<p>It is quite a ride momofwon…but trust that it will all work out in the end. I am about to embark on my 5th time through this…I wish I could claim expert status, but sadly I can’t. My DS14 is considering BFA’s so auditions on top of everything else… UGH!! The only advice I can give you and your D is not to fall in love with only 1 school. If you can follow that one thing( and my DS12 did not), it will be A LOT easier. It’s nice that you have already started visits, that way your D can get a feel for what type of school she likes. My opinion is that you can get a GREAT education at tons of schools, so fit is the most important thing…well and affordability is a given. </p>
<p>And… a lot of times the fit in paper can look totally different when you visit…</p>
<p>So true 5boys re: “you can get a great education at a lot of schools…” H and I met 33 years ago at a non-flagship in-state school ranked WAY below most schools discussed on this site. And, you know what? It really didn’t matter. H was a wonderful elementary school teacher and I’m in sales. Neither require(d) a fancy name college to succeed in our professions. In fact, some of the most successful people I know in my field don’t even have a college degree. It’s all about what you do with what you’ve got.</p>
<p>Umich8790 - so glad I’m not alone! We’ll see if the trip does anything to stimulate his interest. DS also has ADHD and is a rollercoaster kid - 3.0 freshman, 3.6 sophomore, 3.0 junior and not sure how his SATs will go. On the plus side I’ve discovered I really like data gathering I’ve been all over Common Data Sets, IPEDS, Naviance and college websites gathering all kinds of stats - I have to show it to my geeky friends however as DS is so far completely unimpressed :)</p>
<p>Momofwon - you can also throw into the mix that a lot of schools now offer 2 sessions of ED - ED1 by Nov 1 and then another round in January. I way prefer the idea of EA unless he finds a dream school where applying ED will give him a serious boost.</p>
<p>And I totally agree with you about what you do with what you’ve got. Has anyone ever seen Race to Nowhere? Our local HS screened it a couple of years ago and it was a powerful testament against the status quo in a lot of places that requires kids to take and do as much as possible (and the implication that those who don’t or can’t won’t be successful).</p>
<p>Just finished scheduling end-of-summer college tour road trip. Will fly into Chicago to visit relatives then head out to Indiana, OH, and NY in late Aug. when those schools are in session and our Pacific NW kids aren’t until after Labor Day. One big mistake I didn’t consider until booking plane tickets, etc…rental cars don’t allow drivers under age 25 to drive the car. Ugh…was excited to share driving with D, especially on our long 10+ hour leg from Cincinnati to Syracuse :(. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Entertainersmom and 5boys - Hi! Count me in with your group too!</p>
<p>DD has a 3.0UW/3.7W GPA with first SAT (without prep) to match, and is an actor/singer/dancer/musician. Freshmen and sophomore year, all major classes were honors except English in 9th grade. This year, she has two APs (English and Environmental Science), but she’s struggling in both of them. She may take APCalc next year (she does well in math), but she’ll bump down her English, take psych and sociology classes, with the rest being theatre/band/choir stuff.</p>
<p>She has definitely expressed her desire for a BFA. Even though she does enjoy school, she doesn’t want a BA but she does desire a true old fashioned college campus with a great arts department or conservatory within a college campus. I’m all for the BFA (my husband and I are performers as well), but I did inform her that she would be applying to other programs that didn’t require an audition. She has also expressed an interest in teaching theatre (she loves kids).</p>
<p>She has had this passion for many, many years, so we started looking at schools (casually) in 8th grade. Number one (so far) is Shenandoah. Our entire family loved it and it is an academic and artistic fit for her and a financial fit for us. There are a few state schools (in-state and out-of-state) that have good theatre and music departments that she will apply to, and we have a North Carolina schools trip coming up around Easter. Next week we head to Christopher Newport’s open house, and Muhlenberg soon after that.</p>
<p>I’m so glad that her spring musical is done. Right now, she is self prepping for next SAT, studying for permit test and applying to summer programs. I am so excited for the things awaiting her, and will miss these last few months that we’ll be together.</p>
<p>Welcome Sydsim! The goal of this thread is to celebrate our kids’ achievements and help them find the BEST FIT college, not just the most prestigious school. Not everyone is a top 10%er (even on this website) and that’s OK.
Cheers!</p>
<p>Welcome Sydsim! I am glad to have some theater kid support on here. It looks like we will be in for a wild ride next year. Let me know what you guys think of Muhlenberg when you visit. That school is high on my S’s list. His first choice " right now" is a top BFA or BA in a smaller school if possible. But, I think he would be happy at any size school.</p>
<p>Never heard of Muhlenberg, but that’s not unusual for me. I grew up in IL and have lived in WA for 25 years, so am very unfamiliar with East Coast LACs. So many choices…who knew?! ;-)</p>
<p>We actually have already visited Muhlenberg (but did an informal tour on our own, in a rush on our way to another tour). Campus is quite small, but beautiful. And of all the colleges that I’ve toured, it had the best dining hall.</p>
<p>To be honest, my only problem was that there wasn’t a lot of diversity. I spoke to an AA dance major who said that although the lack of diversity is probably why the school gave her so much aid, the lack of diversity is her major problem with the school socially.</p>
<p>I have one these kids. My daughter has been a 3.0 or little higher for the first two years. She goes to a very small private Christian school and I always told them shes a lot smarter than her grades but teachers didn’t really believe me. She cares way more about social status than grades. Anyway she took her ACT for the first time this fall and outscored everyone in the school for the last couple of years. In English and Reading no one has come close to her. Of course all the kids and even the principal were shocked. The good news is the score has turned her into a new student, she has kept a 4.0 all year so far. She has always had a low selfestem on matter what my husband or I tell her. Due to the good ACT score we are going to visit Truman State in MO this summer because they offer pretty good merit aide and are considered a good school. She will apply to the U of Minn which looks like a good possibility and will visit Iowa State in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any other schools to recommend on our way down to MO. Would love to hear from other parents.</p>
<p>newfaith… love your story:) I have 2 boys who are the same. If their grades reflected their SAT scores they would be applying to much higher ranked schools. But, I think they ended up/ will end up at the school that is a good fit for them.</p>
<p>Hi 2014 parents from a 2013 parent. I know that you have probably been watching the types of acceptances and rejections our 3.0/3.3 kids are getting this year.</p>
<p>I wanted to share about U of D e n v e r (spaced out so it can’t be searched by others very easily). You will see that your kids have a shot at this school. </p>
<p>Background on D - 3.0uw/3.4w with ACT 26, superscored 27. Raised to 3.2uw/3.55w mid year transcript. ECs are outside of school, major upward trend from 2.7gpa at end of sophomore year. Accomplished photographer/filmmaker. Applied to Film Studies and Production (which should weight a little bit for talent, but they had no place on application to make that clear)</p>
<p>However, I want to warn you that you need to be careful. The Net Price Calculator will show possible merit aid and/or financial grants. My D was accepted EA, and after many months of discussion with the school, it has become clear that the merit aid threshold has risen very high (about 3.7) and they have not fixed their Net Price Calculator.</p>
<p>They are experiencing very strong applicants. I believe that they are reserving their funds for the high stat applicants. So just be careful if you apply - you are going to need to be full pay. We got no merit aid (even after my daughter improved GPA to 3.55) and they met 0% of calculated need.</p>
<p>You may have a much better $$$ experience than several of us did, so I don’t want to discourage anyone. Just prepare your kids so that they don’t come off the high of being accepted to such a wonderful college to find out that it is not financially feasible.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your experience. Is your daughter going to attend the U of Denver? My daughter is shooting for the U of Minn but having her look at Iowa State and Truman State (MO). Any other recommendations for the upper midwest? I think U of WI at Eau Claire or La Crosse but the knucklehead tells me “kids from MN don’t like WI”. (eye roll) Never mind that they offer a great education for instate costs. She has been growing up this year so by summer maybe she’ll at least visit and give them a try.</p>
<p>Thanks Coralbrook for the D E N V E R update re: FA. Ds counselor suggested that school, but D has ruled out based on lack of interested major there. I’m really worried about Ds chances of getting aid anywhere. All of the schools she wants to attend are big OOS schools. Some are safeties and some reaches. Even if accepted, she will not be among the top applicants, so I’m concerned our chances for merit are going to be slim to none. It sounds like many of the smaller, but popular, LACs are also getting so many high test/GPA applicants that merit aid is becoming elusive for our B - B+ students…</p>
<p>UMich: Alfred University is in New York. Isn’t that pretty far from you? Anyway they have a SUNY at Alfred as well as the private school. That part of NY is pretty rural and cold. You son would have no problem getting admitted at Alfred.</p>
<p>BronxMom…according to Mapquest, Alfred is only about 6 1/2 hours away. Really only about an hour further than Chicago for us. It looks like he could get in, so it might be a good smaller school safety. While I think a smaller school would be better for him, I see him preferring larger schools. It might be an issue next year.</p>
<p>We are leaving tomorrow to go visit Western Michigan U (an in-state safety) and then DePaul (a reach, but not impossible) on Wed. I can report back on those visits. I’m reading about more and more OOS students going to Western, and it is a top 100 public University.</p>
<p>Alfred University NY is a private university, the school of Art and Design is through NYS, two engineering majors are NYS, the School of Business is private, College of Liberal Arts is private, remaining engineering majors are private in the Inamori School of Engineering. </p>
<p>Alfred State SUNY is across the street from Alfred University. Most of Alfred State’s degree programs are two year programs. </p>
<p>Alfred University was established in 1836 as a co-ed university. There are about 2300 students,
Division III athletics, no Greek life, small classes-know your professors, merit aid, need based aid, Co-op, Honors Program, research opportunities, housing guaranteed all four years. Off campus housing is very affordable for upperclassmen. </p>
<p>Princeton Review’s Best 377
Fiske Guide 2013
Princeton Review’s Best Northeastern Colleges
Princeton Review’s Best Business Colleges
USNWR’s Best Value
Fiske Guide 2013 Best Buy
USNWR’s Great School Great Price
Fiske Small Schools Strong in Engineering
Fiske Small Schools Strong in Art & design
Washington Monthly’s Best Master Degree Institution</p>
<p>Shuttles run to Rochester airport at peak break times.
Buses to NYC are available from Alfred at peak break times.</p>
<p>While it may be a great safety for admissions and financially, Art & Design and Engineering programs are very tough, some do not make it through their four years.</p>
I’ve been all over Common Data Sets, IPEDS, Naviance and college websites gathering all kinds of stats - I have to show it to my geeky friends however as DS is so far completely unimpressed :)</p>