I posted this in the “HS Class of 2018 - 3.0 to 3.4 GPA” thread but thought I’d repost here, as it may be of help to some people: have you considered universities in the United Kingdom?
These can be a good choice if:
GPA is not great but you have good SAT/ACT scores and good AP marks. (AP’s are important.)
you would be paying out of state fees in the US and don’t qualify for significant financial aid (in which case the UK can be cheaper, even though you are paying “international” rates. This is especially true for English universities where a bachelors degree takes three years. Scottish degrees are four years.
you know what you want to do. Courses in England tend to be much more focussed. Scottish courses are a bit more flexible although less so than in the US.
The UCAS - essentially the common AP in the UK - doesn’t even ask for GPA or a transcript. The universities there are much more interested in standardised test results and extra-curriculars are unimportant unless directly relevant to the course for which you are applying. The application process is also a lot more standardised as every university uses UCAS. A few may ask for extra information (including possibly GPA) and require interviews (e.g. Oxbridge) and certain courses such as medicine or law may require additional information or testing but for the majority of students, everything that is required to provided is in the UCAS. You can also look up entry requirements the course you are interested in at each university and if you meet them, then you stand a good chance of getting an offer.
My D18 with a GPA of around 3.1 good SAT and AP marks has ended up not even applying to US colleges. Her high school councilor felt taht given her poor GPA, she would get into relatively better universities in the UK and I think his advice was spot on. So far she’s been accepted at three places, rejected by one (which was a very far reach) and awaiting one decision.
This route certainly isn’t for everyone but it might be worth a thought for some.
^^Thanks so much for this, I’ve been very curious about universities in UK and Canada. Maybe not for my D19, but maybe for D21. Never too early to start looking into this. Has your daughter visited the schools? I’ve heard some Americans feel a bit of cultural rejection in the UK.
FWIW, my D19 is considering a handful of colleges in Canada for similar reasons.
In doing my first round of due diligence, I still can’t believe how good of a financial deal the Memorial University of Newfoundland and (to a lesser extent) Dalhousie University are—I guess they know they have an issue with their location, what with not being in Toronto or Montréal or Vancouver, and so they have to compete on other grounds.
We would be all over this ^ - Trinity in Dublin would be a lock for our D as she loves, loves, loves Ireland - but she remains so undecided that it would be a disservice to her (and the school) to send her to that kind of a school.
@Acersacherrun She hasn’t visited any of the universities yet but we have been to the UK several times (her cousins live there), so I think she has some feel for the place. We will be going to visit the universities in February. In addition, all of her schooling has been outside of the US (we’re expats) so in her case, wherever she goes will be a bit of an adjustment!
D got her Dec SAT back and 1080. I feel bad as she is clearly crushed and frustrated. She put a lot of time and prep into getting ready and just not getting the reward. Feel bad for her as she feels like many of her preferred schools are out of reach. Hard to understand the disconnect between her grades and test scores, seems like she should be scoring much higher.
@DCNatFan – you mentioned in an earlier post in this thread that your D did the mock ACT. For her SAT scores, was she stronger in one area than another? Perhaps it would make sense to try a full ACT practice test? You could download the free practice test online or use one of the practice tests in the test prep books.
I know for my D, math without a calculator is not her strong suit. So her SAT score is not as strong as her ACT.
If you look at the strengths/weaknesses in the SAT/PSAT areas, it may provide some clues for not only what to work on for the next test, but also if it might be worth trying the ACT.
@DCNatFan these scores are very close to my D19, and also spot on with her PSAT as well. She plans to try ACT in Feb (with some extra studying, I hope!). Then we will decide which test to focus on for an August or October test date.
Something I have been wondering is if she sticks with SAT, should she take it two more times focusing heavily on math for one sitting and reading for the next since the SAT is super scored at her target schools. Anyone else use this strategy?
Also, we are looking seriously at CTCL schools and I think she can still qualify for merit with her GPA.
@DCNatFan - echoing others: my D is stronger in English and her scores reflect that and she does better overall (by about 75 points on an SAT scale) when she takes the ACT. Give that a shot!
@DCNatFan Have you looked into private tutoring centers? My son took practice ACT and SAT tests at one (those were free). Then they go over the results with you in detail and come up with a tutoring strategy for the test the student is stronger in. We found it extremely helpful in that they were able to break down the test and come up with an individualized strategy. Just a few sessions with a tutor can be really helpful if you can afford it. Even just taking the tests for practice at the test center is good prep because it’s timed and in a formal setting.
Thanks for the advice. We have her working with a private tutor since September (2 hours/week). The tutor says she does great during the sessions and on the homework but she seems to just freeze up once test time comes along. She did a practice ACT last summer and did even worse so that was when we decided to go with the SAT. Maybe we should try another practice ACT to see how it goes now.
My son was also inconsistent in his results. He would do well then blow it. He seemed to have anxiety surrounding the test so taking the test often helped. We ended up focusing on the SAT and having him take it repeatedly at the center. Sounds like you’re on the right track though.
We made it to winter break (WOOHOO!) and D19 is sleeping in for the first full weekday of break. She has been talking about This Very Day for over a month.
Since she has two weeks off, she plans to polish up her portfolio as well as get ahead on her US History assignment. She also plans to do some research for the spring musical. She hopes to be a designer again, and her theatre teacher knows of her interest, so she wants to impress straight out of the box. Applications for designers for the spring musical are due January 2.
I hope everyone has a relaxing and peaceful winter break, and best wishes to all those wrapping up schoolwork!
Took advantage of our school district’s winter break and drove to visit a nearby CTCL school (McDaniel College).
We did not do an official tour as the college is closed, but we did the “can we sneak a peek inside?” inside at the college’s theatre and were able to look around. (This is usually a cue for D19 to say something like “There goes Mom again!” but I figure the worst thing that can happen is someone says no.)
Noticed many of the dorms do not have air conditioning and saw several door rooms with windows slightly open (hot air rises, etc.) so some of the dorms definitely show their age.
The campus is small/compact so it is easy to get around.
Lots of construction underway towards the gymnasium end of campus.
D19 met with the college representative at her high school already, so she has a good understanding of the benefits of this CTCL school.
Not sure if this is a fit for D as she seems to prefer urban or suburban-with-something-to-do-in-town schools. Winchester is a historic town and the downtown is quite quaint, though. Just not sure it is a fit.
Hi Everybody, I am a newcomer. My D17 situation is quite different. We are new immigrant family to US and she is now studying IBDP oversea, as it is difficult to transfer in the middle of junior. Also, I am not familiar with the college application process, so she only registered for SAT in May and ACT in April for her first attempt. As she is in IBDP system, I actually do not know her GPA for reference. She is outgoing with lots of not important EC, like director of school drama production, Mini UN, part-time job and volunteering oversea. However, she is just an average student that I guess she can achieve less than 25 in ACT and around 1100 in SAT. With limited financial resource, I hope she can study in University of Washington because of instate tuition. Her preference is study in social science or something about theater. In fact, I am really worry about her college application as we are so late for preparing. She might need to postpone her freshmen till 2020.
You are not too late in preparing, @ashmomhk you just happen to be on a website with a bunch of people who over-prepare. Your daughter is doing the most important thing - focusing on her schoolwork and on activities that she loves. And she may surprise you on test scores, you never know. Don’t assume that her scores will be low until you get the reports back.
And honestly, a lot of kids in theater want to act, but schools love to see kids who are interested in and show talent in behind-the-scenes roles. My kid’s theater magnet program would love to have more kids interested in directing.
To help your kid get better scores if she is motivated that way, look for books with practice tests for the SAT and ACT, if you want to spend a little money. They aren’t dirt cheap but they are not too expensive. If your daughter is comfortable with online resources, have her look at Khan Academy. Some kids do very well with Khan as test prep, but some (like my son) show no difference whatsoever. Still, it’s free and it is a good place to start.
Ninakatarina, really thanks for your promptly support. I think I made a mistake that my D should be graduate HS in 2019, so she is D19. Actually, we do not know anything about college application in US, I only understand we can only afford her college instate. We do not have any counselor in HS that familiar with the choice of US college. Without studying HS in WA, I wonder her application in UW will be counted as OOS, that mean the admission rate will be dropped down to 49%.
Actually, with the heavy loading of IB program (CAS, EE, IA) and work late till midnight everyday, she needs to drop some of her EC too. I wonder she will have time to do all the ACT and SAT prep. She is also got anxiety about exam (IBDP) and college path. Maybe, I am an anxiety mom too.
The rules for in-state tuition vary, some are more restrictive than others. But if you’ve been living there for a while
Don’t assume that the only affordable option is in-state, if she is getting good IB scores. There are a number of fine institutions that give merit aid, and there are a number of ‘needs met’ colleges.
Don’t make her drop an EC that she enjoys doing and she is good at. If she is doing an EC just because she thinks it will increase her college odds then she should drop it. College admissions officers can tell that sort of thing.
Thanks ninakatrina, I have checked for the instate rules for both California, Oregan and Washington (west coast). California needs two years of residency while others two states just need one year. As we are immigration family with limited financial resource, it is practical for us to land in either Oregan or Washington for getting residency ASAP. Likely, U of Washington has higher ranking than that of Oregan, even UW admission rate is just 49%. Therefore, we start our new life in Washington and hope to fulfill instate rules by 2019 full as my D19’s freshmen. BTW, my D19 does not prepare for studying in US college till junior year, we are totally lost in the process of college application. In fact, what is college admissions officers looking for the applicants? In our hometown, the academic results of college entrance exam is the only factor determine the students’ success rate of college application!
Even if you get instate tuition at UW, it is still very expensive and it is not a ‘meets full need’ school. You really might be better getting established in a state with either cheaper tuition or better aid. Nebraska gives quite a boost to IB kids, and it is inexpensive anyway. NM, SD, and many of the southern states are really better for instate.
There are private schools that will be a better financial deal than some public for a low income family.
She has been talking about This Very Day for over a month.