First child going to college, need help

Parents Forum
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<p>I only went to community college myself, and that was several years after high school, so this is the first I've ever experienced of the college application process. My daughter, who is my first child (I have a 15 year old as well) has handled all of the researching and applying herself with minimal supervision from me (she's very independent) but I wanted to get some feedback on what more experienced parents thought her chances are at her list and, more importantly, if there are other schools she should be considering. Her test scores are not good, and really do not reflect how she does academically or the effort she puts in, which has been really stressful for her (and me by extension)</p>

<p>GPA: Unweighted 3.4 Weighted 4.1 (rank 26/561)
ACT: 27 Comp (27 English, 29 Math, 30 Science, 10 writing sub)
SAT: Reading 490, Math 660, Writing 600</p>

<p>Activities: School Orchestra for 9 years, local non-school orchestra 2 years, electric orchestra 3 years, national honor society, buddies (local anti-bullying group)</p>

<p>She wants to go into electrical/computer engineering.</p>

<p>Schools:
The Ohio State University (early action) - in-state
Case Western University (early action)
University of Cincinnati (early action)
University of Kentucky (early action) - out of state</p>

<p>She is also dead set on applying to both MIT and Berkeley, accepting that she has a snowballs chance in the sun of getting in. I would really like her to apply to a few more schools but I don't even know what to recommend to her, if anything.</p>

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<p>Have you met with her guidance counselor to discuss any other possible schools to apply to ? I am not sure what you are looking for in terms of advice , but I would think by her stats she has good chances on the first four. Does she have a first choice, and have you visited the schools ?</p>

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<p>What’s your budget as to how much you’ll spend each year on college?</p>

<p>I wouldn’t apply to any OOS publics unless you can pay the OOS costs. If money isn’t an issue, then maybe add West Virginia and maybe a small private that would give her lots of individual attention. Have you looked at UDayton?</p>

<p>Her scores are low for an eng’g major, which (to me) suggests that going where she’d get more attention would be a good thing.</p>

<p>I can’t remember the name of it, but I think there’s a small private in Mich that has eng’g that students seem to get a lot of personal attention. </p>

<p>Is she taking Calculus? If so, how is she doing?</p>

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<p>I have talked with her guidance counselor but unfortunately this is her first year as a counselor and she seems almost as clueless as I am. </p>

<p>My daughter is currently taking AP calculus and had a B (86%) first quarter. She’s also doing well in Honors Physics and Statistics. She’s not a gifted kid, but math is her most comfortable subject and she works hard in everything. Her #1 pick right now out of her 4 realistic schools, is Ohio State. Honestly I think she’d be perfectly happy at OSU.</p>

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<p>What is your budget?</p>

<p>I just looked up the private colleges in Michigan, and the college’s name is Calvin College. It’s small, but eng’g is popular there. </p>

<p>When my son did an REU one summer, and one young lady on his team went to that school. At the Family Dinner, her dad told me wonderful things about that school and how good it was for his D with all the attention she got.</p>

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<p>I like OSU, too. Her stats look good enough for there, and it is your state school, so likely a good price option. OSU is big enough that if she changes her mind, she can find a new major. Big enough, too, that she is likely to find some music outlets if she wants to continue to play. And did you see the band last weekend??!!</p>

<p>Case Western is more of a reach, and would be more expensive. Cincy would be easier for her to get in, and it looks like she would be a stronger student there. She might get some merit aid there. I didn’t really evaluate UK. Is there a reason it would be more attractive than OSU? </p>

<p>Other posters have asked some good questions about your budget for college and about the rigor of your daughter’s current schedule. Are there any other factors to consider? Does she want to stay close to home? Does she want to avoid English classes? Does she think she wants a small school?</p>

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<p>Smith has engineering and is SAT-optional.</p>

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<p>I would suggest that you have your D take some other standardized reading comprehension test. She MAY have a problem. If she does, it needs to be fixed NOW before she starts college. </p>

<p>My offspring’s step-sib had a similar verbal score. He explored further and discovered his reading speed was slow. So, he took a reading course the summer before college. He increased his reading speed significantly and that was VERY helpful when he started college.</p>

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<p>What about Miami U as a high match or Bowling Green and Kent St.?</p>

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<p>First of all, congrats on having a kid that is so organized and self sufficient on college apps. That’s great! </p>

<p>MIT - I advised against it. Even if she go in (she won’t), it would be hard to survive. Also MIT has it’s own set of essays, special teacher recommendation forms etc… a real pain. </p>

<p>OSU could be a good value. Tell us more of you financial situation and perhaps we could suggest more schools. Oh, you may not know that most college website now have NPC (Net Price Calculator) to help families understand approximately the costs and possible need-based financial aid.</p>

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<p>Money is definitely an issue. I don’t want to get into too many details, but it’s definitely a concern. I was mistaken above, too, her AP Calculus grade for quarter 1 this year was 96%, not 86%. She looked at Miami University and something about their engineering program really turned her off. She’s had her heart set on Engineering since she was twelve years old, so it’s literally the only thing she’s looked at. We visited both Case Western and OSU, and we live just north of University of Cincinnati so we’ve been there multiple times (it’s where she went to a Women in Engineering workshop when she was twelve and decided that’s what she wanted to do). She absolutely loved the OSU Campus and the bigger size (and therefore greater resources for students) and was so-so on Case Western, though she thinks it’s a better school. University of Cincinnati is what she considers her safety school. It’s in driving distance so she can commute if it comes down to that, and they have a pretty decent engineering program.</p>

<p>I am concerned about her reading scores. She took AP English last year (I forget which section) and got an A in the class, and a 3 on the AP test, so I am confused as to what’s going on with her in that area. She’s also taking AP English Literature this year and has held a solid B+ so far. Her teachers have always said she does well, and have scored her well on papers and tests. She communicates well verbally and has good vocabulary, but her reading comprehension seems to be low. The problem is getting her to admit it and work on it. She dismisses it as her just not being a “words” person and not liking to read.</p>

<p>As for the person who asked about UK. I have no idea. She did all the research and decided on which schools she wanted on “the list” and UK made “the list”. She’s not a fan of religious based schools, so she leans towards public universities. I guess I’m just worried that she hasn’t looked far/deep enough beyond what’s here locally.</p>

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<p>Ohio State seems to have a pretty good reputation, and “ranks” pretty high on various lists. If she’s leaning towards public schools, she’s not likely to get big scholarships out of state. If she gets in there it sounds like a win all around. Good luck. It’s a stressful time, especially the first time.</p>

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<p>“he problem is getting her to admit it and work on it. She dismisses it as her just not being a “words” person and not liking to read.”</p>

<p>There is a VERY large disparity between her Math and Verbal scores, and the reading demands of college are a LOT harder than those in HS.</p>

<p>“She communicates well verbally and has good vocabulary, but her reading comprehension seems to be low.”</p>

<p>She needs to be tested for Dyslexia, which is a disability and is NOT easy to just “work on”.
Many smart dyslexics are great “oral learners”, because over time they have [ subconsciously] adapted the way they learn best [ through their ears] to compensate for the area that cause them trouble .</p>

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<p>Have you run the net price calculators on each school’s web site to get the financial aid estimates and see what each school will cost after applying financial aid grants?</p>

<p>With her current stats, there are not a lot of choices for full tuition merit scholarships (maybe just Howard and Prairie View A&M):
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378&lt;/a&gt;
However, some of the schools listed have lesser automatic scholarships as well.</p>

<p>There is another thread of automatic merit scholarships, including lesser ones:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>There is also a thread of competitive large scholarships:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I guess I hadn’t considered dyslexia because she does very well in school and I expected more problems if she were dyslexic, or a comment from a teacher or something, but you bring up a good point. She has complained in the past that she just has a hard time understanding what she reads and has to read over it again and again. I chalked it up to her just not liking to read, but maybe I’ve been too hasty in that assessment. I feel bad for not seriously considering dyslexia until now. She took the SAT twice and both times got a 490 on the reading section, so it wasn’t a one-off test day issue. I’ll see if I can find some resources. It’s definitely something we should address before college. Thank you for the suggestion.</p>

<p>ucbalumnus: Thank you for all of that information.</p>

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<p>I understand about Miami, we looked there for D and it’s a love or hate and the engineering school seemed less strong than other schools. </p>

<p>Toledo has a nice engineering school if she wants to get away from your area. Mandatory co-op like Cincinnati. </p>

<p>Other suggestions, Kettering in Flint, Michigan. Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, IN. Both of my kids really liked this school but you would have to apply and see if it would be affordable. D and I visited University of Evansville which we really really liked. Another option is Bradley in Peoria, IL.</p>

<p>Another school we have ties with is Michigan Tech. Long way away but they have scholarships which could make it the same price as your in state options. Public university with a nice size and great reputation for educating engineers. Had to throw this school in as it was a great choice for one of my kids. He really grew in his years there and has a great job as do all of his friends.</p>

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<p>The 27 in the English ACT is the equivalent of about a 610 Verbal SAT, isn’t it?</p>

<p>Maybe she should consider submitting only the ACT scores.</p>

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<p>I think your daughter needs an evaluation. The school can do it, or a neuro-psychologist (if you don’t agree with the school, then, in some states, they have to pay for a private evaluation). Sometimes insurance will pay, or, failing that, you can ask for specific testing that covers specific issues.</p>

<p>I would also consider ADHD inattentive for the reading issues. She sounds like my daughter. Though I pressed the school for years she wasn’t diagnosed until after high school and her ADHD is severe. It is very common for the demands of college to be a catalyst for diagnosis. Even the family physician can help with this.</p>

<p>The disparity between math and verbal, and between grades and test scores, is a real red flag.</p>

<p>If she does have a diagnosis, she should have accommodations for testing (long process, might not be doable at this point, but for the future; you apply to College Board and provide documentation.) She should also register at college with the office of disabilities and provide documentation for accommodations there (extra time, extensions, that kind of thing). I know this is getting ahead of the game and I only mention these things so you can see the vista ahead and why it might matter to get an evaluation at this time of transition.</p>

<p>She may just have a stronger math brain than verbal, so I am not making assumptions, only suggesting possibilities. The world is a more interesting place because people all have different abilities and weaknesses. She also may just be a poor test taker. She must be reading well for her classes (or is it a struggle?).</p>

<p>There are many top schools that do not require submission of test scores:
[SAT/ACT</a> Optional 4-Year Universities | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional]SAT/ACT”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest)
Many of these same schools also have fantastic financial aid, so consider some of the private schools on the list, which may even be cheaper than in-state public.</p>

<p>I am suspicious of ambitions formed at age 12 and would worry that she is limiting herself. Clearly she had a great experience back then. But many students form these early ambitions and change majors in the first years of college. That said, with her verbal challenges and obvious talent in math, engineering would seem to be a good choice for her, though the reading may be a challenge. Has she ever considered other paths, such as teaching math, accounting, that kind of thing?</p>

<p>She is really high in rank in her class. She is clearly smart and hard-working but also possibly compensating for some kind of problem, that cannot really be fixed with hard work. Or not. But as I said, this is a good time to find out.</p>

<p>Good luck and feel free to PM me for more personal info gained from my own experience.</p>

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<p>Many kids have uneven math/verbal tests scores. I don’t think it’s unusual at all. S had a 31M, 26E, 34science. He was very uneven but engineering was for him. </p>

<p>It’s very hard to find a correlation between GPA and test scores because we don’t know about the school. My kids had higher test scores/lower GPA than their cousins who had higher grades/lower ACT scores. Our school was more competitive than theirs. </p>

<p>So she may have a learning disability but not. I just think that it is hard to tell from what we know. My niece has a high GPA and is ranked in the top 10% of her class and has a similar ACT as the OP. It was the same for her brother and typical for their school. </p>

<p>Also my D told us she wanted to be an engineer in the 4th grade. She never thought about another career plan. She’s a working engineer now.</p>

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<p>Hi - Union College in Schnectady NY is a smaller school and has engineering. My S applied there - admittedly not as an engineering major but pre-med - and they were very generous with financial aid. He ended up going elsewhere but Union was his #2 choice. They are test optional as well. We liked Union a lot.</p>