I agree 100%. COVID is making it very hard to judge fit. Some of the virtual presentations have been a real snooze for him and not helpful at all. Luckily some of his options are now offering tours so we are going to drive and visit. I am also digging into the Gen Ed requirements at each - he would definitely prefer a place where he has some flexibility to choose classes and would rather not have to take any more language.
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Hi! I just saw your post from a few weeks ago about your son’s choices between Xavier, Dayton and St. Joe’s. We looked at all three - they’re all great schools - and my son is a freshman at St. Joe’s. Just thought I’d clarify that SJU is a HUGE basketball school. They’re kind of famous for their saying, “The Hawk will never die.” Google it and you’re sure to be amused. They have cross-town Philly rivals in Villanova and LaSalle, and of course play many other schools too. It’s a big part of student athletics, but they have plenty of other teams too (except football!).
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This week is the in-person visit for my S at Ball State… then it’s decision time. My gut feeling is he’s going to like the campus at BSU better, but will pick Rutgers.
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Highly recommend looking at social media from student clubs (not the official school accounts) and reading the student newspaper online. Will give you a very good picture of the school.
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Continuing the discussion from Parents of the HS Class of 2021 3.0-3.4
So, I could use some advice from anyone familiar with my D’s top 4 schools. What do you all think - also based on her profile.
A little background on her. She’s 2e & has struggled with depression during COVID. Her never stellar grades - she always lost track of long term projects - really plummeted this year. She has struggled with anxiety & an autoimmune disease much of her life. She is social, but it takes her a bit to warm up to people. She’s very creative & has been seriously dancing since she was young. She prefers cities to rural areas or suburbs. Though none of the schools she’s considering are too far from a city. Though she loves dance she would like to experiment with other forms of performance. And she loves the humanities. Until this year, she also enjoyed science but now she tells me she doesn’t like it.
At any rate, we are still waiting on one decision that she might consider. But so far these are the ones she’s considering. Chapman university (she auditioned & was accepted to the dance department), Santa Clara (no audition for acceptance but is in the theatre and dance department & has a small talent scholarship), university of San Francisco (also, no audition but in the performing arts & social justice department- the social justice aspect appeals to her as does the location), finally the Peabody institue at Johns Hopkins (also, audition based - they’ve got no theatre department so she’ wouldn’t be able to try any crossover there but the dance chair seems great)
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I am with you. S21 applied to 4 safeties/matches for engineering and 1 reach and got into all 5. He is not sure he really wants to do engineering, though, so he wants a larger school with a lot of flexibility in case he changes his mind. I am almost certain he is going to pick his safety, with the lowest engineering ranking of the 5, but I could not be happier for him. It is a smaller engineering department with internal advising and career placement, and I think that is better for him, especially in a large school. He also feels good about the fact he received a merit scholarship. At least he will always know he got into his reach! D17 also got into her reach and turned it down for honors and great merit elsewhere. So at least there is precedent! Congrats to your S.
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@Snowynyc , I’m sorry I’m not actually familiar with your D’s schools (although they look great—congrats!!). Your message caught my eye because my D21 also is 2e (gifted verbally, but has dyslexia and dyscalculia), plus has a chronic illness and anxiety. Definitely a humanities kid, and struggled with depression, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. I am working on staying positive about her going away to college, and believing in her that she’ll be ready. She has such amazing strengths and gifts, and also significant challenges.
Were you able to visit your D’s schools? With my D, gut feelings mean a lot (pretty much the opposite of my approach 
). But when she makes her own decision, whatever it’s based on, her considerable powers of determination and perseverance really kick in, which is very helpful.
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I wish I could help with any specifics but I don’t know. I’m sure you are already doing this but because it’s so important I’ll say it for other parents-- call the relevant departments (health, academic services, disability support…) for each of the colleges and ask about the details of the services that are available to your daughter for her physical and mental health and ask how she would access them. It’s so hard to let our kids go, but when they are struggling, it’s even harder. Good luck.
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My daughter will have Chapman and Santa Clara on her lists. Ive heard good things about both.
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Thank you both. Yes, it seems none of her schools get that much discussion on CC. (Well Hopkins but not the Peabody campus/program).
Yes, I am looking at all the disability services pages and plan to call once her most recent eval is done. I’ve also emailed a former student of mine who is actually working on a PhD in disability studies.
I agree with you @3SailAway that gut will be important. She and I will travel to California and do a whirlwind tour of those schools & I am hoping that her dad and she can drive or take the train down to Baltimore before 1 May. I just want her to feel she fits in & can reach her potential.
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Best wishes for your trips! I hope you have a chance to check in about how they went. CC could use more info about these schools/programs!
Yes, I will let you all know.
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Just received one of our last acceptances today. My daughter was accepted to Suny Stony Brook. It was a reach, so I am happy and surprised.
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Congratulations!
I think we’re done - now the hard part!
D21 was accepted everywhere except UGA.
Syracuse came in last night, but waiting on their aid package - likely out.
Most likely deciding between Miami OH, CoC with Honors College, App State with Watagua Residential program, Rowan (in state) with Honors College and JMU with Honors College (but no money so not likely to work -but we still love it so can’t cut the cord yet!).
Trips to all but Miami the week of April 10th and then we have to make a decision!
Good luck to all as we finish up this crazy admissions year!
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Sounds like some really good choices! Congratulations. Tough decision.
@NJWrestlingmom have you been to Charleston before? Such a great place to be a tourist/visitor! We had been as tourists a couple of years before my oldest D applied to college. She ended up applying and was accepted to CoC. We flew down for one of their Accepted Students events and had a blast just the two of us (it was a great weekend getaway aside from the college portion of our trip 
). Ultimately she chose to go somewhere else but I must admit, I was sad that I no longer had a reason to frequently visit Charleston had she been a student there.
Enjoy all your upcoming visits. I hope it helps her make a decision.
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I was there 20 years ago. A friend of mine lives there so we’ll get together when we’re there. It will be interesting to see how she likes it. She has been big on school spirit, which definitely isn’t CoC. But I think she’ll love being able to walk to Starbucks or Urban Outfitters, being near the water. I’m guessing it will be pretty clear what she prefers.
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LOL, she sounds like my daughter! Being right in downtown Charleston appealed to my daughter, for the exact same reasons, more than the school itself did. I don’t want to influence your/her thoughts prior to visiting, but I’d be happy to tell you what we liked/disliked if you are interested.
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Share away! Where did your D end up?