<p>binx--Grinnell is known for being very generous with their $$. They offered my S some $$ (the only school to offer him any merit aid of the ones he applied to), and for a little while he was headed there (until Chicago offered him a place off the waitlist). His dad and I were really rooting for Grinnell, but believe the kid has got to go where the kid has got to go (if it can be done). Somehow, Chicago, which is known to not be generous with aid came up with a little "need-based" aid, so it wasn't <em>quite</em> as painful as we thought it would be last year. This year, though, nada. My feeling is that Grinnell would definitely take an interest in your non-traditional student. (If your non-traditional student were interested in them :) ).</p>
<p>binx - Middlebury could be considered remote in some senses, but it is a rich environment with a great town/village. If she is not a dedicated urbanite, it's very possible she'll have no issue with the setting.</p>
<p>Can't speak directly re aid, altho they gave a nice "package" to S's best friend, who did qualify for need-based, but the package had a nice grant component. He is also a music-on-the-side (but devoted) kid; however, brass not strings. Can't beat the languages at Middlebury.</p>
<p>binx, I haven't actually been to Middlebury but since it's in the same neck of the woods (literally) as Williams I assume there are a lot of similarities. My son was concerned about the isolation of a rural environment, but has found it to be a real plus in the cohesiveness of the college community. All of the "remotes:" Middlebury, Williams, Hamilton, Kenyon, Grinnell, Carlton, Bowdoin share this insular characteristic -- they are definitely not for everyone, but kids who end up there end up liking the environment a lot and don't complain about lack of urban stimulus.</p>
<p>I'd suggest that you take an e-mail look at Skidmore and Smith. They have a lot of the attributes that your daughter is looking for and their small town but vibrant locations may appeal. They are also less selective and more risk oriented.</p>
<p>imo, for anyone interested in Bowdoin, I wouldn't put it in the same category as the others re "rural remote." Brunswick is rather bustling as a small city; quite a bit going on; half hour or less to Portland, Freeport. You might be thinking of Bates, where my son is now as a Katrina visiting student. Its location, in the "city" of Lewiston might as well be remote. Not much doing there. Apologies to any Lewiston denizens.</p>
<p>I agree with jmmom. If Brunswick is rural, then Princeton is in the boonies (it has 10,000 more people than the Borough of Princeton).</p>
<p>I'd like to add my perspective as a person who spent 7th - 12th grades overseas (at a Indian boarding school with an American curriculum), then attended a small LAC in a small town.</p>
<p>Granted, this was about 20 years ago, but I have to believe some of the issues would remain the same.</p>
<p>I looked like an American, spoke English without an accent, but I was not really an American student.</p>
<p>I had spent 6 years without watching American television, without listening to American radio, without spending afterschool time on American activities.</p>
<p>Going to a small school with a relatively uniform student population (upper middle class midwestern suburban kids) was a huge mistake. I was a fish out of water, and had a terrible time connecting with my peers.</p>
<p>Since I was in a small town, there was no opportunity to look for people of a different profile, for example, by taking an off campus job.</p>
<p>I think your daughter should be careful about selecting a small school in an isolated setting. In my view, she should consider schools in a metropolitan area, perhaps also larger schools, where she can interact with a more diverse population as well as have the possiblity of clicking with people off campus.</p>
<p>In my case, I transferred to a large state school, actually spent my junior year abroad in Germany, and finally felt at home after moving to Cambridge, MA for graduate school.</p>
<p>Welcome to the forum, fendrock -- and I really appreciate your perspective. It is nice to hear from someone who's been there. My D will have her senior year in the US, most probably at a HS that is on the order of 8 times as large as the school she is in now (with half as many grades), and we do worry about the culture shock for her. I think the most difficult thing for her will be the unexpectedness of it. She thinks because she attended US schools through 8th grade, she knows what to expect. Hopefully that last year of HS will give her time to adjust so that college will be less of an issue. But I'm thinking that senior year will be brutal. (I'm remember the tons of "projects" my sons had -- Not something they're real into here. Plus the heavy ECs. Lots of time-wasters. Not to mention discipline problems in classes, dress codes, zero tolerance....)</p>
<p>The TV / radio thing is an interesting point. She was culturally distant already in that area, because we don't have a TV, and mostly listen to classical music. (Our only English radio here is the Armed Forces Network -- and NPR Worldwide gets a little stale.) We do watch DVDs on our computer screen. The little she knows about TV shows and pop music she got from friends in the US. And of course, her friends here have a much different experience with those.</p>
<p>However, we are trying to include some larger schools on her list. At this point, we are still having trouble finding larger schools that seem flexible about non-traditional students. (And the smaller schools seem more welcoming in terms of her music, too.) If you have any suggestions in that area, I'm listening.</p>
<p>I haven't been writing much on this thread lately, because I feel like I need to wait for her PSAT scores in December to get a better feel for where she fits academically. In the meantime, we are continuing to research the schools that have already been suggested. </p>
<p>I really do appreciate the input.</p>
<p>Binx, my son spent his entire schooling overseas with no U.S. t.v. but with the internet the world is considerably smaller and the cultural influences from all countries are beginning to converge. Son did have internationals as friends to start with but has branched out since then. He chose smaller over larger and tiny urban over rural. I do think the visit is the most important part of your daughter's picture and since she will be in the states you will have an easier time of it. I don't think sat scores are as important as they are made out to be especially for your daughter. Each school has a different mix. That is what is important. I bet they love your daughter and her international experience over everything else. That's what we discovered. It is a big deal.</p>
<p>If she is interested in a women's college and if she wants to live in a small suburban environment (beautiful campus) 2 hours west of Boston--then she should look at Mount Holyoke because they would be responsive to a non-traditional international background. (I do alum interviews for MHC overseas). They are small enough to consider each candidate individually as a whole person rather than statistics. They are strong in English and writing.</p>
<p>For a safety school consider Goucher --just outside Baltimore and very enthusiastic about increasing their international flavor. Only 1200 students but access to U. Of Maryland and Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>Many schools know how to handle international students. Just contact the schools admissions and tell them the situation. I would suggest a private school. Many schools have great Lit. programs decide what coast and then what area. Then zero in on the schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>Just updating, with more info.</p>
<p>First, I think we have pretty much decided to hold D back a year when we return to the US this summer. Not an easy decision, but the list of positives for repeating 11th grade is much longer than the list for graduating with her class. </p>
<p>Briefly, it will give her a chance to experience US HS and culture more fully; will give her a chance academically to produce the grades that more accurately represent her ability; and will open up a bunch more opporunities to explore things in highschool -- ECs, music, theater, art, yearbook, APs -- instead of doing a year's worth of makeup classes (3 social studies classes, health, and English will leave room for exactly one more class. They indicated that they won't even give her foreign language credit, because her language tutoring was after school and not part of school!) </p>
<p>Plus, because all of her high school education has thus far been done in a foreign language, we are afraid there may be gaps. The opportunity to redo calculus and physics in English, for instance, might be worthwhile, even though she has passing grades here. It will also give us more time to visit colleges, and for her to establish relationships with teachers that will result in letters of reference, and to take the SATs more if she wants to. And more time to get her driver's license.</p>
<p>She did take the PSAT and SAT this year, and her results are solid, but not exceptional. (A 2030 on the SAT, which is well within the middle 50 for most of the schools we are looking at.)</p>
<p>What the US school will do with her German courses is still a big unknown. They may make her a senior anyway, because she'll probably have enough credits -- just don't know what they'll count, and for how much credit. We are also open to a joint enrollment option for her senior year, if she repeats her junior year.</p>
<p>Her biggest problem, of course, is that it means an extra year of living with mom and dad. :(</p>
<p>Hi! Her SAT scores are definetly going to show colleges that she's ready for college despite being accepted overseas/ I'd suggest finding a college that does interviews because then she can really stand out. I applied to University of Denver last year and they require all applicants to do interviews. I lived in Japan for 2yrs (middle school though) and went to a French elementary school and University of Denver seemed to really like that. The person who interviewed me was from overseas and she really emphasized that they like students who have studied abroad and said there were lots of opportunities to travel while at college there. The campus was beautiful too! I ended up getting accepted there with a scholarship and the people were incredibly nice! When I did a tour the admissions officer who had done my interview came and had lunch with me and my mom in the cafeteria (free food too!) and talked for about an hour. The campus is medium size (about 8,000 students) and its in a big city. The music program in great and they have wonderful facilities. It is a bit pricey since its a private school but there are lots of scholarships and good financial aid! If your daughter decides to take an extra year in High School, that's fine. Whatever she feels will benefit her most! Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, Kaitylin. That is one school that hasn't been mentioned before; we'll definitely take a look at it. The anecdotal info is nice, too.</p>
<p>Hi Binx!</p>
<p>Repeating 11th grade sounds like an excellent idea, I re-read your first post, and noted that you and husband preferred this. If she goes on to big suburban high school, she may thank you for it in the end - I think she will have a culture shock. Her SAT scores are solid, and may come up after a year of American high school. Have her take the AP German exam as soon as she can after coming back. She may not get credit for 4 years of foreign language classes, but I think a number of schools will consider demonstrated fluency in a learned foreign language to be equivalent to 4 years of high school study.</p>
<p>I'm thinking the same thing, Cangel, about the German AP. I told her I'd like her to take the class, just to keep in practice, even if she's bored. </p>
<p>On Monday the class had a field trip. To tour a beer brewery. Yesterday her English teacher went out with the class for a night on the town (the semester just ended and the teacher was an intern who is leaving). D called me to check in, and reported that they had been to 3 bars and she'd had one glass of champagne (we don't normally drink much at home, so this was a first for her), and she came home late, stinking from all the cigarette smoke. Hmmm, culture shock in the US... Ya' think? :)</p>
<p>The good news is that she got her report card today, and passed everything -- all 12 subjects. A solid B average. We are amazed.</p>
<p>That class will be an easy A - which can only help her average. Maybe more knowledgeable people will speak up, but my guess is that some rigid legalistic schools will look at her record and say oops - not enough foreign language, but more will read between the lines and consider her to have fulfilled any foreign language recommendations/requirements for admission.</p>
<p>It will be culture shock, but it makes her all that more interesting a person.</p>
<p>Have her take the ACT - she'll be living in ACT land, so there will be plenty of opportunities. My guess is she will do better on the SAT, but the ACT is a freebie, no one ever has to know what her scores are.</p>
<p>The LAC with the highest percentage of international students is Mt. Holyoke (SAT optional as well), followed by Macalester. The LACs with the highest percentage of language/area studies majors are Middlebury, Smith, Grinnell, Mt. Holyoke, Macalester. English majors, of course, can be found everywhere! Second the Lewis and Clark suggestion.</p>
<p>We are homeschoolers, so if you have questions as to how to present yourselves, you are welcome to PM me.</p>
<p>Two other schools with strong internationalist commitments are Kalamazoo and Goucher.</p>
<p>Consider taking a CLEP in German rather than the AP. Maybe both. </p>
<p>Seriously...I think your D may end up with worse results in the college admissions process if she spends two years in an American high school. I'm not trying to be rude..please believe that. I just think there are a lot of colleges out there --especially LACs--who are interested in kids with different backgrounds. Two years at a regular old American high school and she's not going to come across as unusual as she will if she applies this fall. She's not going to get cut any slack on test scores after two years at an American high school and if they don't go up, they'll hurt MORE than they do now. </p>
<p>I know you're thinking that she'll be a <em>star</em> at the local high school..but..based on those SAT scores..I don't think she will be. </p>
<p>As for LORs..well..depending on the high school..it may be the case that there is NO WAY, JOSE, that she'll get great recs after spending just one year in the high school. And the idea that she will waltz into the typical American high school as a junior and have ANY chance of getting a leading role in ECs is..well..IMO..not at all realistic. </p>
<p>If I were you..I'd rethink this game plan.</p>
<p>Is there a German Language School near where you will be in the US? The official site is <a href="http://www.germanschools.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.germanschools.org/</a>, but I don't know how up-to-date the list of member schools is. These schools provide German instruction outside of regular school, usually on Saturdays, and are usually geared toward helping the children of German parents and German-born children living in the US keep up their German. Even if your daughter won't be able to or won't want to take regular classes, getting in touch with the nearest German school could be a good idea. I'm sure someone involved would have some experience with applying US college with German records, may be able to shed some more personal insight on your situation. I'd strongly recommend it signing up for classes if at all possible - she would likely be able to get HS credit, which could free up another space in her school schedule, and the class would likely be more on her level.</p>
<p>One more note: If the transition back into the US is particularly rough for your daughter, she may be very anxious to leave HS. I know a lot of students who have been absolutely miserable upon repatriation - living abroad entails a tremendous amount of independence and many hate returning to being "babied" at American schools. She may be better suited to college.
It's a difficult choice - I don't know what I'd do in your place.</p>