My S19 thinks that all campuses are “fine.” He saw Temple and Oberlin the same week and was like “sure, they’re both good.” He may be too laid back for his own good. He has no particular objections to goats or other mammals, urban blight, no opinions on dorms, green spaces (or lack thereof), eateries, etc.
@eh1234 Hey you win!! You can send your kid anywhere!!! Maybe just find something you personally like that you think will be a good fit for him, easy on your budget and that’s easy to get to. Done! Sign him up. Some kids are just more easy going. My son19 is pretty easy going, where my older son was a pain- too many trees, too quiet, too far, too close, didn’t like buildings etc. Son19 just rolls with it like yours. You are lucky!!
@rightcoaster I would totally do that, except he wants to be a music major and needs to audition at each school. He’s a little late to decide he wants to do this and is probably not a sure thing to get accepted which throws a fun wrench into the process for this otherwise easygoing kid. If he had a normal major, I think he would just apply to 3 or 4 safeties and low matches and be done.
Although I have not personally toured, UNC Greensboro has a great music program from what I’ve heard. I’m very close so if someone wanted me to do a drive by, I wouldn’t mind.
@TwinMom2023 I checked it out online and it does look like a good music program - just probably not the right fit for my kid based on his instrument. Too bad because the OOS tuition is low!
We are wrapping up our vacation today and D19 is readying for admissions interviews.
We (and yes, the pronoun is “we” and not “she”) are starting to sketch out a calendar of portfolio review dates for her schools. We are already running into conflicts. For example, one (in-state) school has a single February date for scholarship interviews for her major. This date is the same date as her high school’s regional theatre competition, AND the same date as the state theatre festival.
I am a bit surprised the school scheduled scholarship interviews for that specific weekend. D19 plans to email the college to ask how to proceed. I am confident there are others facing similar conflicts.
@orangefish That sounds like poor planning on the school’s part!
This weekend, I’m going to try (again) to get S19 to tell me what’s on his secret list of colleges so that we can see if it’s even feasible for him to audition at all of the schools without bending time and space.
^^ Let him know that you’ll need to run the numbers. If there are any on his list that are unaffordable, NOW is the time to pull them off!!
@bjkmom S19 knows what the budget is. He can apply to a couple of financial reaches (with the understanding that he would need significant merit aid to attend), but will have 6 or 7 clearly affordable schools on his list.
He doesn’t really have a “dream school” and he’s very easy going. He’s not going to throw a fit if he has to decline an acceptance for financial reasons.
@eh1234 I am envious that your son has a secret list. I honestly think D19 (aka Twin A) can’t deal. She’s afraid to delve into process fully. Hoping therapy helps, but we are down to the wire with visiting and creating sound list. I know it’ll work out, but I am losing patience.
We went our first college tour yesterday to the University of Rhode Island and to he liked it. Yay! It’s small for a state flagship at only about 15k students and easier to get into than most flagships with average test scores of 1190 SAT and 25 ACT according to the material they handed out. It’s a popular choice from our high school for kids who can’t get into UMass Amherst and it’s closer to home for us than UMass. Looking at our Naviance, he is swimming in a sea of green checks, so I’m feeling good about this.
It’s not in a city which he has been adamant about, but he seems willing to overlook that. Before we went he told me that he thought he wouldn’t like it. He had been looking at pictures and google maps and he thought it had too many trees. I don’t know what it is with this kid and trees but that’s why he’s ruled out the entire states of ME, NH, and VT for the college search. Its interesting that he said this was OK anyway. Now this school isn’t really in the trees but it is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. The beach isn’t far away and it seems that much of the off-campus housing consists of beach houses. Of course, this is New England so most of the year its just pretty to look at.
There are a lot of new buildings in the engineering and sciences and walked us through several buildings with new shiny labs. They also walked us through a new business building but said virtually nothing about other types of majors so I’m sure they are all in older less attractive facilities. I made sure he understood that - you won’t be in these buildings unless you develop a sudden love of chemistry. He said he understood.
One surprising thing for me is that all freshman are housed in triples except for those in the engineering LLC. Kid said he didn’t care. They even showed us a sample room set up with three beds - two were bunked and the third was lofted with dressers underneath. The room was about the size of the standard double at other schools so it will be very squished. I wish I had taken pictures. Now that I think about it I wonder if there were three desks and three closets. Many parents on the tour were concerned about the dorm situation. There were lots of questions after we saw the room. The tour guide seemed surprised by the questions insisting that triples were standard for freshman- when you’re a sophomore you can get a double. I guess if he doesn’t care, I’m OK with it.
So it seems like we have one definite he will apply to. He says he’s interested to see the urban schools to see how they are different. In another week we’ll head out to see those.
Just a quick update to say that I’m two for two in asking for Common App fee waivers from schools we have visited. Even if nobody said a word about it when you toured, it’s worth the email to inquire. Huzzah. The freebie college search continues! If only I could find a coupon for tuition…
Every private university we’ve visited offerred a free application either after the visit or via email. We have taken them up on their generosity and applied to 4 already. Every public university charged $40-$80 unless you already had a fee waiver through collegeboard or act. Personal requests went nowhere. We’re in TX.
We have gotten a few waivers from Publics for visiting or Open Houses - Pitt and College of Charleston.
Woo hoo I “think” S19 has a fee waiver for CofC - I was looking over his application which he started and saved per suggestion here, and I went to the end. It has a pre-filled “yes” and a code for a fee waiver, so I think that worked. Very excited!
I don’t really belong on this thread. My daughter has a 2.89 GPA, but it’s close enough I hope to post here.
She goes back and forth with gap year, college or no college.
She’s taking the Sept ACT. First try last October wasn’t great, 24. She’s aiming for 28.
Her list is crazy looking. She hasn’t decided a major. Interior Design, Art Management/Art History seems to be where she is leaning.
She got an Acceptance from Iowa State, which is a great morale boost! But, I don’t want her to attend given the financial state of Iowa.
The rest of the list:
Ohio University
Jefferson university- maybe
Seattle University
Evergreen University
Columbia College of Chicago
Kutztown university- our in state option
Goucher- maybe pending visit
McDaniel - maybe pending visit
Even though this is my 3rd child, this search is so different. She is not the strongest student had as ADHD and some LDs. Any advice is appreciated
@Longhaul, there’s no limits despite the title, so feel free to hang out here—this is the thread for the parents of class of 2019 students who aren’t hyper-high-stats College-Confidential-insanity types, or who simply want to avoid some of the CC insanity you find elsewhere.
And my D19 has an Iowa State acceptance in her back pocket, too—a wonderfully nice thing to have. Who knows, maybe they’ll both be going there a year from now…
Hi @longhaul! The folks here let me hang around too, even though my 3.0-3.4 student graduates in 2020. I do have an S19, not in this category…that’s how I found this thread. Everyone here is SO helpful.
I am going through the same thing with D20 - she has social anxiety and “borderline” ADHD (which IMO means the meds are too strong, and she drinks a cup of coffee in the morning, but really has trouble focusing). The three kids before her were decent GPAs and SATs and predictable, but she struggles. At any time it can all blow up. She won’t take accommodations either (stubborn as cat poop). 
I started an SAT class with her this summer so she could “focus” without school distractions (and she asked) and will give her plenty of time to retake both classes and tests. So far in the practice tests she boosted up to an 1100 which is amazing for her. We’ll see how it goes August 25. Her GPA went down this year (so much for the upward trend).
Writing this not to give any advice because you’re ahead of me in the process…just to say welcome, can relate, and share our story.
Welcome, @Longhaul – my D19 has ADHD too, which puts her on the lower end of the GPA range. She also plans on applying to Ohio and McDaniel. (She took Goucher off her list.)
@Longhaul I concur that this group has been so helpful. My D19 has stats slightly outside this range, however, with ADHD and testing for Asperger’s I know she needs a school that will fit her quirky needs.
Meredith College (Raleigh, NC) is not your typical women’s college in that the students aren’t political. In the old days it was the Mrs. degree school for NC State. Fast forward 50 years and it is a nice college for young women with very strong interior design.
University of Mary Washington might be worth a look
Lees McRae is a tiny school in Banner Elk, NC outside of Boone - heavy in theatre
Randolph Macon
Hollins in Virginia; Converse in Greenville, SC - both all women’s but not political - Converse has Art History and Interior Design.
Hope that helps.