For all you seasoned veterans, can you help my son pick schools?

Parents Forum
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<p>Ok he has a short list of some schools he wants to apply to, is well within the range SAT wise but not necessarily GPA, because he had a rough 9th grade year and those grades really dragged down his GPA. Once his senior grades however come in, this will greatly offset the low GPA which hoovers aroud 3.1-3.2 right now.</p>

<p>His combined score is 1990, he is taking the SAT 2's on Dec 1st.
Good ec's and great reccomedations.
First generation to college.
Fabulous essay his IB english teacher said that its possibly the best one he has read all year.</p>

<p>Any ideas? So far......BU, BC (REACH), Northeastern, Miami, GW, and Indiana.</p>

<p>Please help...............thanks!!</p>

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<p>Ctmom -</p>

<p>Can u provide more info about your son? He has such a disparate list of schools it will be hard for our vets to offer guidance...</p>

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<p>Sure....he was a late bloomer, but has been on a consistent and gradual major upward swing. Holds leadership positiions in two activities, does TONS of comm. service, extremely well liked amongst his peers. Aiming for 700 in math and 680 in history for SAT 2's, what else can I tell you?</p>

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<p>His ECs. Which of those schools would you consider to be his true safety? I don't see any safeties there for him. What about your in state? I think his GPA(or ranking) needs to be within range of any school he applies to. Often it's more important than SAT.</p>

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<p>I see 3 schools in Boston, so he must find that community attractive.</p>

<p>It'd be another reach but if his SAT's come up like you hope, look at Brandeis which is in a suburb of Boston but has busses in to the city for weekends; it's really just 30 minutes from downtown Boston. His "tons" of community service will interest the people at Brandeis, but they do maintain high academic standards which is why it'd only be worth considering if his SAT's do spike up. Half the student body there is Jewish, half is not; there's no affiliation required; and they have keen interest in maintaining a diverse community. It's a very academic place.</p>

<p>I always had the feeling, when my kids applied to private colleges, they'd have more of a chance of being forgiven for poor 9th grade showing, as long as it's a strong upward trend. It can be discussed in a short answer, or referred to very briefly somewhere in a short or long essay, talking about maturing late. They'll see his transcript and they'll understand. Whereas a public school might look at the GPA too early in their reading of his application...so I think, the smaller the better so they'll really consider him as a whole individual here who has grown and changed positively. </p>

<p>If he wants more up in New England, check out Clark U, Worcester, to see if they hold any appeal They are not in Boston; but he could go to Boston on weekends from those places. Also see if Skidmore in upstate NY (Saratoga Springs) sounds to your liking; it's rural, though. </p>

<p>Very much a safety school would be New England COllege in Henniker, NH, but again, rural small town, might not appeal. </p>

<p>So then I saw only one in Washington DC (GW) and I thought how about adding
on American University, which is easier to gain admission than GW.
An interesting choice might be Goucher, in Baltimore as a safety/match.</p>

<p>Why Indiana? In other words what about it attracts him; if we know that, then we might know a few more near there.</p>

<p>Does he have a strong preference for an urban environment, or is suburban or rural okay, too? </p>

<p>My thought is he'd do well in a smaller school (like 800 - 3,000) so he doesn't fall down again academically and can use his social skills maximally. Sometimes I worry about kids who've come up during h.s. then go off to a big university of 20,000 students. What are your thoughts on the issue of size? In other words, why send him to "Indiana" if he'd just as well go to U of Delaware, U of Maryland, UMass, a SUNY, or UNewHampshire, etc.etc//</p>

<p>Sounds like a nice kid!</p>

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<p>Thanks for your detailed response, he actually wants and prefers a bigger school, does like being in or very close to the city. Yes agreed that private schools are more forgiving and some don't even count 9th grade, this is true. American is another is going to apply to, forgot that one. He actually received an invitation to apply for Kelly School of business at Indiana, hence his interest. His SAT is fine but am afraid his GPA will hurt him, but feel strongly that he could get in to their LAC school. I was also told by a few of the faculty at his school, that first generation to college can be significant particularly with the private institutions, though they all say it is something they consider. Thanks for the suggestions, will look into some of those...........</p>

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<p>Also, is he totally undecided or is there a particular major he's interested in?</p>

<p>Does he only want large universities? Is being urban extremely important?</p>

<p>He's got GW, but why not American? If there's a particularly program that attracts him to GW, or to NE, BU, etc., then let us know and we can make other suggestions. It's hard to know whether "first generation to college" will give his application a more interested look by the admissions committees, and perhaps more leniency toward the GPA. You need to have some colleges that are a "reach" according to his academic record, some colleges where he lands in the middle of expected qualifications, and some where he would be among the leaders in the applicant pool. He needs some "safeties" on the list that would not be unhappy to attend.</p>

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<p>Ironically, in CA, the UC don't count the 9th or 12th grade GPA. Admission is decided on 10 and 11th. Maybe some of the public universities in your region also don't count the 9th grade.</p>

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<p>His ECs. Which of those schools would you consider to be his true safety? I don't see any safeties there for him. What about your in state? I think his GPA(or ranking) needs to be within range of any school he applies to. Often it's more important than SAT.</p>

<p>Indiana is definitely we have been told, a safety with his GPA and he is in the 90%+ percentile for his SAT's.</p>

<p>I did forget to mention something else that is important, he started some IB classses last year, got an A and a B. This year he is in full IB curriculum, and taking a very rigorous courseload, in fact the hardest his school offers. He is also doing very well in those courses, so this is also very important, that he has not slacked off, but in fact taken the most challenging college level coureses offered at his school. Just another piece to add. Thanks.</p>

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<p>I really agree with paying3tuitions somewhat regarding size, but if your son wants a larger school, look into James Madison in VA. They have a good business school. They have a lot of school spirit, and they are not isolated. One can easily get to a mall, restaurant, off campus modern movie theatre, etc. It is not Boston, but living is comfortable and affordable. My son attends and what I like about this school is that even though it is large, the focus is on the undergraduate. It is very doubtful that a TA would teach a class (they might teach an hour of discussion, work in the labs, and help professors-my kid has only had one of them even involved in any class out of 15 classes), and professors are interested in their undergraduate students (and this includes freshmen). I think this really will help in staying on the path he is currently on. It is not so much about the numbers, but about the interest that the professors take in their students, and the ease of negotiating through any red tape to find help and guidance when needed.</p>

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<p>Hi he was recommended to apply to a few California schools and Michigan but he does not want to go that far, nor do we ant him to BUT they both do not count 9th grade at all, they reconfigure GPA with first half of senior year inlcluded which would work well for him but at this point we are not looking for him to go so far.
Also Jazzymom, we had the good fortune of being able to attend a lecture by Michelle Hernandez, the former admissions director for Dartmouth who has numerous books and she did say that now more than ever, first generation to college is signifcant in almost all schools particularly the two top tier colleges, just thought I would share.</p>

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<p>I think he should look at Fordham University in NYC as a match-safety. It's urban, has a large business program, a mid-size student body of about 7,000, and a reputation for caring about student success and development (it's a Jesuit college.) It's probably exactly the kind of place that will notice the upward trend and the hours of community service. And it's "hot," named in the last Newsweek "hottest colleges" article.</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://www.fordham.edu/%5DFORDHAM.EDU%5B/url"&gt;http://www.fordham.edu/]FORDHAM.EDU[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

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<p>Fordham is a great idea if he loves cities. It's in the Bronx not Manhattan, but that's still New York City. A great decision made in NYC long ago was to charge the same fare no matter where in NYC you go by subway. That really pulled all the boroughs together economically. So he might spend time on subways to do things in Manhattan but he'd pay the same fare wherever he goes within the city. Fordham is also beautiful inside the campus itself, full of trees and greenery, I hear!</p>

<p>I have a nephew who took business at Pace University in NYC. There's a White Plains suburban campus and a downtown Manhattan campus (I think I'm right on that). BUt I didn't get the impression they cared about his comings and goings the same way Fordham does.</p>

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<p>I'm thinking about jazzymom's helpful contribution here. Does anyone know an efficient way for this OP to find all the places in the nation that DONT count 9th grade? It's a common problem.</p>

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<p>How about if I post a thread to this effect and have everyone contribute whatever schools they know that do not count 9th grade!</p>

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<p>Good idea. Fly it up a flagpole and see who salutes :)</p>

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<p>^^forgot to say above: It's always a good idea before you post a thread to
see if it's been addressed before. Use the "Search" function (top center of this entire page) as well as the "Search This Thread" (top right of the Parents Forum). Type in the words "Ninth Grade" or "9th Grade" to check the archives.</p>

<p>If nothing's there, then try starting a new thread, either here in Parents Forum for the parents' knowledge base, or in College Search and Admissions if you think the students know more about it.</p>

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<p>I agree that the "doesn't count 9th grade" would be a good list to have. But don't forget that many schools which might not make that cut will still give less weight to 9th grade and/or look very favorably on a strong upward trend/turnaround. So don't discount them.</p>

<p>Maybe use the "doesn't count 9th" for finding the safeties.</p>

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<p>Fordham is a really good option. If he is willing to look at smaller schools, Bentley College is in the suburbs of Boston. You could also look into Babson.</p>

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<p>Take a look at U of Pittsburgh.</p>