@Mom2girls, what about the ACT test prep book? I know every kid is different, but doing the practice tests the first few weeks of last summer helped D bump her ACT score up four points.
Hi @jcmom716 could you please talk about your experience at Muhlenberg and Dickinson and perhaps contrast them with Wooster?
@MACmiracle Exactly! Kids at older dd’s school talk about the color and interior of their new private jets. But even the “lower tier” families are constantly going on little trips, eating out, etc. We eat out on birthdays!
@GeorgiaMom50 I put the Metzer book on our Kindle and hoped dd would read it during Spring Break. Nope! Unfortunately, I had also put a neuroscience textbook on there. Guess which got read!
I got the PWN SAT math book months ago and I’m the only one to have read it.
I should prepare for the SAT and ACT myself, do well, and become a tutor to other people’s kids.
@GeorgiaMom50, I think that any resource that works is great. We tried the book over last summer. She would literally stare at it . She was NOT self-motivated. I wish she would have done any level of work with it prior to taking the school administered ACT, but she did not. I guess in a way, that ACT was really a raw baseline for her. It was a wake up call because she always does well in class work/tests. She has historically not done as well in standardized testing, but I think she was overestimating what her scores would be. The tutor has managed to engage her and push her (in the nicest way!) to study and prepare and take this seriously. We are happy with the 4 point jump and hopeful that she can move that number with the next test in June.
Good for you daughter in being able to do it on her own. A 4 point jump is amazing!!
@MACmiracle Now there’s a way to increase your income! 
Just as an FYI, I ran a lot of net price calculators yesterday, including those for some of the schools that show up a lot on the 2017 parent’s thread for this gpa group.
Now I’ve heard about Dennison being good for merit, but the result wasn’t good for us.
Dickinson was also very poor, which was a little depressing since I had run it before with estimates and it wasn’t as horrible. Muhlenberg was similar, I think. Neither give great merit and their aid formula doesn’t benefit us.
Now the good ones: Beloit, Lawrence.
Allegheny wasn’t too bad.
No one talks about Gettysburg and Sewanee much, but they were surprisingly good. But that’s because of aid not merit.
Macalester and Davidson were excellent for aid but they are reaches.
Susquehanna and Ursinus have neuroscience but I haven’t run them yet.
Now that I know our instate options and UAH, I’m getting higher in my expectations.
ETA: I forget the best one! Wooster! It’s soooo good. I hope it’s accurate!
@amom2girls, We were very pleased that D motivated herself to work the tests in the practice book. We would have gladly gotten her a tutor, but she knew that this would be the best method for her. It was extremely motivating to her to see that if she could increase by four points, that would qualify her for free on-campus housing as well as tuition at UAH. We were very shocked (and pleased) that her first re-take made that jump, especially because she didn’t seem that confident about how she did.
@GeorgiaMom50 , That is such an inspiring story!
Did your D wind up at UAH?
@MACmiracle, yes! In fact, D is (unlike me) a very decisive young lady. She zeroed in on Chemical Engineering early last spring (Junior year). We have only two schools in Georgia currently that have ABET-accredited ChE programs. She knows that she would shrivel up and die in the heart of Atlanta (not a city girl), so she refused to even tour Georgia Tech. UGA’s ChE program is very new, and it’s also a huge school, which was not what D wanted. We didn’t think looking out of state was an affordable option, because of our HOPE scholarship and in-state tuition. However, we found that UAH was a smaller school with a good reputation for engineering, with the added benefit of many job opportunities close by. And their merit scholarships are very generous! We toured Clemson, Mississippi State, and UAHuntsville. D chose UAH and did not even apply anywhere else.
Funny @MACmiracle For us, Muhlenberg came out better than Lawrence. Beloit, Juniata and Gustavus Adolphus (has neuro) come out the lowest for us (none of which are urban/warm). I haven’t looked at Wooster for some reason. I mean, I have, but I didn’t consider it an option, but I have no idea anymore why. The number of notes I would need to make to keep everything straight is astounding!
We have UAH on our list but it’s not particularly affordable. For some reason, I’ve kept it on the list. Dd used to be highly into rocketry, so it just seems neat, I suppose. I like the atmosphere of the school, as well.
I’m in a funk because I got my dd to drop the whole US college thing, but now I’m back-pedaling because now I’m kinda into some of these schools. Plus, I actually have a hard time imagining her cooking for herself (she eats a ton, is very thin, and doesn’t function well without loads of calories). Anyway, maybe the whole thing is moot since she is still going to attempt to become a pilot (hopefully we’ll know more by the end of summer).
I want S18 to look at UAH but he wants marching band so that leaves that out. It would be 12 hours from home but only 1 hour from his grandmother and a lot of extended family!
Good news for the day! S18 got his score back on a mock AP English test they took last weekend and he scored a 4. If he can do that for the real thing that will take care of 6 hours of English credit for the schools he’s looking at.
@TexasMom18 good luck to your son! My DD’16’s Common App essay was about trying out and not making it. It makes a great essay either way!
My D16 goes to Stockton. All I can say that they don’t have on the website is that they are spending money. New construction on the main campus and an additional campus being built in Atlantic City - a good location by the water
When we visited, we got a good feeling. Its worth a visit and some research
@JerseyParents , Thanks for the info.
Do you feel like there’s a lot of interaction with professors? Do they care about the students? That’s something that my D has really asked for.
Are there cozy hang out places to study? I didn’t see a library on our tour and the main campus building didn’t seem to have a lounge or study area. There seemed to be lots of places to hang out and talk but not quiet study areas.
What’s the plan for the AC campus?
Will it be a small satellite or something bigger and more comprehensive?
I was worried about Stockton moving to AC completely, but that won’t happen with all the building going on.
@chippedtoof Sure, will try! All three schools, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, and Wooster left a positive impression with both my son and I. Dickinson came across professional, prepared. The tour guide was nice, covered more than just the basics (including the history of Dickinson), and could answer everyone’s questions. We knew going in about 70% come from private high schools and the other prospective students in our group were. It was mentioned most students are overly involved in activities including fitness/sports. IMO Strong school with good study abroad opportunities.
Muhlenberg emphasized community in their info session. The tour guide again was nice. He gave a good description of the students, and a feel for the school. Students seemed to be engaged and friendly in the common areas. We knew theater was big, but several majors were discussed as strong with the guide himself being comp sci. My son being a math guy, clicked with him. We saw students dressed up, down, sporty, etc.
Wooster was visited during their Spring Visit day. Undergraduate research and Independent Study (not as scary as my son thought) were emphasized. It was interesting to hear from the student panel, came across honest and sincere. They were from different backgrounds including international and we saw the most diversity at Wooster. Good tour guide. Lunch you pretty much went on your own, but then a student came and found you and ate with you. It gave my quiet son time to ask one on one questions and tbh gave a much better feel for the school. Wooster started out ehh but ended coming up strong much to my son’s surprise. He has planned an individual tour before school is out.
Hope this helps! All three had some differences in students and what they emphasized, but our impressions were overall positive with strong offerings and happy students.
@amom2girls and @MACmiracle I apologize if I should not have posted on this particular page, as D’s GPA is above the 3.0-3.5 - I had not noticed that when I posted. (But D has worked very hard for her grades, overcoming the drawbacks of dyslexia and drawing on her strengths.)
We are also part of the “study books collecting dust club”. I wonder if I can sell them on ebay after we stop pretending they will get used?
The best thing that helped D18 with act prep was practice tests. And at least then if I set a timer he has to work on it for at least that long.
@TexasMom18, it was D22’s unused ACT prep book that D18 used! We actually ordered the latest version that she didn’t end up needing, so now we’re trying to find a friend who would be disciplined enough to use it!
@GeorgiaMom, I value everyone’s input. My daughter’s grades are above this range, but her ACT scores will have us looking at less elite scores. Plus, I feel a bit more at “home” with the schools and challenges being discussed here.