<p>My DD (B student - Junior - late bloomer - very good PSATs - ADHD - interested in business and creative writing) and I have been spending a lot of time thinking about colleges for her as a junior. We have been on two major "looking" trips and she does a great job evaluating the schools and seems to have a great sense of what she wants. </p>
<p>Boston University (token big school - really likes schools of 5 - 9K except this one)
Santa Clara University
Clark University
Pepperdine
Loyola Marymount</p>
<p>She wants a school with 5 - 9K kids and a good number living on campus on the east or west coast near a major city. </p>
<p>Each time we do a tour she comes home motivated and focused, but can't seem to do the "small steps" involved to get there. All these schools are high maybes for her, but if she doesn't get more motivated they will become reaches! Her GPA has risen somewhat, but her ECs are low. I'm beginning to think that the tours were a waste of time, as I doubt she will get into any of them, and she can't find any safeties that she likes. </p>
<p>Trying hard to keep my mouth CLOSED, but really struggling! I am sure that there are other parents in this position - words of wisdom??? My knee jerk is to say "if you don't get off the dime you should start over on your searches or just go to a community college locally" but I know that is the wrong thing to do.</p>
<p>You’re pushing her too much. I understand why; I am the poster-parent for parental college anxiety. But she’s just not ready to take it that seriously. Be happy that she is going along with these visits and starting to consider her preferences. That’s enough for now. Some kids just aren’t as obsessed with college as we are. And good for them! :)</p>
<p>If it comes time to apply, and she still hasn’t taken charge, then you should simply say, “These are the places I think you should apply, based on your qualifications and what I think you need to succeed and be happy.” Chance are, she’ll be thankful that you’ve made it easy for her. Good luck.</p>
<p>i agree with mantori, when my son was junior i was yakking away about colleges and his eyes would roll, i took him on college trips at the end of junior year, and while it helped him focus, still no real enthusiasm, wasnt until a few weeks into senior year that he got more involved in the process. nice thing was, i had researched a bunch of schools, so that work was done…just left him to say…yuck wont even consider that one, hmmm thats a maybe, thats a definite and then he began to add others to the list.
you may actually be ahead of the game by already doing visits, i would say let her enjoy her junior year, while you quietly continue your compiling of possibles so you are ready when she is.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the ECs. Concentrate on making sure that she follows through on her SATs and doesn’t have a major GPA collapse. I can’t believe that having a very good SAT score and good grades won’t get you into most of the colleges on the list.</p>
<p>Look at these scatterplots from the class of 2008 from a large suburban high school in California. Use her unweighted GPA and take her PSAT score times 10. See how she matches up with schools featured. You may be surprised–pleasantly and not so pleasantly…</p>
<p>Is money no object? If money is a concern, and your EFC is highish, you need to deal with that issue now. There’s no point in getting your child’s hopes up for a school that is unaffordable. Do you know what your EFC is and whether you can pay it???</p>
<p>However, if money is no issue, then GREAT!!! :)</p>
<p>She wants a school with 5 - 9K kids and a good number living on campus on the east or west coast near a major city. </p>
<p>Holy Cross
Providence
Seton Hall
Loyola-Maryland
San Francisco U
San Diego u
Seattle U
U of Portland
Fordham</p>
<p>The following aren’t in big cities (I don’t think, but size is good, location may not be what D wants)
John Carroll (not really East Coast, but a good school in Ohio)
UDayton (also Ohio)
DePaul (Illinois)
Gonzaga (Wash)
Maquette (Wisconsin)
Loyola New Orleans
Loyola Chicago</p>
<p>I know these are all Catholic, but since you listed SCU and LMU, I thought that these would be ok, too.</p>
<p>She should look at American and GW. I stewed about S2’s grades, but then I realized they are what they are. I stewed about his SAT Math score and thought well if he doesn’t want to take it again, maybe he just won’t get into most of his list. His list was basically 7 reaches and 2 safeties. To my surprise senior year he knuckled down and wrote several great essays, picked two teachers who I believe wrote great recommendations and got into U of Chicago EA. This is a kid who has B-'s in Latin, a B- in Chemistry and B+'s in English. I never thought he’d get into Chicago early. But truly, we would have been just as happy if he’d only gotten into American and Syracuse.</p>
<p>My HS junior S2 does not even have a “requirement list” with this level of specificity. He does not even want to go on a campus tour. He says “what for? I shoot for the best I can get into, and then do campus visit among the schools that accept me”. However, this does not mean he is a slacker. He is doing what he needs to be competitive within his target range, though not stretching himself to shoot for a reach school that he could compete for if he really makes an effort. Well, that’s fine by me: he is marching to his own drumbeat. No problem.</p>
<p>S1 is at a top 10 university. Did not do a single campus visit. Was not interested. Yes, he went to MIT and Harvard, but not as a campus visit per se, but because a bunch of kids from his HS were going on their on without parents (we live in NJ), and he thought it would be fun to go on an overnight trip with his friends without parents, so he tagged along. He had the same attitude as his younger brother: I will visit them when they accept me. Oh, by the way, for both his Ea school and the RD schools, he submitted his on line application five minutes before the dead line.</p>
<p>Chapman has a great reputation of working with kids with special needs (not sure about its size).
We crossed Santa Clara off our list because they told us that if our S missed 2 weeks of school, even if he was able to keep up & it was due to his documented chronic medical issues, they would likely ask him to withdraw from school (including moving out of the dorm and permanently losing his significant 4-year merit scholarship). Not sure if this might be an issue for you, but we thought that was extremely punitive. Their admissions counselor seemed surprised when we told her these reasons for declining their generous admissions & merit offer. </p>
<p>The school S is attending & will be graduating from in May 2010 (as scheduled) promised to (& has) worked well with us to accommodate S (tho he hasn’t needed much). D has joined him there & is also being accommodated as appropriate.</p>
<p>Excellent advice, based on our recent experience. We took the “safeties first” approach and now, while many are still sweating over EA/ED admissions, we have three acceptances and two full-tuition scholarships to fall back on. It does wonders for one’s mental health.</p>
<p>^ Northstarmom and mantori.suzuki offer great advice by suggesting to look at the safeties first. We did that with our D and she was able to consider the “college experience” at a less competitive school before feeling comfortable to look at match and reach schools. It helps to build their confidence. It worked for us, even though I had no idea I was following a plan.</p>
<p>I found that the info sessions could be horrendously boring (for me), but they did accomplish one thing with my kids and that was to reinforce to the kids what the colleges are looking for. Just the talk about grades, testing, essays and all that would actually make it into my kids’ heads. The information would roll around in their heads and occasionally pop out in the form of comments. If I would ask questions generally I would just get grunts (boys) or some inane comments. But they were thinking the entire time, they just weren’t sharing. It is entirely possible that your daughter is hearing everything but is putting her toe in the water and deciding for herself what her “fate is” and maybe deciding she’s not going to go that extra mile to get somewhere. Go find some safe colleges/unis to flesh out your list and see where you are come summer. If she has a variety to apply you it will help her and help you.</p>