<p>Well, we could visit a couple on our way home, but I can’t lengthen the trip past the weekend as my husband will be home taking care of our two youngest this whole time and eventually he has to get back to work, lol. I don’t think there are any tours scheduled at the colleges on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. We are leaving Miami on Friday afternoon. Would it be worth the time to go to one of the LACs just to see the campus, if we can’t get a tour or speak with anyone personally? I went to a college info session recently and one of the points they made was to always make sure when you are visiting a school to sign up for a tour or in some way make a record of the fact that you were there, in order to signify interest. If we can’t do this over the weekend, maybe we should save the LACs for next summer.</p>
<p>The average GPA for Kenyon is 3.9, while the average for Ohio Wesleyan is 3.49. Wooster, Denison, and Oberlin are in between. Males have a slight advantage in admissions at most schools, but OSU will be a reach for a kid with a 3.5.</p>
<p>I think those gpa stats are a little misleading. Oberlin generally is the toughest of the lot to get in. And I’ve seen kids with comparatively lower gpas and/or scores get admitted to Kenyon. Demonstrated interest and fit are big, as well as something distinctive…recruitable athlete, some other notable talent, strong and/or unusual character, etc. But one of the nice things about the Ohio LACs is that there is good variability on the difficulty of admittance scale with most of them still being very strong schools.</p>
<p>Okay, I found a way to squeeze in one LAC. I am going to switch our tour at Miami from Thursday evening to Friday morning. We have to be at Miami until 2pm on Friday anyway because that is when my daughter finishes camp, and we have nothing scheduled that day. That would give us Thursday afternoon completely free . We will be in Columbus (Ohio State) on Thursday morning. Any suggestions for one school to visit on Thursday afternoon? It doesn’t have to be exactly between Columbus and Oxford, but we have to be able to get from wherever it is down to Oxford by Thursday night. And as only my son will be on the tour, we should probably eliminate Kenyon as too out of reach.</p>
<p>My S is also interested in big state U’s with lots of school spirit. We all really liked PITT and OSU is definitely on his list. (in state) He won’t look at Miami because it is too rural. </p>
<p>If there was a LAC that he would look at, it would be Denison. The town is cute with some shops and restaurants. It is a fast trip to Big Shopping areas, culture and fine dining. </p>
<p>OWU- Easier to get into but we can see the campus from our home, so no way.
It is a nice town, the college kids seem to like it and the community benefits from all their service activities.</p>
<p>Maybe Cincinnati or Xavier for the trip from Columbus to Miami?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to discourage you, but you may want to read through the OSU section of this web site. There is a lot of rejection. Two people posted their stats in the first thread.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1482421-denied-son.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1482421-denied-son.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1480740-stats-those-denied-those-deferred-then-accepted.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1480740-stats-those-denied-those-deferred-then-accepted.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1416517-official-ohio-state-class-2017-decisions-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/1416517-official-ohio-state-class-2017-decisions-thread.html</a></p>
<p>I’ll throw out a few schools that you should consider…look at the websites …one might pique an interest. Wooster. Wonderful small LAC with good school spirit. Denison has been suggested and I’d keep it as an LAC option. U Dayton (catholic. U in that nice midsize range, with many education programs.) Xavier in cincinnati, if you are near there. Wheeling Jesuit in WV… could be on the way home. Smaller LAC with a different vibe, but stronger sports than some of the other small schools suggested, and some different programs.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>No one has mentioned Otterbein yet. Located in Columbus metro area (specifically Westerville, just north of I-270). Small college atmosphere in a nice walkable community but still essentially in Columbus. Particularly noted for theater/dance/music programs, but they have a wide range of studies. You could easily fit this in the afternoon after visiting OSU in the morning.</p>
<p>Thanks skatinglady. That sounds good for any of my other three kids, just not this one! lol
Right now I have a tentative tour scheduled at OWU on Thursday afternoon and that pretty much would fill out our Ohio college tour for the summer. Debating whether I should substitute Denison for OWU (have heard lots of nice things about Denison but he has more of a chance of actually getting into OWU), or scrapping them both and driving all the way down to University of Cincinnati and/or Xavier, as they are bigger/more sports oriented. Much of what I read has negative comments regarding the Cincinnati neighborhoods. Thoughts?</p>
<p>University of Dayton might be good. Also, if you want a small LAC that would be a definite safety and gives out tons of merit money…Wittenberg, which is right on the way to Dayton</p>
<p>German Village in Columbus OH, forget college tours :)</p>
<p>I live in Cincinnati, but for the prior 20 years I lived in Columbus. Both U of Cincinnati and Xavier are in HORRIBLE neighborhoods. I know students at both schools, and they seem happy…but neither school would be my first choice.</p>
<p>Have to strongly agree with boysx3. Neither Pitt or OSU are in neighborhoods anything like where UC and Xavier are. I know many who love it, but I believe that UC is ranked as something like the 3rd most dangerous campus in the country…</p>
<p>Re-reading back through this thread, it sounds like you’re not sure of test scores just yet, but I would caution you that depending on those scores, both PSU and OSU will likely be a reach with a 3.5.</p>
<p>Thx, collegefortwins. Yes, I am aware as is my son that both those schools are stretches for him, but he will likely apply to a couple of reaches anyway, so it may as well be those since they fit his “big state school” criterion. Plus they are right on the way to Miami.</p>
<p>I’d sub Denison for OWU. For one thing, it’s more on the way than OWU which takes you way north of Cols to Delaware. I do know a few students with sub-3.5s who got into Denison and are doing well there. Denison also has a much larger endowment than the other LACs you mention and uses it in part to give good financial aid and merit.</p>
<p>Wittenberg is the closest to Miami though, right off 70 before you’d turn south. Witt does have decent merit/FA, for my S it and Wooster and Depauw came in about the same.</p>
<p>Personally I loved Wooster (made me want to go back to school, honestly) and if you are feeling back roads-ey it an be on the way to Columbus from Pitt, it’s on the edge of Amish country in NE Ohio.</p>
<p>If your son has his heart set on a “big” school, I’d include a stop at the Univ of Cincinnati on your way from Columbus to Oxford. You can get from Cincy to Oxford in less than an hour. S1 graduated from Miami a year ago, and we now have triplets in college…DD and S2 at Univ of Cincinnati, and S3 in Athens at Ohio U.</p>
<p>Yes…I agree what has been said about the UC campus. I would never have chosen to attend school there, but my two kids absolutely love it there. You just have to be smart…as you would at ANY large city campus.</p>