It’s been a little while so I thought I would update. DS received 2 more acceptances (Southern CT and UMaine (with merit) which was a last minute app that I humored him on ). Last weekend he had an accepted students day at St. Michael’s and he walked away really happy. I did as well. It’s really a hidden gem, and we are so happy that he’s happy.
The mid year report with 1st semester grades went out, and his gpa bumped up slightly—small jump, but enough to confirm that his upward trend is holding steady. Currently waiting for responses from 3 EA deferrals (Charleston, Indiana, & Salve Regina) and 2 RD schools (UConn and Hobart). He decided to do a virtual interview with Hobart for the experience. It’s a big reach, and (I think) worth a visit if he’s accepted, but I’m not going to force it. My mom is on the sidelines praying for him to get into College of Charleston so she can take him to visit, lol. Again, not going to push it, but if he gets in and she wants to take him, we’re fine with whatever he decides at this point!
What I wanted to say most for parents of kiddos who have had to work at it like he has, is that you shouldn’t let anyone or anything hold your student back in this process. I realized recently that had we relied solely on Naviance, he wouldn’t have applied to most of the schools he ended up applying to. He’s currently 6 acceptances for 7 responses, and only 1 of the schools was a true sure thing as per Naviance. I’ve decided it’s a blessing and a curse when I think about kids who may limit themselves because of a Scattergram and miss out on an opportunity…
Anyways, here’s to the underachievers and late bloomers! Hoping to have it all wrapped up sooner than later.
So DS’s journey is almost wrapped up. In the past few weeks he’s been accepted to UConn (branched to Hartford), College of Charleston (for spring 2023), and (much to our shock) Hobart —with an incredible FA package—and waitlisted at IU. All that’s left is Salve Regina, but he has already decided he’s no longer interested.
He’s narrowed it to St. Michael’s & Hobart, and he decided he’d like to attend an accepted students day at Hobart in early April, so I booked the trip. I’m not sure what to think, as we never thought he would be accepted? I applied back in the late 80s—loved it but ended up at CU. We will see how he feels and go from there.
Again, for anyone reading this thread in the future with a kiddo with a less than pristine transcript, do your research and advocate for your student. I clicked on “compare me” on Naviance today, and saw a huge sea of red x’s, but DS has been accepted at 9 of those schools (a few with significant merit), waitlisted at 1, and denied from 1. If we had let those red x’s guide our way, his world would be a lot smaller next year than it has the potential to become.
Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us. Congratulations on the Hobart offer with significant financial aid! Your son has some great options to choose between.
Interesting about Naviance. My kids school does not have it. However, I have used the cc college finder AI tool and many of the schools I think my son could have a chance at are listing him as being under 20% chance of. A bit scary.
This is fantastic! My S has also had some pretty good and somewhat surprising results. I’m waiting until all are in before sharing, he still has three apps outstanding.
Is that good aid package merit that is guaranteed for all 4 years? Or is it need-based?
Looking at Hobart’s Common Data Set, they do show a tendency to front-load their need-based aid a bit, presumably in hopes of boosting yield. For first-years, they meet 88% of documented need on average, with an average grant of around 48K. But for all undergraduates combined, they meet 84% of need on average, with an average grant of 42K. So, if your son’s aid package is need-based, be prepared for the generosity to drop off a bit after the first year. If it’s a guaranteed merit award (which I think you said was the case with St. Mike’s) then no worries on that front!
Are both schools similar in terms of having the major(s) that he is interested in?
It’s hard to know what’s an unrealistic reach and what’s worth a shot with only percentages, so I will say that the scatter plots Naviance generates helped us to look past all the red x’s to see where there could be hope. For example, if nobody from his school had ever been rejected and his gpa and/SATs were super close to within reach, then why not try? Comparing this info with common data sets helped with this a lot as well.
Thx! Yes, both have the major he’s interested in, and both have a certain related club that’s relatively unique, which was ultimately a primary reason for applying.
This is very good to know re: FA. Yes, it’s mainly needs-based, which gives me a little bit of pause. We have a clear picture of what our FAFSA will look like for the next 4 years, and we’re fully aware that when his brother is done (2024) our EFC will jump back up. It would be doable without as much aid, but I feel like he’d have to have found his true home in the world to make it worth passing up St. Mike’s pkg.
Since it was a genuine reach for him, I also worry about getting in over his head academically and regretting it. We know he’s intellectually capable, but his learning needs may not be compatible with the pace and academic culture of the school, so this will be my biggest area of interest when we go for the accepted students day. It seems like St. Mike’s has better supports for kids with learning needs, and that can’t be ignored.
My gut says he’s going to stick with St. Mike’s for a whole host of reasons, but we don’t want him to always wonder what if. Hopefully we get some questions answered on our visit, and then we have a little time to process before May 1.
Just so that you know, some kids have success in getting UConn to unbranch them, if they call admitting. I didn’t believe it was possible, but I’ve heard of cases where the kid called admissions and made a case for why they should be at Storrs to start out, and they let them in at Storrs!
I’ve heard this as well. As it stands, Hartford students can live on the Storrs campus already, but he doesn’t seem interested in either school anymore. I think the process made it clear to him that he prefers a smaller school.
I have the exact same concerns for my son regarding academic rigor. I don’t know if he is going to rise to the occasion or drown. He is doing so much better this year, I hope that’s an indication he’s on an upward swing. But since he’s spent the prior three years not caring and probably not learning an awful lot, I’m concerned.
Exactly. I’m trying to think about how to broach this carefully with DS after we have the visit. If he’s not interested I won’t bother, but if he likes it and wants to go, I don’t want to make him feel like I’m not proud of him or that I don’t think he’s capable. He deserves to be excited by this. That said, I don’t want his excitement or some perception about prestige to drive his decision. He can only go to one school even if he’s psyched about more than 1.
He knows himself well, so I think coming at it from the angle of: Do you feel like you’re ready for and excited by a new level of challenge? Or do you want to continue ride the wave you’re already on? is what I will ask. We will need a dispassionate pro/con process and then we’ll see what happens!
I had a similar concern regarding academic rigor when my S was accepted into his high match school. I spoke to his (excellent) HS guidance counselor about this topic and she assured me that admissions officers were very good at their jobs and would only accept students who they felt could do the work at that college. My S did attend that high match college (it was his preference, the best for his major, and surprisingly best merit aid) – he did have to “step up his game” and a couple of courses were quite challenging but overall he did extremely well and had a fantastic college experience. He is a very proud alum!
I think you are doing a great job guiding your son and at this point he can’t make a bad choice. Congratulations.
Great advice. And we have a meeting booked with the disability services office so he can ask all of the necessary questions to feel comfortable that he understands the available services.
Believe me—my first instinct isn’t always gentle, lol. I’ve just figured out that he’s very sensitive, and he will parse my every word if I don’t think before I speak!
). Last weekend he had an accepted students day at St. Michael’s and he walked away really happy. I did as well. It’s really a hidden gem, and we are so happy that he’s happy.
Looking forward to hearing his results.