Thanks! The term just closed and guidance is working on sending the new grades now. I am trying to find when they are due at the RD colleges but not seeing it.
Most colleges say mid Feb but will understand if your semester ends later/grades are posted later. Just make sure you notify the colleges if that is the case.
Now that acceptances are coming in, it will be time to select soon. As for selecting the best/most appropriate college, do any of you call the college to speak with someone to get an idea of the courses and the lineup of what your classes would consist of for the first year or two? Do they talk and give this guidance to the accepted (non enrolled) kids? Who does one call?
I know about looking at the web site to see the distribution requirements, and the major requirements. I guess freshman seminars, AP credits affect the lineup.
I think it would help to know the lineup as one way to compare colleges so we can better compare apples to apples.
At least for my DD, each school has a proposed four year plan available and she can see what each semester will generally look like.
Yup, my ddâs schools also have the suggest lineup of courses listed on their websites, as well as which courses can be covered by an AP class. For my daughter the two she is deciding between are pretty similar in the courses for her major and the AP classes theyâll accpet. One has a foreign language requirement for the gen ed requirements and one does not. A school she has decided against has a life science requirement so she would have had to take bio. While we wouldnât have rejected the school on that alone, it was definitely a check mark in the âconâ column!
Where do you find the suggested lineup?
@mtemmd I just Googled school name-major-curriculum. You can also go to the major page and curriculum is usually in a sidebar menu somewhere.
Thanks!
@silverpurple Yes, definitely! I wouldnât wait for acceptances to start inquiring if your S/D hasnât done so as part of the initial research. A few of my older kidsâ friends had a terrible time in college trying to fit in all of the core requirements, and many are shut out of required classes due to overenrollment. Most walked in blind to that, and missed out on the opportunity to study abroad or to have a double major.
These stories factored into my S20âs initial search parameters. Schools with lots of core requirements, and those that didnât allow for AP credit, were crossed off the list. Likewise, universities that were over-enrolled in specific majors.
Another place to find out more is Facebook Parent Group pages. They will sometimes let a parent in whose student has not enrolled. Since these tend to be full of complaints, you can learn a lot about a college you wouldnât hear about on a tour or at an Admitted Students Day.
Same here. DS wants to major in computer science which is often over-enrolled. We added priority registration as one of the major pluses or even a necessary requirement at some of the schools.
Agree with looking up core/curriculum requirements at a school BEFORE deciding to attend. I teach at a college that has a lot of core/curriculum requirements. Iâm always surprised that incoming freshmen didnât bother to research the curriculum in advance. When we sit down to help plan their classes during orientation, so many are dismayed when they see the large number of requirements. I honestly donât know why students donât include this in their research.
When we were researching schools for D20âs list, I always made sure she looked up the core requirements for any prospective college. In one case, a college (Jesuit) fell to the bottom of her list when she realized how many core requirements she would need to fulfill outside of her major. When we visited that college last spring she was sure to ask some current students about flexibility and course offerings. The students were clear that in order to double major or study abroad, VERY careful planning was needed starting freshman year. If students waited until sophomore year to plan, it was usually too late. That was a big turnoff for both of us.
Totally agree. Both my kids liked Fordham until we started digging into the core and speaking with current students. Itâs not very flexible and for kids with a strong high school background, some of these courses are unnecessary. by the way itâs not the theology courses that are a problem, as those are actually different and interesting, itâs the rest of the stuff thatâs not very flexible that turn them off to Fordham.
Heh. You read my mind! Fordham was the unnamed university I mentioned that fell to the bottom of her list.
DS is in at UMD Honors. Heâs also in @ Yale. He only applied to these 2 schools (technically 3, but withdrew his Carnegie Mellon app). Weâd be thrilled with either school for him.
Congrats SoccaMomma! What wonderful choices. My S20 is in at UMD Honors as well. Amazing that your DS only applied to two schools and did so well.
Isenberg or Econ at U Massachusetts. 100 percent.
Overall 64 usnwr. 24 ranked flagship. Huge momentum academically. Top 10 CS school classes available. Brand new integrated business school facility. State of the art trading floor. Options to take classes in the consortium if you like.
Number one in usnwr food service and options. Brand new student center thatâs going to be unreal. Diverse student body. Terrific college town. Top ranked ice hockey. Honors housing thatâs superb if thatâs an option. Nice student body with a wide socioeconomic mix. Itâs fun too.
Did our housing deposit for FSU. Still not sure thatâs where DD will go, but wanted to get into the lottery and all but $50 will be reimbursed if she cancels before May 1. At least she is now down to deciding between two schools. Leaning a bit more towards Robert Morris but definitely not decided yet. And still chugging along on the 6 essays for FSU honors. Not an easy task for sure! And of course none are topics that she has done essays for already so itâs all from scratch.
Thanks @Octagon and congrats to your S, too. DS had 8-11 colleges on his list, but once he got the early acceptance, he decided not to apply anywhere else. He plans to double major so also got in @ the School of Music.
Do any of your high schools have lock-ins? If so, are they after prom or graduation? Both DSâs high school seniors have the tradition where they go to a venue from about 10p to 6a for an âafter partyâ. Just wondering what otherâs traditions are. I think these events were started to have a safe place to have fun and to reduce drunk driving incidents following individual parties. How about beach week? Although that may only be a mid Atlantic thing.
I wish we had a lock in type event. I hate the idea of an âAfter partyâ. I think the prom should be enough.
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@privatebanker Thanks for this. Weâre headed to UMass for an admitted students event this Sunday, and DS is really looking forward to it. Will get to try the dining halls, meet with faculty, etc.
We investigated the process for transferring out of SBS to Isenberg if thatâs the route he wants to go, and it seems like a reasonable process. Weâre just not sure how hard it actually is in practice in terms of odds of acceptance. Isenberg has their admitted students day Sunday as well, so I think we can get our questions answered. He did not get into the honors college, but he did receive a very nice Chancellorâs scholarship, so itâs high on the list. And he loved Amherst, so we shall see.
Heâs off to Salve next Friday for an admitted students day as well. I have a feeling that the Newport he fell in love with in September will be replaced with cold, wind, and a less bustling town. Itâs the major outlier on his list, but he loved it and received a place on the XC team and a sizable scholarship, so itâs still a serious contender. Seeing them both again so close together will hopefully help him decide whether Salve stays on the list of not.