@Grinnellhopeful what great news. Hope you and your daughter are feeling better about things now. I’ll be hoping that she gets the St Olaf acceptance and a great financial package. It sounds like an excellent fit for her.
Thank you @Emsmom1 and @Mom24boys
Sigh…I don’t know if we should apply anywhere else? I don’t know if that score is good enough for Kenyon, Macalester, or Oberlin.
I heard great news from Earlham by phone today…
I feel very good about choices if she doesn’t get into SO.
I’m so torn…clearly our need is substantial and there are a few more in the region that meet full need…I don’t know what to do?
I think both my daughter and I are seriously feeling so very blessed and grateful with the choices we have. The AO at Knox is going to talk to the dean about more money, she’s awesome btw.
The nice thing about our selection of schools right now is they value my daughter. They think she’s pretty awesome, they want her. That is priceless!
@Dancer41 Thank you! I cannot stress enough that I feel like this was a collaborative effort from all. Each of you has helped me construct a plan when 6 weeks I didn’t have a clue. All of you deserve credit for her success thus far. This thread is the perfect example of people coming together and helping one another so we can all help other kids.
@Grinnellhopeful She has nothing to loss by applying to Kenyon and Macalester, exempt the time it takes to complete the applications. I looked up the ACT range for both schools in 2014 it was 28-32. It’s probably a little higher today but she would still have a chance.
Kenyon is also trying to increase it’s support of low income students. The ACT was higher for verbal verses math.
I would personally skip Oberlin because there seems to be some concerns regarding their endowment so I would worry about financial aid for 4 years.
I don’t know what is involved in the Kenyon app, but when my son applied to Macalester it was only one short additional essay about diversity.
None of this may be necessary, she has a good chance of getting into St. Olaf, but I slept better when my sons had more options. I over did it, one applied to 9 (got into 8 and waitlisted at one) and the other applied to 10 (got into 9 and waitlisted at 1).
Nice job on the new score! I suspect you will be hearing good news from St O soon!
@Mom24boys It’s interesting because she received two glossy things from Kenyon this week. It’s always a mystery to me how she ends up on some of these lists? Like how did she end up on SO list this summer?
Macalester was in our “cart” while awaiting scores. I just felt like it might be a super reach?
I don’t suppose it hurts, because we don’t know if she will get in at SO.
Last year, Kenyon didn’t require any supplemental essays and there was no application fee. Apps are due Jan 15th. Easy Peasy. They meet 100% of financial need. No reason not to apply and it would be good to interview if possible.
Macalester had some supplemental essays last year and the application fee is $40 (probably none if you qualify for FA)
@LoveTheBard She doesn’t have to pay any application fees anywhere. I’m still on the fence wondering if she makes the cut? I know she is valued highly at the places she has been accepted. Can you tell the Grinnell experience has seeped into our every thought and move? Someone said it a few weeks ago, there is something to be said for being the big fish in the little pond. Being the kid that is valued and treated with high regard, the kid the schools want as bad as she wants them.
If there is no supplemental, it’s easy to hit submit and see what happens.
But we are also feeling really very blessed, today.
I think people who are following this story may not know everything or forget. But good things happening to us the last few years? Not at all. I know both of us don’t want to jinx anything. We still kind of live in fear of the rug being pulled right out from under us, or literally our whole world collapsing in an instant (actually very common amoung survivors of trauma). What does that have to do with more applications? I’m not sure but for some reason it feels like maybe we have too much “good” and it might all go away.
I’ll talk to her in a bit about it. She’s actually taking a few hours to just be.
I am really so torn…and I know it’s not based in logic.
If it doesn’t cost anything, then there’s nothing to lose. That being said, at least according to our guidance counselor, showing interest at Kenyon is important. Since there’s no supplement, that would have meant being on their mailing list or visiting somehow.
It’s not too late to show demonstrated interest at Kenyon – the regional reps are very responsive. You have until Jan 19th to schedule an alumni interview.
The average ACT of enrolled freshmen is 31; the mid-50% is 19-33. OP’s daughter is right in range and would be a great candidate. It’s an excellent school. Possibly the most Grinnell-like of any of the schools mentioned.
@LoveTheBard You’re convincing me for sure. I went to their website and they do indeed meet full need. Because we don’t know that SO is a yes…hmmmmm I can literally just pull it up on the computer, take it in to my daughter and tell her to hit submit
Oh, and congrats to you both on the new ACT score! Glad it came in time to strengthen D’s apps.
Kenyon is especially strong in writing – I’d imagine that they are keen on IB students.
ahhh! omg, yay! so, so proud of your daughter! i’m applying to kenyon, oberlin, and macalester with the same score, so don’t feel like she’s not good enough for those schools! with all you both have been through, take a shot at them. it may pay off in the best of ways. (at least take a shot at oberlin and kenyon! both are free to apply!)
Chiming in too, to say Kenyon is lovely and I hope your D applies. Why not? (We visited twice, my S didn’t feel it as much as I did and is now happy at Reed, but I fell a little in love with Kenyon…it would be a fantastic place to go to college.)
Also to say I think Macalester does not care about demonstrated interest so if she can swing another short essay that one would be easy to add without trying to schedule another interview.
@LoveTheBard It’s done, she submitted. We are discussing Macalester…
She really is happy with her choices thus far but agreed it would be nice to have another school that meets 100% demonstrated as a possibility if rejected from St. Olaf.
@93pilots There is no way we can get there for an interview but I’m finding through this process most AOs call her and that phone call becomes an interview.
Thank you all for the encouragement
@kalons I’ll be crossing my fingers for you. Have you submitted your applications yet?
Omg. You’ll have to let us know if Kenyon calls you. Again, I’ve never heard of admissions people just calling applicants as soon as they get the app! Something like 6000 kids apply to Kenyon…
Good luck to your daughter in the next few weeks. It sounds like things will work out well for her and she will have a great college experience. She seems like a wonderful kid. Maybe run the NPC for Kenyon. Our experience last year was that Kenyon’s FA offer was a lot less than some others but it seems like your situation would be different. Your daughter is lucky that you are so dedicated to helping her find great and affordable colleges, even if it is a little late in the game.
FWIW, my D18 and I really liked Grinnell, and we were really surprised by how much we liked Macalester after visiting. We both felt strongly that it would be a good place for a student like my daughter - someone looking for a small LAC with a quirky, intellectual, diverse feel.
@homerdog I have no idea if they will. I just know that has been our experience everywhere else. Drake, Truman, and Coe didn’t call they just accepted her, well Coe called to tell her she was accepted. But the others all called her after they got her application. You guys have to remember I am still such a newbie to this. I don’t know what’s typical and what’s not typical. I hadn’t even heard of most of these schools. Grinnell has continued to communicate with us BTW.
Wow. What does Grinnell say?