Parents of the HS Class of 2013 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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<p>campbellmom-- thanks for the info and encouraging note about financial aid. DS doesn’t know much about Johnston program yet-- he has 3 more days of school and then can research details over the summer. I definitely agree that a visit is important, and I also think it will be better to visit in the fall when students are there rather than in the summer. </p>

<p>What did you/your D think of Whittier vs Redlands? What did she like better about Redlands? Just curious-- since we haven’t visited either yet interested in impressions of others who have</p>

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<p>@Jayloncole, look at Muhlenberg, Drew, Shenandoah, Lawrence, Earlham, Bennington, Reaches: Sarah Lawrence, Bard, Skidmore.</p>

<p>@Idahomom, my D really liked Whittier. We visited last year. The campus is well manicured, stucco/tile roofs, and of course the San Gabriel mountains add to it’s beauty. The students were friendly, and the town of Whittier had a hip charm --historic movie theater, antique shops, etc. We really liked this school and they do offer some talent based scholarships which is what put this school on our list :).</p>

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<p>HeavyLidded - I sent you a PM. Hope it’s ok. Thank you.</p>

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<p>Idahomom, She did like Whittier but she loved Redlands. I think she liked Redlands even before we got out of the car! You drive down a palm-tree lined street to park at the admissions office where we were headed for our tour. She noticed those trees immediately. We had a tour guide that was very good–vibrant, energetic and majoring in the same thing my D wants to major it. I do think the tour guide had an impact on her, as well as she just loved the campus. It is very beautiful. And SoCal was a draw for her from the beginning. We are from NorCal and she wanted a new adventure.</p>

<p>We probably visited about ten colleges overall,
and many times her comment was “this is nice.” But with Redlands, it was “I love it!” </p>

<p>Our challenge was getting her excited about other schools in case she didn’t get into Redlands. There was not even a close #2 for her unfortunately, but it all worked out because she eventually got accepted.</p>

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<p>jkiwmon – I don’t think Drew is a top draw for students interested in musical theater. We looked at Drew for my daughter because of its focus on drama and playwriting. Drew’s program is discussed in this CC thread also:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/drew-university/1110207-d-interested-ba-theater-program-drew.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/drew-university/1110207-d-interested-ba-theater-program-drew.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I live near Bard, and while it has an outstanding music conservatory program I am unaware of any particular commitment the college has made to MT.</p>

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<p>Thx, Hudson (but I respectfully disagree). Jayloncole said her S was interested in majoring in theater. She didn’t specify whether musical theater. You may want to suggest some schools then in the 3.0-3.3 range. She already has Emerson and Puchase on list.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the comments on Redlands and Whittier. Now that DS has finished school I will have him research both online along with LMU and then have him decide if he wants to visit all 3 in the early fall before applications are due. He can also read up on the Johnston program-- he is interested in Music Business/Music Industry which would have to be done through the Johnston program I think, since that major is not available at Redlands. </p>

<p>I think Whittier has a similar program? He can look into that as well-- both sound like very good possibilities for his grades and interests</p>

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<p>Hello all- I am so glad to have found this thread. I stumbled upon an older thread on the same topic while searching for info on Goucher. I have been reading posts all morning, immediately after viewing the final grades for this year (ugh).it has been very comforting. </p>

<p>Here is some introductory info: My daughter is a jr. at a well regarded, competitive NJ public H.S. Her GPA hasn’t been updated yet but I am going to estimate 3.1 weighted. Her transcripts are all over the place A’s, B’s and C’s with sophomore year being her strongest year. Including next year she will have taken 8 honors and one AP class. Her ACT scores are decent - 27 composite.</p>

<p>Her Ec’s are focused and consistent but not remarkable. Plays and musicals, two choirs, a peer mentoring group with one leadership position. She also has a part time job and teaches at church. She hasn’t launched a not-for-profit or nursed any lepers. </p>

<p>You hear so often about schools that will be sympathetic about test scores if the GPA is there. But over and over, I have heard the transcript is the most important element. And that they can be forgiving if there is an upward trend and how very important the jr. year grades are. Well, she has three C’s in core subjects (ok technically 2 are c+) for her Jr. year. That does not look good.</p>

<p>She has been dealing with significant medical issues throughout high school that have significantly impacted her grades. Hospitalizations, absences, side effects, etc. If a school will take the time to consider what she has faced, I am sure they would see her in a more favorable light.</p>

<p>We looked at several schools this year but I now I must conclude that several of them will not be viable options. We liked Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Muhlenberg, but now they all seem to be true reaches or out of reach. The only one that still seems like a decent match is Ithaca. </p>

<p>Because of her health, I’d prefer to keep her reasonably close but she definitely wants out of NJ. Susquehanna, Juniata, ,McDaniel and Goucher are now on the list for Fall visits. </p>

<p>Her Summer project is to get started on essays. Mine is to let go of my disappointment. I want to be hopeful and positive and proud! I’m working on it…</p>

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<p>Joisymom–our DD had pretty significant medical issues this year and now that we know what it was, she is being treated and everything is good. Our plan is, if necessary, to have her write her essay on her way too many dr visits/hospital stays this year. Her GPA and test scores are fine for the schools she is considering but if anything else pops up, that is the plan for those schools. I’m not on this thread because of her, but our oldest who was less than a 3.0 in high school, had a 28 on his ACT though, and got into every school where he applied. He is done with college and buying his first home so it does work out!!</p>

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<p>jkiwmom – Jayloncole says her son is interested in musical theater on the MT sub-forum. I was aware of this when I posted, although I had forgotten which sub-forum I’d picked up that piece of information. It is here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1295481-new-here-will-take-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1295481-new-here-will-take-advice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If an MT BFA or BA is the goal, that’s the place she’ll get the best advice.</p>

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<p>Page 5? I don’t think so ! :)</p>

<p>So school’s officially over for the kid. I think GPA will be 3.2 again. His ACT of 28 is just slightly better than SAT of 1240/1860. Trying to whittle down the college list. His likely major will be Computer Science and wants a smaller school with a laid back, tight knit student body. He really likes college towns with lots of activities on campus. He’s AA and our state of residence is PA. Financial Aid is a concern. I can only do about $10k out of pocket which would be $5K from current income and $5K in PLUS loans.</p>

<p>safeties - Kutztown, West Chester, Univ of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Minnesota-Morris</p>

<p>Others - Champlain, Ithaca, Albright, Beloit, Juniata, Skidmore, Bucknell, College of Wooster, Lafayette, Allegheny, Macalester, Union</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t have much of an idea of what his matches, reaches, and yeah right’s would be. This is my first and only time going through this process and not many people here have similar demographics. The financial aid part is killing me. I’m afraid to go too heavy on meets full need schools simply because his stats aren’t there.</p>

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<p>reeinaz</p>

<p>I think AA and male will be a great boost at some of the LACs - specifically COW, Juniatta and Allegheny. Be prepared, from those I know, COW gives “best” merit to those who accept the invite for merit weekend interviews. Be certain to not skip that.</p>

<p>Albright, IMO, would be a likely admit, but I can’t get a handle on the FA. The last few kids I know were all over the place.</p>

<p>The meets full need is a lottery ticket that you have to buy. I would look at them as a reach since many are not need blind.</p>

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<p>For West Chester, the SAT is great, but I was recently told that the average GPA for incoming freshman is 3.5.</p>

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<p>reeinaz – I think Bucknell, Lafayette and Macalester are reaches, but definitely worth pursuing further. A 3.2 GPA isn’t ideal, but schools will want to know how that GPA was earned. If it was earned in challenging honors/AP/dual enrollment classes that is one thing. If the 3.2 was earned in relatively easy general education classes that’s something entirely different. </p>

<p>FWIW, although it has been a couple years since any neighboring kids have applied to Skidmore, last I knew they were need aware. I’ve known two very strong students (read statistically upper 10-20% of the Skidmore pool) who required substantial FA who were denied admission. Again, I’m not saying don’t apply. Skidmore is a very good school in a great little city.</p>

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<p>Sansserif - I heard the same regarding WC but looking at Naviance for his school, everyone with an SAT over 1450 was accepted. Even a 2.0. I think one of the keys there is to apply early.</p>

<p>Hudsonvalley and Longhaul - I appreciate the feedback. I wasn’t too far off in my thinking. I’m not really afraid of the need aware schools. I actually was seeking them out (need aware but still meets need or pretty darn close with a hefty avg need based grant amount). I’d rather he be denied, than gapped $30k by a need blind one. And he does love at least one of his safeties so I feel ok taking the risk on the reachy ones. I never would’ve thought this would require so much strategy…</p>

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<p>Hi - New here. Details on previous page in my first post. Can anyone fill me in on Skidmore? Our Naviance data isn’t helpful - just a couple of high GPA kids who were of course accepted.<br>
Same situation for Juniata. If anyone can fill me in I’d appreciate it. Still reeling from three C’s in academic classes for final grades so trying to regroup and adjust for that new reality. Any and all advice appreciated.
P.S. y’all use a lot of acronyms!!! “OOS” took me quite a while to figure out!</p>

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<p>Reeinaz, that’s interesting! I’ll have to look at Naviance and see what the stats are for my D’s school. The West Chester rep actually told me about the average GPA. I’d love if it was a more accessible school - it’s actually affordable for us and I think it’s one of the better PA state schools.</p>

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<p>Joisymom – Skidmore gets a reasonable amount of attention in our area because it is far enough away from home that Mom and Dad aren’t likely to show up several times a wekk on a whim, but close enough to take advantage of an occasional home cooked meal. Although neither of my daughters was interested in Skidmore because it was too close to home, I would have considered it an academic safety for D1 and a reach for D2. My younger daughter was a pretty good student. 3.5+ and all core courses except for 2 were AP/honors/college level. Very active in the school community, good leadership and an exceptional interviewer. Biggest negative were test scores, which put her at the bottom of the middle 50th percentile. That, and the fact that we are not full pay made Skidmore a reach in my opinion. Other students from daughter’s high school in the past who had a similar profile but did not need FA were admitted. </p>

<p>I think the one thing about your daughter’s academic profile that causes some hestitation with me are the Cs. How many and in which subjects could well have a bearing on Skidmore’s decision. I’ll pass on Juniata since the only grads I know are adults who attended back in the 80s or earlier.</p>

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<p>Although the average West Chester admitted student’s GPA is 3.48, a 3.24 still puts a candidate in the middle 50th percentile (although just barely). High test scores at WC are even rarer than 2.something students. Fewer than 2% scored a 700 on either the math or critical reading section. I can understand why WC admissions might take a flyer on a 1450 student, even one with a 2.0 average if he/she was trending higher.</p>

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<p>Joisymom: Re Juniata- there was a mom I know whose D was accepted (in 2011) and attends there. The mom posted on the 2011 version of this thread so am guessing that the gpa was about the same. The three C’s this year are unfortunate- the fact that they are explainable helps. Hopefully your GC will document this reason somewhere and tie them to a positive quality, like perseverance? My D missed the first two months of jr year and it also had an impact on her grades. She asked one of her teacher recommenders to acknowledge the issue in her recommendation and we think that helped.<br>
You might take a look at slightly lower stat schools than Skidmore, that I have seen successful apps by students in this thread’s posted range, to see if any appeal to your D ( they are in the NY/New England/North Atlantic area so not too far from NJ):
St. Lawrence University (NY)
St. Michael’s (VT)
Gettysburgh ¶
And maybe some of the Colleges That Change Lives (as sometimes they look more holistically)?
Guilford (NC)
Lynchburg (VA)
Ursinus ¶</p>

<p>If your D has something that sets her apart/she is passionate about and likes essays instead of tests, then she could consider Hampshire College (MA) IF and I mean this lovingly, she doesn’t mind some freaks along with her geeks. :wink: My D is very happy there.</p>