You may want to call UVM. They have a great honors program as well as hockey, and will like his stats.
You were happy though, to pay full freight for GT, or Umich? UCs? You were not looking for merit or FA?
@hockeymom2000, It’s not over till it’s over. Here’s hoping that April brings good news from some of the schools that he hasn’t heard from yet.
Oldtime CC posters will remember the poster from a few year’s back whose son was shut out of all of the colleges he applied to despite excellent grades, scores etc: A cautionary tale in the importance of having a good safety or two.
This boy’s story had a happy ending though. He took a productive gap year – volunteering, mentoring, I can’t remember the details – and reapplied to a balanced list. He ended up graduating from MIT.
He will get into mid tier UC’s, I’m sure! I just can’t imagine paying that kind of $ for them.
Here’s the thread that @momrath is referring to. It’s a good read with a happy ending.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-a-year-later-p1.html
Looking at this list…it doesn’t sound like finances are a concern. The UCs don’t give a nickel of need based aid to OOS students. In terms of merit, this list is a place where that is NOT likely.
Are finances a consideration or can you parents fund any of the colleges on this list if he gets accepted?
It’s Washington University St. Louis…not University of Washington.
At this point just wait and see. Maybe he will get accepted someplace. Maybe he won’t.
Which UCs did he apply to?
But my big question…if he put all of this off to the eleventh hour…does he REALLY want to go to college in the fall this year? Maybe he doesn’t.
Some thoughts on two main options - 1) wider net in school choices and 2) gap year.
- Agree that your S could still end up admitted to some of those places. But if not, there are definitely still four-year schools that are actively soliciting applications from students with good stats. He could still apply to some of these. If $ isn’t a huge issue and he wants to get out of Texas, then there are many regionally known schools that he could still apply to, where he could receive an excellent education, or at least start out next fall knowing he could always consider transferring elsewhere at some later point.
My HS senior still has messages coming in encouraging application to a variety of schools that (just within the last few days) include Arizona State, Xavier (in Cincinnati), Valparaiso (in Indiana),and some smaller schools. Some schools with official March 1 application deadlines have extended them. It’s worth reaching out to ask.
- Gap year. I have heard well-respected college counselors rave about a well-planned gap year. They say colleges like them - the kids come in more mature and more focused. And that benefits to students (as students and just as human beings) can be tremendous. I went to one of these gap year fairs at my kids’ HS this year and was super impressed by the variety and caliber of structured offerings. One thing I learned there was that “gap year programs” aren’t necessarily full-year commitments. Service, paid employment, travel, course enrichment. (Interesting warning above re risks of getting any credits & not being able to apply as a freshman - that sounds like an important caveat to explore when looking at for-credit programs.) Some ARE year-long, but you can also patch together some things to give yourself a sampling of lots of types of experience. Check out https://usagapyearfairs.org/programs/
About 10 years ago, Princeton admissions was encouraging students to take gap years.
@hockeymom2000: Has an experienced college counselor reviewed your son’s application ?
Why is it apparent that he won’t be accepted anywhere? Has he been officially rejected from everywhere that he applied? If not, just wait and see. And maybe hunt around to see who has rolling admission. University of Buffalo is still accepting applications even though they’re past the deadline.
Sometimes a gap year is just what is needed. I don’t know your S and don’t mean to imply that this refers to him, but if he didn’t take his apps seriously perhaps the year off will offer opportunities to grow and mature. I wanted my D to take a gap year. She didn’t and ended up dropping out after 5 semesters. After a year and a half off she is back in school (a different university and major) and doing much better academically, socially, and emotionally.
Thank you so much for re-posting the story! It made my day and gave me perspective on the whole situation. I do think my son has every intention of going to college right after high school, but since academics have always come fairly easy to him, I believe he thought he could breeze through the application process and his stats would speak for themselves. That, in itself, is a lesson for the future! I could be wrong about impending rejections, but many of his friends with similar or higher stats have already heard back from the same list of schools - either emails, follow-ups, acceptances, invitations, etc. At any rate, everything happens for a reason and how we all handle a change in plans will have a tremendous impact on all of our mental health! Definitely don’t want to be bitter, angry and cast blame around.
However, the often ignored cautionary tale about @andi 's son is that he had no safeties the second time, but did not get unlucky enough to get shut out like the first time.
@ucbalumnus you always post that cautionary tale about Andison.
The point is…he got shut out the first time…did a meaningful gap year, applied again and got accepted.
Let it go. It worked out.
And really…I was as stunned as many others that he didn’t get accepted the FIRST time around…safeties or not.
The difference with this applicant…he seems to have rushed through this applications, and did them at the very last minute. Maybe it will work out…and maybe it won’t.
Andison did thoughtful and timely applications BOTH times he applied.
OP, you haven’t answered the question about affordability. Are all those out of state publics at full pay prices in your budget? He still might get in at a UC, depending on where he applied, as a full pay OOS student.
Dear Hockymom2000 I am sorry to say that his chances at a ivy are diminished to less than single digits they are possibly decimals at this point but don’t be discouraged because your son’s GPA is better than a majority of students which is great. He should try to take one more year of college and try to transfer and do activities and volunteer work in the meantime before he does go to college. Good Luck!!!
“He really does not want to go to a community college and take classes that will be taught at a much lower level than a traditional 4-year college.”
That is an assumption only. My daughter is doing dual enrollment at a cc. Several of her professors teach at various Boston area colleges/universities and do adjunct at the cc. They teach the class using the identical book, syllabus, assignments etc as the 4 year school.
Try not to make assumptions based on friends hearing back early. He may not be up for merit award at those schools but that doesn’t at all mean he won’t be accepted. His stats are great. I don’t know which UC’s he applied to but he’s got a good shot… especially if you are full pay. The vast majority won’t hear back from UC’s until their published decision dates. Most of the more competitive schools haven’t released decisions at all. I know it’s easy to panic but stay positive.
@EduPro777 what does THIS mean?
If this student wants to have any chance at merit aid, he needs to apply as a first time college student freshman…not a transfer.
And “take one more year of college”? What are you talking about? This kid is in HIGH SCHOOL.
His chances of being accepted are the same %age as those who submitted a month before the deadline. These schools are looking to form an entering freshman class…not accepting on a first come first served basis.
At this point…the student needs to see if he gets accepted to an affordable college. If NOT then he can either do a decent gap year, or he can choose a different path to getting his bachelors degree (could be community college), or apply after May 1 to schools still having openings once that list comes out.
I would encourage the gap year if he’s not happy with his admissions results and that the young man take his essays a LOT more seriously. If he thought his grades would stand for themselves, he may not have given the essays enough thought and polish.
Was he recruited for hockey or does he just want to keep playing, even if it’s intramurals? Some D-II or D-III schools amy jump at a hockey player with great grades and scores, esp if the finances are not a problem for the family.