@GeorgiaMom50 , My D’s grades are higher, too, but she has not taken the most rigorous courses nor does she have super high SATs. I do not fit in well with the regular parents group because we are clearly not in that league but so love reading about those kids, too. And we also don’t want a very stressful environment for her.
D just clearly told me she doesn’t want to go to a school where everyone smarter than her. These things help make decisions.
UAH prices are low for anyone and it doesn’t seem like a huge reach to get one of their automatic scholarships.
Thank you @jcmom716 that helped us fill in the picture for these schools a bit more. We painstakingly reduced our list of 25 down to 18, but are striving for around 12-14. At this point, we grouped into reach/target/“safety”, but within each group, the differences in academics and feel appear more subtle. We have Dickinson, Denison, Muhlenberg, and Wooster, and they seem quite similar. It does seem that “vibe diversity” becomes stronger as we go from Dickinson to Wooster, but that is merely based on what I gathered through online research, vs having visited. Some of the college guides hint that academics also trend similarly amongst the 4, but I’m sure it is not true for all majors/study areas. I think they are in the same tier overall.
I think S18 would like Wooster’s vibe better but may prefer Dickinson’s academics. He’s saying that English/History/Poli Sci is his broad target; I can’t recall how I reached this opinion, but I keep thinking that Dickinson is good for those, even though the others seem as solid.
Merit aid seems less prevalent at Dickinson vs the other three, but when given the amount seems comparable to Muhlenberg, with Denison and Wooster being slightly more generous (all of this is based on online stats and CC results lists). I don’t know if we can qualify for these with our gpa, but unfortunately they are the only aid we have in play.
The reputation for Dickinson/Denison as having a heavier party culture appears to be changing, but it is something to keep an eye on for us, as S18 is not much of a partier (but enjoys social activities so it would be best if he had a few options that didn’t involve drinking). I’m guessing that if ~50-60% of the students aren’t partying on a given weekend, it’s good enough? I don’t know how to judge this one, especially since most schools have drinking.
Re: academic ratings for Dickinson/Denison/Muhlenberg/Wooster, I miswrote in my post above. The college guides tend to rate Dickinson highest amongst the four and then it trends down as listed, but the differences do not appear to be large.
@chippedtoof Definitely agree! My son is similar. He understands drinking is everywhere, but wants other on campus activities. He would enjoy playing video games on a Saturday night rather than being social at a frat house…just his personality. It’s hard to know which schools fit better based on website and tours. FYI he did visit Denison. And while he liked the interviewer, he just didn’t feel it during the tour, maybe it was the hill. The town is cute though! What others are on your list and any first impressions?
It’s interesting to hear other’s comments on NPC’s. We’ve found they vary depending on if the schools ask for test scores/GPA/equity/etc. We started running some over a year ago, and a few have changed. I do know Wooster will send a personalized estimate for seniors. And Muhlenberg uses “preferential packaging”. Dickinson seems to have a set $15k or $20k merit, and others have set amounts. Between looking for merit and finding their “tribe”, it’s no wonder the list starts large!!
Good luck to everyone with AP testing! My son has two on Tuesday and one on Thursday this week. Unfortunately he’s had to work Friday, Saturday 11 hours, and today. Plus he has a lab and take home test the Physics teacher just assigned on Friday…say what!!!
@chippedtoof I don’t see much talk about Gettysburg. It’s close to Dickinson. It gave us a much better NPC result than Dickinson, Muhlenberg, and Denison, but not as good as Wooster. It seems solid academically.
I don’t post much about my S17. But I could use positive vibes as he commits to a school. It won’t be a school that he’s absolutely thrilled about. It will be based upon finances. I have been experiencing tons of anxiety over this; I look forward to the end of today.
Morning! Just wanted to share about our visit to Goucher this past Friday. My dd has moved this one to the top of the list alongside (if not slightly above) Juniata. There was a new president brought in not all that long ago and he is making a fair number of changes. The curriculum is being modified - it seems more in line with the other LACs that we visited, with certain core requirements that can be covered by a variety of courses. Also, there is a lot of new construction going on. They are moving some buildings, adding a new main cafeteria (will be demolishing the old). A new freshman dorm just opened this year, I believe. It is a gorgeous wooded campus with a wide variety of students - yes, we did see many with different colored hair - but it was a more diverse group then we had seen so far at the other LACs. They do have a highly rated dance program, and a decent theater program as well so we expected more of an artsy, liberal vibe. My daughter felt she would fit well with the students there, and it has the smaller classes she is looking for, but the big bonus for her is that it is right next to a very urban area (Towson), which seems rare given the small selection of LACs we’ve visited so far. You’d never know it really on the campus as it is so wooded and large, but there is easy access to Towson, Baltimore and even DC.
@lisabees, there are pros and cons of every school; there is no perfect, and what you pay for is not necessarily what you get. This decision should always be based on finances, IMHO. Hope he thrives wherever he goes!
@lisabees I don’t see too many kids around this board who are 100% thrilled with their choices. Seems like the majority end up having to compromise in some way. I highly doubt my dd will find a school that she will be happy about in every way. Part of growing up is learning to compromise. The earlier the better.
My own experience with going to a school that was below my intellectual capacity (due to a dismal HS GPA; I made it to graduation by the skin of the teeth), was actually a fairly happy one, though I dropped out for other reasons. Despite my HS GPA, I tested out of most core classes and was happily delving into 300-level courses as a freshman. Perhaps I was naive (I definitely was), but I didn’t find the classes any less challenging than at any other college. The only annoying thing was that when word got out in my dorm I was barraged with requests for help on English 100 essays (yes, most of the girls in my dorm were doing English 100, not even 101!). That died down fairly quickly, though. I got published in the school literary magazine, got tons of one-on-one help with my Italian (I moved to Italy during Christmas break of sophomore year), and could have had a great education if I had chosen to stay.
@AnxietyMom Agree with everything you said about Goucher. Just visited in the last few weeks! We, however, didn’t see the dance studios. We should have!
@MACmiracle they do have a nice library with a holocaust museum/research center above My daughter studies in the library. It is a cozy place I encourage more research into Stockton. They are not moving everything to Atlantic City.
@JerseyParents , Just over the weekend I talked to a woman who went to Stockton years ago. She said that if she didn’t do well in a test or assignment, her professors at Stockton would come to her to make sure everything was okay, if she didn’t understand something, etc.
My husband met someone recently with an adult child with mild special needs who discovered a passion at Stockton and after graduation gives presentations on the topic to teach others about it.
@lisabees Re-reading my reply, I’m not super-pleased with how I sound. I didn’t mean to say “just get over it,” just so you know. I’m on my tablet today, so typing is a chore.
Goucher intrigues me but I keep crossing it off the list.
@lisabees hugs. I know the anxiety and stress well. I hope now that the decision is made, everyone can go “all in” and embrace the choice, whatever it is! And what ever it is, it will be wonderful.
@lisabees ah that sucks. I am sorry about that. Waitlists are brutal. Do you know the stats to see if there are decent (or not) odds? If it makes you feel any better, my S17 had a meltdown last night freaking out about maintaining gpa next year for his scholarship (which was really due to melting down over the 2 AP tests this week plus the related insane homework and 2 very busy EC’s and a job!).
Delurking–been reading the threads on and off for the past year gathering info for S18. I’m here because he is eligible for Tuition Exchange through a parent’s employer, and many of the TE schools he’s interested in come up here but not on the regular Class of 20xx threads.
Currently looking for more info on Xavier in Cincinnati, which we visited last year and really liked. We are not Catholic but are church-goers and S liked the emphasis on community service and the “whole person.” He also liked the contained campus in an urban setting, no frats, and the medium size. We are all impressed by the general friendliness of everyone, including the current students, other prospective students, and their parents.
I read the comment from @go2mom about prevalence of hungover students they saw during their visit during March Madness–@go2mom could you speak to that a bit more? We have a family history of alcoholism and S is hoping to find a school where drinking doesn’t dominate the social scene. He’s not looking for a Liberty/Wheaton environment, but from our research we had understood that Xavier has a low-key party scene and fairly strict guidelines on drinking in the dorms, both of which appeal to him. He knows he will encounter alcohol in college and in life and isn’t afraid of it–he just has a different perspective on drinking as entertainment based on his experiences.
Anyway, would love to hear from anyone with knowledge on the social culture at Xavier or any other thoughts on the school. Of course I realize YMMV on any given visit, just looking for further data points. Thanks!
I’m on my tablet today, so typing is a chore.