<p>A third vote that you are being a little too harsh. Lots of kids get into selective schools without any awards. It’s good that you are going into this realistically – the admissions rates are so low that even “special” kids get denied – but I think it’s OK to encourage him to reach, and then, you never know. His SAT scores and GPA are terrific, and his ECs are very solid. </p>
<p>If you have specific questions about Brown, check out the Brown forum on CC.</p>
<p>Holy Cross</p>
<p><<<
very bright, non-snowflake, </p>
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<p>Hey…every child is a snowflake! :)</p>
<p>Do you want a school that has some kind of Aspergers assistance?</p>
<p>does he want a techie school like CMU?</p>
<p>is the west coast ok? Maybe Santa Clara?</p>
<p>should we assume that you will be full freight paying?</p>
<p>Has he spent time away from home yet? Are you confident that he will thrive, given his mild Asperger’s? I recommend New College of FL, Wheaton, and Goucher as low-match/safe schools, as long as he’s comfortable leaving the nest. Earlham should also be a low-match, and Guilford a safe school. All of these are small colleges, with quirky, nerdy reputations. Some colleges, like NCF, allow students to design their own majors and curricula, which might be perfect for your son. I’d also suggest the College of Creative Studies, at UC Santa Barbara, but the setting (ie. large university) probably isn’t ideal for your son. Let him take a look at it, though, because it’s a tiny “lab” for creative people in arts, letters, and sciences, where they can pursue their passions independently.</p>
<p>I wonder how hurt your son must be knowing that his mom thinks he is average…</p>
<p>Jeepers @AnnieBeats, she is not saying her son is average. I have the same kind of kid. High stat, non hooked, non-URM, average ECs. We know “elite colleges” are going to be an uphill battle. I am routinely pounding that into my kid’s head to avoid disappointment. What hook does my kid have? The non-hooked and average EC kid has to be realistic. The only thing they have to “sell” is good grades and good test scores. Once in college, where ECs matter less, my kid will be fine. Everyone is special to their parents. It is even more complicated if you throw in upper middle class price considerations (too wealthy to get aid, too poor to easily stroke a $65K check and unwilling to let your kid saddle themselves with outrageous debt).</p>
<p>Cornell College, as in Iowa? </p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon - great computer science plus performance/theatre. And very interesting ways to combine the two. Friendly kids, nice town. A big favorite of kids from my Ds boarding school. </p>
<p>I’m really impressed by New College of Florida and College of Creative Studies at UCSB. And who says that a big university would be bad for him? Is it the mother or the son who wants a LAC? The kid loves Brown, after all, which isn’t exactly tiny.</p>
<p>In any case, I think he’s a strong candidate (assuming that he can write compelling essays) and am among those who think you underrate your son.</p>
<p>Some schools love high stats.</p>
<p>I’m among those who think that he’d have a good shot at Grinnell and Oberlin. Kenyon as well. Maybe CMC.</p>
<p>Among universities, I’m quite certain that Vandy would like him. Probably WashU and Emory as well.</p>
<p>For that matter, Brown certainly isn’t out of reach for him. Especially if he applies ED. ED would be key. </p>
<p>My guy with eerily similar stats and ECs (though not into gaming) is currently a junior at U Rochester and loves it there. He started to fall in love when we visited and he saw a hand-made sign on a dorm room that said, “We’re not nerds. We’re intellectual bad___es!”</p>
<p>It’s not an LAC. It’s a research U. But he loves it there (and joined a dance troupe to go along with his academic stuff even without any prior dancing experience)!</p>
<p>. . . and Rochester actually has alumni outcomes superior to Vandy (and on par with WashU and Emory). Some of these schools named may even give him a decent amount of merit money. Same with the Midwestern LACs I named. Along with Macalester. Has anyone mentioned Macalester yet?</p>
<p>BTW, speaking of Emory, there’s also Oxford College of Emory, which is essentially a LAC at Emory.</p>
<p>@Skrunch She called her very own son directionless and said he isn’t a snowflake. She said his essay will be lackluster, probably before he has even written it. That has a psychosocial effect on a child. I’m sure that drilling that into his head on a daily basis is what is making him hit a plateau. OP, if you would look at all the things your son has done, you would realize he actually does stand out. Thought the things he has done don’t seem hard, that doesn’t mean they require any less time and effort. In fact, if I was an admissions officer, this would seem refreshing compared to the hundreds of kids who have Science and Math Olympiad on their application. Maybe if you stop telling him that he is unimportant, then he will approach life and a school in a different way (though he seems to be more than fine anyway). But drilling into him that he is unremarkable is hardly something a parent should do. </p>
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<p>Grinnell’s weather is no more sucky than that in Poughkeepsie or Bennington.</p>
<p>Yah, I don’t think that it’s good to pump a kid so that he’s full of himself, but really good scores and grades through hard work is impressive. In fact, that’s really the most important thing in life. The willingness to work hard (easier to do in something you love).</p>
<p>OP asked for college advice, not parenting advice. Its obvious that she loves this kid and thinks he is smart. I would describe my son almost exactly the same way and I ADORE my son and think he is special. What I am concerned about (and what I am guessing OP is concerned about) is that ON PAPER our kids look indistict from many others just like them - despite their good grades, etc. And its a valid concern - not a parenting issue, and certainly none of our business. Just give the college advice and skip the hurtful criticism. @AnnieBeats</p>
<p>Take a look at William and Mary. Not quirky but serious minded students and less of a party scene than you might find elsewhere.</p>
<p>And @stemmm, 2 leads in a theatre production, member of an elite choir and an unweighted GPA of 3.9 is hardly “indistinct” unless you present it that way. I think the posters who pointed this out were in fact trying to help the OP so that her son can submit a strong application. </p>
<p>But no where are we led to believe that the OP is “drilling into him that he is unremarkable” or telling him he is “unimportant”. I do not see any mention of the essay being lackluster but rather it being unlikely that it would be legendary. Surely there are many levels in between the two. Parents can recognize their children’s characteristics–good and less good- and still be an advocate and cheerleader for said child. </p>
<p>I have see this contradiction played out on CC before. Posters get lambasted for thinking their kid is a special snowflake ( I had assumed this is why OP even mentioned snowflake). Posters also get lambasted for showing too much honesty about their kids’ weak areas. OP clearly stated “no awards”. Many times I have seen the importance of national awards stressed in order for students to distinguish themselves from the thousands of other high stat kids (posts on ECs for Ivys, posts from ivy admits here and other forums). , I do not think that means natl award is required for admittance but OP is stating the facts of the students ECs. Reading articles on admission procedures is rather sobering. A few months ago a linked article on Duke mentioned the how many valedictorians apply but are not admitted each year. </p>
<p>Also, OP asked for match schools! This is another CC contradiction. When ppl ask for match schools for high stat kids, they almost always get reach schools suggested. Simultaneously they get criticized for being too reach heavy. They already have a reach school in mind. Yes I think this student has a shot at reach schools, but that doesn’t mean time, thought and energy shouldn’t be invested in researching solid matches.</p>
<p>@MidwestSlamon, I think most of the schools suggested by posters on this thread are match schools for the OP’s son. Although I won’t speak for others, personally I do not “lambast” anyone for their choices in putting together a college list. It’s THEIR list. </p>
<p>OP’s son has very strong core stats and EC’s that if presented well could make a compelling application. All I am trying to convey is that if this were my child’s list of EC’s I would be encouraging said child to highlight them as the accomplishments that they in fact are. And you are right, perhaps OP has done that, it just did not come through in the original post.</p>
<p>@stemmmm Two people doing the wrong thing doesn’t make it right. But that is tangential. What I said is tied into his search. Perhaps the OP’s son can aim a little higher for match schools if she realizes how special he actually is. Realizing your child’s talent and potential makes a huge difference in all aspects of their life, including their search for colleges. If you think you are unremarkable, you will change the caliber of schools you apply to. But, this is a student who could use Lehigh, Wisconsin, or Mich as a match compared to schools that aren’t as good or intellectually stimulating. But I can sense the disaster ahead on this thread if I continue to post, so I will end here. </p>
<p>Good luck OP :)</p>
<p>Hampshire</p>