I think that 3 is far too few schools to apply for, if that is what you mean. This goes double because finances are so important.</p>
<p>Applying to only 3 colleges can be very risky, unless they are all easy to get into and totally affordable. I recommend developing a list of at least 10 schools that you like and think would work. Then prioritize these colleges and apply to them in order of preference, and try to apply to at least 6 or 7 schools. Having options is worth the investment of time and money.</p>
<p>A starting point? Somebody mentioned the Fisk Guide, which is pretty good. Also take a look at the Princeton Review Guide to 379 Best Colleges, which devotes precisely two pages to each college. Available at libraries, Amaz*n, and also used bookstores.</p>
<p>Yes, once your kid has a really high score on the ACT or SAT the fee waivers start flying in. Every day my D’s inbox is full of colleges offering to waive her application fee. 90% of them are not schools she will apply to, but there are also many selective LACs, recently even an offer from an Ivy to waive her fee. I would never let the application fees ($50-$90) stop a child from applying even if you have to shell out for them.
Twenty colleges would be a good long list to aim for by the end of junior year with the goal of doing campus visits (spring break junior year and the following summer are great times for visits) and more research to narrow down the list to a dozen by senior year. My kids usually keep the long list in their Naviance and Common App dashboard, only eliminating a school when they are absolutely certain it’s not a contender. Also, once she has those PSAT scores, if they are high, your mailbox and email inbox will be flooded with communication from colleges. She can look through some of these (and recycle the remaining mountain of paper) – make sure she fills out the questionnaires and request for info forms from colleges she’s interested in. </p>
<p>Most private schools will have a college meeting for juniors and their families, usually in the spring. If your school uses Naviance they will introduce you to how Naviance works and that will be a very helpful tool for you.
We love college guides (we own four and have re-read them until they are dog-eared). They not only give you lots of helpful information, often student reviews, many details and stats, but also a good sense of the ‘vibe’ of a college. Also they are fun to read and will keep your D excited about the outcome as she’s going through the sometimes stressful sometimes tedious application process. The online rankings (most people look at US News and World Report) are not to be taken seriously in terms of any significant difference between 1, 2 and 3, etc. but they can be useful as rough groupings of 10 or 20 colleges. So, if your child finds a school that’s a good academic fit for her she can quickly find some other similar schools by looking at those lists. They separate Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges, so make sure you look at both lists. I recommend any female student look into the women’s colleges. They offer outstanding education, unique living and learning environments, and lower selectivity, IOW easier admission.</p>
<p>You should make sure your child takes both the ACT and SAT junior year. She might even re-take one at the end of junior year if she’s planning to do any early applications next fall. One of the things you should look carefully at are the testing requirements for colleges you’re interested in. If submitting SAT scores, many selective colleges require a couple SAT II’s as well. These are what we used to call Achievements - subject tests in different academic areas. If submitting the ACT, no SAT II’s are required. SAT II’s are best taken shortly after the student has finished the corresponding course. So if your D is taking AP Lit this year, or an AP Science or language, she should take the SAT II in that subject next May.
Private school college counselors are usually really good about this stuff - this is part of what we are paying for! And her peers in AP classes will be taking the same standardized tests and on the (generally) same trajectory. </p>
<p>You are starting this at exactly the right time, and although it may feel like a serious part time job for the next 15 months, the rewards of a happy college experience are well worth it all. I often say that the only thing that ameliorates the heartbreak of children leaving home is knowing how happy they are.<br>
Sorry for the long post - take what you need…</p>
<p>If your daughter would like/doesn’t mind a Catholic school, she has many more choices for good small schools; it is entirely true that the less debt she accrues undergrad, the better off she’ll be in medical school. Once she hears how she did on the PSAT, she’ll have an idea, even before she takes the SAT or ACT, how she’s positioned for merit aid, and that will help. too.</p>
<p>Soon you will find out her PSAT scores. Multiply those by 10 to get a good idea what her SAT scores will be.
Use the Supermatch tool over on the left of this site and check “I’m interested in schools where I would be well above average, to increase my financial aid opportunities”. Also check some likely schools and put your info in the Net Price Calculator for that school and see how much it should cost your family based on your financial situation.</p>
I totally agree! Only useful for rough comparisons. Very rough comparisons.</p>
<p>Even so, rankings can never tell you how happy a student will be attending that school. Whether it will be the right fit or not. This can only be determined through research, visits, and the intuitive “vibe.”</p>
<p>@voiceofreason66
Are you sure about Rosemont and Bryn mawr? We just went through the BMC admission process and no mention was made of Rosemont. Also BMC is not Catholic. It is part of the Quaker Consortium (haver ford, Swarthmore, UPenn)</p>
<p>@Evergreen1929 In our visit to Rosemont, I believe that the administrators specifically mentioned Villanova and Bryn Mawr but going online to Rosemont website it doesn’t provide much info on cross registration. Perhaps I heard it incorrectly since Rosemont is in/near Bryn Mawr. I am for sure positive about Villanova since we discussed with Rosemont faculty about creating a special tailored degree program for my son that utilized Rosemont and Villanova courses.</p>
<p>Rosemont has just this summer added the Philadelphia Osteopathic Medical school to its special programs so now a student applying to Rosemont can also apply for dual degree in BS/DO in addition to the BS/MD program with Drexel Med School and the BS/DDS dental program with Temple University.</p>
<p>I think several things go into the decision, money being a very important one. Decide where she would like to be geographically, close to home or would she mind being further from family? What area of the country? Does she mind the cold, the heat etc.? What does she want to study? This doesn’t need to be exact, however, if she is choosing premed then that opens up a lot of possibilities, engineering narrows it down a lot. As someone mentioned before if she is going to study something that requires a post graduate degree then it is usually recommended you not overspend on an undergraduate education. Would she like a large school atmosphere or a smaller school? Does she have specific interests or talents she would like to continue to study or use in college.</p>
<p>I have a D16 as well. We had some experience from her older sister. Both created donuts (areas that weren’t too close to home and within the maximum travel time they wanted to be from home). Remember the farther from home the greater the travel expenses. Crises can get very expensive. D13 was an engineering major and knew what she wanted to do. D16 is totally undecided, however, she loves the sciences especially biology and anatomy. Most careers she would choose in these fields would require a Masters degree. She also dances so that is important to her as well. </p>
<p>Last but definitely not least is that it has to be a place we can afford. In our position we accept that she would have loans up to her borrowing limit and we have some money saved, although not enough, to fund a portion of her education. The balance will come from scholarships, financial aid, work study, summer jobs or internships and perhaps a little from local scholarships. If she doesn’t receive them then that will limit where she attends and perhaps whether or not the school will offer dance. We have taken the time to visit various size and types of schools. Biology is rather ubiquitous so size and dance programs and location have been the main drivers of our search. Once she gets her test scores back she will be able to either widen or narrow her choices as it will affect the likelihood of receiving scholarships. She has visited a couple of schools that do not charge an application fee. One of which she is very interested in so she will definitely be applying there. (Loyola of Chicago in case your interested). Good luck.</p>
<p>My opinion on this (some the same as some of the others) is:</p>
<p>1) Don’t focus on the money first. Find the schools that would be a great fit for her first, regardless of cost, and then see if the money works out. When you start to investigate the money, you may be surprised at what ends up being affordable and what doesn’t. Don’t just look at published prices. More on this later.</p>
<p>3) After you have discovered which schools academically suit your daughter, start looking at a fit in other ways. Is it conservative or liberal or a party school or laid back or serious? Is it in a city or a small town? Is there stuff to do on campus? Is it safe there? Do graduates typically get into medical school? Is the school a good choice if your daughter decides to do something other than medical school? Are the students happy there? Will she like the location (warm, cold, mountains, ocean, etc.)? Is the size of the school acceptable? How is the food? How are the dorms? What is the social life like there?</p>
<p>By the end of junior year have closer to a dozen, not just three colleges on her wish list. Start with a larger pool then only apply to top 3 or so choices come fall. Obviously she needs to apply to her state flagship as this is her “safety”. Also, for premed it doesn’t matter which school she attends so save your money for medical school (I would not have spent on private HS, either). The list will include other schools she likes and have attractive financial possibilities. Do NOT look at schools with an eye to percentages that get accepted to medical schools and such. Look at schools that fit her abilities and interests along with the family budget.</p>
<p>With a dozen schools on the list next spring she will have the summer to figure out which ones are worth applying to. It may happen that 4 or 5 make the final cut for whatever reasons. Also be sure she is in charge of her college selection. It is HER life, and any girl interested in becoming a physician will have the ability to take charge of her life (so much easier for women in medicine than in my day- I have tons of tales as a woman physician). She should feel free to add and drop schools from her list during the summer.</p>
<p>She will be taking those tests- SAT, ACT et al. No need for special classes. Get test prep materials from the testing services online and your public library. She needs to do practice tests but no money needs to be spent on test prep unless offered by her or her public school district.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that perhaps only about a third of those starting college with medical school as a goal will actually attend one. Some change their minds (due to changing interests or finding their abilities don’t garner the top grades needed)and others who apply won’t get in. ANY major is fine for medical school admissions. Most will major in a science because of interest. The required courses for science majors also overlap those for medical school admission as well.</p>
<p>Be sure your D has a major she would enjoy in mind, not just getting into medical school. She will enjoy her undergrad experience more and have a back up plan. She will also do better if she actively enjoys her classes. She should take many classes outside of those required for her own interest and because college is the one time she will have the chance to do so if she goes the medical route. Arts, music, humanities beyond the requirements can enrich a college schedule and be useful when enjoying music et al later in life.</p>
<p>Try to be sure she is not too stressed out and too focused on medical school. Enjoy life as it happens, not just looking to a future. Physicians come from a wide variety of interests and backgrounds. No advantage to getting ahead by taking undergrad versions of medical school classes either- save the credit time for other courses that can’t be taken in medical school.</p>
<p>Bad news? You will have some catching up to do!
Good news? You have come to the right place to redress some of the issues you will have to deal with. </p>
<p>Here is my “short” list:</p>
<ol>
<li>Festina lente. Make haste slowly. There is plenty of time but it will run out quickly.</li>
<li>Do not get overwhelmed by the amount of information. It WILL get clear as you progress.</li>
<li>Safely IGNORE all recommendations or suggestions of particular schools at THIS time. Nobody here can make a reasonable suggestion for you. You will have to find that out by evaluating where your child stands or wants. </li>
<li>Work with your school to obtain ALL the information that will have to come from the GC office. Yet do NOT trust them. The process is YOUR responsibility, and will be your child’s. Start with getting a school profile. Check the transcripts with an eagle eye. You are too late to make many changes in the curriculum. Ask about how your school transfer grades from a 100 scale to a ABCDF scale. It might surprise you. </li>
<li>Keep a HIGH focus on the test scores. No matter what people think, the SAT and ACT remain a large divider. The GPA (which appears outstanding) is important but there is little one can do, except to maintain a high one. Test scores CAN be maximized. </li>
<li>Start planning a summer mostly reserved to the college applications and essay writing. You want to have the process mostly DONE by the start of the high school, leaving only the opportunity to sit again for the SAT or ACT in October/November. </li>
<li>Start looking at possible scholarships that are defined in the Junior year. But do this without many expectations as most are restricted to low-income students.</li>
<li>Buy a book that help understands the FAFSA and make any adjustments in the next 12 months. Be careful with savings in the name of the kids, in case they exist.</li>
<li>Buy or borrow college books. There are several that have been known as classics.</li>
<li>Try to ignore people in your community. Everyone will have an opinion, but few will be any good. </li>
</ol>
<p>11-20. PARTICIPATE in this forum and ASK plenty of SPECIFIC questions. Again, ignore the recommendations for specific schools as most answers will show bias and be based on cases not necessarily relevant to you. Nobody can tell you to look at JHU or Waxahachie College. Only you can! To keep it simple: skip any post that contains the name of a school … unless YOU specifically asked the forum about it! Seriously! </p>
<p>Lots of good advice above. I would just add that strategically, I chose not to use the 4 free score sends without knowing the score. Rather than save $48, I would rather know exactly what I am sending to these schools. Also, get all the testing done by end of junior year if you can. </p>
<p>There is such a mix of variables and they all matter.
Where can a student gain acceptance and what can a family afford are likely the two most significant.
We had visited 21 colleges and our daughter applied to 15. She was reach heavy and we knew that. (her choice)
We wanted a good cross section of possibilities and we were fortunate in that we had them.
Admits to two of the best in state publics, several schools offering significant merit aid, and three reach admits.
In hind site, because of geographic considerations she wouldn’t have applied to 2 or 3 of the schools she had applied to, but that conclusion was part of the process.
If merit aid is a concern it is wise to cast a wide net.</p>
<p>Where to start is one question. When to start may be a more important one. My answer to this one - kindergarten. It may save o lot in"how to make money" issue. Setting a kid on a right footing at school will result in hundreds of thousands in windfalls later. This is a chance to actually plan your winning in lottery. Not many chances like this we encounter in our life time. </p>
<p>^^ The OP does not own a time machine. All the family can do is to change the … future. Fwiw, chances are that they do a lot of good planning since kindergarten – considering the grades and school choices. But, one also should remember that there are few reasons to consider planning the entire K-12 based on college choices. There are plenty of reasons to allow for a kindergarten to be one, to allow the elementary and middle schools to merely build foundations for the future and allow for exploration. After all, poisoning the entire high school with thoughts of colleges and uber competition is more than enough of the genre. </p>
<p>This is the best tool I have found for shopping for schools where you can get aid (financial and/or merit). Especially merit.</p>
<p>Figure out realistically how much you can afford to spend per year per kid. Then figure out what kind of school your kid generally wants to attend. Then use the database to find those type of schools where your kid will get aid. FYI, merit aid usually goes to kids who are strongly above average applicants to that school.</p>
<p>Once you’ve compiled that list, apply to ALL those schools. Apply early. With the Common App and $50 app fees, it is better and quite easy to apply to 13 schools rather than just 3. You’ll never know where your kid will get in and where you might get a strong financial aid offer unless you apply.</p>
<p>On testing, have your kid take both the SAT and ACT, without prepping, while a junior. Figure out which test fits the kid better. Prep over the summer just on the preferred test and take the preferred test in Aug or Sept. So you’ll have your best possible score in hand for early applications. And still have the time to do the test one more time in the Fall if the kid does not do well. </p>
<p>To make the best use of free score reports, figure out some safety schools and schools that wants all scores early on. My D ended up using her only ACT score for all school application. It would be a waste of money if we did not make use of the free score report.</p>
<p>I also strongly suggest to have the final SAT/ACT score by the end of junior year. That would make the senior year a lot less stressful. In order to do that, one need to prepare for the test ahead of time. DO NOT take a real test for baseline assessment. You can get that from a mock test or a timed practice test. There is no point to get a baseline score with a cost in money and your chance.</p>
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