<p>I just made a request for a subforum. I’m not sure of how the decisions are made, but I suppose if you support the request that you may want to also post.</p>
<p>Maybe they can call the subforum a “B” student subforum which may more clearly define it than the title we have here.</p>
<p>I have to blush a bit and say that I’m really happy that I started this trend for normal students with my the “B+ student parents’” thread, although I have to say I think this thread has overtaken mine in terms of the quality of the dialogue here - well-done!</p>
<p>Regarding using the essays to explain a bad semester - </p>
<p>This may already be understood on this thread, but the common app has three essays - </p>
<p>1) Short Answer (150 words max) - about ec’s and work experience
2) Personal Essay (250 words min) - 6 different topic ideas
3) “Additional Information”</p>
<p>I have a high school junior for whom this forum was tailor made (although some input on west coast schools would be great). I also have a college sophomore who has already been through the process. </p>
<p>When the older one filled out her Common App, we called the “additional information” essay our “excuse” essay. </p>
<p>We had a family distraction that affected her GPA during one specific semester. She used the “excuse” essay to explain the issue. In fact, she was told by various LAC admission departments to do just that. Most admission departments told her (us) that no application is perfect and everyone has something they want to further explain. The “additional information” essay is the place to do that.</p>
<p>Many universities that don’t use the common app also have an “excuse” essay section.</p>
<p>MSUdad, the B+ thread was a major step in the right direction and helped many parents and kids.</p>
<p>The difficulty is that parents with kids with B+ averages in AP classes can take discussions on a very different route, while weighted B and B+ kids have more similar interests.</p>
<p>The more hwo post in favor of th esubforum, the better, I am sure</p>
<p>johnnydoe, we’re just starting the app process so thanks for the common app info. We’re looking at west coast schools, too. What does your child’s list look like at this point?</p>
<p>I have read many (but not all, so I apologize if it has been addressed) posts on this thread and haven’t seen any mention of Connecticut College when discussing Connecticut Schools. We live in California and S’s small high school doesn’t have any Naviance data for Conn. Is it completely out of the question for a B student?
S is a URM, if that has any bearing.
Can’t handle the '10 thread; it gives me nausea and sweaty palms.
Thanks</p>
<p>I checked our Naviance for Conn College. We are close by so I would assume that hurts the students. On Naviance, the only kids with a 3.0 that got in had a 2100SAT or a 33 ACT. I would think that being a URM and being from California would help.</p>
<p>I’m looking for opinions as to whether a B student would have a shot at Furman (SC) or Rhodes (TN)?</p>
<p>Thanks, warriorboy. Do you know what GPA you needed with a 27 ACT?</p>
<p>musicmomz - A student with a 27 and a 3.2 was rejected, but someone witha 25 and a 3.5 was accepted.</p>
<p>Warriorboy- I have one data point for Furman: GPA 3.1; ACT 27- waitlist. (didn’t say if there was an eventual acceptance.</p>
<p>musicmomz - it’s hard to know how much geographic diversity came into play. I’m on the east coast and we don’t have anyone who has applied many of the schools that my son is looking at. </p>
<p>My ds thinks that I am too pessimistic. I think that I am being realistic. He has plenty of schools that I consider reaches. We need to lower the tier and start looking for schools that he is more likely to get into. He has a few but I’m not sure how crazy he is about them. The good news is that he has been working on his essay. He has decided to write about a national issue that he is really interested in. Hopefully, it’ll be good enough to help him out.</p>
<p>I had to register ds#2 for classes today for 10th grade. (He is switching schools) The GC that we met with talked to him about taking the PSAT and that he should start thinking about colleges and that he needed to keep his grades up etc. Maybe ds #1 should have received this same talk!!! Wonder if it would have helped…</p>
<p>warriorboy, long-time cc poster “curmudgeon” has a D at Rhodes. She turned down an Ivy to go there.
You might try pm’ing him. He might have some insight.</p>
<p>We have a couple of students with high 80s (weighted) who got into Conn Coll. one with SAT of 1330, the other with 1050 SAT. There’s also one waitlist half way between those two. There’s also one 27 ACT also with a high 80 weighted score. So I’d say it’s a reach, but not impossible. The acceptances are all over the map - it may be that athletics or URM plays into our results heavily.</p>
<p>I think Con College will be difficult for a B student, but being URM should help a lot and being from CA a little</p>
<p>My S is looking at Conn-it is on our list as a reach, but he did like it. He cannot offer any diversity being a white male from the Northeast area. He has some musical talent.</p>
<p>It’s probably been said many, many times somewhere in this forum, but I’ll take a chance and say that it would be a great idea to apply to a safety/match school that has rolling admissions. It’s such a great feeling before the Christmas holidays, to know that you have one acceptance under your belt!</p>
<p>Yes, I agree, mom0809, Alfred University (NY) has rolling admissions. D knew in a week.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about Berry College? It doesn’t show up in the two guide books that I have (Fiske and Princeton’s Best 371). My friends’s DS met a recruiter from that school, and is very enthusiastic about applying there.</p>
<p>SLUMOM…one week? Wow!
I told my DS about Alfred U yesterday, and he’s afraid of the cold weather. We went to his brother’s graduation at Rochester last year, and almost froze to death. We were not prepared for cold, wet weather in May (obviously we’re not from up north LOL)</p>