first child going to college help if you can

<p>my son is a junior in a very good public school on long island n.y.
sats are 1900 g.p.a 3.5 .not many exras <pt work ,few clubs
630
630
640
he wants to major in creative writing and or english lit.
-stay close to a major city
-be with more artsy students than with the greeklife/jock type .
i really want him to b comfortable at school.
some schools on the short list are
marist
purchase
new paltz
tulane
boston u
hunter -hopefully honors program .
let me please know your thoughts and what u think his chances are for those schools and suggestions are welcome ,thanks</p>

<p>anyone please?</p>

<p>you have two threads that are the same</p>

<p>Just a few thoughts … “chance Me” threads usually belong on the chance me forum. YOu might try this on the parents forum in the parent cafe … and not make it a chance me thread - but more of one asking for advice, etc on the process, the schools, etc. Probably more luck from the parents.</p>

<p>Might also try in parent cafe “parents of the class of 2013” …</p>

<p>thanks ,told ya i was new at this .</p>

<p>Consider Kenyon and Grinnell.<br>
Tulane is a deep south culture school. Please visit to make sure it is a good fit.</p>

<p>Make sure that you let your S know now about any financial or other parameters for his search.</p>

<p>Make sure you know how much colleges now cost before you tell him that you’ll pay for any college he chooses.</p>

<p>Realize that most colleges aren’t able to meet 100% of accepted students’ financial need, and what colleges think you need is very likely to be less than you think you’d need.</p>

<p>Parents Forum here is an excellent place to get advice.</p>

<p>I believe Kenyon might be out of your son’s range, although I’m not 100% sure on that.</p>

<p>anything on hunter in manhatten ? that honors program is a good deal i wonder if he could qualify with his numbers ?</p>

<p>If your son likes BU, he should also check out Northeastern. Also, take a look at Emerson, as it’s artsy and also big on communications, theatre, and English. How about Fordham, either Rose Hill campus or, more appropriately for your son’s interests, the Manhattan campus?</p>

<p>I disagree with Olymom. 33% of Tulane students in this last freshman class come from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas, 15.5% from Midwest, and 11% from the West. It is a great mix of traditional Louisiana and diversity. Tulane has more students from over 500 miles away (75%) than any other American university.</p>

<p>Your son needs to take the SAT again. He also needs to take the ACT.</p>

<p>He needs to get his junior year GPA up as high as he can.</p>

<p>Right now, his SAT is in the 91st percentile. While that is good, it’s often not in high scholarship range. High merit scholarships tend to go to kids in the 96 percentile and higher. </p>

<p>At this point, he is likely not a contender for Hunter honors. Those free rides typically go to very high stats kids, since so many apply. </p>

<p>If you want him to snag a great scholarship, then he needs to improve his scores and tweak his GPA. There are a few scholarships for 3.5 GPAs, but many require higher.</p>

<p>BTW…Tulane is NOT a “deep south school”. First of all, it’s in Louisiana - a Catholic-influenced state, which means it’s not part of the bible belt. Secondly, it gets many students from far away.</p>

<p>However, Tulane is costing well over $50k per year, and right now your son’s stats aren’t high enough to get a good merit scholarship. They give about $24k per year for SAT (Math + CR) of 1400+</p>

<p>Agree with all that mom2college, except the very nitpicky detail that this year the Presidential merit award was $25K. Total estimated cost for tulane this year, including travel, books, and entertainment, for say a California or Northeast kid that has to fly is about $55,000. Of course most of the similar privates are within a thousand or two of that. Kind of takes your breath away.</p>

<p>Hunter is a good school with some good programs. Fordham College at Lincoln Center is also an excellent fit. When you apply to Fordham you simply designate LC as your campus of choice.</p>

<p>Among the schools you listed, SUNY Purchase is the most “artsy.”</p>

<p>You misunderstand me – Tulane is a fine school and does, indeed, draw students from all over. One is a kid from our neighborhood (Washington State). He got down there and had a tough time adjusting. It was a very different climate and culture than what he had expected (even though he had done a campus visit). He had a rough first year. </p>

<p>I suppose any school could be that way – significantly different than expected. This just happens to be a case that crossed my path. </p>

<p>It is always hard to know what “Greek” or “drinking” or “School spirit” means until one is on campus. And, even then, one student can hit a groove that works while another is left feeling like a fish out of water.</p>

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<p>That I completely agree with, Olymom. I think you just misstepped when you classified it as a “deep south culture” issue. As you say, every campus has its own culture, and your anecdote is a classic example of why fit is so important and how hard it can be to know what the culture is. A two day visit is just not adequate, but there is little else one can do other than read sites like this and talk to as many people that have been there as possible.</p>