<p>Won't be long before we need to start the college search for our daughter. While she is a great child and wonderful daughter with all kinds of super qualities, to be truthful, she isn't exactly the brightest when it comes to academics. Her teachers like her and recognize that she tries hard, and so they tend to cut her quite a bit of slack, so she gets fairly decent o.k. grades (B/C). We would really like her to get a 4 year college degree, but worry that the challenge may be too much for her. We've decided that the best course is to try to find the easiest college we can for her. One where she won't be too challenged and get discouraged. One that is actually fun and can keep her motivated. We've ruled out a local junior college in that we don't want her to miss out on the 4 year college experience starting as a Freshman. (After seeing her older brother go off to a 4 year college, she would be really disappointed if she didn't also.) Doesn't matter whether it is prestigious, higly ranked, or what it offers for majors. Don't even care if the degree is worth a hill of beans for finding a job. Our sole concern is her getting through the 4 years with a degree and an enjoyable, fun, positive experience. Would prefer to keep her fairly close to home (Illinois or one of the surrounding states). Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I would look at Mills in Oakland CA.......very nice supportive environment for a girl.......and perhaps Eckerd College in St Pete FL. I will give this some thought for there are I am sure many others. Great that you have a good idea of what you need......very smart.</p>
<p>Mills is not easy. I know multiple students there, and all of them are working very hard--and they were excellent students in high school.</p>
<p>Try your local state college.</p>
<p>I'm a bit taken aback by your approach. Just because your D has not "mastered" the traditional system at her school by earning high grades and test scores, does not mean that she should go to an easy unchallenging 4 year college. What are the excellent qualities she has? What is she is passionate about? There are excellent schools where she may thrive and be challenged but that are a bit outside the mainstream. Help her identify what SHE wants her college experience to be. Maybe she doesn't even want one. I urge you to help your duaghter shine in something she finds rewarding, interesting and fulfilling. Maybe it's not getting a college degree. Post some more info about HER interests and gifts and you'll get plenty of help here.</p>
<p>dmd77.....hey I am not saying that everything at Mills is easy.....all schools have greater/lesser students and majors. I just know that the campus is nice, the environment is supportive and they support all women in their endeavor to obtain a college degree. The fun of SanFran is there and Berkeley is close. Dating options are available but not right on the campus.......might be a good thing for a family looking to get the degree. I cannot imagine Mills not supporting a girl of this type. The support would be a nice thing....it is fun and the weather is funner!!! Sending a kid who trys hard but needs support to a state school is a ticket to nowhere.....no fun, no degree, no success.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mills.edu/%5B/url%5D">www.mills.edu/</a></p>
<p>Evergreen in the state of WA (sorry it's far from IL) is supposed to be a great environment. They have an integrative curriculum and give a LOT of support to their students. You can read more about them here:</p>
<p>Sorry, I don't know much about schools in your area. If she wanted to come to Hawaii, University of Hawaii in Hilo or Hawaii Pacific University are options she might consider. My son said the thought the statistics course he took the summer after 10th grade at HPU was easier than his HS courses (of course that was only one intro course). UH-Hilo is much cheaper & I believe they're in the process of building more dorms. Hilo is a small town, but have good marine biology & astronomy, if she has any interest in either. I believe either of the schools would likely be fairly easy & have a lot of fun activities. HPU has good drama productions which they produce several times/year, which the public can attend.
I'm sure there must be similar schools near your geographic area. Does her HS &/or teachers have any recommendations?
Starion</p>
<p>So I guess the big issue since you are from the Midwest is how important is Sports......big game weekends? Also.....guys. Is your hope that she is going to meet THE guy? These would play into the recommendations that folks might give you. I mean when you say fun, I can think of tons of places, then when you say easy, I think supportive, meaning gets guidance for the right classes that won't kill her but will be interesting and doable. Lots of close women friends and mentors. All women need a support system. When you say close to home and that is ILL I cannot think of fun.......or easy. But I will try.</p>
<p>It was many years ago, but I attended Northeastern Illinois State in Chicago for a summer, and the courses were very easy compared to my college. There is Chicago for culture and fun. Didn't live on campus that summer, so I don't know the atmosphere too well.</p>
<p>Northern Ill U, Western Ill, Eastern Ill and Southern Ill, but if she is not academically inclined they all will give her too much opportunity to party.</p>
<p>How about a place like Valporaiso or Lake Forest College or Denison? They aren't "easy" but if your daughter's getting some B's she's not a terrible student, either.</p>
<p>Not everyone needs to go to a 4-year college. The basics of a college experience is the academics. If your D isn't academically included, it may very well be that some post h.s. vocational track would be appropriate for her. </p>
<p>To me, looking for a way to send a kid to an "easy," 4-year college so she can have an "enjoyable, fun" experience sounds like a recipe for disaster. There really are far more realistic and productive ways of spending 4 years having an enjoyable time.</p>
<p>Truly, if your D isn't interested in academics or smart enough to be able to handle the academics without struggling, don't send her to college. I don't think that there is any college anywhere that views its main purpose as being giving students an enjoyable time. I also wonder if the reason that your D would be disappointed if she didn't go to a 4-year college is that she feels she'd be letting you down. She doesn't sound like a kid who loves school so much that she would be looking forward to 4 more years.</p>
<p>Just because college was the right choice for you and your other child doesn't mean its the right choice for your D. Accept her for the unique person that she is, and help her find an appropriate path that meets her needs and interests. </p>
<p>There probably are vocational options where a young woman like your D would be both happy and fulfilled and would get the skills to be employable in a field that she'd love.</p>
<p>Close, in the city and easy, easy, easy. <a href="http://www.colum.edu/%5B/url%5D">www.colum.edu/</a>
Apparently common knowledge is that this school suits your purpose. This school serves kids just like your daughter....of course other questions I asked but aren't answered....well sports would not be a part of the college experience here. As to fun.....that is a different answer from many folks. I don't really know what you deem fun. To me fun is good restaurants, arts, major league baseball and golfing. So......I don't know fun to your daughter. This school is right downtown however.</p>
<p>Ohio Wesleyan, Hartwick College</p>
<p>There are many schools that will help "average" students to excell and reach their full capacity. It doesn't make sense for us to list the hundreds of such schools out there without knowing more about your daughter because we are all just shooting in the dark.</p>
<p>Before anyone can make suggestions, we need to know more about your daughter's personality beyond her struggles with school. What are her interests outside of school? Is she more the rah-rah cheerleader type or a crunchy granola type? (Mills and Evergreen would both be better for the latter, not good fits for the former). What does she like to do for fun? Is she into the latest fashions or does she prefer to set her own fashion trends? How would you describe her to someone who doesn't know her (beyond saying she isn't good at school)? Would she enjoy a school where she could join a sorority? How would her best friend describe your daughter? How would you describe her best friend and her group of friends in terms of their interests and activities?</p>
<p>Then there is more information we need to know before we can make suggestions: Will you need financial aid? Will you qualify for financial aid? Is there a part of the country she and you would prefer? Would she do better in a rural, urban or suburban location? Would she be open to a religiously affiliated school? If so, any religion or one in particular?</p>
<p>Finally, what grade is she in now? If she is a junior, yes, it is probably too late to do much about her grades. If she is a sophomore or a freshman, there is still time to get her the tutoring and help she may need to bring up her grades and give her more choices when it comes to college. If she is a junior, I would wait and she how she does on the upcoming PSAT before starting to rule any college in or out.</p>
<p>I don't know how easy it is to get into Hartwick these days but years ago it was a good school for those who might still "blossom" academically. I finished my undergraduate degree there and when I attended it had many students who were bright but had not taken high school too seriously. Some students continued to glide through but what was great about the place was that the academics were there if you wanted them. The professors were very accessible.</p>
<p>There's a college for everyone who wishes to attend. B's and C's aren't terrible at all. (I went to high school a number of years ago with lots of kids with similar grades who went on to college and did fantastically well in life.) And if she's the delight that you say, then she must not be adversely impacted by the hard work she has to put into her academics. A kind and supportive 4-year college is nearly always better to ensure a rich college experience. But, it must be carefully picked. I agree with Carolyn. Please provide more information about your daughter's grade, stats, and ECs, and any disabilities or AD(H)D, so that our circle of friends can help you better. </p>
<p>OB</p>
<p>Maybe a school like Antioch would be a good choice. It is one of the colleges featured in "Colleges that Change Lives." Antioch is focused to a large extent on working internships interspersed with studies. If I had a kid who was not that academically inclined, and I wanted them to discover themselves and become functional in the working world, I would be very interested in Antioch. Regardless, get that book (by Loren Pope) for lots of good ideas about less selective but still appealing colleges. These schools know how to teach B/C students and in many cases they leave much more academic (i.e. headed to grad school) than they came.</p>
<p>YoMama also has a good point-- what does your D love?</p>
<p>There are outdoor education oriented colleges, equestrian-oriented, art oriented, etc. Finding a niche school that corresponds to a major interest of your D would be another way of finding a good fit.</p>
<p>If she has LD, look for schools that offer good LD support.</p>
<p>Check out the current thread on Lenoir-Rhyne. Sounds like a very nurturing enviornment. These sorts of schools are all over.</p>
<p>There's another question we are all missing: Does this girl really want to go to a four year college? If she doesn't like school, no amount of easiness and fun in the world is going to get her through a four year college. She may be better served by considering some of the two year schools and programs out there - (I'm talking about private two year junior colleges with dorms, so she'd get the "away from home experience" but there are also some four year schools that offer two year career-oriented programs to look at as well ) where she could have some time to decide if she wants to continue for a full bachelor's or perhaps get an associates degree in a particular career oriented area. Often these schools are also more supportive in terms of helping kids reach their full potential.
Even if she does want a four year school, would she be better served by a school focused on liberal arts or a school with strong professional programs (i.e., business, vet tech, interior design, etc.). And, SBmom's idea about Antioch made me also wonder if she is the type that would do best in a very unstructured curriculum (like Antioch's) or if she needs a more structured curriculum.</p>
<p>I do have some ideas to suggest, but I'd prefer to know the answers to the questions I've asked before making them. As I said, there are many excellent schools out there for kids at all levels, but it is important to know more about your daughter to suggest possible directions. If you don't feel comfortable sharing all of this information about her publicly, feel free to send me a personal message and we can chat privately.</p>
<p>"After seeing her older brother go off to a 4 year college, she would be really disappointed if she didn't also."</p>
<p>MoonDogGuy's quote indicates parent's take on her desire to go to a 4-year school, but we really do need more info to help.</p>
<p>CAROLYN, I'd be happy to help offline too because in some ways this dear girl and my son are similar and our search process may be helpful.</p>
<p>I would look into Valparaiso, and really any of the Lutheran colleges in the midwest like Gustavus Adolphus, Luther, Concordia (Moorhead)--very supportive environments, and nurturing--they are not the "easiest" colleges, but an average student who puts in a reasonable amount of effort should be able to do well at any of them. They are Christian, but not super conservative Christian. My nephew is doing wonderfully at Bemidji State--cheaper, non-Christian, but seems very supportive of him. He is having a wonderful time there. I'm sure there are many colleges that would fit the bill for your daughter.</p>