@ninakatarina - her school does have Naviance and I will definitely look around on there as you suggested. Thank you for checking on some of the art schools for me - it’s great to hear that none of them require four years of math!
@eandesmom - you are very right that we need to check specific schools for both application requirements and graduation requirements. She might get admitted somewhere and then if she had to take a college level math class struggle to pass it. The ACT split was pretty dramatic with 35/35 for reading comp/English and 23/24 for math/science. She will be an art related major but that kind of lop sided score might raise some eyebrows, I don’t know.
@eh1234 - great to hear in your daughter’s case a split between scores didn’t make a difference! D19 had a wider gap, so who knows how it will impact her. When all is said and done with applications and acceptances I’ll report back so if other parents have kids in a similar situation they can see how it worked out for us. Tell your son to hang in there with everything, that sounds like a crazy amount of work.
@Sconnie810 - adding my welcome! I only joined CC to post in this forum and have been so glad to have found it. Similar to your D19, my daughter goes to a school full of high achievers and she feels overwhelmed sometimes. So do I, to be honest, hearing about all the AP’s, EC’s, perfect standardized test scores,etc,etc. In fact, she told me today one friend has decided to go to MIT straight out of junior year!! I mean, awesome, but just wow. It’s so nice to find camaraderie here with other parents who have great, smart kids that don’t have “superstar” stats.
Welcome @Sconnie810 , I come here for valuable information, hope and reassurance and find it every time! Your daughter’s stats will open many great doors for her.
Well, Prom is now past, so hopefully we can focus on the last gasp of junior year and keep those grades up! (I think my D’s senioritis came early) She is showing signs of stress with the college search since the fun part of imagining her future has given way to the hard work of achieving it. I am laying low by creating a list of “backup” options that I can pull out when she is more amenable to talking about it. I am however, finding that a search for “safeties” in this stats range is turning up schools she can not get excited about.
@golden3 I really don’t think you will have an issue at all as long as you check both application and graduation requirements. 23/24 are fine scores. Yes, it seems like a crazy gap but those are middle 50 scores for many many schools. My S17 was a 24 math/science score kid and went 7/7 for acceptances as a Environmental Studies Major. Now, to be fair, he has changed to environmental studies as while he “can” do the science and math it is not as interesting to him as the policies and planning that goes along with it.
Unlike your D he did not have a 35 in anything to offset! He did take higher level courses so rigor probably helped a tad, so it’s not an exact comparison but I really do think as long as you do your school specific homework, she will be fine.
@golden3 my son is finishing up his freshman year in college. I still lurk as I have a freshman in HS still - thankfully she doesn’t give me the stress of my son! LOL His GPA was somewhere in the 2.7-2.9 range, no honors or APs.
Technically he had 3 years of college prep math and science - senior year he took 2 science courses that were electives (Geology and Astronomy) because there was no way Physics was happening! Pretty sure he finished with a D in Astronomy, luckily that was the 2nd 1/2 of senior year. For math, he took “discrete math” because, like your daughter, I couldn’t stand the thought of a senior year with pre-calc!!! He was accepted to all 9 schools he applied to - 3 NJ state schools, 3 PA state schools and 3 private LACs.
Question: when can we expect to final result tally for Class of 2018 3.0 to 3.4? The 2017 one was the most helpful post on this board. I keep playing around with different LACs in the Midwest: should we look at Beloit? Muhlenberg? Denison? Ursinus? and mostly the question comes down to how much will they help a high SAT “B” student with merit aid? Some schools are very generous even with B students who seem promising and others give nothing. If I know merit aid is not even in the picture for a kid like mine, I can just mark some of these places off the list.
We are off to visit Knox on Monday and St. Olaf on Tuesday. I really like them both on paper so fingers crossed.
@fwtxmom I don’t know that you will see a 2018 recap. I compiled the 2017 one, and truth be told it was a bear to keep up with. I may do one for this thread if folks want as it was truly helpful to so many.
I can tell you that Ursinus rewards high test scores. ACT of 27+ or SAT of 1220+ = $30K gateway scholarship. But, COA is $64,800 so you are still looking at a net cost of $34,800.
The others you mention are known for giving merit to B kids, how much will vary though. Beloit is arguably the least expensive/most generous on that list, at least by reputation. Allegheny, which you didn’t mention, is very generous as well and has a lower starting price tag than some, as does Beloit I think.
S is already outlining his essay @eandesmom! He is the king of procrastinators so I’m starting 6 months out to aim for EA everywhere.
We have already visited Allegheny and S really loved it there. I can definitely see that one working out if the numbers are right. We visited Wooster too and I loved it. S came away liking what he heard and saw except that he found the senior research project to be totally overwhelming. For a kid who struggles with executive function and task initiation, the Wooster IS sounds like climbing Everest. I am going to push for it to stay on the list but we’ll see.
We are looking for a magic combination of CS major and theater minor. Many of the LACs actually have a separate scholarship for theater by audition in addition to merit awards, even for minors. S is a musical theater guy so I’m not sure his acting would be good enough to be a serious contender but it’s worth a try.
Thank you to @microbial40 for suggesting we check out Earlham College for my S19 who wants to do CS (and math and physics …). We toured there yesterday and while I thought it was “fine” (I admit, I kind of fell in love with Beloit and am still feeling a little jealous-girlfriend about other colleges, LOL), S19 LOVED it. He said it has popped to the top of his list, though he still wants to do return visits to the other three top contenders (Beloit, Kalamazoo, and Wooster) and dig deeper into them.
I had made a special request with Admissions for him to visit with a CS professor one-on-one, which was very helpful, so we’ll definitely be doing that at the other three schools over the next several months. We also met informally with a math professor who saw us exploring the math/CS/physics space (the three departments are intermixed on the same floor, which was a nice concept) and came out of his office to say hello. He took my son on a quick tour of the building – “If you think this study space looks cool, wait until you see upstairs!” (There’s a nice glass-enclosed lounge with a modern feel, which my son was quite excited about.) – and chatted about his (now-grown) kids college searches.
We had our son meet with the CS prof alone while my husband and I hung out in the lounge area. I couldn’t catch everything they talked about (can you believe my husband wanted to explore rather than eavesdrop?? ;)), but it was fascinating to hear my introverted son talk the prof’s ear off and ask a million questions. I have no idea what the guy made of him, LOL, especially since he clearly went well over his allotted time slot (there was a student waiting in the lounge, who had an appointment that was being overrun) but he was very nice about it.
The other interesting thing was seeing my son start to narrow down what he’s looking for in a school. Earlham is the smallest of the four LACs he’s interested in (only about 1000 students), but he said that didn’t bother him at all – “I’m not like you and (D13), mom; I don’t care about having a huge social circle. If I make 2 or 3 good friends in college, I’ll be happy.” – and he said that all else being equal, he’d prefer a larger CS department to a smaller one (Beloit’s is pretty small). So there we have it; top of the list at the moment!
Next item on the college to-do list: Try to visit Kalamazoo again at the end of May (they go later into the summer, so they’ll still be in class) in hopes of arranging a similar experience for a direct comparison.
I’m so happy to hear your son enjoyed Earlham, @kab2kab. Funny thing: my wife (also an EC alum) and I drove down from Chicago and were in the Earlham sciences building Friday afternoon for a former biology professor’s retirement ceremony. It was a wonderful event. He is a gifted and inspiring teacher, and one of the main reasons we are both scientists today.
I wonder if we were in the building at the same time? Enjoy the revisits to Beloit, Kzoo, and Wooster.
@microbial40 – Was it on the first floor, across from the stairs? We left around 4pm and they had set up a reception of some type. My husband, who is a college prof himself, said, “Last day of class … could be a retirement party.” Too funny if he was right!
D19 is in the midst of Show Week, which means she gets to school extra early to get theatre stuff done before school starts, and then stays after school (and into the night) for dress rehearsals and final tech things. Performances start today and end on Saturday night, with strike (put everything away) on Sunday. AP Exams start on Monday. (!!)
I added up the number of hours she spent at theatre/doing theatre stuff (making props, for example) for the last three weeks (including this one) and averaged them. The average is 51 hours/week. This is of course balanced out when they are “just” rehearsing from 3 - 6 pm 4 nights a week and have tech from 12 Noon - 6 pm on Saturdays.
For those that have wildly varying hours for ECs, how did/will you list “hours per week” for these ECs?
I have a question, hope someone will help. In searching college, some show “rolling”, when is the appropriate time to submit the application. Also, if it also shows the result of “SAT” and “ACT” not later than 1 July, is it means only the stats of Junior will be considered? My D will have next ACT in July, can the result be used for applying college of rolling base? Any commitment for the “rolling” college offer before consolidate other college applications?
During tech week my son works similar hours. I just put down 20 hours per week for the acting and 10 hours a week for tech, since kiddo tends to do it all sometimes. This go-round he is designing the posters, flyers and T-shirt, painting sets, and helping with props.
@ashmomhk typically rolling will show an “open” date and sometimes a “close” date.
So for example S has a college where application open on 8/1, rolling admissions. Given what we know about that school he should hear in a couple of weeks.
As for your SAT/ACT question, I might check with the college. I have never heard of a college who didn’t take Senior year test scores. That sounds very oddly worded, does it state a year or just “not later” than 1 July?.
My guess is that they mean they will consider test scores all the way through the June test of senior year. However those would not be for admission, you’ll need scores with an application. Some kids send better scores later to try and up merit offers. I’d email the school. In my experience most schools are excellent about responding to questions.
Also, some schools accept self-reported test scores upon application, and only if you commit to that school do you have to pay $$ to send the official scores (Dickinson does this).
Thanks @eandesmom and @Gatormama, my D19 stats is at low tier as she has not prepare for it. I hope she can do do some prep after school end in June. The above mentioned college is Seattle University. I will send an email for inquiry. BTW, if it offers 2019 freshmen for my D, how long will be the period for deposit/registration in general? In my hometown, the offers will be closed after two weeks to one month, if you don’t pay the deposit, for securing your freshmen offer. Therefore, I might need to plan when to do my D rolling application. Sorry for not familiar with the rule of game 8-|
Seattle University isn’t rolling. We just toured there a few weeks ago and my cousin’s D just enrolled!
The Common Application opens on 8/1.
Seattle U has Early Action with a deadline of 11/15 and then Regular Decision which is a deadline of 1/15.
Where are you seeing the July 1 test info? This is what I see on the site
Test scores must be received from first-time freshman applicants no later than November 15 for those applying for early action and no later than January 15 for those applying for regular admission consideration. If she is taking the July test, she is fine. And if you aren’t happy with scores she has plenty of time to retake but I am not sure how long she is here for the summer. Or is she taking it elsewhere?
So, she can apply in November and find out in December. Or apply by January 1 2019 and find out by March 1st. In both cases she does not have to pay a deposit until 5/1. Housing is guaranteed but I haven’t looked to see if “choice” of housing is based on when you deposit.
This is of course balanced out when they are “just” rehearsing from 3 - 6 pm 4 nights a week and have tech from 12 Noon - 6 pm on Saturdays.