<p>kathiep, Thanks. Just requested that book from our library.</p>
<p>CTCL’s has a website so you can see the list and information there.</p>
<p>bltkmt - I bought the book for my 2013 son. In my opinion, the most valuable thing in the book is that it gives you the objective numbers based criteria the author used to select the schools in the book. You can then take those numbers and find your own list of schools using a site like [College</a> Results Online](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/]College”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/). For my son, his major was a bit more restrctive and many of the schools in the book weren’t a good fit simply for that reason. But I would say the vast majority of the schools included in the book are still viable options for students in this range.</p>
<p>CCsiteObsessed,
Thanks for your post. Your information is very helpful. ICan you tell us what school your daughter will attend? Best of luck!</p>
<p>NPRMom; She will be attending Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL. It is a 10-15 minute walk from the school to the commuter train into Chicago, and they have a satellite site in Chicago where they live in a hostel and participate in internships. LFC is a College of Distinction. DD is on the phone/Skyppe talking to her prospective roommate. They were supposed to be discussion the rental of a micro/fridge since school requires rental and not purchase, but it sounds like they are discussing other things.</p>
<p>I just found this thread and I’m so relieved. My S is beginning his senior year in two weeks and we haven’t finalized his list and have only visited one school. We have a difference of opinion on what schools are a match versus reach. He is overly optimistic IMO. I try not to be discouraging but feel I have to make sure he is realistic. </p>
<p>Here are his stats: 3.1 uw, 4.9 weighted (according to his report card but I calculated it with .5 for honors and 1.0 for ap, academic only) and got a 3.4 weighted. After sem 1 of jr year, he was barely in the top 50%. He attends a very competitive public high school where the valedictorian typically has a gpa around 6.0 and many students attend ivies or top 25 schools. He has taken 5 AP’s so far and is taking 5 this year. 1260 out of 1600 on sat - act was a complete disaster. He has been on the xc & track teams all four years. EC’s are limited bc of running. Spanish nat’l hs, and a service club. Only 100 community service hours. </p>
<p>He is very interested in business, Econ, finance, or int’l bus and has decided he wants to get his MBA from nyu. Trying to find a school where he can shine rather than be eclipsed by overachievers like he is in high school. He does have ADHD and is your typical space cadet who loses his work or doesn’t even know what the assignment is. I was the same and performed terribly in hs but did a complete 180 in college. I’m hoping he’ll be the same. </p>
<p>His list includes nyu, fordham, elon, uf, tulane, gwu, loyola md, and Richmond. I don’t want to break his heart but he isn’t getting into these schools with maybe the exception of loyola. I’m trying give him some more realistic options as merit aid and possibly athletic scholarships are very important. He is a good runner but he won’t get a full ride on his times - not that many runners do! </p>
<p>This is our working list, can anyone give me an idea if we are still too optimistic? I’m open to other ideas too. Is anyone else dealing with this same discrepancy between what your kids want and what they can get? </p>
<p>Reach: Fordham, elon, USC (s car), loyola </p>
<p>Match: Rollins, college of charleston, high point</p>
<p>Safety: university of Tampa, fau </p>
<p>He is adamantly opposed to the safety schools and willing to look at rollins and CofC but not thrilled. He really wants to be in a city/urban environment. After a ton of research, I can’t seem to come up with many more schools to add to the list. I thought about hofstra and asked him to take a look online but not sure if it’s out of reach. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Like I said, I really need te merit aid so ideally he will apply to more match/safety schools?? This is my first time going through this; two more to go! I tried the private college consultant but she was visibly horrified when she reviewed his transcript. Apparently my ds is not her typical student. </p>
<p>Thank you in advance for your help. I feel like I am in over my head here.</p>
<p>Leacoop, check out Oglethorpe University (it’s a small school in Atlanta, pretty easy to get into) – it’d be a match for him. I think Hofstra (you mentioned it) would also be a (higher) match. You might also want to look at Pace University (also in NY).</p>
<p>Leacoop, you are right to be realistic, but don’t sell your son short. I don’t know about all those schools, but I think he has an good chance at Elon, a fair chance at Richmond, and will almost certainly get into High Point. However, none of those are urban. Have you tried some of the match tools and looked at the Common Data Sets for the schools? The CDS gives you a much more detailed profile than the summaries usually posted on the admissions pages.</p>
<p>Leacoop, have you looked at some of the other jesuit schools? I think several would match his criteria and he’s in range. St Joe’s, Loyola N.O., etc. Look a ajcunet.edu.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>
Actually it’s 8 years old. The CTCL book is just an updated version of a very old book that was originally written longer ago then that. Many of the CTCL schools were not close to us or didn’t have the major my son wanted. I needed a good description of more colleges. As I said, I think most small colleges ARE unique and the CTCL ones just got good publicity - they aren’t any more special then the small privates that my kids all graduated from or are attending.</p>
<p>RE: The book “Finding the College That’s Right for You!”</p>
<p>Yes, it is geared for what the author calls the “mid-range” student but just be advised that a very large number of the schools listed in the book are those that are affiliated with various Christian denominations. </p>
<p>Not all. But very, very many. That may be a good or a bad thing, depending. Just letting you know.</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestions! I’ve never heard of the common data sets before. What a wealth of information! </p>
<p>I will check into Oglethorpe and the other Jesuit colleges. We have considered a few others such as loyola no and Fairfield. With his running schedule, he has a hard time getting away to visit colleges. Because we live in south Florida, every trip is a major undertaking which requires several days of travel or the expense of plane tickets. I’m impressed by how many schools everyone on the list has managed to visit. </p>
<p>As far as not selling him short, I agree. If he has a valid reason for applying a school I feel is an extreme reach, I will encourage him to try with the understanding that the merit/athletic $ has to be there. Just because it’s highly ranked isn’t good enough. I have to get him to stop focusing on where everyone else is applying and redirect that energy to finding the best fit for him and his goals. So far, I’m not succeeding… Anyone else have this issue?</p>
<p>Leacoop, glad you’re finding the CDS information helpful!</p>
<p>What about DePaul in Chicago? My daughter loved it. Certainly meets the urban requirement!</p>
<p>Guilford College (Greensboro,NC)
Queens University of Charlotte (NC)</p>
<p>Leacoop - I agree with Mamaduck that you can be more optimistic on the schools he is interested in. High Point would be a safety and I’d say Loyola MD is a match. Read through the 3.0 -3.3 threads from previous years and I think you will find your son is in great shape.</p>
<p>Hi everyone, it seems I’ve FINALLY found the 2013 version of this thread! I’m looking for colleges that fit my stats. I’m a CA resident.</p>
<p>3.2 UW GPA
3.4-3.5 Weighted GPA
SAT: 1830(630M, 590CR, 610W)
ACT:(I may or may not take it, but I’m scared to since I haven’t studied at all)
AP Courses taken: AP European History(4), AP US History(4), AP Calculus AB(3), AP English Language(2).
AP Courses I’ll be taking next year: AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature, AP Environmental Science
I’ve been in my school’s honor roll every year, and I qualify for the AP Scholar award. I don’t have many ECs other than a part time job at a local supermarket.
I’m aiming to major in Electrical Engineering</p>
<p>This is my list so far:</p>
<p>Reaches:
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
UC Davis
Texas A&M</p>
<p>Goals(My top, realistic choices)
Cal Poly Pomona(This right now, is my number 1 choice. Side question; Am I competitive right now?)
UC Riverside
UC Santa Cruz
Oregon State University(This school looks great, but is it worth 28-30k per year?)
San Jose State University
SUNY Buffalo/Stony Brook
Cal State Fullerton/Long Beach(The only reason I’m not too fond of attending these schools is because I’d have to commute, since I live in close proximity to both, and I DESPERATELY want to dorm)</p>
<p>Is my list decent? Do I have a shot at some of my Goal schools? Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>hi, i am a student not a parent, but i wanted to get everyone suggestions.
I live west of Los Angeles in Santa Monica. My gpa will probably be 3.0. I volunteer for my synagogue 6 hours a week, and do many other things. My sat is a 1510. financial aid will be an issue(living just with my mom). I am on two varsity sports teams also. id also like to go to a school with d1 sports, thanks</p>
<p>@Mamaduck - Just wondering how your “Colleges and Careers” weekend at RIT went?</p>
<p>Ebruin, playing college sports may open up opportunities that wouldn’t be available to you otherwise. I would reach out to coaches at schools you are interested in attending to introduce yourself and share stats, athletic honors and achievements. If you are a rising senior, they can contact you directly at this point but not if you are in a lower grade. Either way, provide your coaches contact information, with his/her permission, and if they are interested in learning more about you as a recruit they can get a reference from him or her. There are many examples of introduction letters online or I can share the letter my son and I wrote. Good luck!</p>
<p>im good compared to other people on my team, but not good enough for a scholarship though,i will get my coach to write me a letter of rec. my problem is i have no idea where to apply</p>