<p>I posted this in a different forum, but I think this one is more appropriate.</p>
<p>What would you do? </p>
<hr>
<p>I am an instructor pilot in the USAF stationed in southwest Texas. My son goes to a small 1A school where he is a sophomore. He is 1 or 2 in his class (of about 60). All district varsity baseball, varsity football, NHS, FCA Officer, UIL Math (state finals next weekend), number sense, science, One Act Play. Duke TIP. Scored 2060 on first attempt at SAT. Taking all the honors/AP classes the school offers. 3.9 something unweighted.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill which goes into effect Aug 1 is a great benefit that I am allowed to pass on to my wife and/or kids in any combination that I choose. Basically, it will pay for all tuition up to the highest state school rate (UT-Austin at $1333/hr), same with fees. Living allowance at the E-5 rate (approx. $13-1500/month depending on cost of living in that part of the state), $1000/yr for books, $100/month for tutor if needed.
He thinks he would like to go into medicine, so I am having him "shadow" a flight surgeon on base this summer for a while. If not medicine, then engineering of some kind.
He went to an engineering shindig at Texas A&M and really liked the school as well as the calculus class he sat in on. I talked to Trinity University in San Antonio and they said he would be a great fit there.
He scored in the 99% on the pre ACT test they gave at school. Got lots of form letters from great schools like Duke, MIT, Penn, Stanford, Cal Tech, etc., but out of state makes a huge difference.
My delima is being that I could send him pretty much anywhere in the state that he could get into on what would equate to a full scholarship, where would you go/send your kid? UT-Austin, A&M, Rice, Trinity, Southwestern, Baylor, Texas Tech, etc. As long as he could get in, the costs would be covered.
Coming from a really small high school would you go small or large?</p>
<p>I would personally pick either Texas A&M or Rice</p>
<p>This would be a no brainer for me. Rice for sure.</p>
<p>The financial aid programs at top notch schools are pretty good. You should see how much you’d be paying at those if your son has really high aspirations. There has been a growth in such programs in recent years at most top 30 schools.</p>
<p>Rice hands down. One of the best undergraduate experiences and fantastic for engineering. As for financial aid, Rice has one of the biggest endowments and is quite generous.</p>
<p>Im hearing a lot of Rice. I must admit, I am kind of leaning toward Rice anyway. Financial aid should not be an issue wherever he goes. Even the Rice folks say Post 9/11 GI bill should cover everything.
Any opinions for Trinity University in San Antonio? It is my understanding that Rice and Trinity compete for the same kids.</p>
<p>I don’t think Trinity is on the same level as Rice. Also, look into the the ivy leagues because of their great financial aid.</p>
<p>Trinity University is an excellent school, don’t get me wrong, but just not on the same leve as Rice.</p>
<p>Im really new to this. With his resume I posted above, would Rice be a pipe dream, long shot, stretch, etc. for my son? I think his SAT’s were pretty good, escpecially for a sophomore. I think his scores on the SAT will likely go up some the next time he takes it. However, I don’t want to get his hopes up too much about a school like Rice, or any other school that just isn’t going to happen. I think he was flattered by all of the form letters he received from very good schools after his pre-ACT test thingy. Soon enough, I will merely become an advisor to him as I fully expect for him to find the school thats right for him.
I wish I could push him to the Air Force Academy, but don’t think so.</p>
<p>I think that he can definitely get into Rice if he has good extracurricular activities, gets good recommendations and writes a good essay. He seems to be taking the most rigorous curriculum possible and is doing well (as evidenced by the 3.9 he’s getting). Remember in the end this is his own decision so don’t try to “pressure” him into picking one school over another. Trinity University and Texas A&M would be an excellent choice for a safe school.</p>
<p>What kind of EC’s would you recommend? The opportunities are pretty limited locally. We are a rural ranching community. Working with the flight surgeons office at my Air Force base I thought would expose him to the medical world, give him a good vector as to whether he really wanted to pursue medicine or not, and would help as it would be a volunteer position at the hospital/clinic. It will require about 60 miles of driving a day, however.<br>
Any other EC’s you could recommend that would reasonable for our location? Im just not sure what they’re looking for. Are we talking about things like NHS (which he, of course, already does), or working at the animal shelter (which we don’t even have). During the school year it seems he’s always gone to some school event, meeting, etc. Anything we do around here (sports, UIL…heck…grocery shopping) requires a lot of travel.</p>
<p>BTW, I really appreciate your discussion.</p>
<p>brackettallens, contrary to what people on CC have done and to what you may think you need to do for EC’s, you don’t need to do anything spectacular in order to gain admissions to Rice. All you have to do is find something in your school or community to get COMMITTED TO (not a one time event, but something you stick with and do continuously) or something you can show LEADERSHIP. If you can show schools that you are committed or leadership, that’s just as good as working with flight surgeons at an Air Force Base. Committment can include doing community service at the same place over a long period of time and leadership can include being active and maybe even an officer in a high school club.</p>
<p>pierre,
Thanks for the reply. I have not been viewing CC long. Some of the EC’s these kids have done (assuming all is true) just blows me away. Seems some of the kids (and parents) here forget to be kids. I don’t want to make that mistake with my son. He is an FCA officer (he really takes it seriously), and on the student council. He’ll likely be a football team capt. his senior year. Voted the most likely to succeed (yea, I know, thats a big one). I think we probably have it covered.
I live in a world of highly competitive type A overachievers. Most of the time, that’s ok. I don’t want to force that on my kids though.
In our small community, you get to know your kids teachers/counselor/administrators really well. I don’ t see the recommendations being a problem.
Most of all he is a great kid. I dread the day he goes to college, but I know I will be then, as I am now, very proud of him. Very mixed emotions.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your advice.</p>
<p>I think you have it covered too, and yes I agree, a lot of people who post here forget that not getting into a top school is not the end of the world and that 15-18 year olds are still kids</p>
<p>Good luck with your sons college applications! Feel free to ask if you have any other questions</p>
<p>This is EASY!..pick Rice!</p>