Still consider Beloit, Lawrence and Macalester. Lots of options for majors. Just fewer students and smaller class size.
One thing my D did not like about UWEC, btw, is there are not that many majors offered, even compared to smaller schools. My D will also go in undecided and the lack of LAS options was a big factor in her not even applying there.
@2muchquan - please don’t refer to UW-Madison as ‘UW-M’, that is a different school (UW-M is UW-Milwaukee and UW is UW-Madison).
Also, at UW-Madison, if you are referring to the Honors program in the College of Letters & Science, the OP’s daughter does not need to “get her scores up a bit”. Any admitted student can apply to and likely get accepted into the College of Letters & Science honors program at UW - there are no score or GPA requirements. I have never heard of a single person getting denied admission to the honors program.
But UW is OK. Fine. Sorry for the misinformation. I stand correctted
I thnk she should have a list of modest size (fewer options might help, so maybe 4-6) and the list can consist of schools that vary in size, location, academics and “vibe”. Some kids decide what kind of school they want, say, a small LAC, and make a list of schools of that kind. But it sounds like she would benefit from a list with varied types of schools and then she can choose in late April 2017! There is plenty of time for her, it is still very early, and you have planted seeds with your trips to different size schools. Lots can happen before 4/17!!!
If you haven’t checked out Loren Pope’s books, “Colleges that Change Lives” and “Looking Beyond the Ivy league” I recommend them. Colleges that Change LIves is also a website and they have fairs around the country.
Sounds like a great kid who is still relatively early in the process, probably fully engaged in high school and not quite there yet. Sounds healthy to me. She has seen different kinds of schools and that will incubate for awhile.
Good luck!
Just a note about UW Honors program, as another poster said something about getting scores up. UW Honors is not stat driven, every admitted student is invited to apply to Honors program by writing additional essays. The program (which my son is in) is looking for students who want to go deeper into areas of study and there aren’t separate Honors dorms or other traditional perks like that. The value, at least for my son, has been the Honors courses themselves, especially in otherwise large lecture classes where, because he is in the Honors section, the prof leads the discussion section rather than a TA. That structure has allowed him to develop closer relationships with faculty in his areas of interest.
Maybe your daughter really is as marvelously adaptable as she sounds, and I am just tired from my very different children’s preferences – but both mine ultimately had strong reactions about large vs. small. When it came down to it, they finally said, “this is really what I want.” For one, that didn’t happen until November of senior year. Yikes. That was a long fall.
I would continue to explore and expose her to various options. She has plenty of time so I wouldn’t push for any kind of real preference now. For many juniors, the prospect of college seems very far away and it doesn’t feel “real” yet. Once it starts to feel more real, perhaps late spring junior year, she may have developed stronger preferences. If you are instate at UW, she already has a marvelous option that is a pretty certain acceptance (out of state still likely, but not a sure thing). Unless she develops a strong reaction that she wants big private, like Northwestern, then I wouldn’t sweat the big school decision, as she has a top public university in her “back pocket” already. Continue to look for ways to visit some other small schools, maybe Carleton, St. Olaf or Grinnell, if you are in the midwest. Lawrence University (Appleton) could be a nice admission match/safety with merit aid, if she is inclined. The small schools don’t show very well during the summer, since students are not generally around, so trying to visit a few more small schools during spring might help see what she really responds to.
Good luck!
The test score is just one part of the app. She would be below average with a 31, but might be above average in another factor or in multiple factors.
My daughter is a freshman this year…I remember when going through this process it would seem that it was “cool” for the kids to go to a far away school…but now the parents are realizing that a fall break or sometimes even Thanksgiving trip is too costly money or time-wise.
I live in Wisconsin. D1 went to college in California. I’m glad she did; she loved her school, made many good friends, and blossomed intellectually. But the travel expenses did add up. I saw her school only twice: when we moved her in before first-year orientation and at graduation.
A few people have mentioned St. Olaf. This was one of the last schools we toured with our daughter and even though she didn’t go there, it was really helpful in the search. Up to that point my daughter liked all of the schools we visited. She knew she liked smaller schools and that’s about all we had for what she liked. After we toured St. Olaf and she liked every thing about it she crossed a couple schools off her list and was finally able to make enough comparisons where she could say what she really liked in a school. Since we knew we might not be able to afford St. Olaf we set up a tour at a school that had a lot of similarities, but not the high price. That is the school she now attends. St. Olaf was amazing and if we could have afforded it, I would have loved to send my daughter there. She had a 31 ACT and was given a $18K scholarship, but she would have had to take out loans and we would have had to take out plus loans. An admissions counselor told her that ACT scores of 33 and up usually get their biggest scholarship.
I’d suggest touring the U of MN. If you wanted to check out a school that falls in the not so big category, maybe go to Duluth and tour UMD. There are a few colleges in the Macalester area if she liked that neighborhood. My daughter’s best friend is at Winona State and absolutely loves it there. With the reciprocity agreements between MN and Wisconsin our kids have a lot of affordable options between the two states. I thought it was a good thing that my daughter liked every school at first, but after a while they do start to figure it out.
I almost commented on the UW vs UWM abbreviation- but cut some slack unlike on the UW site.
Lawrence is NOT a great campus, nor is Appleton a great city for college. Son did WCATY gifted programs there- before they moved to using the UW campus. So small. Wonder how students keep from being bored on and off campus. Likewise Beloit is not a great city. Some LACs are so small that even with higher percentages with stats there still will be more students with similar stats at a large flagship.
The Honors program at UW is great. They improved it some since my day (internet access makes a huge difference in being able to offer extra info) and it was good for son. Starting to realize how many years it has been for him- he’s now in his mid twenties, gulp.
I understand not wanting the limitations of smaller schools. So many courses available at UW that aren’t at small schools. So many different lifestyles available as well.
Kids from my son’s HS split into those who preferred UofM and those who preferred UW. Good things about both. Son had apartment roommates from the Twin Cities- students definitely make use of reciprocity.
You sound very lucky. You have a smart, social and easygoing daughter who will probably do great wherever she goes. Enjoy the college search process. It sounds like you can’t go wrong. Maybe your daughter is someone who really can be happy anywhere. Apply to a variety of schools and see what happens.
@wis75 – you and I are both huge supporters of UW (my older one is there now), and I love Madison with all my heart. But I do think you cannot compare Lawrence/Appleton to UW/Madison, they really are apples and oranges. My younger one has looked at Lawrence and, while it isn’t his absolute favorite LAC, he liked campus and town very much. Kids (and grown ups) are drawn to large or small and will likely wonder about why indeed someone might be drawn to the opposite type of school. My older one at couldn’t wait to jump in to everything UW has to offer, and he has thrived there. However, my younger one would hyperventilate if he had to deal with the ins and outs of a large flagship.
Lawrence has a lot to offer, especially for the kid who wants to continue to participate in some way with music, but not be a full Conservatory student, as Lawrence opens many opportunities to the non-Music degree student which are foreclosed at, for instance, Oberlin, another LAC with a Con. Lawrence has a nice mix of kids, and the new student center, overlooking the river, is gorgeous. Kids who want to be in Madison, with State St, and the Capitol, and all the action, could find themselves restless at Lawrence. Bu some kids want that kind of quieter environment. To each his own!
About 4 years ago, I posted a similar thread. Seems so long ago. Maybe it will be helpful to you.
That D2’s doing great. During spring break visits she found the “one”, applied ED and is now a junior there.
Unfortunately she can no longer tolerate lactose :-(.
Your daughter sounds very similar to mine! Luckily, she has at least narrowed down that she wants to be within 4-5 hours from home so we have decided to continue visiting as many schools as we can. She is currently a junior so she has some time to refine and hopefully she can plan some overnight visits too. Good Luck!
I’ll second what @Midwestmomofboys said. My D’s final two choices were Lawrence and Beloit. She chose Beloit. She’s been to UCLA enough times, including sitting in on a large lecture for a HS field trip, that she knew the campus was much too big for her learning style. She is happy and has plenty to do on Beloit’s campus. Plus, she’s already been to see Wicked in Madison for fun and on a class field trip to the Art Institute in Chicago, so she is in no way lacking opportunities to experience “bigger” things.
Again, thank you all so much for the wonderful advice. D mentioned Mizzou the other day, so I think we’ll be taking a trip there soon. I don’t want to pressure her into anything, and we do have a good amount of time, so I don’t want to force her into choosing a major so early, but it is making it difficult. She plans on touring some west coast schools when she’s visiting her dad, so she’s also been researching those as well. She wants to look at UVA too, even though I’m pretty sure that’s a reach for her, and she also wants to look at Gettysburg College. She thinks it has a cool name -_-
I am truly happy though, that she wants to be active in this process and she has a lot of her own ideas, so I suppose I can’t complain too much. She’s excited about it, which is more than I can say her step-sisters ever were! I do worry about burnout but she’s played the same sport since she was five so she gets pretty involved with whatever she’s into.
@ClassicRockerDad, I read through your thread and I appreciate you sharing it with me. It definitely helps me feel better about our whole process.