<p>I started reading CC for information. I noticed most students and parents seem to be looking for top tier schools. My son is a junior and is getting a late start. We decided to start helping him look for schools in the mid level range on the west coast. California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon or Washington. He prefers California. How do we start? His SATs are good, but not as good as what most of the students here seem to have--in the 600s. Grades are As and Bs with a solid background in math, science, some As in English, Bs in History. His school is very competitive and it's not easy to get A's. If you count 9th grade, the GPA is 3.6. If not, it's closer to a 3.5. although his transcripts count everything, so it would have to be reconfigured to get an exact number. It would be higher but he chose time consuming ECs and we supported him. He is no longer going to participate in ECs in college as it took too much time away from schoolwork.</p>
<p>He should be doing this himself but it looks like his dad and I are going to have to start. He seems to be overwhelmed with the options and said he might just go to a Cal State rather than have to worry about all the college submission process involved with LACs. He is interested in pre-med. The only Cal States he is interested in are the two Cal Polys but I don't know if he's got the grades to get into them in pre-med.</p>
<p>Does anyone have suggestions on where to start?</p>
<p>I forgot to ask, do the colleges look at the fact that a student attends a very competitive high school where it is harder to get As? Do they assume a student who has some Bs is slacking off or unable to compete in college? Are there good colleges for A-B students? When I was in school, those grades would have been considered excellent for a student who also has ECs. Now they are considered mediocre. It is very discouraging for students who work hard but want to have other interests and get enough sleep while in high school.</p>
<p>Hey MrsP. Agreed, a lot of the discussion here concerns top-tier admissions. But there are a lot of us "others" here as well -- and I for one have learned a tremendous amount of information. </p>
<p>Also, do an advanced search for "average kid" "b student" (or heck, just search for threads that I've been involved in) and you'll see a lot of info. Just to start:</p>
<p>PS, as a parent whose son has a very time consuming EC (which he DOES want to continue in college), I feel your pain. But the consolation is that even though I think he's devoting just a <em>wee bit</em> (that's sarcasm, in case he's reading :) ) too much time to it, I'm extremely proud of him for having such dedication and commitment. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think he'll look back and think "Damn! I should have spent more time cramming for Spanish III class!" And, ultimately, I think admissions officers -- particularly at smaller LACs -- will take that into account.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids are top students. But they both have found colleges that fit them well. My S in a sophomore at University of Oregon, which I am crazy about. We live in CA, and many students there come from CA. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as UC Eugene, since so many CA kids are there. I highly recommend it. It is a big school with a small school feel. They do an excellent job of making the freshmen integrated into college life. Eugene is a small town, but it is close to Portland.
My D is a musical theatre kid who will be attending Muhlenberg in the fall, class of 2010. That is not what you are looking for, but my point is that there are lots of schools out there that fly under the radar. Don't be afraid to look outside the box.</p>
<p>Mrs. P, Cal Poly Slo is a great looking school. I would have been very happy had my child ended up there. It was on my beginning list for her, in fact. </p>
<p>There are wonderful opportunities out there for kids in the 600's. CTCL and CoD are both great places to start. (We started and finished there, with a few twists along the way. LOL.) </p>
<p>Welcome to the board and if and when you feel more comfortable tell us more, and give us some specifics to help us help you help him. ;) (LOL. That was kinda fun.)</p>
<p>Not going to bore MrsP with the details, but just know that when Curmudgeon says there were a "few twists" in his adventures, it's like saying there are a "few hills" in Colorado.</p>
<p>ssshhhhhh. We don't want to scare her off, lderochi. She just got here. </p>
<p>Mrs P. Just hang on to your hat. Sometimes you start out headed somewhere, and you just might still end up there, but the ride took you very far away. Expect there to be some changes in focus throughout the process. These kids have habit of growing up right before your eyes. It is an amazing process to behold.</p>
<p>Fair enough. MrsP, one last suggestion (for now!) -- take a look at the "admitted students" thread for a list of where this year's class got accepted. Sure, there's the Ivy League schools, but the overall breadth is astonishing -- this is a place for ALL parents interested in the admissions process to hang out. If you poke around just a little bit, you'll see that most (not all, I'll admit it) of the parents are focused on how to help their kids find a good fit -- academically, financially and socially. Welcome again.</p>
<p>lderochi--that would have been my suggestion, but I would have sent her to the final decisions thread. I am amazed at the breadth of colleges that CCers are choosing to attend!</p>
<p>There is so much to take in. Thank you for giving us a place to start. I like the colleges of distinction list. There are some names I'm familiar with that we have not even thought about. I expect we will have a lot of bumps in the next year. I'm not sure how much personal information my son is comfortable with me putting up on this board as he is very private, but I will do my best to share what I can. </p>
<p>Curmudgeon, I think we would be very happy if our son could get into CPSLO but I heard it's competitive and getting tougher to get in. Same thing with some of the colleges I saw on that list. I see many names that other students we know did not get into this year. Although every student is different.</p>
<p>I noticed most of the schools have more women then men. Is that planned? Are more women better students? Where are the male students going?</p>
<p>
[quote]
He should be doing this himself but it looks like his dad and I are going to have to start.
[/quote]
Welcome, Mrs. P. Just thought we ought to let you in on the dirty little secret known to many of us parents of sons. It is VERY common that we parents are the catalysts in the process. There have been threads, and hijacks of threads, on this topic. Our S was interested in his own way, but not one to delve into the research like we did. I think it is a very wise division of labor for parents to come up with "possible" schools for this type of son - base the possibles on his criteria (which you already are doing). We found that our son was most engaged in the process during the actual visits we made.</p>
<p>Must reading for you: "Accept My Kid, Please!: A Dad's Descent into College Application Hell" by Hank Herman. Let's you know you're not alone; provides exceptional comic relief and has some good ideas too. I bet every parent on here has/had some version of his War Board and Companion War Board.</p>
<p>Also, he is not the only kid to have the idea that he does not want to jump through zillions of hoops in the college application process. Some refuse to consider schools which require SAT IIs, some will only consider schools accepting the common app... If he decides just to go for the CSU's, he still has some very strong options there. Also, some who refuse to do the "extra" essays, SAT II's etc. up front do change their minds once they have overcome the burden of getting that main app done. At that point, he may decide that he can see his way to an extra essay/test/app or two.</p>
<p>But if not, so be it. The common app, or the California app process, will get him lots of choices.</p>
<p>Take a look at Colorado College. They will know your son's school and the academic rigor. His SAT scores might come up quite a bit if he retakes in the fall.</p>
<p>You can buy the USNews & World Report America's Best Colleges in any bookstore. And sometimes in the local grocery store! It's updated annually (altho the rankings don't change much). You can also subscribe to the online version. Not sure if I'm allowed to post the link, but you can google it.</p>
<p>The online version is a very good source of info and is well worth the cost. Regardless of what you think about the rankings themselves, the online version gives a lot of information about every school. I'm particularly fond of the "Compare Schools" function.</p>
<p>Nope, Mrs.P. The schools do not plan on or desire more women than men. Most schools work to achieve some semblance of balance. That is an arrow in your quiver you can use. Think reverse commute. :)</p>
<p>As to sharing info, what I really wanted first has been touched on by at least one other poster - those test scores. 600's could be 690's or 610's and the schools that I would suggest would be different . I also agree that the scores trend upward for many students, seemingly by maturity level alone. Add some practice tests in and there could very well be some improvement. So I'm not entirely ready to eliminate names of schools, or even classes of schools. Some of us ended up being taken by surprise by their kid's scores on the SAT and/or ACT.</p>
<p>MrsP-Welcome. Your S has very good stats and will have many wonderful schools within his reach. Don't be discouraged by some of the wunderkids here, they are the exception, not the rule.</p>
<p>One of the best things you can do when starting the search process is to take a realistic look at your financial picture and determine what your family can reasonably afford to pay. There are online financial aid calculators to help you guage your family's EFC (estimated family contribution). Some schools are much better at meeting need than others and your S could be in line for merit aid at slightly lower ranked (but still very good) schools. Setting financial parameters early can save alot of heartache next spring.</p>
<p>I also would encourage retesting next fall. My first 2 kids both raised their scores 100+pts between May-Oct without much additional studying. I'll let you know about #3 in the Fall.;) You might also consider having him try the ACT.</p>
<p>Good luck and keep reading. There is a wealth of information and informed parents and students on this site.</p>