Most peers were only a half step below me in terms of intellectual “talent” (for lack of a better phrase as my brain is significantly sleep deprived) and some were even well above me. GPA and ACT were not necessarily representative of how intellectual they were.
My RC within my very large uni capped classes at 20 students and they were all discussion based. I never felt like I was vastly superior to my peers and they challenged me in new and interesting ways. My professors pushed me, too.
Thanks again for all the responses and things to think about.
I refer to standardized test scores by default - the school doesn’t report common data set info, and I don’t have anything other than avg. scores. One website showed the range and it isn’t big as 75th % was only 2 points higher. I know it’s not the only thing important in a school, but it does give some insight into the student body. This isn’t a “holistic admissions” school, nor is it selective. DD sent her test scores late on a Monday and by Friday afternoon had been accepted.
My D is a self-professed nerdy girl and proud of it. She likes school, likes to learn and enjoys participating in class discussions. Her few close friends (she’s also introverted) are the same. While I expect there will be others like her at the school, I wonder how difficult it will be for her to find them at a university that has over 5000 undergrads. Living on a floor with a bunch of girls that are mostly concerned about sorority rush would really frustrate her. (And I was a sorority girl LOL)
I also wonder about entry level classes and really appreciate those in academia who have lent a perspective. I think we’re going to have to plan a visit with a lot of time allotted to sitting in classes (And finding out about group projects). I wanted to wait until she heard from another school that we both think will be a better fit (but since she applied RD they don’t notify until April 1 and we need to see financials for that school) but I think we’re just going to have to bite the bullet and buy the plane tickets and go sooner to see how it compares.
If you are going to compare two schools in April with a visit (and possibly a repeat visit) I think that’s more than doable and I wouldn’t stress about buying plane tickets now. It’s when a kid needs to see 6 schools in a tight timeframe that something gets lost in translation.
I know you want to preserve some privacy… but maybe a hint of the “type” of school you are talking about? There’s a huge difference between a place like University of New Haven for example- a very vocationally oriented institution where I would encourage an academically oriented kid who loves to learn to visit for both a weekend AND sit in on classes, vs. a place like Fordham or Holy Cross which both have “party hearty” types in the student body but where there are some deep intellectuals, kids who are very serious about learning, etc. regardless of their SAT scores.
5000 undergrads is not that huge. Were you the folks who were looking at U Penn or do I have your D confused with someone else who also is into foreign languages???
Re: common data set information
Some of it, including admission stats and percentage in sororities and fraternities, can be found in the school’s entry at http://www.collegedata.com .
But without naming the school, it may be hard for others to comment on the characteristics of that particular school. Some not that selective schools would be reasonable choices for a top student; others less so.
Generally the way to find them is via common interests – either in classes or via student activities. The larger the university, the greater the array of different classes and activities. Because of your daughter’s language proficiency, she can anticipate enrolling in an advanced level course in her language her first semester – that is likely to be a small class and there will probably be an opportunity to get to know those students. (She may need to take initiative, but there will be at least a shared interest in gaining fluency in their language).
It’s possible that your daughter may end up gravitating toward friendships with older students, and there is nothing wrong with that.
It may be worthwhile to look into housing options. Are there freshman-only dorms? or is there a greater mix of ages/class level in dorms? Are there special interest housing dorms? Perhaps language-focused dorms?
@SuburbMom one suggestion is to see if the school offers common interest community housing? I have found that during visits to many of the larger schools the guides have discussed “common interest learning communities” where students of similar majors/interests not only dorm together but follow a similar class regimen and more readily find the most compatible friends and study groups. Some have alcohol free dorms, honors dorms, science dorms etc. Best of luck to you in making a decision. It is important that your daughter be challenged but likewise, important that she be comfortable in her surroundings. She sounds like a stellar student and I’m sure she will succeed in most any environment. You are lucky! Have a great night!
hendrix college maybe a school to look at …a true hidden gem. no greek life , smart driven students , weird, geeky etc…
I know it is late in the game and I am a random stranger mentioning a school in january but it could be the perfect fit!
In case anyone is interested - we visited the school Friday. Prior to the visit, D had reached out to a professor that she’d hope to meet with while we were there, and they had had a great phone conversation (since the prof wasn’t available during the time we would be on campus). So, she’d been pretty excited going in to the visit. I hadn’t shared most of my concerns with her, figuring it would be best if she was very open-minded going in to the visit.
At the end of the day (which included us meeting with a program coordinator and taking a tour together, and her going to lunch with two “student ambassadors” and attending office hours/tutoring with another professor) she has concerns about attending. She loved the interactions with the professors, and we had a good tour guide. However, the girls who were the “student ambassadors” did not inspire her. One of them doesn’t participate in any activities at school. Which left her very concerned as these are people that were picked to represent the school.
People had raised some good points on this thread. However, there are some things that came up during the visit that I hadn’t been prepared for, that I think are things other people should consider when looking at a school where their child would be an overachiever. We learned that the school encourages students to pick only one activity to get involved in as freshmen. Thus, there may be a lot of clubs listed, but most of them aren’t actually active, or are very small. For a student who is used to being very involved in extracurricular activities, this can be a let down. We also found out exactly what the 1 credit mandatory Freshman life class involves, and it’s a lot of hand holding and requires students to go to tutoring, use the library, and get other “mandatory help.” I know a lot of other schools have programs to ease the transition, but the vibe on this one was much different and shows the (lower) level of expectation for incoming students.
The school is still in consideration. The program and the faculty still really appeal to her. Our tour guide gave her hope that she can find a group of peers that she’ll be happy with, but it is certainly not a very good fit. She’s visiting another school next week and we’re hoping she falls in love with it. Or that she gets into one of the other schools - and the financials work out - that she’s waiting to hear from.
^^ It sounds like the college should be the"last choice" if she does not get into other, more academically suitable colleges in April [that you can afford].
Its hard to wait 2 more months, but I’m sure your DD will be accepted at other colleges, where she will thrive.
Honestly, OP, your daughter sounds like she’d like a bigger pond better. She’s outgoing, achievement- and goal-oriented, and academically strong. I would counsel her to find a school that would let her grow – and this college may, frankly, hold her back a bit. Consider the state U. It could offer many more opportunities. State Us often do, despite many people’s affection for the hand-holding LACs. Your daughter doesn’t need hand-holding. She needs a springboard.
I think it’s strange that they encourage freshmen to only get involved in one activity. Seems unnecessarily limiting.
My daughter had one of those 1 credit freshman group classes. It really was an easy A. She got credit for going to the library to study (which she had to do anyway for her coach’s required study tables), going to soccer games, going to activities at the student union. All she had to do was swipe her ID. I think it does help students get into the campus and introduce them to new activities.
Other daughter’s school now has a required freshman seminar. It’s an actual class, 3 credits, but I think I’d prefer the 1 credit activities requirement.
OP, what is the 4 year graduation rate of the college?
If its lower than<60%, then that may be one reason they dont ask much of freshman and seem to offer a lot of handholding- they want to improve their graduation rate- which perhaps is one reason your smart DD was accepted.
@romanigypsyeyes - Yep. That was really surprising - and disappointing. I just feel like the school and the students don’t have very high expectations for themselves. But kids do rise to the top. There are some high achievers on the “student profiles” section of their website who get into Ivy League grad programs and good jobs in their intended field. We think D could be one of thsoe high achievers - but it will take a lot of work on her part (beyond good grades) and there may not be many peers up there with her. Or she goes with one of her other options. Fortunately she’s had several schools give her good merit aid, so she has other options.
@menloparkmom - According to the College Scorecard - it’s 65%. I think student engagement is a bigger issue. THe program director told us stories of extra scholarships that only got 2 or 3 applications, even though 50% of the students were eligible. Also when talking about the special program D wants to do, she said many students end up with an incomplete because they don’t finish the research paper at the end. The hand-holding may not be helping the students.
^Actually, it’s very common for students in honors programs not to complete the thesis - typically, only those who want to go to grad schools do complete it, the others drop out of Honors after the first two years, when the advantages are more limited.
The 1-credit freshman seminar is often also a cushion for students - because doing those easy things guarantees the A, it cushions against lower final grades brought on by not seizing up the challenges of college early enough. Students shouldn’t take it because they need it, but because it’s an easy A and first semester you never know what may happen with your grades.
@MYOS1634 - This is for a summer intensive program. You have the option of paying just for the experience, or paying more and doing it for credit, which includes the thesis. So, it makes no sense that people would choose to pay the extra to have it count for credit, and then take the incomplete. They had the option of just doing it as a program.
Your daughter will do great wherever she goes. It sounds like she is a hard worker and will put in the effort. There are slackers in every college. She will migrate to those equal to her. She dealt with this in HS and college will be no different. She will concentrate on her work and the other kids will do their thing. It will not impact her at all. She will also find a club that she likes. Schools have hundreds of these clubs that require student involvement. I am sure she will find one and contribute to its success.
@SuburbMom : in that case yes it’s more worrisome. (I thought it was a thesis at the end if a 4- year honors program). There are colleges where students don’t bother showing up for the final, etc. And I would indeed be worried about those.