Help Appreciated-Finding the right college for a student with low S.A.Ts

College Search & Selection
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<p>Assuming your son is right now a kind of undecided liberal arts person:</p>

<p>University of Maine/Orono (for a "large" school), University of Maine/Farmington (for a smaller, public liberal arts option), University of Southern Maine. I believe that Southern Maine at least would be a pretty sure thing for admission</p>

<p>I would also second the SUNY colleges (Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Oswego, Cortland, Oneonta, Brockport, Fredonia and Buffalo State, particularly). I am not well-grounded in whether these are matches or reaches for your son but, to quote one ot their Webites, "if you have at least an 80 ave. and SATs of 1000 or above (math and reading only) it is reasonable to apply", or words to that effect. I know also that at least some of these schools have special admissions programs for "motivated" students who may not quite match regular admissions requirements</p>

<p>Canisius College, Niagara University (Roman Catholic-affiliated, in and near Buffalo)</p>

<p>Castleton State College, Lyndon State College, Johnson State College (all in Vermont, probably also fairly sure to be admitted)</p>

<p>Keene State College (in NH, ditto on ease of admission. I kind of like this place because it has a very pleasant campus, and Keene is a great little town with a reasonable amount of stuff for college students to do)</p>

<p>Frostburg State College (in Maryland)</p>

<p>Although you have gotten a lot of ideas here, I would second the idea that there are many, many more possibilities than are listed in these postings. Basically there are several realistic options in every state in the Northeast and beyond. Happy hunting</p>

22

<p>PS- if your son liked Ithaca because of its closeness to his brothers, hei might like Cortland because it is quite near to Ithaca.</p>

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<p>Momma- three I guess I am following Weldon's advice cause I have one in Cornell and one at Cortland. (weldon I respond to your SUNY question)
I too know the situation of having 2 kids with 2 different academic abilities with d # 2 having really low SAT scores. She HATED the test- made her "brain numb" and would come out of Kaplan practice tests white as a ghost. The ACT worked much better for her. She scored an equivalent of 130 points more on the ACT. so definitely have him try the ACT.<br>
My d had about an 89 average and a 23 ACT (1060 SAT score). As I too was concerned if she would get into any 4 year SUNY's, she applied to SUNY Delhi as her safety. Actually, it was a pretty nice campus and not too far from Oneonta. My d was more successful with SUNY admissions than I thought- she got into all she applied including UB and Albany.<br>
But please - if your son is up to it, have him try the ACT. Some kids just do alot better with that format. And there really are alot of schools out there for the normal HS student. I think we get a very unrealistic view on college conf.<br>
Other schools my d was accepted to was Temple U, George Mason, and Towson. Good luck.
Another book that I liked was "America's Best Colleges for B Students" by Tamra Orr. I was never a big fan of L Pope, I thought the colleges were too small- too rural and not enough of a selection in the NE.</p>

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<p>Re: Keene- I know someone who has a daughter there (OOS). It is a pain to get home. Her mother drives 4 hours in each direction for many of the breaks. She does know one other person who lives near her at Keene, but schedules don't always mesh. There does not seem to be any public transportation for the OOS student. Her D does enjoy the school, and she is some type of music major.</p>

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<p>Please also evaluate all the private schools for cost! Your son may certainly gain admission to them, but it's unlikely that merit aid is an option since most of that (esp. at smaller private schools) will be based on grades and test scores.
Find good options that he is likely to be admitted to and which you are able to handle most (if not all) of the cost.</p>

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<p>You should probably learn English first, and then help your son out.</p>

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<p>I can tell you he is definitely not going to get into any competitive schools. A 1500 will put him on second string.</p>

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<p>I am not expecting to see him attend the ivies or top tier schools. We have been through this process with other children and we are certainly realistic about s#3.</p>

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<p>Lynchburg College, Roanoke College in Virginia. Lots of northeast kids with "average" stats. Nice environments and good schools.</p>

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<p>Once again thanks again for your help.</p>

31

<p>Ok, at least you not one of those crazy parents that likes to hold on to the hope that their wrist-sliting (Not your) son is going to get into Harvard. Off the top of my head, google "Good Value College" and you'll probably find something that would fit him. And you mentioned above about considering a cc. I really want to say no to that idea. I don't mean to insult any of the ppl that go to a cc, but your son doesn't seem like the kind of person that would be unable to handle a 4 year.</p>

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<p>Mooma-three: Other schools you might want to investigate: 1) St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt. It may be somewhat of a stretch for your son, but I understand it has a real focus on community service which may make it a good fit for him as well as help with admissions. It is also located on the outskirts of what has to be one of the best college towns on the planet (Burlington). 2) Siena College in Loudonville, NY (in a suburb just outside Albany). Again you might think it is a stretch, but I have direct knowledge from a couple of good sources that they have accepted students with SATs below 1000 math and reading and with B grades.</p>

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<p>Northeastmom, I had a 3.34 and mid 1700s on the SATs and got WL @ IU...</p>

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<p>goggle Lorn Pope it will help</p>

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<p>You have little to worry about since the U.S. has thousands of colleges and the majority would be happy to have a student like your S. Indeed, it probably will be easier to find a good match for him than it was for your other kids because Ivies accept very few applicants even though most who apply are outstanding students. Except for students planning to go to places like Ivies, most students in the country get into their first or second choice colleges.</p>

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<p>1500??? a lot of public schools cut off the minimum at 1,000 ould SAT, which means about 1600 new...... what was his CR and math total?</p>

37

<p>Maybe Drew (they don't look at SAT's), Monmouth (both of which are in NJ). Seton Hall is another NJ school that could be a reasonable match. </p>

<p>However, I wouldn't worry so much. Your son's stats aren't low, just average. Nothing wrong with that.</p>

38

<p>All great info here! I'd like to echo a few (Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, Roger Williams, University of RI, Kutztown, Monmouth, Bryant) since I know students with comparable stats who have gotten into those schools. The only one which might be a reach is Drew.</p>

<p>I'll add Moravian College, Franklin & Marshall, Susquehanna, Albright, Wagner, Duquesne, Mary Washington (may be too far south for you), Towson, Indiana University of PA . . . some of these are reaches but others are not.</p>

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<p>For Rowan he would be in the bottom 28% for GPA, and their 25% SAT is 1490, so it’s not out of the question. I think Montclair is less competitive. You might also look at Monmouth U—both in NJ.</p>

40

<p>Take a look at Nichols College in western MA.</p>