New to site: Atypical A student starting search

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, I am a parent trying to help my son narrow down some choices at a very early point in his search - he is a sophomore but because he is so uncertain about his options, we need to start visiting schools this spring if we are going to cover all the geographic areas by senior year!</p>

<p>I apologize if any of this has been covered in an earlier thread - I looked but didn't find anything on point. My son is in the top 10% of his class in a public arts magnet high school with less than stellar academics. He is taking as many honors and AP classes as fit into his schedule, but they often aren't available - so problem #1 is a less rigorous schedule than kids coming out of the best high schools. Nevertheless he presently has a weighted 3.75 GPA. He has only taken the PSAT so far, and his scores were disappointing. Problem #2 - a total of 153 (as a sophomore). But we are hoping that his well rounded-ness will be appealing to some schools that aren't as fixated on scores as others. He is an award-winning musician on 6 instruments, and he has been accepted to TN Governor's School this summer as well as trying to take advantage of other academic opportunities outside of school - additional online classes to bulk up his transcript, and a summer program at Brown in Spain. </p>

<p>Of course he will take Kaplan and try to do the best he can on the SAT, but he tends to get nervous and traditionally doesn't test well in relation to his abilities. We are looking for schools that will have as rigorous and challenging a curriculum as possible. He originally wanted to study symphonic music but now wants to go to law school...</p>

<p>He does not want to go to a school in the South (where we live) other than schools that attract people from outside the South, such as Tulane or Duke (not Vandy, too close to home). He prefers to be in or close to a metropolitan area. He also doesn't want to go to a huge school where football and frats rule the day. Some of the schools on our radar are: Reed, Occidental, Willamette, Washington U (St. Louis), Brandeis and BU.</p>

<p>The problem is, the schools he is interested in are all very competitive! We are trying to find some schools to look at that are going to be equally as challenging, but perhaps more open to a student who excels in everything except standardized tests (I've looked at the test-free list, not too interested in those except maybe for Knox). I keep trying to convince myself that they will look past his test scores, but I know that won't happen. In any case, I expect he will still be in the 85% or so on the SAT/ACT by the time he gets there.</p>

<p>So a kid with great grades at a crappy school, only average to slightly above average test scores, musical prodigy, who wants to go to a top school that isn't overly footbally, in or near an urban area but outside of the south. Also prefer not a religious affiliated school (other than Jewish).</p>

<p>We are going to start visiting over Spring Break, and so we need to start putting together a game plan. Thanks so much for the help!</p>

2

<p>Actually not sure about the GPA - his school uses a 100 scale and he has a 97.5. I guestimated the conversion to a 4.0 scale!</p>

3

<p>Will his musical interests play any role in selecting the right college?</p>

4

<p>Maybe. He doesn’t want to major in music but maybe design his own major or even double major. He’s not sure what he wants to study yet - possibly International Studies or Anthropology. He would like a school with a jazz ensemble, and also possibly a music scholarship. He also likes Oberlin, but wouldn’t want to just be at the music school.</p>

5

<p>I would take a look at the following:</p>

<p>University of Rochester–if the weather isn’t an issue, this is a school that is located in a city with nice, smart kids and a good music program even for non-Eastman kids. Rochester loves interest and if he visited, I think the school would be quite interested in your son (especially if he could get his boards up a little)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Syracuse–while it obviously has a pretty significant sports scene, it is a really a school with lots of different types of kids and not really ruled by the sports fans. It has good academics and lots of kids can find a niche here.</p></li>
<li><p>Emory–this would be a reach, but probably slightly less of one than Wash U. Although it’s in the south, it has more of a northern feel</p></li>
<li><p>Bates–while it’s lacking on the “in or close to a metropolitan area”, Bates is a test-optional school with bright, interesting and open students. He could also take a look at Bowdoin, which would be a big reach, but is also test-optional.</p></li>
<li><p>Muhlenberg–lovely school, very nice students, administration really cares about the kids.</p></li>
</ol>

6

<p>Boys especially change a great deal during junior and senior year. His test-taking ability could change quite significantly and practice is a big factor in the SAT, so I wouldn’t assume yet that his scores are necessarily going to put him below the 90th percentile. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about the rigor of his school either: Kids schedules are rated against what their school offers and the other kids in their class, so if he’s taken a rigorous schedule relative to what is available, he’s fine. And any kid with his grades, playing 6 instruments at an arts magnet is clearly not cruising through high school, so I think he’ll be very attractive.</p>

<p>LACs sound like a good fit. There aren’t a lot of urban ones, but Macalester and Vassar fit the bill. As a boy, he has an advantage, especially at Vassar where the female/male ratio is in his favor. He might also consider Rice in Houston, which isn’t a LAC, but is on the smaller side. If he thinks a LAC is too confining, and he likes urban, than George Washington University in Washington DC would be a good option.</p>

7

<p>Thanks, I think he would do better at a LAC to a University, but he’s not sure yet so we are going to check out big and small options. Rice would be great, but I thought it’s just as hard to get into as Northwestern or WashU? We also talked about Rochester back when he wanted to go to a music school. That would be a good one to check out, despite the ridiculous winters. But his dream reach school is Brown so the cold weather doesn’t seem to be a problem for him. We are going to Chicago in a couple of weeks so he can feel first hand what a northern winter really feels like!</p>

8

<p>I wouldn’t worry at this stage about his SAT scores, but do what you’re doing: develop a list that feels right based on all the other criteria (a balanced list of course, with safeties and matches!). He really just needs test scores that will get him into consideration; after that, that all his other credentials will carry the day for him. Many boys have an opposite profile: high test scores, but grades that are not commensurate. These schools are used to evaluating unbalanced kids, and depending on the selectivity and the schools’ own needs, a boy like yours may be valued highly.</p>

9

<p>If his dream reach is Brown, look at Wesleyan as well. Also agree with Vassar.</p>

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<p>Wesleyan is as hard to get into as Brown though, maybe even harder from what I’ve heard. We need to find some schools that are a step down, as his list looks now, his safety schools are Occidental and Willamette! </p>

<p>He’s not interested in Vassar or some of the other previously all-girl LACs. It’s going to take those schools a long time to convince boys to get over the “oh, isn’t that a girl’s school?” stigma. </p>

<p>Does anyone know anything about Lake Forest College in Chicago? I may post a separate thread about it.</p>

11

<p>What is his unweighted GPA? And his rank?</p>

<p>The schools you mention seem too selective for his stats, so you will need to look at a broader range of schools. There are some threads on the Parents Forum with different GPA ranges, that may give you some interesting ideas of schools to consider. You may want to look at the threads with lower GPAs than your son has as well, as they are for unweighted GPA, rather than weighted.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/915936-where-your-3-3-3-6-gpa-child-going.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/915936-where-your-3-3-3-6-gpa-child-going.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/869995-3-3-3-6-gpa-parents-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/869995-3-3-3-6-gpa-parents-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767966-where-did-your-3-0-3-3-gpa-child-get.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767966-where-did-your-3-0-3-3-gpa-child-get.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/931514-colleges-jewish-b-student.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/931514-colleges-jewish-b-student.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As it is early in the college selection process, it is a good idea to visit a few different types of schools - large public, large private, small public, small private, urban and rural, etc., to see what appeals the most to him.</p>

<p>A couple of suggestions: Northeastern, American</p>

12

<p>I have to ask his guidance counselor for his GPA again, I didn’t actually convert it properly, just guessed. I just tried using an online conversion calculator and it said his weighted is 4.05 and unweighted 3.90. I have no idea - he’s only a sophomore so I haven’t memorized those numbers just yet! I am sure that will change in a year’s time!</p>

<p>But I agree, the schools he has gravitated toward are very selective. He may meet the criteria of one of them and then we are done. But I guess the point of this thread was looking for schools that would be a closer match. Those threads will be helpful, thanks!</p>

13

<p>Mastacos - </p>

<p>Give some thought to the physical ease or difficulty of getting to a school. It can be a nightmare to visit or to have your child come home for breaks if the logistics are complicated. (I love WashU for this reason - major airport and the metro train runs from the airport to the campus.) </p>

<p>If you will be full pay and cannot/will not pay $60,000 per year then don’t bother to visit the school.</p>

14

<p>What are your financial concerns in terms of school? How much can you afford to pay? Get those safety schools in place and then start cherry picking.</p>

<p>Too bad Catholic colleges are not on your list. They really are looking for males and would love someone who is out of area. Look at LACs that are female heavy in ratio so that his sex is an advantage.</p>

<p>My son has similarities in his stats, by the way. It is a tough go for these kids when they want to go to the more well known schools Many of them work by formula and the SAT and grades do not make the cut.</p>

15

<p>Well that opens a whole other layer of the cake (I hope this doesn’t become as convoluted as the plot of “Inception”!). I am a disabled single parent (former attorney but blew threw my savings while both seeking medical care and waiting for benefits to kick in). We need financial aid! He will apply for QuestBridge also. I know that may qualify the responses for what schools he might get into, but I just don’t know if I want to get that specific so early in the process.</p>

<p>Not sure what the safety schools would be. He is lukewarm about expressing any interest in them, so far he has only vaguely suggested Lake Forest College, Guilford and UNC-A.</p>

<p>We would possibly consider a Catholic college if there is a Hillel presence (my son sayd he is an atheist but he has a strong Jewish upbringing. Georgetown is definitely on the list - again it’s a big reach though. Ironically I went to Manhattanville College, lived in the same residence hall as the nuns!</p>

16

<p>You might look at Pitzer in California and Haverford in PA. Pomona isn’t out of the question, either, imo. (While Claremont isn’t really urban, Los Angeles certainly is, and very close) Your son is only a sophomore, and if he can keep up his gpa and continues with his music and other passions, he’ll be an attractive candidate to many colleges. Keep in mind that LACs look for promising out of state students (they like someone from every state if possible) and boys have a slight advantage, just due to the numbers of applicants. He seems like a great kid!</p>

17

<p>Mastacos, have you run a FAFSA estimator yet? Since you’ll need financial aid, you first need to find out if your son will be looking for schools that offer need-based aid, merit aid, or both. Run one of the FAFSA estimators, find out what your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) is (and yes, that’s for one year, not all four :eek:), then trundle back here and report on if you’ll be able to cover the EFC or not. If there are schools that will be unaffordable, it’s better to figure that out now and tell your son early on. That’s especially true since he is considering law school. He should not be taking on much (if any) debt for undergrad. Introduce your son to the concept of a financial safety (you can afford to go there) and a true safety (you can afford to go there, you can likely get in, and you’d be happy going there). As the mantra here goes, Love Thy Safety! </p>

<p>What does your son’s counselor say about where students with his stats end up being admitted? </p>

<p>Lots of great suggestions above. In the category of southern, but drawing from a broader area, there’s Rhodes in Memphis. It’s one of the so-called “Colleges That Change Lives”, a website and book that are worth checking out. </p>

<p>If Georgetown is on the list, also consider George Washington, American and University of Maryland-College Park.</p>

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<p>Our EFC is zero. </p>

<p>We actually checked out Rhodes a couple of weeks ago - my friend and I loved it, we were taking photos with the sculptures out in the garden and such. DS was completely uninterested. Doesn’t like Memphis, wasn’t impressed with the gorgeous campus, nor with the stellar reputation. This was actually one of the schools I had considered - back when it was SW at Memphis!</p>

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<p>Vassar, Bard, Oberlin. His EC’s are what sets him apart --his passion for music is his “ticket in” and keep padding the resume with enrichments (summer or during school year) that draw attention to it. Ok, so his PSAT’s aren’t great, but they are still within the 85% range, he can prep well and do much better on the SAT’s. His GPA is fine and will hopefully continue to climb as he adds some more AP’s. Use collegedata dot com as a good source to get accurate “chances”. It’s been on target with my S1 so far. Keep in mind though that it doesn’t take EC’s into account and it can’t know how his essays will set him apart, but I’ve found it very helpful and more accurate than most sites.</p>

20

<p>Lake Forest’s student population is only about 1400 total students. Perfect size for some, too small for others.</p>

<p>Did you know there are some colleges that are “test optional”. The only one I remember is Dickinson College Carlisle, PA <a href=“http://www.dickinson.edu/[/url]”>http://www.dickinson.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;