I’d suggest a gap year to this kid even if he does get in somewhere. He sounds like a little clearing of his head would do him good. Harvard has found gap years so valuable for students they actually urge the students they accept to take one. Kids who do arrive at college more focused and get better grades.
Many eons ago I took a gap year because my parents saw the kids of so many friends of theirs take time off in the middle of college and floundering around. My father felt that being a part of a cohort was an important part of his college experience and that it shouldn’t be broken up. A German friend of my parents told them that gap years were very common in Europe and suggested an immersion language program. Since my father was a diplomat who had always struggled with foreign languages he was very open to the idea of nailing down a language before college. Even though my major (Visual and Environmental Studies) is one that the utility of a language is not immediately obvious thanks to learning to speak French fluently (and following up with German in college), I was able to get a grant to do senior thesis research on low-cost housing in Paris and Berlin. I also translated a short book (it was mostly photos and captions), about indigenous housing in Senegal for one of my professors.
Note that for your son, learning a foreign language is probably less useful, but I put it out there for others who may be reading this thread. I forgot to post my comment earlier, so I see you’ve posted since I wrote all this, but I think you are on the right track.
@hockeymom2000 he can only apply to ONE Early Decision school…not a bunch.
Are you perhaps thinking early ACTION when possible? That would work, as long as the schools aren’t REA or SCEA where restrictions are put on applying early to other schools.
But other than that…I think you’ve got it!
Maybe he will hit the jackpot and get accepted this year!
@bopper He did apply to the University of Texas but wasn’t in the top 7 percent of his class. Missed it by just a few students. His high school is extremely competitive with most of the top 5% taking all of their non-ap classes in the summer so they can only take weighted classes during the school year. He had no interest in Texas A&M - not quite the student body he would identify with. And the state universities in Texas don’t look at SAT/ACT, etc. They only consider class rank. So you can be top 7% at a poorly performing high school with a 22 ACT and still be admitted. Had he applied to UT earlier in the cycle, there was a slim chance that he could have been admitted holistically. But 75% of seats are reserved for the top 7% in state- the remaining 25% is split between holistic in-state, athletes (huge number), and holistic OOS or international.
Perhaps it is time to revisit the option to start at a community college and transfer to a state university, if he gets shut out and is not interested in any late-deadline four year schools.
I agree with the recommendation of University of Arizona. They are still accepting applications. My D got an e-mail from them yesterday. They are offering big merit and all your son needs to do is submit SAT scores by May 1st.
Here is a quote from email:
Great news - you may qualify for a significant scholarship! The Arizona Excellence award is UA’s merit scholarship opportunity for out-of-state students. In order to be considered for this award, all you need to do is apply to UA and submit your official ACT or SAT scores directly from the testing agency by May 1, 2018!
The Arizona Excellence Award looks at unweighted, 6th semester GPA in the 16 core courses as well as official SAT or ACT scores. You can read more about the terms and conditions for this award on the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid website.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at (520) 621-3237 or admissions@arizona.edu.
Hope that helps. I believe they do have an honors program too.
@oboemom65 I am surprised to see some great schools on that list…like Clemson. Also, University of Arizona has been mailing my son saying that there is a 5/1 deadline and lots of financial merit aid still available.
Still hoping that none of this is necessary and that he gets good news in the next few weeks.