Parents of the HS Class of 2017 - 3.0 to 3.4 GPA

Parents Forum
641

@MomStudent2017 in some ways that would be cleaner but then it sure as shootin wouldn’t be “holistic” lol.

Bottom line is true though. IF you are smart and make sure you have financial and academic safeties you really can live with (and ok, happy to attend is nice but it is ok to say that the kid may not be over the moon and perhaps disappointed but is still ok).

In my gut I think for some of the schools I am being conservative on the match versus safety but I’d rather take that approach then be unrealistic. I do think it will be fine and I’m liking the overall list a lot better right now I think so that helps a lot. In concept, if all money was equal, or even maybe not, I think I’m ok with him attending any on the list and that hasn’t always been the case. It does need to shrink a bit though, there is no way the kid will apply to 13 schools lol. Overkill. Hard to narrow though when you can’t visit!

642

She wants to go to Law School but plans to major in Business. @hankster1361

643

Hi everyone! Been gone for awhile and have missed a lot! Looks like folks are making good progress towards college selection and application work. We have whittled our list down to 18 (!) --still have a ways to go, but I think we have a nice mix of reaches, targets, and safeties (but still way too many reaches):

Reaches:
American University
Clark University
Denison University
Kalamazoo University
Lawrence University
Lewis & Clark College
UMass Amnerst

Targets:
Allegheny College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Siena College
St. Anselm College
Susquehanna University
Temple University
University of Vermont

Safeties:
Colorado State University
Goucher College
University of New Hampshire
University of Rhode Island

(can you tell that I’ve alphabetized the list??)

D wants to take the SAT again, maybe even twice–I’m glad she’s onboard and is eager to try to bring up her scores even more, but I do think we may hit the law of diminishing returns after the October test, though.Frankly, given that there has been little to no work done on the CA yet, she’s going to need to focus her time on that with the heavy course load she’s planning for senior year, so I don’t know if a November test is advisable at this point–we’ll decide later.

We did go visit American University–we attended one of their Preview Days, and we both walked away very impressed. It’s now her #1 choice. She’s planning to major in Political Science and she was wowed by the internship/networking opportunities and the fact that they have a major that combines Communications, Law, Economics and Government. It’s going to be a reach for her, though, and we’ve had the conversation already about costs, so she can’t say she wasn’t warned–but she may be willing to take on some debt herself and we may be able to swing it if she does that. I’m trying not to get too fussed about it, because I do think it’s a reach for her. The Preview Day was very well done–planned activities that you can choose from throughout the day–the welcome was a little formal, the admissions overview was a little generic, but the rest of the day–overview of the individual schools, mock class, student Q&A, meet your admissions rep were very good. It didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful day, and not too hot (considering it was Washington, DC in August). D would enroll in the School of Public Affairs if she attended–much smaller than the School of Arts and Sciences, so she would get that small school feel in a package that would allow access to the amenities that a larger school offers–we both liked that.

Hoping to take some time this fall to visit some of the schools that are closer to home (Clark, St. Anselm, UNH, Siena)–but most of the other schools that are in the Midwest or on the West Coast (and even the PA/mid-Atlantic schools) are going to have to be blind applications–we’ll deal with visiting them if/when she gets accepted.

644

I’m starting to get nervous about class schedule. S17 finds out Monday. Just realized I need to email his coucelor & remind her that his 504 includes “preferential” teacher selection on it . But I’d not really going to help much. The two band classes the class periods are set in stone, 2 AP classes will only have 2 sections offered. At least his last two will be offered every period of the day but then there won’t be much room for teacher selection. I guess it’s still worth dropping her a line.

@klinska We visited Lewis & Clark last spring. S17 wasn’t thrilled with it, an was uninterested in applying. But I liked it and was a bit sad D17 didn’t like it very much.

645

I’m just going to lurk here for a while. I have one in college and I am starting the search with kiddo 2 (out of 3). He is a rising 11th grade student. His 9th grade GPA was horrible. He improved quite a bit last year and if 11th grade mirrors 10th, he will be right in the 3.0-3.4 GPA. He is committed to going ROTC and applying for ROTC scholarships. This bumps his time line for college apps up to September of 12th grade.

Good luck to all of you and thanks for letting me lurk!

646

@klinska … U of RI is on S17 list, but we haven’t visited. Are you in RI and/or have you visited URI/Kingston? Someone had recommended Susquehanna for S17, but I thought it might be too small. Are you in PA and/or have you visited SU/Selingsgrove? If so, what can you tell me about either campus/surrounding area?

New GC called the house & informed me that she’s finalizing S17’s schedule (school begins in 2 weeks) & one of his electives won’t fit into the block available. WHAT!? She offered an alternative which I know S17 won’t like! Now have to set up meeting next week! Besides the obvious, I’m annoyed because we were told 2 months ago – no changes allowed after the last day of school – ugh!

647

Mine started her essays this week and we finally have a list, but I’m not sure how balanced it is. I would appreciate some help. She is interested in writing (hopefully screenwriting), Hispanic heritage, 3.35 unweighted, 1200 superscored on the new SAT:
Eckerd
Goucher
St. Mary’s of Maryland
Chapman
Kenyon
Wooster
Ithaca
Whittier
U if Pittsburgh
Hampshire

Naviance is useless because not enough kids applied to many of these schools. I know Kenyon is a super reach, but I’m willing to let her try.

Any thoughts? Additions? Subtractions?

648

@MomStudent2017, we are in MA–we did visit URI, and D17’s initial reaction was that she liked it. The campus was very nice, we had a great tour guide, and D really liked the little town of Kingston. She also liked that beaches were 20 minutes away :). Not sure she had settled on a major at the time we visited, so I don’t remember what our impressions were of the Political Science department. As time has passed, though, the shine has worn off a little. What I’m getting from her is that she doesn’t feel like it’s going to be rigorous enough and didn’t get the serious-about-school vibe from the students that she increasingly seems to want. She wanted to take it off her list altogether, but we haven’t actually seen any of her other safeties yet, so I suggested we leave it on, just for now.

I picked up on Susquehanna from CC–I can’t remember if it’s a CTCL school or if it’s in Fiske, but D liked what she read about it. This will be a school that, if she applies and gets accepted, we would visit at that time. My D also initially was set on having a larger school experience, but she’s more willing now to consider a smaller school now–she liked Allegheny when we visited and that’s opened up her perceptions a little.

Re: school schedules–we may have some scrambling to do once schedules are released–probably next week sometime. One of the AP classes D was going to take didn’t get enough enrollment to offer it, so she’s had to make some changes already. I’m hoping for the best!

649

@QueensMom - I have been compiling a list for our 2018 girl who is also interested in English/ writing. Very preliminary at this point and I do not have access to my notes at the moment. From memory, Dickinson is on the list for further exploratory. I will get back to you soon with other suggestions when I have my notes in front of me. Yes, Kenyon is a super reach, but wow, sounds like heaven for writing. We are looking hard at Ithaca for our 2017 boy, but different major focus and I have not explored and cannot comment on their writing program. I am not familiar with the other schools you mention. We have geographical limitations.

In any event, like I said I will get back to you soon with other thoughts.

650

@klinska I love that you alphabetized the list! I do that. Well actually excel does it but…LOL!

We have some overlap (Allegheny, Temple, UVM, Goucher). I am jealous of your reach list, we have looked at several of those but…either they aren’t affordable or are in locations S doesn’t want. I really really REALLY wish I could find a reach or two that were affordable. Oh well. Lawrence came closest but S won’t consider Wisconsin at the moment and their music program is too strong for him to have a decent chance at playing jazz. They are stalking him though which is interesting. I had hoped to have L&C on our list but now that he’s anti west coast it makes it slightly less painful to have it gone. I’d thought about looking at Susquehanna but I’m pushing it with Allegheny as it is from a remote/small town standpoint. I keep debating whether Goucher is a match or a safety lol.

We are in the same boat, most will be apply blind. I do need to go back and look at freshman retention rates at all his schools as well as male/female ratio. Right now we look like this, some of the matches may be safeties but it’s hard to really tell. Most of the schools on this list have zero applicants from our school. Right now there are 4 financial safeties, I am going to make him keep at least 2. I know he will want Bradley off the list based on location but I’d like it to stay so we will see. He’s agreed to refine the list next week, I want to spread the $$ pain and start sending out scores lol. Allegedly he is working on draft 2 of his essay today.

Safety
Western Washington Univ (financial safety)
Oregon State Univ
McDaniel College

Match
Goucher College
U of Vermont
Allegheny College
Ithaca College
Temple University
U of Puget Sound
Ursinus College
Juniata College
Alfred University (financial safety)
Rowan University (financial safety)
Bradley University (financial safety)

@curiositycat333 UGH on class schedule. We don’t get ours for several weeks still and it drives me nuts. Often there is a leak in the system and we can peek but so far, no snooping parent has found it.

@QueensMom Chapman is a reach but not a totally impossible one (definitely worth applying) and definitely known for writing, especially film/screen according to S19 who has been looking into it. We know a lot of happy kids there. Hampshire is pretty alternative so I’d make sure that’s an environment she wants. Goucher and Ithaca are on our list too but I’ve no idea how they are for writing but in general seem very strong schools across the board. Goucher made an amazing impression with S at the CTCL event. I worry a little about Ithaca as they seem to want demonstrated interest so we are going to have to dig into how to show that as we won’t visit unless accepted. Similar issue for us, many of our schools have had zero applicants!

@Longhaul welcome!!! Lurk away. I lurked a bit on the 2016 thread for this gpa range and it was very helpful!

@MomStudent2017 UGH on the schedule. You guys are scaring me!

651

@“Queen’s Mom” The only two schools I know much about are Whittier & Chapman. I would think Chapman would fit her interests. But I don’t know about her changes of getting in. What I do know is my D12 did apply to Chapman with lower GPA but it was a reach for her. I can check my local Naviance for those two, they will certainly have data points.

Have you had your daughter try the ACT instead of the SAT? Not sure if that will help any. If your daughter is a good writer but bad test taker, look to see if any of these schools are test optional. Test optional usually means you must submit a writing portfolio instead but that might be right up your daughter alley.

DD & I toured Whitter a few years back. Liked the school but it didn’t really have what my D was interested in studying. We had just be recommended it by a neighbor who’s D did well there.

652

@“Queen’s Mom” Chapman has info on Naviance. Your daughter GPA/SAT I would say it’s a low reach/high match. There were about equal acceptances & rejections. Students with lower GPA’s got in. Probably depends on major, and the rest of the portfolio. From what I know about Chapman it would probably be a good school for your DD.

Didn’t have enough info about Whittier to help. Although it looks like most who applied from our H.S. did get in. Just not enough info to show data. :frowning: My guess it it would be a match school for your DD from what I remember. But that’s based on my 5 year old information.

653

Thank you, @curiositycat333. Not a lot of kids around here applying to west coast schools, so information is hard to come by. She’s refusing to retake any more tests. I think we’re stuck with those numbers.

@eandesmom, right now Chapman is her top choice, but even if she gets in, money will be an issue. I’d prefer a school which will give enough aid to keep total costs under $30K. Whittier, I think is a safety in a location she really wants. I really don’t know why she picked Hampshire. She’s not that “alternative.” It is test blind.

654

@MomStudent2017 Picking H.S. classes is like being late for the doctor. You have to be on time, but they don’t. They need the student to decide on their classes by fall. BUT they spend the summer trying to make a schedule and sometimes it doesn’t work out. IMO experience our school says that too, but in reality you can change up to about a week after school starts if it works out.

It’s quite common for classes to get moved around quite a bit at our H.S. We get a “schedule” at registration (about a week prior to school starting) that confirms you are in the classes but with no teacher/classroom and they aren’t guaranteed to be in order. (Although they often are.) They don’t want a mass I need to change class, when people find out they got the terrible teachers or aren’t with their friends.

Classes sometimes get moved around a week after school starts, and sometimes between semesters.

655

@“Queen’s Mom” it will depend on her stats. One of S17’s closest friends is headed there next year with an amazing FA package. That said, I do not know how much is FA and how much is merit but suspect it is a lot of FA. They were quite generous. We have smaller data points on Chapman (10 kids I think) but some in that range got in, some did not.

The challenge with Hampshire, beyond the whole no grades and evaluation issue (which is good for some and not for others) is that if she wants to go to grad school, some schools (I have heard) will not consider a no grade/evaluation only transcript as being valid for admission qualification.

656

I haven’t even thought about grad school. That’s something I will have to look into.

657

Hi @“Queen’s Mom”, mom of a '15er here. My S had a slightly lower SAT and GPA (no rigor!) than your D, with nice but not outstanding EC’s. White male. Whittier offered him $24K/yr. in scholarship with an option to “compete” for up to an additional $12K/yr. I think your D could reasonably expect a similar offer. Lovely small campus right next to a cute downtown.

658

That’s really good to hear, @oneofthosemoms

659

WOW. S17 cleaned him room of years worth of clutter. :slight_smile: Without being asked. I kind-of knew he was working on it, but I’ve been giving him a wide berth when he’s been home the past few days. I’d be more impressed if I didn’t think it was a reason to keep procrastinating all the other things he needs to do.

@“Queen’s Mom” Whitter really is a very nice small LAC. Not a lot of them in the S. Cal area. I’d never really spent much time in that corner of this area until we visited. Looks like an east coast LAC. But it doesn’t seem to be very popular around here. Chapman on the other hand is & I know a lot more about it despite having never stepped on it’s campus.

I forgot I had a good friend in the 80’s go to Hampshire. Was very interested at the time. I never applied, long story but I only applied one place, and looking back it wouldn’t have been the right school for me. Although at the time I was in love with W. Mass.

660

Anyone here know if public schools outside California pay attention to “interest” in admission decisions. I thinking mostly of OSU (Oregon State), UofO, & Colorado pubic universities.

I know I need patience, but I wish the H.S. would post the current known schedule of schools who are visiting. (School start in 8 days.) Trying to figure out if I should push S17 to attend some private events instead of school ones.