<p>Oh BobbyCT, I’m so sorry to hear this. I have been on pins and needles waiting for the report card and hoping after many disappointing ones. I feel for you.</p>
<p>Agree with scsiguru…looking forward is the best you can do. This is what I have to tell my husband all the time. Despite our bright girl’s academic and health ups and downs and the stress of getting her into a school she’ll thrive at, I know deep she’s going to be a great adult who will succeed in her life. There are many lessons still to be learned, but we’ll stand by her and she’ll get there.</p>
<p>I’m sure your daughter also has many wonderful qualities, and clearly a caring dad. Just remember that you’re doing your best and, with your continued support and care, trust that she will be fine in the end.</p>
<p>BobbyCT:
Happily, in the post-college world, her HS GPA won’t matter one hoot. There are many great colleges that I’m sure you will find that will be a great fit in many areas, including financially. Life is a journey and this is one of the many “bumps in the road”. The goal is that she will bloom where planted.</p>
<p>BobbyCT, I am sorry and I know how you feel. I was on pins and needles all semester about one of my daughter’s grades, and it came in at a C+, which is not only not helpful for her showing as a second semester junior, but doesn’t do anything for her mediocre GPA. All this and finding out today she needs $10K plus of dental work in the next year or so. ;-(
I have to remind myself of what others here are saying, that we are raising good people who will find their places out in the world, but it IS hard sometimes!</p>
<p>Sorry to hear your news BobbyCT… <<<hugs>>> May things be better going forward, but I agree that the current grades are frustrating - esp for aid.</hugs></p>
<p>Onlyonemom - he would definitely love College of the Atlantic or Unity, but he’s adamant about not going that far north. If it were only for summer classes he’d love it. One of the Bio teachers at my high school often goes to College of the Atlantic for summer programs/courses and talks very highly about it.</p>
<p>I feel for you and your daughter. My son’s GPA is lower than I had hoped for…unfortunately he doesn’t seem to care about grades…he only cares about learning (admirable but does help with college apps). His GPA has basically stayed the same all 3 years. S’s GC said that college look closely at first quarter senior year grades. So there is still hope. Your daughter may consider interviewing - she could explain her grades and let the school know just how great she is! This is what I am hoping for…my son has a practice interview this morning on Skype and an interview at Drew next month - a safety school. I am positive it will all work out…but like all the other Mom’s and Dad’s on CC …I still worry…</p>
<p>^^^ I like living with a mix. We lived in FL for 5 years (all of my boys were born there) but definitely missed the change of seasons. I grew up in way upstate NY (Canadian border) and winter there was too long for me (though summer was great).</p>
<p>The only reason I can figure that this guy wants south for life is due to something that must have happened to his genes at conception (or just the way he’s wired for whatever reason). He only lived in FL for 6 months.</p>
<p>^^
Lol…my nephew wanted to go to South for college applied and was accepted but decide to go to Syracuse …I think a girl had something to do with it:) …I think the winters are too long in Maine - from MA. In maine there is no Spring …mud season then summer ! </p>
<p>It is funny what they prefer…S wants to live abroad in Ireland probably one year of college. We went last year in July and it rained more than not…He loved the weather !</p>
<p>D14 is wrapping up her “shadowing” opportunities tomorrow. So far she’s shadowed PT and OT in a hospital setting. This morning she shadowed a PT in an outpatient facility for both adult and pediatric patients. She really loved the outpatient setting. Tomorrow she is shadowing an OT in the same outpatient facility. We hope to have a list soon of schools to visit. I’m glad she was able to get this opportunity to see what these specialties are about and can now focus on the right school for her. One limiting factor is that she prefers smaller schools.</p>
<p>Bobby CT, my D finished up her junior year with a C in math and a D in physics. We really thought she had no chance of getting into some of the schools on her list (and wondered if she’d get into any of them), so she added several more safeties. But she ended up going 12 for 12. Yes, it helped that she is a strong writer, interviews well, had lot of leadership/ECs, and applied to schools outside our geographical area. But don’t lose hope! You just never know.</p>
<p>BobbyCT, we all feel your disappointment. A few thoughts:</p>
<p>1) One thing all of us parents from the class of 2013 will tell you, it all works out fine in the end. Sometimes a little re-calibration of that Magical List of Colleges is in order, but your kid will end up at a wonderful school that is a good fit for her, because she is not JUST her GPA…she is so very much more. And you sound like a great parent coaching her along the way.</p>
<p>2) That said, teachers do mistakes when calculating grades (one of my son’s teachers, also his advisor, did just this year by .3. When brought to his attention, he quickly corrected it). If your daughter was hugely surprised at her final grades based on what her first semester and 3rd quarter grades were, it might be worth a respectful and polite request to those teachers, asking for clarification of how your kid’s final grade was calculated. Ideally, this would come from your daughter. Teachers are human, and make mistakes like the rest of us. </p>
<p>3) Sometimes I think we parents take these bumps in the road harder than our kids do. I know it was important for me to remind myself to point out successes, and convey a “you can deal with this, it is NOT the end of the world, it will all be fine” attitude, even if in my head I was imagining big fat college doors slamming shut for my kid, during those times when he’d hoped and worked hard for a certain course grade that wasn’t achieved, a certain standardized test score that he’d hoped would go up but didn’t, a certain leadership position that went to another kid. </p>
<p>He ended up with a dozen fabulous college choices, easily half of which were truly excellent fits for him. </p>
<p>BobbyCt- I am so sorry to hear that. I’m still waiting to find out how my D did. I’m worried we will be in the same boat. I think you should still apply to the schools you think are a reach now, you really never know. Maybe schools will want to look at first semester grades. You never know what schools are looking for, maybe to fill more spots in a particular major, more girls, nor diversity, kids from other parts of the country. You can guarantee not to get in if you don’t even apply. I’m still having my D apply to a lot of schools just in case. With luck, 1 will be the standout.</p>
<p>Jane345 - Well said. I certain feel those bumps harder than my son! We all want our kids to be happy and successful. " The American dream " ! </p>
<p>Momofwon - I think my son would be very happy in the NW but he does not want to be that far from home. He has a girlfriend that he meet at a Neuroscience program last summer. They both aspire to be Neuroscientist! They have not indicated that they want to go to the same school but my guess is they will not want to be that far from each other. MSin’s GF will have lots of options - High GPA and high SAT scores - but she will be looking for merit money so she will be applying to schools that she knows will give merit. I wish S was in that position. I don’t think she is applying to any reach schools - somehow I feel she keeps me grounded! Her list right now is - UNE, UMO, Brandeis and NEU. Brandeis got added because she came on a tour with us and loved the school. NEU because I told her about the Merits finalist scholarship program…Sometimes it is good to keep things simple. She and S are planning to go to Graduate school and maybe at that point S will travel to the NW.
If you are wondering about her parents ? They want her to stay local and go to UNE - odds are high that she would receive a full scholarship.</p>
<p>If you are really in the hunt for merit aid you need to concentrate on schools where your kid is at the top 75% of applicants at that school. My 2012 S got substantial merit aid at these schools. He was inflicted with the " lazy but bright boy" syndrome, so his test scores were WAY higher than his meh 3.4 GPA…mostly because of homework issues and more of a " love of learning, not, IHO, unnecessary HS hoops" type kid. I think that killed him at his reach and match schools, where he was denied. I was happy he was denied instead of accepted with NO money. It really was an eye opening experience and I try to help others with his type of college search. </p>
<p>I tried to help him locate schools where his test scores would be a help to their reported averages. He also did not apply to any schools in our geographic area. I think the mere fact that he was a boy helped at some schools too. He was Eagle Scout with 1500 volunteer hours. I tried to research schools where that looked like those things might be rewarded. For instance, he applied to Sewanee in TN. They are known to really like Eagle Scouts, as they advertised how many ES they had admitted in their last freshman class. They gave him a very big merit award and the rest of our need based aid in grants, not loans. I think if you have a kid in this kind of precarious position, it takes a lot more research to find schools. It is true that colleges want to save their merit aid for top students, students who will bring diversity, or some other kind of special talent. I did not realize that needing money AND not being a top student or a URM, was probably at the bottom of schools buckets.</p>
<p>It can be done and your kids WILL find a school that is right for them… whatever the situation is… don’t panic yet bobby:) Start by finding out what type of school your kid likes and then research a lot of schools that are similar. My S wanted a small LAC in a rural mountain type location, where he could form close ties with his classmates and professors, and be involved in an active outdoor club where he could continue with his rock climbing and mountaineering passions. His first choice was Colorado College, where he was deferred than denied in an eye opening, torturous process, that led me to my conclusion that because we needed $, he was probably denied( long story). Anyway, luckily we had done our research and he had quite a few other schools that fit his criteria, and he is headed to St Lawrence University after this years gap year, with us only paying VERY little of the full COA. I think SLU was attracted to his high test scores, geographic diversity( we are from CA), and his adventurous, independent spirit.</p>
<p>5boys: very good and informative post! My D14 has a good GPA 3.8 but so so test scores. I may be in the same boat as some here where I will really have to dig to find the right school. Would you mind sharing any information on sites that you uses in your research? Thanks!</p>
<p>scs… I know I looked at a lot of college search sites, but honestly had the the best luck here in this site. I would also plug in a school that my S liked…i.e. Dartmouth, Midd, Bowdoin, etc… and then see what schools may have the same type of environment. I’m not sure what book it was, but I think Fiske, that will give you a " if you like X, you would also like Y" type thing. I think Naviance has this too. With your D sitting with a 3.8 and so, so test scores, she is also in the sweet spot ( or should I say SWEAT spot). Look for schools where her test scores, not GPA, are above the 75% range. She will then be sitting good for merit aid. I really liked the “College that Change Lives” book as a place to start. What are your D’s areas of strength and what type of school does she like? This is also a good place to start.</p>
<p>5boys…do you think the SAT scores or the GPA play a larger roll in merit aid? If I kid gets in with being in the bottom 3rd GPA-wise, yet top 25% score-wise…is there any hope for aid?</p>