<p>I am back on the forum. I had started this and other similar forums (2011 and 2012) so that I could lurk there but the real forum I wanted this one.</p>
<p>Background: S1 is very bright and is now in Caltech. </p>
<p>S2 a junior in HS right now is very bright, had ADHD, a GPA of about 3.3 and does not care for school. Every teacher says that he is not performing up to potential and he simply does not care. He is very interested in music (guitar) and thinks he is going to win a Grammy. He does not to seem to understand that you need a talent and luck to make it in the music world and that he needs to have a back up plan. He would like to major in music but is unwilling to put in work that would get him a good GPA. He does not seem to want to prepare for the ACT or SAT. He thinks that he can do better than his brother (and he possibly could) but is unwilling to put in the work that his brother did. </p>
<p>I would appreciate any suggestions on schools where a quirky, very bright but disinterested student can learn to come on his own. He probably will not apply to a school that does not have a music program but I would like him to get another area in addition to music.</p>
<p>Lawrence is getting significantly more selective. This past year, from our HS, 1 top student was rejected, one was waitlisted, one was admitted (that I know of). My 3.6 D was also waitlisted. Out of state students might have a better chance, but I do think Lawrence expects a very enthusiastic applicant. The music program is extremely selective, by audition.</p>
<p>I know a student who went to Belmont, for music. He found it very conservative and extremely religious, and he transferred out after one semester.</p>
<p>I’m also curious what are the other criteria you might be looking at? I think Goucher is truly a B student school, and definitely appealing to the artsy type. Columbia College in Chicago is a great place for kids who like creative fields, like a city, and like to feel like they’re not just “in college” but working toward their careers. It is a good safety for B students.</p>
<p>^I thought of Ithica too. I’m not sure if this is a possibility, but also Shenandoah U? </p>
<p>I am really enjoying reading this thread! S1 is a first year at UVa and D1 is a junior in HS. She has ADD and has a consistent 3.1 GPA and her grades are mostly B’s with some A’s, but at least 1-2 C’s per year. She’s currently prepping for the SAT and has been scoring around a 1900 on timed practice exams (taking SAT in March). She’s also artsy and excels in Japanese language and visual art/photography. She plans to major in art, but at least have the option of a minor, our higher level courses in Japanese (some schools only offer 1-2 yrs. of Japanese and she’s already in her 3rd). I’d prefer she be at an LAC or a university with LD support. Location isn’t as important. She’s been all over the map on her own and does fine -very independent. She places a lot of emphasis on the college surroundings. She likes artsy or hippie vibe towns/cities. </p>
<p>This summer we visited Goucher, Emerson, Hiram, Earlham, Antioch, SUNY Purchase, VCU U Mary Washington (we’re instate VA). Spring we visited Whittier in CA. </p>
<p>Over Dec. break we’ll see Ohio U., and College of Wooster or Ohio Wesleyan (but both are probably too much of a reach…unless she applies ED…she is a legacy at OWU). </p>
<p>Spring she wants to see Warren Wilson, Guilford in NC. Here’s the list as it stands right now:</p>
<p>-Ohio U.
-Skidmore
-Hampshire
-Marlboro
-Warren Wilson
-VCU
-Whittier
-Hiram
-Old Dominion
-Temple U Japan Campus </p>
<p>mazewanderer, You might want to look at Five Towns college in Long Island, NY. [Five</a> Towns College: Music, Business, Education, Media And The Performing Arts](<a href=“http://www.ftc.edu/]Five”>http://www.ftc.edu/) A friends son is a freshman there and he fits your son’s description to a T, including the ADHD and loving guitar. I understand that he really likes his college. </p>
<p>Seems like so many formerly good options for this range of students have become significantly more selective as higher stat students chase merit money :(</p>
<p>@Reeinaz, so true. Skidmore, Lawrence, Beloit would most likely have to be Early Decision schools to get in for my D. For example, Skidmore is 79% ED vs. 47% RD; Lawrence is 95% ED vs. 66% RD. It will depend on the applicant --it’s case by case obviously (determined by all kinds of factors: where GPA falls in terms of their acceptance %'s, scores, rigor, essays, interview, talent, etc). But for my D1, I think it may be her best bet to apply ED. So we are going a bit overboard with the visits to see if there’s a clear #1 school by next fall…
But I agree, it’s the merit money being chased that is changing the game for our B students. I admit, her older brother did do some of the merit chasing within the CTCL schools, so we contributed to this. We are in east coast and have 4 kids -we needed merit money for him or our state flagship (need-based wasn’t enough w/their college investments factored in or our retirement). </p>
<p>I’d looked at New Paltz and the oos costs are within reason. I don’t think I realized NP had asian studies offered —thank you!</p>
<p>@mamaduck, you might look at Ohio U (great for film, oos costs are $29K yr, but students that have a 3.0 and 2100+ SAT’s receive instate tuition)</p>
<p>Since this is a B students thread - and I had one, so I’m more than empathetic - I want to say that it does take some creative thinking about colleges, rankings, “quality,” etc.</p>
<p>No one is doing anything wrong here, but I do not agree that Skidmore, Lawrence, Beloit, et al have been “go-to” schools for the B student for a long time, if ever. For this group, those are reach, or at best high match (if test scores are really good). Using ED and EA is a great way to increase admissions odds, although of course that reduces FA options.</p>
<p>I agree that schools like New Paltz, as a public LAC-type, are excellent “likelies” for these kids. Other lovely lesser known privates are good for building a balanced list. I do believe kids should apply to reaches if they understand the big picture, but they also should look very hard at schools that resemble their dream school and appreciate that they can get very much the same (or maybe better) experience there, with less admissions stress (and rejection embarrassment) and better financial aid. </p>
<p>Just throwing out names here - Coe College in Iowa might compare to Lawrence or Beloit … Juniata or Goucher might compare to Skidmore … etc.</p>
<p>I want to put in a plug here for Dominican University of California. My older son (now a college junior) has several friends attending this school, which is located in Marin County, north of San Francisco. It’s a small LAC, founded as a Catholic university but does not have a heavy religious feel (or requirements). It’s beautiful, in a lovely area, and has turned out to be a perfect fit for the young men and women I know who are attending. They have Div. 2 athletics; we know several on the women’s soccer team. I know the school is very generous with financial aid, and a big emphasis is put on community service and ECs while in high school. All the kids we know who are attending were about 3.0 GPAs in HS. Another plus – excellent internships for the older students with companies in SF.</p>
<p>My DD is a freshman at Slippery Rock. She ended up her senior year with a 3.5 GPA overall but that was with a 4.0 for the first time ever that year. Without the stellar senior year she would have been around a 3.3 GPA so when were looking at colleges we did not focus on the more elite ones. She is doing exceptionally well this year so far. She loves the university and all of her professors. It is in Western PA and the cost is so reasonable, we are out of state and it is still around the same or less than our state schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your suggestions. I will check it out</p>
<p>Some additional information</p>
<p>We are on the west coast, hence would also like to see if there are also some options this side of the Mississipi.</p>
<p>Second, he begin with Rock and now moving towards Jazz. A classical program may not interest him.</p>
<p>I would like to see if he can at least begin a dual major (business, economics, technology) etc. with music. It would make me feel a lot better, for that gives him other options. I think he has an intuitive head for business and would do well in music business, but he has these thoughts that he is going to win a Grammy. I do not know much about music and the feedback I get is that he is reasonably talented, but he is no means a stand out. He is going to apply to Berkleee and USC music programs but with his low GPA, not sure USC is an option.</p>
<p>mazewanderer, along with Columbia College in Chicago, I would recommend McNally Smith (formerly Music Tech) in St. Paul, MN. If he can handle the weather(!) I would say that either of these schools would offer all of the music/music business/sound engineering/etc. that he would want, place much less emphasis on academics, and be a pretty easy admit. They also have very reasonable tuition.</p>
<p>We know kids who’ve gone through both, and for that kind of person, they are great. They also give fantastic professional connections. Our friends’ son at McNally Smith has already engineered several CDs and is getting lots of work, before he’s even finished the program. I would say that these would be great backups for a school like Berklee.</p>
<p>Almost any state school west of the Mississippi will have a music major/minor. The trick will be to find those that are accepting of a 3.3 gpa. Also, you seem to have reservations that he may not be talented enough, is he talented enough to pass an audition and gain admission for music? Maybe a university in a city with a good local music scene would work.</p>
<p>Two schools that come to mind, both offer admission to 3.3 students and both are located in ‘thriving’ music communities, and have some ‘quirkiness’ to them…</p>
<p>I think he is talented enough to get into a music program ( may not be something that is as competitive as say USC but possibly Arizona State) but making it big in the music world is a different ball game.</p>
<p>The problem is that he is very bright but he refuses to acknowledge that the music world is very tough and that he needs to have a back up plan. If he put his mind to it he could have a straight A GPA and 2400 in his SAT but he is not willing to work on anything but his music.</p>
<p>Thank you, Arizona State is definitely on our list.</p>
<p>What kind of SAT/PSAT/ACT scores are your B students earning? I read a “regular” CC thread, and just got depressed.</p>
<p>My daughter has a 145 on the PSAT. Math is dragging her down, but she’s getting tutoring which I think will help. She’s taking the January SAT and February ACT. Not many kids from her school take the ACT, but I’ve heard some kids do a lot better on it than the SAT. </p>
<p>For her colleges, a super high SAT is not required - but I think she needs to aim for a 1050 on the CR/M sections.</p>
<p>I have heard quite a few stories of kids doing much better on the ACT than the SAT; there are probably threads suggesting why. I think that for parents of B students it is usually depressing to read the rest of CC, which is filled with parents complaining about kids with “only” 2100 on the SAT.</p>