A co-worker’s daughter just graduated from Endicott- & yes they have flexible housing options. She eventually needed her own space and a therapy animal- they accommodated her, no questions asked. It’s not cheap…but it’s fantastic and what a location! She looked at the Atlantic Ocean out the window of her on-campus housing. How many schools can say that!? 
1 Like
We have a final decision! S23 is going to Eckerd College in St. Pete, FL. He is very happy about it and can’t wait to be done with high school. For a kid who used to say he wasn’t going to college it is amazing to see him so excited about school. 
As a reminder S23 had a 3.12/3.95W, 1320 SAT, got 2 semester D’s (spanish 2 & algebra 2) during online Covid which he was allowed to retake and got A’s, AICE diploma, 3 AP senior year only, 2 sports but quit 1 junior year and 1 senior year, no other school clubs or anything like that, volunteered at a summer science camp 1 year only. He did get diagnosed with ADD after the online school year and that was a big help - his GPA dropped so much that year then shot back up after the diagnosis. We did mention that in the “extra information” section of the applications.
I was nervous - I had no idea what to expect as far as acceptances and definitely had no thoughts of any merit aid. I read the past years 3.0 threads and did lots of research. He applied to both big state schools (free tuition due to Bright Futures plus he would have friends there) and smaller privates (I pushed for this and at some point it must have sunk in that it was a good idea!) Here is his final list which made us so proud!
Eckerd - accepted with merit
Roanoke - accepted with merit
Sewanee - accepted with merit
U Tampa - accepted with merit
College of Charleston - accepted for 2nd semester with 1st semester abroad
UNF - accepted
FGCU -accepted
USF - accepted
FSU - rejected
17 Likes
Fantastic results! And you must be so happy to have a decision, I have a feeling D23 will be one of those kids who waits until the very last day. Just to torture me!
I was just in St. Petersburg in January - so beautiful & fun. I drove past Eckerd a few times. Have you checked out the Don Cesar hotel? Great place to stay or just stop in for a drink. Beautiful old historic hotel…
1 Like
Thanks! D19 waited a long time to make her final decision - it was frustrating because I think she knew all along where she wanted to go but it was scary to make the actual commitment. S23 has been talking as if he knew he was picking Eckerd for a while now but I knew it was official when he bought the shirt. I’m hoping it’s like a Florida version of SLU!
Don Cesar looks beautiful but we haven’t been yet - we just stayed at a Hyatt downtown so we could walk to the pier this time.
1 Like
Did you visit Sewanee? I was obsessed with that school for a while! When we went to Endicott in MA it gave me very SLU-y vibes. It’s in D23’s top two, which is interesting because it is not what she thought she wanted at all…
1 Like
Congrats! Welcome to the Eckerd family! Your son had some great choices.
1 Like
@Poochie21 We never did visit Sewanee. It was a last minute add on once he realized he liked the idea of smaller schools. I was looking for places that weren’t too cold (so nothing up north) and where he had a good chance of acceptance. Oh, he had also recently seen pictures of a school called Berry College that is beautiful so it made me think of Sewanee. I have never been to the Endicott campus but have been to that area many times and it is great.
@ECmotherx2 Thank you! I got lots of good information from your old posts and thought of you when he made his final decision. I hope it is a good fit and he loves it as much as your family did.
2 Likes
It’s been awhile since I posted. Thought I would let others know where he was accepted and the amount of Merit he was offered as well.
Bryant University 25,000 a year in Merit (private university)
UMassDartmouth 5,000 a year in Merit (instate)
University of Vermont 10,000 a year in Merit (of out of state)
University of Rhode Island 10,000 in Merit a year(out of state)
**UMaine 22,000 a year in Merit (out of State)
**Xavier University 30,000 in Merit (private university)
He is leaning towards Xavier University with UMaine as a second choice. Months ago it was UMaine because Xavier is so far (Ohio ) away. We are in MA. Both are very different types of schools. Heading to the accepted student events at UMaine and URI next weekend. Plus, attending one of the travel events for Xavier in Boston.
If anyone attending or has attended Xavier please give me your opinion. Xavier ends up being much less than URI and UVM. Going to also post on the Xavier board as well with questions.
I just wanted to share our info with merit because there is money out there. Have any of your children made a decision about where they are attending? Glad this is coming to an end.
16 Likes
Xavier’s basketball team is doing great! Best of luck to your student!
2 Likes
@nidaco I’m on my way out but will respond later. My son is a sophomore at Xavier and we too live far away (MD). He loves it. In the meantime, you won’t get much response about Xavier here in CC. If you use Facebook, join the Xavier University Parents page (not the class page). Ask your questions there - there is a lot of knowledge and extremely helpful parents in that group. It’s not one of those crazy helicopter college parent groups. I guarantee you will get some great info/answers to your questions in that group. Congratulations to your son on his choices.
I’ve been wearing my Xavier fleece in MD this week and have had so many people approach me asking my affiliation to Xavier b/c either they had a kid go there, they had family who went there, are originally from Cincinnati or they are basketball fans. Go X!
6 Likes
My D22 is a freshman at UMaine- loves it- any questions I can answer don’t hesitate to ask!
6 Likes
Nice results! We visited Bryant and loved it while we were there. Very warm, welcoming, they seemed so proud of everything they were offering. Your kid has great choices.
4 Likes
Any thoughts or experience with University of New Hampshire or Quinnipiac? D23 got into both, we haven’t visited either. I’m trying to decide if one more road trip is worth it or do I just not push anything at this point. We are booked up through 4/9 so if we go it will have to be a weekday trip. A is a day trip for us, UNH is an overnight. D23 doesn’t seem completely set on any one school yet.
I’m feeling kind of lost. I can’t say D23 is that excited about any of her options. We’ve been looking at lists of colleges with late application deadlines. She thought she would look at a few more colleges with marine biology but then she mentioned WVU. 
For what major/cost?
1 Like
@MACmiracle - Is she not excited or not communicating? My 23 likes all her schools but I can’t get her to open up. My friends think all our kids are stressed out by deciding. I am, too. Not sure where WVU came in for you but D23 wanted urban and now really likes a school in the burbs. I’m confused and nothing I say is helpful.
At @randommom1 - marketing/communications and costs are all about the same and do-able for us.
1 Like
S23 told me he wishes he took the process more seriously. He has acceptances at all Northern New England Flagships (ME, UVM, UNH, UMASS, and UCONN) but somehow thinks these are not great choices. Maybe this is part of the process.
@Poochie21 the Paul Business School @ UNH has a lot going for it. Worth a look!
4 Likes
S23 will major in computer science. He applied to 5 schools and was accepted into all of them. University of Oregon (UO), Oregon State University (OSU), Washington State University (WSU), Western Washington University (WWU), and Gonzaga. He was able to tour them all and plans to attend UO. He has not committed yet as he wants to go to Duck Days (admitted student day) to be 100% sure. He did receive scholarship offers from Gonzaga, OSU, and UO. They are all on the smaller side but something is better than nothing.
11 Likes
It’s great to see that your son had several great options to study CS. Thanks for posting an update on this thread - very helpful for those applying to CS programs without super high stats.
5 Likes
Absolutely! When we started this journey, we were told how hard it would be for him to get a spot. None of these schools are the top rated for CS but they are great schools. OSU has a higher rated program than the others according to Niche, but UO is where he has felt most connected on our visits. He’s a hard worker and school doesn’t always come easily, especially math. He has to work much harder at it than many peers. So he will need to become best friends with the math tutoring center. He had a knack for computers and has taught himself some coding the last several years. I don’t doubt he will work hard and do well.
Stats (since they may help future applicants looking at this thread):
GPA - 3.5 unweighted
AP courses - 1 (currently taking as a senior). Never took an honors course.
Math level - currently in algebra/trig (proof that you don’t HAVE to complete calculus or even pre-Calc to find a CS program)
ECs: one long standing volunteer role and a part time job for the last year. Plus coding on his own in his spare time.
Essays: he had some strong essays. He did have a college consultant that helped guide him to programs and give feedback on essays. We also gave him feedback before sending to the consultant.
10 Likes