a different (nerdier/quirkier/more low key) avenue. She's said she would be as happy in an exciting urban environment as she would be in a rural location with access to outdoorsy pursuits -- for her, it comes down to enjoying exploring. We're aiming for no farther than the Midwest/East Coast, but will consider any location if the glove otherwise fits. She has no idea about majors.</p>

<p>Our EFC is 0, and we are residents of North Carolina. UNC-A is already on the list!</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>Welcome hrosen. In addition to the wonderful suggestions that you will get from this post, come over to the parent forum class of 2012. We are all in the sme boat, and you will get great advice throughout the process.</p>

<p>As for my suggestion, I would consider Beloit as a quirky safety school for your D.</p>

3

<p>Any chance she will be a NMF? There are some very good scholarships available for those. DD2 looked at quirky intellectual schools. Smith, Oberlin, Carleton. If you also want to look at west coast, Reed and Lewis and Clark (not rural but suburban and lots to do in the outdoors).</p>

4

<p>Pitzer might be a possibility. Has she looked at New College in Florida? Macalester in Minnesota might be worth reaading about too.
[Pitzer</a> College - Admission - Why Pitzer](<a href=“http://www.pitzer.edu/admission/why_pitzer/index.asp]Pitzer”>http://www.pitzer.edu/admission/why_pitzer/index.asp)
[New</a> College of Florida - Mission](<a href=“http://www.ncf.edu/home/about-us/mission]New”>http://www.ncf.edu/home/about-us/mission)
<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/about/whymacalester/[/url]”>http://www.macalester.edu/about/whymacalester/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I am assuming that with an EFC of $0, money is tight. As she narrows down her list, run some fake itineraries on a travel site to get ball park figures for flying home on semester breaks. I’d hate for it to end up costing $700 for her to get home for the holidays.</p>

5

<p>Also Grinnell (IA), Vassar (NY) and Wesleyan (CT). Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>With her stats, any school in the country is in play. She wouldn’t find kindred souls intellectually at UNCA. I’d start with Swarthmore, Amherst, and U. of Chicago.</p>

7

<p>^^^ And though it may surprise you given your small-school request, I’d also have her look into Harvard and Yale. Though each have about 6,000 undergrads, their students are assigned in groups of 400-500 to separate residential colleges which each have their own dining halls, recreational facilities and faculty heads. The sense of community within each of the colleges is something akin to life at a much smaller college, and the varied accomplishments and interests of your D’s peer group would be inspiring. Financial aid there is second to none.</p>

8

<p>Would she consider a women’s college?
If so, then Bryn Mawr sounds perfect.</p>

<p>Also check out Goucher and Wesleyan.</p>

9

<p>Congratulations on the beginning of your college search. It can be an exciting process. Your D sounds great and will have many, many options. A few options to consider, based upon an intellectual atmosphere, quirky student body and based in the midwest or northeast would include:</p>

<p>Midwest: Macalester, Carleton, Grinell, University of Chicago, Oberlin and Kenyon</p>

<p>Northeast: Brown (you might want to include this Ivy for its quirky and intellectual factor), Wesleyan, Vassar, and Bard all come to mind but there will be plenty of options.</p>

<p>Some of these colleges are clustered not far apart, which would make visiting them a little easier. Finally, if you are interested in smaller classes, make sure to check the class size breakdown on each colleges Common Data Set. Good luck to you and your D!</p>

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<p>Swarthmore.</p>

11

<p>What is her PSAT?</p>

<p>I would add U Minnesota - Morris.</p>

12

<p>With her stats she would be eligible for some nice scholarships at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. It is located on Lake Virginia but has many connecting lakes she could kayak. She would have small classes and plenty of activities that she might like. For instance for her PE courses she could take canoeing, sailing or scuba diving. My S volunteers/mentors at Fern Creek Elementary but there are other volunteer activities like that if she is looking for a campus that really promotes service to others. Of course many colleges have programs like this but I am biased towards Rollins as my S loves it there.</p>

13

<p>I have heard some negative things about Rollins. Lots and lots and lots of open drug use. Your daughter may or may not be comfortable with that.</p>

14

<p>

Sounds like you’re well on your way to making good choices. One thing I’d suggest is to have her visit schools of various types in your area. They don’t have to be schools she’d want to attend, but visits let her get a first-hand impression of what its like at a large public, a small private, rural, urban, etc. A fair number of kids think they know what they want based on expectations, but since their actual experience is limited to their HS they find they change their opinions after they start visits.</p>

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<p>Well there is a drug and alcohol culture at all colleges and I am finding that Rollins does have some kids who do that stupid stuff but the school imo is moving beyond that stereotype. I was also concerned before my S went there but as he tells me these same people at Rollins are at the the other colleges he has visited. He avoids the kids who do that and there is not a problem. There are plenty of stereotypes that people need to see and decide for themselves. If you are looking for drugs I’m sure you would find them wherever you go because thats what druggies do.</p>

16

<p>Amherst
Haverford
Swarthmore
Williams
Carleton
Wesleyan
Grinnell
Oberlin
Vassar
Bryn Mawr
Kenyon
Macalester
Smith
Mt. Holyoke
Beloit
Goucher
Lawrence</p>

17

<p>Sounds like she has a lot of very good EC’s as well as grades. If her test scores are good she has a good chance at colleges that meet full need. Allocations for laptops and a trip home are included in the cost of attendence allocation. My daughter was able to save money over time by making some of her own food and moving off campus, so her allocation was able to cover all her expenses, plus at Brown she had great work study jobs with professors, doing research.</p>

<p>My daughter has some traits in common with yours and was looking for an intellectual school (likely applies to most top colleges, but some really market the reputation), she ended up with early acceptance to U Chicago, so only applied where she wanted for the other schools. She picked Brown, but also applied to Yale, Wellesley, Grinnell and our state UC system. She didn’t put more because she thought she’d be at Chi, however she learned more about Brown and the open circulum meanwhile. Admission rate is very low, though.</p>

<p>She went to school on the East Coast and we are on the West Coast. Just a plane ride away, and is a nice protected way to get to know another part of the country. She was immersed in school and it was better not to be close and feel you have to visit frequently, imo. It’s easy to stay in touch for free with the internet and skype.</p>

18

<p>As I am reading your post, everything about your D screams Dartmouth to me. Intellectual kids, close-knit, highly active outdoor recreation group (rock climbing and hiking), great undergraduate teaching.</p>

19

<p>Wow! Thank you all so much for the tremendous response!</p>

<p>Her PSAT is 230. We are stretched very tight financially; I had surgery several months ago and have to make a harsh monthly payment, which D contributes toward with her own income in addition to being essentially self-sufficient. </p>

<p>I gave her a list of schools to browse and set her loose, and she has reported back with her comments. Standouts:
Chicago: She thoroughly enjoyed Chicago’s wit and very much liked its philosophy. She’s a bit of an architecture snob, so Chicago certainly made her swoon.
Swarthmore: The user-friendly website worked in its favor initially. Like Chicago, she appreciated the school’s quirky, intellectual flavor. Loved the Quaker philosophy.
Amherst: She liked the idea of attending a small school but having the consortium at her disposal. Intrigued by the open curriculum.
Carleton: Again, she liked the school’s personality. Carleton especially seemed very welcoming to her – she got the feeling that they genuinely would love to have her from the website.
Haverford: Impressed. Loved the Quaker philosophy. Liked the consortium.
Vassar: Liked the accepting feeling she got from the school and amused by the reputation. Liked the architecture.
Beloit: Felt welcomed by the website.</p>

<p>She said that she didn’t think she would be interested in a women’s college, but is happy to visit one and get a taste for it before writing it off completely. That said, she liked Bryn Mawr and Smith.</p>

<p>I mentioned the Ivies to her and got an are-you-crazy look and a nervous laugh. Made her look anyway, and she genuinely liked them all for various and different reasons. She joked she would develop a complex if she attended an Ivy, and that’s “if the fabric of reality was tossed in kool-aid and I was miraculously admitted.” From my understanding, Ivies give the best financial aid – should I push her to put more serious thought into them?</p>

<p>Oh, and:
Yale: Liked a lot. Liked housing system. Loved architecture. Liked the student body. I think this would be a good fit.
Harvard: Made faces the whole time. Loved architecture, liked housing system. Ditto Yale.
Brown: Liked open curriculum. Liked the student body.
Dartmouth: Intrigued by D-Plan. Loved the outdoorsy feel. Concerned about drinking and Greek culture.</p>

<p>She said she’s most comfortable with the 2-7k range of students based on her (limited) experiences with Guilford College, Wake Forest, and UNCG. However, we’re planning formal tours soon. She mentioned worrying she would feel hemmed up after four years with such a small group of people at a smaller college, but also said she might just be acting silly. Thoughts?</p>

<p>I will definitely head on over to the parents’ forum!</p>

20

<p>Has she considered Duke?</p>