@DCNatFan Congrats!! I look forward to CoC review as that is back on list for my nephew. I’ve added a tour of Ursinus thanks to this board. It has potential for one of my twins. So grateful for all of the feedback. We’re headed to Dickinson (2nd tour), Hobart & William Smith, Ithaca College drive by, Ursinus, and whatever else comes up. This will be Aug. 3-7 if anyone has suggestions. She’s all about environment science, smaller school, quirky kid, ACT 30, GPA 3.71.
@TwinMom2023 - small, quirky, environment science… what about Skidmore? I’ve also heard great things about St. Michael’s in Vermont in Drew University in NJ.
@eb23282 Skidmore keeps popping up on our radar, but I’m concerned about the science building they are still trying to build. I think it would be a distraction. Only just discovered St. Michael’s, but it does look great and any intel would be helpful. I will look at Drew. I’ve never heard of it. Thank you!!
Eckerd College if not too far away for small, environmental science, quirky, etc.
@ECmotherx2 She doesn’t want to go south of where we live (near Elon University). 
@TwinMom2023 - I honestly don’t know much about St. Michael’s but have met a few young adults who attended and loved it. They were quirky 
As for Drew, I know they have some really cool dual-degree programs like Bachelor of Arts & Master of Environmental Management with Duke. Plus it’s a really beautiful wooded campus (Nickname: University in the Forest).
Environmental Science is one of Allegheny’s marquis programs. It’s a small school although I don’t know if you would call it quirky. The BHQ (blue hair quotient) there was noticeable but not dominant, I would say.
@twinmom2023 Do tell how you like Ursinus, etc!
@TwinMom2023 seconding Allegheny. Such a nice school, loved every person (faculty, student, administrator) that we met, just all very friendly, very warm and sincere. Gave awesome merit aid. My daughter was really close to committing, but ultimately the size and distance from home pushed it to second place.
We toured Flagler College in St Augustine today . Very, very impressed. Well planned and executed Sneak Peak. Great school has quickly jumped up to number 2 on his list, close behind CofC. We had a really good day. The arts building is having some construction , but they were very accommodating and gave us and another family a private tour of the facility. Very impressive student ambassador. Very accommodating faculty . Can’t say enough good things about it.
Long day and exhausted so this will be short. Two tours that are 2 hours apart makes for a long day. D19 is very cranky right now so I am in lobby of hotel with glass of wine while she is in room showering.
Toured South Carolina this morning. Campus is beautiful but D19 declared it too large and called the surrounding area “seedy”. I also loved the campus and we had a great tour and guide (no dorm rooms). Likely off the list.
Immediately jumped in the car for the roughly 2 hour drive to Furman. Again beautiful campus and very large for only 3000 students. She did not like the requirement of having to live on campus all 4 years. Also claimed it was too small and really nothing within walking distance. I knew this was a long shot but figured we were in the area so we took a look. Greenville is only 15 minutes away but she said it was too far.
We are staying in downtown Greenville and I absolutely love it here. Great lively scene on a Friday night. Would love to come back for a longer visit.
Off to Clemson tomorrow morning. We were maybe going to self tour Wofford but I think that is now out.
Does anyone know where can you find early acceptance rates for various colleges? Conversation with D19 last night revealed she really likes one school, and while I think we need to keep looking, she’s mentally done with it.
Google the common data set for each school. The early acceptance rate is there.
@eb23282 google Name of college and “collegedata” then click on the “admissions” tab. It will all be there.
Thank you!
We have finished our college tours. We have visited every college that DS19 wants to apply to at least once. All but one are instate, so we may make some follow-up visits to further clarify. Applications open Aug 1 so he will begin the application process then. No ED, but EA whenever possible . The goal is all applications done before Thanksgiving.
Great goal, @carolinamom2boys!
D19 is still working on the Common App essay, and she has two other writing pieces to do (a 2-page artistic statement and a 1000 word Why This University essay). She has two admissions interviews next month.
She needs to wrap up her writing and submit her applications so we can start scheduling on-campus interviews/portfolio reviews for at least 8 schools. (Hoping some early acceptances might push some schools off the list.)
Thankfully her portfolio pieces are in good shape. This summer’s arts program has helped tremendously.
Right there with you @carolinamom2boys . Visits are finished. S19’s top choice (our state flagship and its various branches) is rolling admissions with self-reported grades and no teacher recommendations. The goal is to submit ASAP after the app opens on August 1.
The rest are Common App with EAs due by November 1. The goal is to have those submitted by the EA deadline.
Now, if only the future English/writing major would write that essay…
S19 finally added something to “Colleges I’m Thinking About” on Naviance. I had to open the page on the laptop and physically put it in front of him, but at least he did it. So far, he added Oberlin and Peabody as reaches (even though he has never once mentioned Peabody), Temple, Maryland, Delaware and JMU. He’ll need to pick 2 to 3 more, but it’s a start. Probably GMU, another OOS public, and a less competitive private. He’s done nothing about applications so I’m gearing up to start nagging on August 1.
We haven’t visited Delaware or JMU yet, but they are both close enough that we may just wait until the fall, or see if they offer visits the week of August 20. (Senior year starts on 8/28). I’d like him to attend some music school open houses in the fall, but no dates are posted yet so that’s up in the air.
I think he’ll want to get most applications in by November 1 to secure merit aid consideration, but most schools don’t seem to have EA for music students. His auditions will likely be between mid-January and early March, so he’ll probably be waiting around until at least March for results.
We will be STARTING college tours soon. We have five scheduled for August, with the first one on August 10. Its so different with this kid.