<p>WOW...there's a ton of great information here. Thank you everyone.</p>
<p>My son WANTS to go to college, and WANTS to go away...well...go away is a relative term. He wants to not live at home. I truly believe that if he found some sort of direction, he could flourish. We, as parents, have not been able to find the key that motivates him. He will be greatly disappointed if he cannot attend college after HS (his brother is starting college next year, and his sister will be graduating.) It's a matter of finding the right fit. We are from Long Island, so Minnesota and Nebraska may as well be in Greece as far as he is concerned. </p>
<p>I really appreciate everyone's help and support. I will research all of the suggestions.</p>
<p>Lotta - I have senior twin son and daughter who are 180 degrees apart academically. Son is accepted at High Point University in NC - it draws significantly from the mid atlantic and northeast (we're in CT). Midrange SAT is 900-1140, student body is between 3-4K, they are very focused on the students vs. research, and the COA at $32-34K is a bit less than alot of privates here in the Northeast. Best wishes!</p>
<p>Yes, I mentioned High Point. One thing though. I see that you will have another child starting college, and one who is just now graduating. If you require financial aid from High Point, I don't recall the average amount of need met off hand, but I think it might about 65%. Financial aid could be a problem there.</p>
<p>lottastrikes...don't know what state you are in...but some states have a state university system. These are not the flagship universities but smaller campuses around the state. In CT, the CT State Universities all started (back in the dark ages) as teachers' colleges, but are now full four year universities. Does your state have that option? If so, check it out.</p>
<p>Some options for your child that are reasonable with those stats and are not super high priced are:
Univ of RI
U Mass Amherst
Univ of Tampa
Many of the SUNYs (as others have mentioned)
U of Hartford</p>
<p>These are fairly large and may offer "merit'. They are also popular with LI kids.</p>
<p>You are unlikely to get grant money from a public school where you are an out of state student. </p>
<p>URI costs 23,500+ for tuition OOS, plus another 1000+ in fees, plus whatever room and board costs (I would be shocked if were less than 9k). I assume UMASS would be at similar in cost. IMO, you would be much better off having your son attend a SUNY if you were going to look into public Us.</p>
<p>She is not sure that he will be able to get into a SUNY, though. That is the problem. </p>
<p>Too bad he is not interested in Southwest Minnesota :)
Estimating undergraduate charges at SMSU for one semester:</p>
<p>Working through the details below will help you to estimate your direct costs for one semester. Direct costs include tuition, fees and room and board costs (if the student is living on campus). Books and supplies are direct expenses, but are not billed through SMSU.<br>
Tuition and Fees ( at 12 - 18 credits)
$ 3,348
Room and Board Costs (Based on double room, 10 to 15-meal plan, $175 flex)
$ 2,992<br>
Total Direct Costs
$ 6,340
Books and Supplies (Approximate cost for Undergraduate Students)
$ 500<br>
Total Estimated Charge for One Semester<br>
$ 6,840</p>
<p>I havent read all these posts, and so I apologize if I am repeating anyone. If you want him to get a better grip on academics (habits of learning, if you will) but wish for him to break free of his current peer group,I strongly recommend a pg year at boarding school. There are lots of places that offer really good aid and not all of them are off the chart academic factories. In fact, quite a few kid take a PG year when the issues have a lot to do with maturity.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I like the book colleges that change lives as well. My daughter had a 3.0 and something close to a 25 ACT and managed to charm her way into a number of schools. However, I wish we had done the pg year because I just don't think she was ready for the work let alone the independence.</p>
<p>Not mentioned yet is Shepherd University in WV (right on the Maryland line). One of those former teachers colleges referred to above. Nice campus feel, reasonable price.</p>
<p>Reiterating an earlier post, CTCL schools are not great bargains anymore. They have become much more competitive and give aid only to the top 20%-30% of candidates. There may be better options in the tier 2 or 3 LAC schools.</p>
<p>It is great he knows he wants to go away and go to college. That is about as much as most kids know in HS. Even those that think they know often change their mind and its so hard to judge in HS what would be a good career. HS is so different from college. </p>
<p>I just wanted to add that you might expand your possibilities if you think in terms of "travel time and hassle" rather than "geographical miles". For example a school in your state might take longer to get to and from than say a school farther away but in a city with direct flights to your nearest city.</p>
<p>What about Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC? It's a small liberal arts school that requires all students to work ten hours a week for the college and to do a certain number of volunteer hours. Their work goes to pay a portion of their tuition. Only 18% of its student body is from NC, and New York is a state they draw a lot of kids from.</p>
<p>I think its a great school for kids who aren't quite living up to potential.</p>
<p>^^ My niece is looking at that school. although in fairness it is more that her Mother is looking at that school for her. But the work think - commitment to the community - was something that seemed to fit with niece. It's not really about potential with her, it's more about inspiration.</p>
<p>Did you see the Jan 4 NYTimes article? How about a community college that has dorms? Perhaps a more palatable way to spend a post grad year than boarding school - and the classes will transfer</p>
<p>excerpt from the middle of a long article. (My bolds.)
[quote]
Campuses that have recently added their first residence halls range from Metropolitan Community College in Omaha (Dr. VanWagoner’s previous institution) to Niagara County Community College in upstate New York to Hillsborough Community College in Florida, which opened a $14 million student apartment complex a year ago. Itasca Community College in Minnesota offers housing with priority for engineering students, who spend a lot of time on campus working on projects and in labs.</p>
<p>According to the American Association of Community Colleges, of the nation’s 1,195 community colleges, 303 have residence halls. Community colleges enroll 6.5 million for-credit students and 11.5 million total. That translates into 46 percent of the country’s undergraduates. And as growing numbers of students attend community colleges right out of high school, living on campus is increasingly part of the package.</p>
<p>Mohawk Valley, now part of the State University of New York system, was founded in 1946 as the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences. It was New York’s first community college and the first in the state to add residence halls, back in the 1960s. It added its fifth and newest one — the suite-style, 155-bed, $7.5 million New Hall — in 2005 and still has a hefty waiting list. The dorms hold 516 students, 98 from neighboring counties and most of the rest from other parts of New York State.
<p>I was reading through the thread and coming to post just what MidwesternMom posted... that more and more community colleges have dorms. (At least 25 percent based on an article I read this fall.)</p>
<p>It might be a nice compromise. I would be hesitant to push him to a part of the country he isn't interested in. Do NY community colleges have transfer programs into SUNYs?</p>
<p>yes- definitely. There are many transfer programs between the SUNY community colleges and the 4 year schools. I think the term is "articulation agreements" ( or something like that). Also check out SUNY farmingdale. It may be a bit easier to get in than some of the other 4 year SUNY's. As it was originally a technical college, it has a bit more "hands on" majors than some of the other SUNYS, including automotive training and aviation leading to BS degrees in those fields.</p>
<p>As you can see, the technology schools may be a match. They all have dorms, Farmingdale is closet to NYC, the rest are upstate or rural. As you can see, the technology schools generally have 2 yr students and 4 yr students. Students can take 2 years of liberal arts and transfer or prepare for a career. They do NOT lead to teaching certification (at least in NYS teaching), and for that one would have to transfer. </p>
<p>Most of the CCs near NYC do not have dorms. </p>
<p>PS I know where you are coming from. I went to Wharton. I dont love my D any less, but she isnt academic.</p>