<p>Fabulous news, Nightchef!</p>
<p>Nightchef,
Good for your son! I can only hope my S will turn himself around like yours.</p>
<p>nightchef, that’s really terrific. You had me laughing about your emeritus status.</p>
<p>“This time last year he was looking at a 3.09, struggling with all kinds of organizational and procrastination issues, and with his confidence at an all-time low.”</p>
<p>^^So, to what do you attribute the change? How did he manage to turn the corner? Any words of wisdom for those of us whose kids continue to struggle with organization, procrastination and confidence?</p>
<p>That IS good news! </p>
<p>We have had improvement here too, but we are just trying to make it INTO the 3.0 demographic…my son texted me too…and got his phone taken. </p>
<p>I’m off to retrieve it!</p>
<p>Prob. not what you want to hear but my S2 who fit this thread did not make the turn around until he got to college. He had about as bad of a first sem. as was humanly possible BUT he really liked it there and really did not want to come back home to live with us…what better motivation:) </p>
<p>During h.s DH and I discussed many times that maybe S2 was not cut out for college.
We would have had no prob. with him going to CC but after getting two college acceptances, S2 wanted to go so we decided to give him a shot.</p>
<p>The thing that changed was that he went from doing as little as possible to maintain his B/C grades in h.s.(also very low SAT which he refused to take more than once) to figuring out what it took to make those grades in college and actually doing some work. He really didn’t know how to study because he always just skimmed by in h.s. He’s a soph. this yr. and is on track to have his best sem. thus far. He’s no Einstein and still does dumb things sometimes (got a zero on something in one class because he skipped class to work on paper due that day in another class…ugh) but he seems to finally be taking ownership of the whole thing and becoming much more responsible. </p>
<p>He actually sends me emails now with good news about sch…would have never happened a yr. ago. I can tell his confidence in his ability to succeed is growing which thrills me. </p>
<p>Here’s today’s email:
“Just thought I would let you know that I got another 100 on a Poli. Sci. quiz…also I tried some pimento cheese today and it wasn’t that bad.”</p>
<p>That was the entire email…two lines of totally unrelated info. I laughed out loud.</p>
<p>It’s those random emails that make my day…never thought I’d live to see it.
There is hope people!</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the encouraging words of hope. I don’t expect the first quarter to be much of an improvement, just hoping he holds steady at an 85 average.</p>
<p>foolishpleasure–I wish I had any words of wisdom. Looking back, the good things that happened to him–good scores on the March SAT, and winning a big musical competition he had entered–were definitely catalysts, but the change had already begun by that point, I think, and I don’t know how or why it happened when it did. Certainly not because of anything we did or didn’t do. I keep thinking of the end of the Wizard of Oz: He always had the power to go back to Kansas, but he had to learn it for himself. (“Kansas,” in this case, being the state of being a confident, competent student.)</p>
<p>I gather that you’re from NC, but I can’t tell from your original post. From personal experience, I grew up in NJ and went through things in high school that led to horrendous grades my first two years (which I detailed in another post) and pulled it together to graduate with an 81.82 (probably a 3.1?). I wrote an honest and heartfelt essay to Rutgers and Lafayette, and got into both schools. Colleges are looking for students to own up to past failures and to prove that they’ve matured. PM me if you have any questions.</p>
<p>I am so confused. My daughter, a senior, just got the results of her ACT- it wasn’t good,22
She is devastated. I am upset too, but have done my best to be encouraging - these scores are better that her SAT where she didn’t break 1000. She really worked hard with tutors and self practice- but the reality of the situation is that she has never been a good test taker. She is however a hard worker. She has a solid 3.3 GPA and has been very involved in EC’s and CS. </p>
<p>We are facing the need to revise/decide on where to apply now that we have this critical piece of information. I really need advice/feedback. I want to steer her toward schools that she both has a chance to get into and to recieve some scholarship money- she definately has some reaches on the list. Need to make a final list- scratch off the impossible and add the possible -</p>
<p>Her list:
U Scanton, Marist, Loyola (MD), Providence, Siena, Albany, New paltz, Roger Williams,
St Josephs ¶, West Chester ¶ </p>
<p>HELP - she wants to go to a school where kids are happy and involved with some school spirit-</p>
<p>2daughtermom: I have no idea what it takes to be admitted to the schools you have listed, but I would definitely add some ACT optional schools on that list…[The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org)</p>
<p>A B+ student should be able to find alot of schools on the optional list…</p>
<p>2daughter,</p>
<p>Please believe–and most of all, help your daughter believe-- that the situation is not as dark as you fear. There is no “12 step program” for Board score depression, but here is my 6 step program:</p>
<p>First, all your schools except perhaps Providence seem to be matches with her GPA. You seem to have a preference for Catholic schools; being Jewish, I know much less than you do about them, but suggest you consider switching Providence for Fairfield and look at Sacred Heart and Salve Regina.</p>
<p>Second, find out which of these schools are test-optional (Fairfield is; sorry I do not know about the others) and see what they want submitted instead.</p>
<p>Third, if your daughter did not interview at any of these places, do it now, so she can sell herself.</p>
<p>Fourth, find on CC the thread about schools which are generous with merit money at this GPA level. You may need to expand your list and roll the dice. I beleive Kitty56 said Scranton is. Other posters have said LaSalle and Chestnut Hill are other Catholic schools with good merit programs. </p>
<p>Fifth, ask your gudiance counselor for advice.</p>
<p>Sixth, since money is a concern, reexamine public options and be prepared to think outside the box–and outside your geographic area. Posters have said that schools such as Kansas and Alabama, which have very strong school spirit, are good academic and financial options for our kids. Pitt and Temple are closer, as are URI and UMass. I will PM any more I think of.</p>
<p>Best of luck</p>
<p>2daughter - before you get completely discouraged, check the commondata set for the schools your daughter has interest in. Simply google the school name and common data, and you will be taken to the information. I have found that extremely helpful and encouraging regarding my S with his 2.9 and 20 act score (exact same 2nd time around), though we are still waiting for SAT - but not holding our breath. There are lots of schools where your D could gain admission - as mentioned Kansas, also the Arizona schools, Oregon State, and I’m sure there are others on your coast that would work. I have found that the more information I have, the more I am encouraged that there is a school for everyone.</p>
<p>2daughter - How about Iona or Endicott or Emmanuel? As mentioned above Sacred Heart is a good option.</p>
<p>2daughter she should still be good for St. Joes shouldn’t she?
ACT mid range 22-26 I know it isn’t a comfortable spot but still 25% of accepted students last year (the biggest class in history) were below where she is.</p>
<p>Also what is her actual GPA? My D was at the lower ACT end of a couple of schools last year and was accepted because her GPA was high enough. </p>
<p>I would encourage her to apply to any of the schools on her list where at least half of her profile puts her in mid-range or higher. Test scores are just one part of her application profile and she certainly can play up her other strengths elsewhere in her app. For both my daughters scores were the weakest part too and they had good results. </p>
<p>Try to relax, give her a hug and show her the numbers. Look for a true safety that she loves and encourage her to let go of the scores and focus on the rest of her profile. Good Luck!</p>
<p>2daughters, Providence is test-optional. They truly do not require test scores. Not one of those “test-optional if you have a 3.8 GPA and are in the top 10% and do an on-campus interview” schools. On the other hand, I’m not sure what their GPA range is. I do remember when S toured there 3 years ago they said they take an UNweighted GPA for core academics (if your kid goes to Catholic school they include theo as a core academic). They then look at the kid’s courseload and give it a number for how rigorous/demanding it is (more credit for honors, AP, etc). They use a combination of those two numbers, GPA and “strength of schedule” for admissions. They didn’t give the specific method they use for the “strength of schedule” part, though.</p>
<p>Try not to worry too much 2Daughters. S2 also didn’t break 1000 (taken once,never took ACT)on the SAT and had a similiar gpa to your D. He only applied to two state schools, was accepted to both and is a happy soph. at his favorite of the two. You D will find her place too and do great there.</p>
<p>Re St. Joes, based on our school, she would be a very likely admit, but 2daughters said she is seeking merit aid and I do not know their standard for that. St Joe is relatively expensive–in the high $40ks–and meets about 80% of need.</p>
<p>Agree with above. An ACT of 22 is about the 50% mark for all college bound students. It actually makes sense with the GPA and high school class track you described. Apply to the list and see what comes out. Test optional schools are always a possibility, but other than that what would change or what do you feel needs to change with the original list?</p>
<p>2daughtermom ~</p>
<p>I would think your daughter would be accepted to Scranton, Siena, and St. Joe’s, however, merit money could be questionable. Is she eligible for need based money? I think Loyola, MD would be a reach and people have been saying that Marist is becoming more selective.</p>
<p>yabeyabe mentioned Chestnut Hill and yes, they were offering quite a bit of merit money. I would also suggest looking at Misericordia University. Both of these are smaller than the others you mentioned, but might be good options.</p>
<p>What is she interested in studying?</p>