Narrowing down schools

College Search & Selection
1

<p>We're at the beginning of the college search for my son, a junior (unweighted 3.5 GPA, weighted 4.0, 670Reading/590Math/530Writing). We've figured out the states he's most interested in (California, where we live; Northeast; Virginia; Northwest; maybe Wisconsin) and the subjects that most excite him -- history, creative writing and government. He knows he wants an intellectual environment and doesn't want a party school. His college counselor and I have made a list of about 25 schools we think might interest him.</p>

<p>But how do we narrow down that list? College town or big city? Small, big or medium school? We don't have the time or resources to visit all these schools in different parts of the country. And I'm not sure how valuable these visits are. We've toured a couple of schools already and yet neither really grabbed him. He was a bit bored on the two tours we took -- I can't imagine how he's going to feel after the 5th or 10th college visit. We look at university websites and virtual tours but they all look kind of the same with the videos of students saying how much they love their school and the lists of student organizations and the pretty pictures of the campus in fall or spring. I read these forum postings but it's hard to tell what's really going to be right for him. </p>

<p>I think he's feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole process. He doesn't know what he wants. How can I help him?</p>

2

<p>–what you can afford is where you should begin. Do you want to pay $40k for an OOS public over a UC?</p>

<p>– his preferences, what has history shown he enjoys?</p>

<p>– strength of programs in his areas of interest</p>

<p>– the reality of where he can get in</p>

3

<p>I hope you’re planning on having him re-take SATs, as that could potentially open more doors to him. 1790 as a junior could easily be brought up to 2100+ with some practice.</p>

4

<p>if you’re trying to figure out what types of schools to look at, i’d suggest doing some tours of schools in your area, which should be pretty easy to get to. hopefully you live relatively nearby to both a large school and a small school. things like that should give him a better idea of what atmosphere he wants, and from there you can decide what colleges in other parts of the country are worth visiting. hopefully as his junior year progresses, he’ll figure out more about what he’s looking for just through his experiences, and hopefully schools will emerge to him that he likes. good luck! :)</p>

5

<p>* my son, a junior (unweighted 3.5 GPA, weighted 4.0, 670Reading/590Math/530Writing).</p>

<p>We’ve figured out the states he’s most interested in (California, where we live; Northeast; Virginia; Northwest; maybe Wisconsin) </p>

<p>and the subjects that most excite him – history, creative writing and government. </p>

<p>He knows he wants an intellectual environment and doesn’t want a party school.</p>

<p>His college counselor and I have made a list of about 25 schools we think might interest him.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>You need a strategy.</p>

<p>1) How much can you afford to pay each year. That one issue will LARGELY determine where he should apply. Most schools do NOT have the funds to meet need. Most schools will gap you. If you need for your child to get merit scholarships, then his test scores need to be higher.</p>

<p>2) Will your son be testing again? He needs to take the ACT and the SAT (again). He needs to take BOTH tests. Some kids do MUCH better on the other test. </p>

<p>3) While a GC’s recommendations can be helpful, keep in mind that many/most GCs do NOT take finances into account. GCs will routinely recommend schools that do not meet need or will not be affordable for the family. </p>

<p>4) Do not fear so-called party schools. All schools have a party element to them (except very religious schools). There are serious students at every school. And, many of the so-called party schools have wonderful Honors Colleges and honors housing. My kids go to a so-called party school, but they’re in honors housing and are in very serious majors (Math and Chemical Engineering).</p>

<p>5) You need to pick 2-3 financial safety schools (these are schools that you are certain of acceptance and you KNOW for SURE are affordable (because of ASSURED grants, ASSURED scholarships, small student loans, and/or family funds.).</p>

<p>6) You need to pick 2-4 match schools.</p>

<p>7) you need to pick 2-4 reach schools. </p>

<p>8) Just a note about Calif publics. While they are pretty good about providing aid for lowish income students (because of Pell, Blue and Gold, and Cal Grants), they are LOUSY about giving aid to those whose incomes are not lowish.</p>

<p>But how do we narrow down that list? College town or big city? Small, big or medium school?</p>

<p>What other stuff interests your son? What does he do that is not academically related? Any sports? Hobbies? Hiking? Biking?</p>