<p>Fit has little to do with scores or grades, other than if your S or D fits the profile the school is looking for. Most refer to "fit" regarding the student's personality and how they will like the college atmosphere....size of school, rural/urban/suburban, big sports versus intermural programs, greek system, laid back versus cut throat, preppy versus casual, political spectrum and activism, types of EC's available. It's the total package and how it "feels.'</p>
<p>I wondered, too, if the question was: should I worry about the intellectual challenge if my kid is in the top 5-10% of admitted students (meaning even higher among matriculating students). </p>
<p>I think the answer might be differ depending on what tier school timely son is considering. It might be a question worth at least thinking about once you move out of the highly selective sphere. At the most selective schools, everyone is compressed in a narrower SAt range (for whatever that's worth); at a less selective school, the spread is obviously wider and I think that lack of "intellectual fit" might be an issue at some schools for some students.</p>
<p>MM88, incorrect. Check the 25-75 SAT spread for very and highly selective schools and you will note a lot of consistency. The spread is typically about 200 points based on the old 1600 scale.</p>
<p>I would agree with what many are saying here: SAT score and "fit" are not interchangeable. If your child's SAT or ACT scores are in the top 25% of admitted students at a particular school, that's great. However, this isn't necessarily indicative of one's fit. Just because two students have a similar SAT score does not mean they are compatible academically. Nor is a certain SAT score necessarily indicative of admissibilty, particularly at those schools that are "most selective". Remember, schools like Harvard and Princeton are denying MANY students with perfect SAT scores. I denied and waitlisted plenty of students this year with scores in the 2300+ range...such a bit SAT score does not tell me that a student is an active learner, intellectually curious, or compelling on a personal level!</p>
<p>Remeber: a big SAT score is like a foot in the door...it might hold the door ajar slightly, but it does not guarantee the door will be open enough to walk through.</p>
<p>edad's correct about the 25-75 spread. Sorry I wasn't clear. </p>
<p>My point was about the spread in the entire student body: at selective schools the 1-25% and 75-100% won't look that much different from the middle 50% academically. At, say, a large, tier-2 state school, or a school with a significant number of merit scholarships, some of the top kids will be very high achieving academically, while other students may not be as well prepared academically. In such contexts, I think timely's question (if it is a question about the academic challenge/culture) is at least worth throwing into the mix.</p>
<p>Yes, it was a question about academic challenge and I suppose academic culture, too, though I hadn't really thought of it that way. I want him to be with others who are well-prepared academically and who really want to learn.</p>
<p>In S's case, he wants to major in film production and go to one of the schools with top film programs. So, in the case of USC, S's scores put him above the 75th percentile in CR and in the low range of the mid-50% on Math. So, his SAT scores would fit in pretty well there if he is accepted (especially since he will not be pursuing a math-related major).</p>
<p>At Florida State (also an excellent film program), his CR is 120 pts. above the 75th percentile, Math is 30 pts. above, and Writing is 160 pts. above.</p>
<p>I am thinking that the academic classes at these two schools will be quite different, though he would receive an excellent education in his major at either one.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, S is kind of the ADD type (never diagnosed, except by me). :-) He tries to squeeze in too many activities, forgets assignments, turns things in late, etc. This will undoubtedly affect his performance in college classes. So, he's bright, creative, and pretty scatter-brained. Also, film students spend lots of time outside class working on projects, and S will be enrolled in ROTC. Would it possibly be better for a kid like this to attend a university where the academic expectations are not quite so high?</p>
<p>My opinion: film production is very creative field. Creativity is not measured by SAT scores. Go to the school where he will get the most opportunities and that has success in getting students into the business.</p>
<p>I think if he is seriously interested in film production it makes sense for him to try to go to one of the schools where that is a strong program, so he will be surrounded by others who share his interest and he will feed on their focus. I would also think employment/intership/contact opportunities at USC are unparalleled--USC is sort of the gold standard; seems unwise to give up shot at that simply to find a lesser academic challenge. (Being surrounded by lesser lights will not automatically turn him into an academic star, either--could go either way.) If there are other factors that make it important, that is one thing, but otherwise I just don't see the merit of dodging the challenge of working with the cream of the crop. Of course it is fine to apply to both schools and more, but he won't learn to disciplinee himself or budget his time wisely just because he chooses a program where he might have having higher test scores than other kids.</p>
<p>That said, I am sure there is a core groups of very strong students at FSU, (I know that the University of Florida graduates some exceptionally strong students who go there because of the financial benefit--assume that must also be true to some extent at FSU?). But film production is a very specialized and I would think competitive field, and if academic expectations are not as high, why would professional expectations be any better? You have to start living up to expectations at some point.</p>
<p>S would definitely like to go to USC if he is accepted there. However, it is very competitive. I think I read that there is an 8% acceptance rate to the film program. So, he can't at all assume that he will be accepted there. That's why I am mulling his "safeties". (In film programs, I'm not sure there <em>are</em> any safeties, but these are the schools that aren't in the top 5, anyway.)</p>
<p>Likewise, FSU's film program is very competitive. I read on CC a couple of years ago that they didn't even interview many kids with less than a 1350 SAT (combined math + verbal). So, even though FSU is not one of the top schools academically, it is one of the top film schools. </p>
<p>He won't be avoiding any schools because of academic rigor. My concern is in how it would work out if he needs to attend a not-as-great school academically in order to study film. It has helped reading what some of you have shared about students at the top of their class, stats-wise, thriving at their schools.</p>
<p>As a little aside, I have a friend whose D attends the University of Houston. It's an urban, mostly commuter school with a fairly low graduation rate. This D is exceptionally bright. She kind of went off the deep end in her behavior at the end of h.s., so parents sent her to CC for the first year. During that time, she straightened herself out, got focused, and enrolled at UofH. She says that the lower-level courses at UofH were pretty boring and easy, but in the upper level classes in her majors (poli sci and economics), she is having a blast. Tons of reading, interesting profs, two 30-page papers due in one class for a mid-term, and she is loving it. She is smart, gorgeous, and has a vivacious personality. I look forward to seeing where she'll be in 5 years....I'm predicting she'll be working on one of the news networks, but she tells me there is more money in lobbying. ;-) Anyway, all that to say....she doesn't appear to "fit" intellectually at UofH, yet she seems to be receiving a great education.</p>
<p>Timely, drop a PM to a poster who goes by the screen name of Digimedia. His son had scores good enough to get him into most schools, but he was interested in film, and ended up at a school that some here on CC might scoff at as not being "intellectually challenging" enough for someone with those sorts of scores. Digimedia's son has had an incredible experience there, he is in a special honors program that has provided wonderful opportunities, and he doesn't have a single regret about his choice. I suspect Digimedia would have some interesting and useful advice for you on this topic. </p>
<p>There isn't a single college in the U.S. that is a "fit" for every student, even if you took a group of kids with identical test scores, you'd have a hard time finding a college that would be a fit for all of them. What's challenging for one child may be "challenging enough" for another and "not challenging" for a third, depending on what they want from their experience, their majors and interests, their personalities, and their individual match up with the individual college.</p>
<p>Know your child, and listen carefully to them, their concerns and dreams. That's always the best way to find the right fit. Test scores just help get you in the door, they don't mean you're opening the RIGHT door. :)</p>
<p>OP, Paying3Tuitions also has a son who just got into a film school -- I'm sure she has some words of wisdom!</p>