Parents of the HS Class of 2017 (Part 1)

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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@Tgirlfriend yes, ABET is critical. One of my concerns with this school is what his options are if he changes his mind and does not go that route. Another is that GPA, if he is around kids that are not performing (and based on the 4/5/6 year graduation rates there seems to be a lot) I worry it will drag him down by way of example and who he is surrounded by. Not that I don’t trust my kid, I do. To a point.

@Agentninetynine I have no issues with directional schools in general (the one in question is one) but within them, there are definitely tiers. There is at least one other on S’s list and there may end up being more as things flesh out. In this case, it may have the program my child “thinks” they want ( I am less convinced) but I question that there are similar programs if and when he or she decides on a lateral move, a complete change or a minor. Especially if it’s a complete change.

@mtrosemom transferring is a risky proposition as S17 is likely to be OOS in almost all scenarios but we need to be at In state flagship prices as best as possible and will not qualify for any aid…

@snoozn what is bad lol? I work for an engineering firm and grades (and school/prestige) are weighted quite heavily for potential new hires. I agree that the interview is far more important but I can tell you a candidate from a lesser thought of school, with mediocre grades, wouldn’t even get an interview unless there was something compelling about work or research history. There is something about the fact that this school publishes a 5 year course plan (for all majors as best as I can tell) that really bugs me. And that the 5 year course plan is more prominent on the various pages than the 4 year ones…where you have to dig 1-2 clicks deeper.

@2muchquan that’s kind of where we are at. For the school in question I think it if had an honors programs that would remove a lot of my concerns. The fact that one doesn’t even exist…doesn’t sit too well. S would be in the 80th percentile for ACT and GPA, potentially higher if those come up. Which definitely makes it a safety and could mean extra $$ (but I kind of doubt it as it’s OOS directional and he’d already get WUE). It is certainly affordable but just a lot of little things I really don’t love. Granted if they offered a free ride I might well be more open. LOL! I can’t even imagine that. Anywhere.

All that said I’m trying to keep my mouth shut, it’s super early days, I just need my H to keep his mouth shut too lol.

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@eandesmom I don’t think top 100 nationally ranked is necessary for any degree. ABET, otoh, is absolutely necessary. Our oldest and my dh are both chemEs. Our oldest went to a small public technical university that is only ranked regionally. He chose it b/c it has incredibly UG chemE lab opportunities. Lots of hands on experience. He was a top student at that school. He was recruited for UG research by his professors, even traveled internationally for a presentation at an international symposium.

My perspective is slightly different than @snoozn. I think GPA does matter. Ds graduated with something like a 3.7 GPA (with honors), a yr long co-op, his UG research. Even in 2011, when the hiring market was poor, he had multiple job offers at graduation.

All that said, I do think that there are very specific criteria that do matter. Ds’s university was well-known in industry. That matters far more than man on the street name recognition b/c that is who is going to hire them. Secondly, co-oping is really vital in today’s market. Lots of manufacturing areas are cutting back on employees. New hires need experience. I would avoid any school where co-oping is discouraged or weak. Ds’s school had a great co-op dept b/c companies wanted to recruit its grads. Ds co-oped alongside students from Va Tech, Ga Tech, and NCSU. (All much higher ranked and well known programs. His school, otoh, would get, seriously? why? from the CC crowd.)

The engineering program was strong. This ds was not as advanced as our current college student, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t as strong of a student. (I learned as I went along in homeschooling that breaking the traditional sequence mold was a good idea!) Anyway, even with co-oping for 12 straight months, ds graduated within 4 yrs (he did require 1 summer semester, so 7 semesters counting the summer one.) Being a really strong student on that campus did not at impact him in a negative way, only positive.

He has recruited co-op students for his company and GPA, course load, and research are all things he looks for.

There are schools that I wouldn’t willingly opt for our kids to attend. For example, our local university has a Russian major. However, the students are lost at graduation. That does not speak well at all for the dept. I want a program that works with students to achieve whatever their particular goals are. Ole Miss, for example, definitely seems to have that together for students in the Croft program and their CISS program. If their Russian dept had been strong, it would definitely have been a school dd would have wanted to attend. Bama’s CBH program is superb. Ds is surrounded by top notch opportunities.

So rank is not so much of a factor as opportunities. It really takes investigating depts and not schools from my perspective.

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One of my daughters is currently attending a state directional school, and it can be a disadvantage. The school is very good for what she is studying (nursing) and mediocre for pretty much everything else. The elective classes my daughter has taken have been very easy, with students who don’t really care about their studies. And another issue is retention, almost all of the friends my daughter had freshman year have left the school at this point, either transferred out or failed out.

But on the plus side she stands out at the school. She works as a tutor and can basically work as many hours as she can fit in her schedule, because there are lots of students who want tutoring. On the nursing boards test (NCLEX) last year the graduates had a 100% pass rate, so we are confident she will get what she needs from the school, but I think she would have enjoyed a more rigorous school more. But in a few months she will have her degree and her RN license and no debt, and that was her priority in choosing a school.

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@eandesmom …No worries I am trying to get my H to keep his mouth shut also. My S is looking hard at Texas Tech along with the 4 others. My H said the other day that he wouldn’t even visit that college with my S because of the GPA that they have to carry. I had to give the evil eye and said “we will go wherever you think you might want to go to college”. I think told my husband that he needed to use his filter around the young S. I remember that conversation with my D in 08 and she did exactly what she wanted. It all turned out good but it was a rough ride for awhile. She is now back in school and works full time. Getting her NP in acute care.

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@caroldanvers … Good for her! She will be enjoying a nice paycheck that is truly here and not handing it over for loan repayment!

One of Ds friends wants to be an RN and then CRNA. He is a great kid but wants the whole NYC college experience. I tried hard to explain that’s a lot of debt and he will be paid the same as the kid who stayed here to Jr college or local state branch. Kudos to your daughter for staying the course and keeping her goals in mind! Where does she want to work… What type of unit? (RN/NP here).

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@carachel2 My daughter would love to do peds or psyc, but she will most likely end up on a general med/surg floor since that seems to be where most of the hiring is.

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Thanks @4beardolls. Somehow I got the message that Wash U does not give merit aid. Ds is probably on their radar since he scored high in english and reading on the PSAT.

I know what you mean @eandesmom about having the right mix of peers. Some kids thrive on challenge, others feel inadequate without realizing their peers feel that way, too. And some need a nudge here and there. Dd thrives on rigor and challenge. Ds wants to be with his peers but is not interested in a pressure cooker scenario.

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Anyone familiar with Ohio State? I’ll take any and all information :slight_smile:

D and I just spent two hours on the website----NPC, scholarships, honors things, housing, dining (wow, great interface for those with allergies!), departments of interest (International Studies, Arabic), requirements, AP credits, and the campus map. She likes it so far, especially the concentrations in securities studies and in diplomacy.

She’s never been to Ohio. I haven’t been to Columbus. We could do a Sept visit, I think.

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@WhereIsMyKindle tOSU is my D’s top choice right now. We have not visited yet and likely will not visit until the fall. We did, however, attend a reception they held at a local restaurant. They really sold her.

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@Tgirlfriend , I am an ACNP and FNP! I love what I do for a living

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@WhereIsMyKindle I don’t have a lot of information, but have done some research myself…appears to not be as much as you. :slight_smile: I followed the admittance threads, and while some of their scholarships appear to be automatic, I think they are becoming more competitive instead…not quite auto. I think the real lesson there is just apply early!

Columbus is actually a pretty large city (and the capitol)…good for internships and co-op. Huge school, with a lot of local kids that you will see commuting. It’s so big, though, that I don’t think this really affects the campus feel at all. We’ve been looking at it for the Sciences, so can’t help with IS-related info. Since

I went to UofM, but since that is probably not financially feasible, we’ve been looking at OSU as well. I would love my D to play in the marching band there.

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@caroldanvers…My D graduated nursing school and is in the CVICU at Cook’s. She is now going back to school debt free and getting her ACPNP. The hospital is paying for her to go back to school. She works full time at night and takes classes. It will take her 2 1/2 more years but she will have no debt from either her undergraduate BSN nor her graduate work. Best thing ever!!! Tell your daughter “GREAT JOB” and keep on getting all the education she can.

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@VANURSEPRAC …That is fantastic!!! My D is getting her ACPNP/ACNP right now. She loves working in pediatrics.

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What’s up with CC going down over my lunch break?

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We visited OSU in the summer of 2014 for D15. We were in Ohio because she was also looking at Case Western Reserve. I was really impressed with OSU’s campus & academic facilities (we particularly focused on engineering).

We stopped by the honors college offices but it didn’t seem like they were all that organized or interested. They were also a little vague about getting housing in an honors dorm. Maybe we caught them on a bad day?

The general tour was a little overwhelming because the campus is huge, but they had a good video presentation and info session. D15 has a friend who decided to attend and absolutely loves it. I did not get the impression that there would be much merit money for OOS, but ultimately DS did not apply so I don’t know for sure.

Note about allergies - OSU’s “Buckeye” candy (which they give out on the tour and sell) is chocolate covered peanut butter. Delicious, but I mention it as a caution to those with severe peanut/nut allergies. I was glad that my nut allergic son was NOT on that tour!!

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Today D17 turned 18! My husband, S18 and I all went to her door this morning to wake her, sing happy birthday and give her a hug! S told us “Now I’m the last minor left in the house.” Sigh. We’re going to celebrate this weekend with a henna tattoo for her – she wants a dragon on the side of her face. Not what I would have picked, but she’s an adult now (barely…). Who knows, maybe it will be pretty cool. And it will only last a couple of weeks. I’m so happy that we have a HUGE surprise for her. This weekend one of her favorite comedian/satirists is playing near-by and we have tickets. She has no idea. We’re thinking up cover stories now for why we would be driving into the city this Saturday.

Next week she’ll do her first post-face-tattoo college visit – shocking!

@eandesmom and @Mom2aphysicsgeek, yes very good points! Definitely there is a kind of sliding relationship between school rep and grades. I think my Dad and H were lucky to graduate from high rep universities since neither was a stellar student! (I was in CS – similar employment prospects to engineering I think – and had excellent grades from a non-selctive school that no one here will have heard of unless they or a family member was in the military overseas.) But I would still say that once a graduate gets a job, their future will be pretty determined by their job performance and rep. Also, yes co-oping is great!

As far as the school in question, I had no idea they had a 5-year grad plan (with no co-oping). That seems very odd!

@jmek15, what did your D15 and you think of CWR? I think it’s too reachy for her, but D is keeping it on her list for now.

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Happy birthday to your D, @snoozn! I’m hoping D17 goes to school relatively close by as she doesn’t turn 18 until weeks after she starts college and I really want the whole family to be there for her birthday.

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S17 turns 18 in 2018 only, so long wait :slight_smile:

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Happy Birthday @snoozn !
My boys will turn 18 after they graduate high school.
They may have to take gap year if they want to drink (legally) before Senior yr in college. :slight_smile:

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Congrats to your D, @snoozn. Careful with that henna! Hopefully it’s the fake henna. My D had her hands henna’d at a birthday party once, and it didn’t last long (less than a week)…she was fine. I have heard of some bad reactions to real/black henna, and the face is so sensitive…