<p>Kajon, I would be concerned about his “minimal interest” in Wyoming. That sounds like a potential disaster to me. Your son has rising grades and I’d do everything to encourage further scholarship, including offering up Carthage as a carrot. That great fit is so important. Make continued attendance dependent on decent performance.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I know a kid who was accepted into Notre Dame and also had Carthage on his short list of three schools.</p>
<p>Kajon, I don’t have the anwer, but why are you only debating these 2 options. Are there any other small schools that you know provide excellent supports without needing to spend 40,000 per year? Also, how far are these schools from your home? If you think that you might need to visit a few times to check on him (to make sure that he is on track in person, or wanting to encourage him face to face) you might want to be within comfortable driving distance. I am a fan of smaller schools as being nurturing. I do agree with digdig IF you can afford to spend 40,000 per year. If you cannot afford that, I would look for a small school that would cost less than 40,000 per year (before and/or after merit aid). It might take some research to find private schools with a lower sticker price, but there are some out there.</p>
<p>seeitall: I am not familiar with most of the schools on your list in terms of grading practices; I could find out about Scranton (daughter’s friend attends and is a soph)…yabeyabe may know though; he’s mentioned a couple of these on this and other threads previously…</p>
<p>let me know ifyou want to find out about Scranton; you may want to post on St joseph’s thread though about that one…</p>
<p>seenitall ~ I can speak to the merit scholarships and grading rigor at Scranton. Both of my kids had merit scholarships. D’s required a 3.25 to keep it, S’s requires a 3.0. Both had very tough first semesters there for different reasons. D was in SJLA, and was given a schedule of 18 1/2 credits. She entered as a chem. major and was placed in second level of chemistry. She also had calculus and an SJLA class (It was either philosophy or theology I). She signed up for a tutor for calculus on the first day of class. It was a rigorous schedule and she had roommate issues starting in the middle of the semester. She ended up with a 3.2 or something like that. She did get a warning letter about the scholarship, but they give you a semester to bring your overall gpa over the minimum. She changed majors (decided chem. wasn’t for her), solved roommate issue and was able to pull the gpa up. She graduated magna cum laude with a double major.</p>
<p>S also had a tough first semester. He ended up with a 2.8, got the warning letter, but again was able to bring it up the next semester and has kept it up since then.</p>
<p>I think part of it is that the academic rigor at Scranton is high and can be quite a difference from high school. The other part is that neither of my kids has found much grade inflation or much curving in their experience, but of course that can depend on the individual professors. S and another kid had the highest grades in one of their classes in their major this past semester and both ended up with B-.</p>
<p>Hi everyone,
I think I need a thread that helps calm the nerves of a prospective parent! I’m worried that my son did not apply to enough schools, which is crazy, since he applied to 8. He did not do early action, because of a late SAT in November that is only given once a year [French Subject with Listening], and we were hoping he would do well, and he did. But now having to wait is unbearable, since he did get everything out in November, just after he received his scores on the last SAT. He got a VIP deferral from UVM and I’m worried about a post-interview email from another one of his schools’ alum. It was very generic, ‘good luck with everything’, sort of reply to his thank-you note. Not the glowing, “College X would be lucky to have you!” sort of replies my older son got after his interviews several years ago. It’s so hard having two boys have such different gifts and talents. One thriving in the Ivy League, and the other feeling like he’ll never be as good as his brother. It kills me. We have never, ever put that in his head, rather he does it to himself. It’s even affected his own college search, as he says things like ‘I should just go to X school because everyone gets in/or it’s close/or it’s cheaper.’ </p>
<p>Forgive the vent. I just want the right fit for my son, and that would be priceless. I’d give my house to see things turn around for him.<br>
Anyway, congrats to everyone on their early letters! It is very exciting to read…best to all~
Waiting impatiently,
CCL</p>
<p>Don’t know much about current schools under discussion but DigDig I wanted to say congrats on your “doneness” and that I smiled when you described Trinity’s webiste tour of the dorms. DD was accepted and it made her short list but ultimately chose closer to home.</p>
<p>Also DS is heading toward the end of his first semester in high school with 2 As, 4 Bs and a C as well as the goal of bringing two of those Bs and the C up. He’s a good 18 mos from even thinking about a college list but am glad that R2R and others are posting the lists of very good acceptances their kids have earned.</p>
<p>Thanks so much</p>
<p>CapeCodLady, your son needs to recognize his own strengths. My sons never heard, </p>
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<p>My younger son has been accepted to several private schools now and every one of them has offered merit aid (without notes like the one posted above). I think that your son needs to see some of those letters too. I hope that your son has applied to match and safety schools so that he can have that experience too. Additionally, 2 or 3 acceptance letters or merit award award letters, had little hand written notes of congratulations about something in his application, and one acceptance letter stated exactly why they feel he’s a good match for their campus.</p>
<p>CapeCodLady8, I feel your pain–our son applied to nine schools, and I find myself wondering why he didn’t apply to several more. It sounds like a lot, but when the list includes several reaches, and you factor in worries about aid offers etc. (why does it seem like every school he decided to cut from his list was a match school with generous FA?), that number starts to look mighty small.</p>
<p>They’ll end up somewhere. And with only a reasonable modicum of luck, somewhere will turn out to be exactly where they belong.</p>
<p>Northeast mom: “My son has awards at 3 different schools that don’t require anything higher than a 2.0 to keep their merit scholarship. This is not an accident. I researched schools, to shop for schools just like this.”</p>
<p>I have been having trouble finding this information on college websites in my research. I am in the preliminary stages of looking as my D is a junior. I only want her to apply to schools where we could afford for her to go if she gets a merit scholarship. One of the criteria I am interested in is the gpa required to maintain the scholarship. My nightmare would be for to go to a school and not be able to maintain the grades needed for the scholarship and then be forced to transfer to one of our state colleges.
Are you aware of any comprehensive list of what gpas are needed to maintain scholarships at certain schools?</p>
<p>holliesue, i wish, but no I have not. I found 2 schools like this through asking admissions when we visited, and one through a parent who was kind enough to share her child’s financial package with me.</p>
<p>Northeastmom,
thanks.
I think I am going to start a thread to see if we can gather some info on this.</p>
<p>Great idea, if people are willing to share this info. My guess is that once their child matriculates, they will gladly share this information.</p>
<p>If it helps, 3 years ago S’07 was offered $10k merit money at Union College in Schenectady NY and the only requirement to keep it was that he be “progressing towards graduation.” No minimum GPA to keep it. I believe Union is also test-optional. </p>
<p>(Caveat - S would not have qualified for this thread, his unweighted GPA was about a 3.5, and weighted was 3.9. But merit money with no GPA to keep it does exist!)</p>
<p>Northeasmom - We live in Minneapolis/St Paul area. The travel time to Carthage is 6 hour drive or $121 rt flight. Carthage tuition is 29 and I added an extra 10 for R/B, etc. The state schools in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin have bad reputations for 6 year graduation rates and I think my son would fall through the cracks so I am trying to find small privates. His class rank is what is killing him on acceptances. 174/204. I could probably save 3-5 at another private, but his interest level isn’t there and without that I think we are headed down the path of guaranteed disaster. U of Wyoming came about when I said to find an affordable option in case my hubby falls in a hole. Son is interested in business and U Wyoming is just completing a 24 million dollar business school. Hubby wants son to go to Carroll College in Helena which is $25,000 total as they will give him merit aid. While it is more affordable, it is impossible to get to and doesn’t have the strong business program that son wants. Short of sending him to the College of the Ozarks - free but major competition, I don’t know what to do based on his stats. Thanks for listening.</p>
<p>Kajon, I see your dilemma. I would not want to send mine to public, unless we could not swing anything else financially. I wish I knew the schools in your area, but I just am not familiar with them. I guess you and your husband need to decide. Is there another school that is more practical to get to with a business program that will offer merit aid like Carroll College? I am not familiar with Caroll College? Do they offer business?</p>
<p>What about Drake in Iowa? I know several students who have thrived there.</p>
<p>Kajon - I also don’t know the schools in your area but there must be more that will meet your needs. Is this for this year?? I would look for rolling app schools and start searching the websites.</p>
<p>We are in a similiar situation to some of you as far as merit aid is concerned. At one school he received $15,000 but needs to maintain a 3.0. (One of his top choices.) This school has a rigorous curriculum so we have to ask some questions before he commits. I wonder if you can request a lower level of scholarship. Many of his other school require somewhere between a 2.0 and a 2.7. It seems that my son would be better off with straight FA then no worries. originally, I thought that FA was given out and then merit was extra. (Foolish me!!)</p>
<p>boysx3 - Both my son and I love Drake (especially the Dean of the Business School), but they won’t take him.</p>
<p>warriorboy - Yes, it is for this fall. I have spent hundreds of hours looking at colleges that would potentially take my son - I should just write a book! I know it will all work out in the end (and we will be much poorer).</p>
<p>Thanks for everyones help.</p>
<p>Kajon, take a look at Northern Michigan University in the UP, it fits your situation nicely. An all day drive for you if you go north and cross over into the UP but maybe easiser than Wyoming…the nicest people you’ve ever met, too. Your son’s GPA is a tiny bit below their out of state tuition discount/scholarship, but take a look and get in touch with them if it looks interesting. They are continually trying to expand their student body, they have the capacity but the UP can be an issue. They do draw from northern Illinois and Wisconsin and northern Mininesota. They are also very parent friendly (very parent friendly you’ll see if you check out their website) and have an interesting program for incoming freshman that need to have a close eye on them to ensure they are succesful. A very interesting place and a pretty campus in a beautiful area and Marquette is a very “Duluth-like” town. I think it’s a pretty interesting college for kids that can live in the UP for 4 years.</p>
<p>Kajon, had another thought…take a look at Western State in Gunnison, Colorado. Business is one of their strong majors and they just completed a new business building and a new union. Small, I think around 2500 kids. Kids from all 50 states so has a “private” school feel with close interaction between kids/profs, small classes, all that stuff. Getting there would be a 2 plane deal. Mpls to Denver, Denver to Gunnison. It’s pretty known with the skier folk in our area but there much more than skiing although it’s pretty remote (like NMU).</p>