<p>onesonmom–has he considered the South Dakota School of Mines? They have amazing success placing geology students in fantastic jobs–100% of their grads were working in the field the past several years. It isn’t a LAC but small enough to feel like one. With his stats he would be looking at substantial merit aid as well. VERY pretty part of the country too.</p>
<p>Oneson - I think if a kid doesn’t get any rejections, he or she didn’t reach far enough. Good for him for taking a risk and putting himself out there and good for you for encouraging him. Stop beating yourself up on the EA apps. None of us has a crystal ball - we are all just doing the best we can for our kids. I look forward to hearing how this all turns out and where his happy ending takes him!</p>
<ul>
<li>or I can drive the getaway car for Heavy.</li>
</ul>
<p>onesonmom,</p>
<p>one more with a similar experience. My D2 didn’t apply ED, but definitely had a first choice that seemed perfect for her, and we thought she seemed perfect for them. We never said it, but we both really thought she would be accepted. Unfortunately, she was waitlisted, and was heartbroken. She decided not to go on the waitlist. She is now at a school that she loves and has no regrets. In fact she is grateful she ended up where she is, she feels it is perfect, in different ways than her first choice.</p>
<p>DS bounced up this morning, still sad, but in a pretty positive mood - just asked not to talk about it. The harsh surprise for us was the denial, which feels personal for him, even though I’ve explained that it was more likely my FA level combined with his GPA that was just a handy way to whittle the numbers in a hugely competitive (2500!) pool of ED/EA applicants. </p>
<p>We were told when we visited that, being “need sensitive” with a policy to meet 100% of need, they simply did not admit those whose need they didn’t want to meet.</p>
<p>Anyway, moving on. </p>
<p>(Good thing I don’t live near you two , Joisymom and HeavyLidded, because the temptation might become too much to resist)</p>
<p>SteveMA - yes, that’s on our list too. The girl ratio makes him pause :)</p>
<p>kelijake1987 - we both loved Fayetteville! It’s his backup plan, although the geology program is not quite what he’s hoping for. </p>
<p>I think he wants an LAC experience with a Geology major - which is trickier than it sounds. He plans on graduate school, and wants the research and field work experience possible at a smaller LAC, along with a broader education. It’s one reason he decided against engineering: too lopsided.</p>
<p>Whitman (another reach; I heard here that they’re stickler for grades, even with a good ACT score), Puget Sound, Wooster, Oberlin (reach), Fort Lewis (public LAC in Durango, safety?), then on to bigger schools like Western Washington University, Oregon State, and Colorado State.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who posted - it really helped get through a bad night here.</p>
<p>oneson–love love love Wooster. Heard from a past president of NACAC that if you put 100 college admissions counselors in a room and asked them which school in the country adds the most value to its students, 90 of them would say COW. I visited with my older two and I loved the vibe of the place. BTW–DS#2 was admitted but decided he’d prefer a larger environment; DS#1 was actually waitlisted (kind of a surprise) and it really was <em>my</em> top choice for him, but he (I) was really good about putting it out of his (my) head once we heard that. He was eventually admitted but at that point he (I) had so moved on. Anyway–so sorry for the bad news. None of my kids has ever had a clear favorite this early in senior year, so no ED applications and no heartache. Look forward. It’ll all be fine.</p>
<p>I love Wooster too. S’ girlfriend didn’t get good enough FA from her first choice but Wooster came through in a big way for her so she went…and she LOVES it. LOVES it.</p>
<p>I think the campus is beautiful and the senior project so cool…I love how every senior gets their own desk/cubby in the library to use all year, just for them :)</p>
<p>onesonmom… my S also applied and got into Western Washington. We were VERY impressed with that school. It’s a bigger school but seemed more like an LAC. Beautiful campus and all the kids seemed happy and engaged. It is located in Bellingham, which is a gorgeous city. Anyway, take a look at it. I also have a friend who has a kid at Colorado State and LOVES it there. I wish my S would of applied. U of O is huge, so turned my S off. He also wanted a small LAC. I think your S will like UPS and will get in there I predict with a good merit scholarship. My DS added St Lawrence at the VERY last minute and there is where he ended up.</p>
<p>I also think that my S’s GPA combined with our need level was what killed my S as well. On our HS’s naviance it showed that my S should have gotten into CC, Whitman, Bates and Colby… but alas, my kids go to a top private prep school( on scholarship) and most of the kids are full pay… I really was naive to this whole FA thing… I’m a lot smarter now and will plan accordingly with DS14. I found a list of the schools that are " need sensitive" by googling it and also a list of schools that practice " admit/deny" meaning they just won’t admit you if they think you can’t afford it. A LOT Of my DS12’s schools were on there.</p>
<p>Onesonmon, so sorry about the ed decision, but I’m hoping glad your ds is bouncing back. Add me to the list of Wooster fans… waiting on an EA decision from them for D, and I think she’d get a great education there if it works out.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>5boys, could you share the link for the admit/deny schools?</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>So sorry to hear your news Oneson-- I know how you feel! I know your son will bounce back, and you will too-- </p>
<p>When everyone recovers and you are looking into other options let me know if you have questions about Puget Sound. My middle kid (S1) is a junior there and absolutely loves it. At the beginning of his search it was not #1 choice, but moved up to #1 for many reasons</p>
<p>My youngest should be hearing within a few weeks from what I think are his top 3 schools-- I might join you in the egging if we can take a detour!</p>
<p>I stumbled onto the “need sensitive” policy for Colorado College when I did a Google search and found an article in one of the higher education publications, citing CC as one of the more recent (at that time, maybe 5 years ago?) converts to this somewhat controversial approach.</p>
<p>When we visited, I asked the FA director during the Q & A portion of a presentation to explain their “need aware” policy especially as it related to FA and early action or ED. He spent most of his answer explaining what that was, assuring us that the FA award is the same no matter which round, and that the award was locked in for four years. When I asked if an application was denied, would there be any indication of the reason - the student’s qualifications or the family’s FA level, it became a very awkward moment, and he asked the admissions director to come up and answer it, which he briefly did: no. Quite a lot of conversation among the audience of parents after that.</p>
<p>I do feel their new FA brochure, with its lovely layout of generous FA awards by household income, is a bit misleading. It would seem that they manage their stats through this gatekeeping process with their admits. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but having sat in that room and heard the presentation, this was not exactly apparent.</p>
<p>My advice, quoting Elmer Fudd: be vewy vewy careful.</p>
<p>Just did a quick search for geology-a couple schools popped out at me–Valparaiso and Beloit. Has he looked into those?</p>
<p>Beloit is on the list to apply to, but is a bit on the too-small side for DS… isn’t this fun? Will take a look at Valparaiso, though.</p>
<p>onesonmom - I’ve got Rugg’s recommendations for 2011 and can look up schools with geology major there. Size of the school and region would narrow it down.</p>
<p>Oneson…</p>
<p>U MN - Morris has a nice geology program and is a low cost, public LAC with lots of ‘green’ initiatives.</p>
<p>D was just accepted to Tulane-EA.</p>
<p>Like the rest of you, this thread has been a real source of comfort to me. Technically, I don’t even belong here because D’s GPA doesn’t even crack 3.0. She struggled with ADHD for the first two years of high school until she was able to go on medication. But, if you look at just Jr./Sr. year, it’s more like a 3.8 (would it kill her to put some effort into PE?). But no honors. And no AP. Thank god her school doesn’t rank. But her SATs were strong–1400 for CR/M, and she’s sharp writer.</p>
<p>Reading the other threads, I often lost hope. Every kid was just so fabulous–a million EC’s Crazy GPA’s (11.0??? What the heck is that?) NMSF every time you turn around. It doesn’t help that all our nieces and nephews are over-achievers. </p>
<p>Still, once we got our bearings–which help from a dedicated GC–we realized that there are a lot of great schools out there and some great fits. If you can find Admissions Office that will take the time to really read the apps. it makes a huge difference. Tulane was a huge reach for us.</p>
<p>Much credit goes to D, who accepted help when it was offered, poured over SAT books on hot summer nights, buckled down and took her homework seriously and knew her limits. She’s so bright and now it seems like she’s really on her way. Two years ago, the best I could hope for was an academic gap-year or post-high school boarding school.</p>
<p>So all you 2014 & 2015 parents lurking here, keep your eyes on the prize. Don’t buy into the USNWR top 50 ratings. Your hardest task will be finding safeties that you love. Don’t read the “chance me” threads. If you have a child who struggles but has a lot to offer, stick with these forums. There’s also something to be said for carving out a niche in the middle. I know many high-achieving kids who are coming up empty-handed in the ED/EA process because there’s a real bottle-neck at the top. I have no doubt that hundreds of schools offer terrific educations. Put blinders on and pay no attention to the status-y car stickers. Your child will find the right place.</p>
<p>Recommnedations for Geology major from Rugg’s 2011:</p>
<p>Medium size (3000 8000 students)
Alaska (Fairbanks)
Dayton U
U of Denver
Mary Washington (VA)
Michigan Tech
Minnesota (Duluth)
St Thomas (MN)
Texas Christian
U of Tulsa
U of Vermont
U of Montana
N Carolina (Wilmington)
U of Wisconsin (River Falls)
West Chester ¶
Lamar (TX)
Southern Oregon
Texas A&M (Corpus Christi)
SUNY (Oneonta)
SUNY (Plattsburgh)
SUNY (Brockport)
Salem State (MA)
California State (Bakersfield)
California State (East Bay)
California State (Stanislaus)
Edinboro ¶
Emporia State (KS)
Fort Lewis (CO)
Lehigh ¶</p>
<p>Moderate size (1000 3000 students)
Lafayette ¶
Franklin & Marshall ¶
Furman (SC)
Gustavus Adolphus (MN)
Oberlin
U of the South (TN)
Whitman
Albion (MI)
Allegheny ¶
Beloit
Cornell (IA)
Denison
Earlham
Guilford(SC)
Hanover (IN)
Hope (MI)
Juniata ¶
Minnesota (Morris)
NM I of Mining
St Lawrence (NY)
S Dakota School of Mines
Wooster</p>
<p>Congratulations nyerom and her D. That is so fabulous to hear a kid get in a “huge reach”. and such a wonderful post for all of us on this thread. thank you.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you, psblstnr! Lots to work with here this weekend. </p>
<p>nyermom - congratualations! Tulane is a wonderful school. Your earlier post really rang true for me:</p>
<p>“Sometimes on this particular thread, it feels like the 3.0-3.3 kids are the only ones at risk of getting declined or deferred, in part because we don’t fit the mold But I’ve checked out the more typical 2013/17 threads loaded up with honor students and kids there get declined and deferred from their top choices too. There are some incredible (almost scary) stats there and they’re not having luck either.”</p>
<p>I am proud of all of us here on this thread, working to find the best fit for our particular kids, even though the hard part sometimes is just figuring out what that might be!</p>
<p>nyermom-congrats to you and your daughter! Dreams do come true.</p>
<p>I agree with everything you posted about finding a fit, and even trying those bigger “reach” schools. My DS was also recently accepted to Tulane–a bit of a surprise considering his 3.3 GPA (upward trending now, but still!) If it hadn’t been for the support of this thread, I would’ve never dared to dream that big.</p>
<p>Thinking good thoughts for all you parents out there.</p>