Help with Safeties and Matches, Please!

Parents Forum
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<p>After reading these forums for the last 2 years, the time has come to really starting college search for my D (currently a junior). I have gotten some good recommendations and pointers from the many wise posters here, but I now realize our list is very light on safeties. This became clear after she has taken SAT for the first time in January, and did significantly worse than we all expected. It looks like we were aiming too high, and need to adjust our expectations. So if anyone can suggest some realistic matches and safeties, I would be very grateful. We will be in the US over Easter break and would like to visit as many schools as we can.</p>

<p>Some background info:
Female, US citizen living abroad (UK), no residency in any US state
Will not apply for financial aid
Full IB Diploma candidate, current predicted IB score 37 (out of 42).
School does not use or report GPA
School does not rank
SAT, first try: 2030 (CR 660, M 650, W 720). Will take again in May, but can't assume it will improve a lot.
Decent, but not great ECs (13 years of studio art, volunteering swim teacher, newspaper editor, 8 years of competitive sport - does not want to continue in college)
Trilingual
Will definitely submit art portfolio, art is the main and only real passion</p>

<p>Dream schools: Brown (and its connection with RISD), Oberlin is close second. </p>

<p>What kind of schools she wants:
- strong visual art department, but no art schools (this reqirement is from us, the parents). The idea is to double major in art and yet another undecided area, get good overall education to fall back on in case her art career doesn't work out.
- no women only schools (to my great frustration, because I think there are some great colleges that would fit her)
- size: would prefer small classes and close interaction with professors rather than huge lectures. Current school is very small. Looking mostly at small-medium universities and larger LACs.
- location: East Coast, preferably with possibility to go to NYC for a weekend. Eventually would like to live/work in NYC
- location type: at least a small town, can't really imagine being in a rural area (makes an exception for Oberlin for now, but we will visit and see what she thinks). Lived all her life in or close to major cities.
- atmosphere: doesn't want big party schools or fraternities/sororities. Fit is important - currently she doesn't fit in her HS. Her description of herself - geeky, weird, non-preppy, not mainstream. She wants to find like minded people and have real friends for once. She is a shy girl, but can be very social with the right group of people.</p>

<p>This combination of criteria limits the choice significantly, to the point that I am struggling to find good safeties and matches. Currently we're thinking about Goucher(safety), Skidmore (match or a slight reach??), Fordham (Lincoln Center campus, match?). She also likes Notheastern, but I actually think it is not a good fit for her. What other schools should we be looking at - where she stands a good chance of being admitted? Thank you all in advance.</p>

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<p>“School does not use or report GPA”</p>

<p>Without SOME sort of grades, there is no way anyone here can make reasonable recommendations, as her current GPA is critical in determining where she might have a chance of acceptance. So you need to “translate” the IB status, into some sort of %, weighted and unweighted.</p>

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<p>The standard answer from the forum is: try ACT first.</p>

<p>Since she will more than likely need about two SAT II. I would save the May SAT test date for that and take the ACT. </p>

<p>Some student does well on SAT and some on ACT. My son took ACT and SAT II only, w/o SAT I. </p>

<p>Yes, make sure you visit some of these schools.</p>

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<p>Menloparkmom, the grades are on IB scale (1-7), and there is no weighted vs. non-weighted % - all IB classes are considered honors, and school does not offer APs. She has a mix of 6 and 7 with one 5. I did try converting her grades to GPA, using some online calculators, and it comes to 3.7-3.8, but I’m not sure colleges actually do this conversion. The only answer I got from her school GC was, “they know how to interpret IB grades”.</p>

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<p>Can’t she take the SAT IIs in June, Dad II?</p>

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<p>She needs to take at 2-3 SAT IIs, and should take those in either May or June.</p>

<p>I agree that she should consider the ACT (take a practice test first to see if it suits her). And consider retaking the SAT in October of her senior year. Just the additional 10 months of maturity and education can lead to a boost in scores. If she does a lot of reading in the next 10 months, and checks out the Xiggi method for improving math scores, she may see a large boost in her scores.</p>

<p>As for schools: look at Bard and Sarah Lawrence. Would she consider all-girl schools?</p>

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<p>The plan is to take SAT again in May, SAT II in June and if necessary, SAT again next October. The problem is that she is not willing to study hard, convinced that she won’t improve. This whole SAT experience brought her down a lot to the point she is not willing to try harder. She thinks it is hopeless. Not willing to take the ACT either for the same reason. I got tired arguing with her, that’s why I said the score will not improve much and we need to lower our expectations. She will take SAT prep course in school, but I can’t force her to study. </p>

<p>Fireandrain: thanks for the suggestions. As for all-girl schools - no, she refuses to consider them.</p>

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<p>She knows it’s a long ways from Oberlin to NYC, right? ;)</p>

<p>Definitely try the ACT soon. It might be great for her.</p>

<p>Two college ideas.</p>

<p>Would she by any chance be interested in RIT? A quirky artistic friend of my daughter’s loves it there. Not an LAC but many interesting programs. Here are the programs offered there.
[RIT:</a> Programs of Study](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/programs/program_listing.php?display=degree&loc=ugrad]RIT:”>http://www.rit.edu/programs/program_listing.php?display=degree&loc=ugrad)
You can conceivably take the Amtrak Empire line (or car pool) to NYC, but despite being in New York, it isn’t “close” to NYC.</p>

<p>A nice safety school for students like the idea of being somewhat near NYC is Drew, an LAC that is much closer to NYC by public transportation. Worth a look.
[Drew:</a> Art](<a href=“http://www.drew.edu/cla/catalog/courses/art.aspx#about]Drew:”>http://www.drew.edu/cla/catalog/courses/art.aspx#about)</p>

<p>I agree with your GC. U.S. schools understand how to interpret IB grades and will see that her grades are great. I think she would get merit aid at many U.S. schools.</p>

<p>(Fordham Rose Hill has a lot more of a “college” feel to it than Fordham Lincoln Center.)</p>

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<p>Yes, she should also take the ACT.</p>

<p>When you say that the school doesn’t provide a GPA, does that mean that they don’t provide a grade for each class? Such as: A…or 92 or something? If they provide something, then a GPA can be determined.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids: her school is a pure IB school, so there is no A or 92 or anything like that. All grades are on IB scale, 7 is the highest, 1 is the lowest (although I don’t know anyone who ever got a 1).</p>

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<p>Don’t worry about this. My son goes to a tiny quirky school, no grades given of any kind. Colleges take homeschoolers too. And they are very familiar with IB.</p>

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<p>Ahh…a pure IB school. Well, certainly college admissions people are familiar with those sort of cases. :)</p>

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<p>University of Rochester</p>

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<p>I strongly suggest looking at Wash U. My kids’ friend had a very similar profile. The school would have been reachy except for her outstanding portfolio. The art school is excellent and looks to admit high-caliber art students. They will overlook scores, etc. if student has an outstanding record and portfolio.</p>

<p>Granted, WUSTL is not in or near NY - but they have a huge alumni network and sponsor many networking opportunities for internships and jobs in NY.</p>

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<p>Emerson might be a match for your daughter. Boston isn’t that far from NYC, and it’s a great college “town.”</p>

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<p>twinmom - yes, we looked at WashU. I am concerned that if she gets into the art school there, she will not be able to double major due to workload. Then it’s almost the same as going to a specialized art school! Same problem exists in Syracuse U. art school. It seems that BFA requirements take so much time that there is no time left for a second major.</p>

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<p>^ Good point. The workload is very intense from what I’ve heard firsthand. The student that I know there was less interested in double majoring than having the “university experience” that one might not get at a school like RISD (sans Brown).</p>

<p>However, if she does decide to drop out of the art school, there are many other options for majors. Just a thought.</p>

<p>They also offer a sophomore year semester in Florence at their own school at that location.</p>

<p>Have you looked at NYU?</p>

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<p>Other schools that this student looked at and was admitted to were George Washington, Skidmore, Syracuse and Boston University. GW might be a good fit. I understand that they have a beautiful new art facility.</p>

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<p>Oh, and University of Michigan which might be a reach.</p>

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<p>One more … if she is considering Oberlin and Skidmore and likes Brown, she should take a good look at Vassar which is an hour and a half by train from NYC. Again, may be a reach but the portfolio may help.</p>