Here’s a question for the group:
If your kid manages a sports team (basketball, football etc), should s/he report the activity as falling under the “sports” category or “other” extra-curricula category on the Common App?
Inquiring minds would like to know!
I’m thinking sports, because they have the same commitment that the players have and I think the admissions people know what a big time commitment sports are for the kids.
Yes, this seems like a fairly common pattern, and I think you are right the problem is often the kid is imposing some sort of locational or similar factor that is de facto eliminating a lot of colleges that would be less selective than a reach, but could still be an otherwise great option for that kid, which would fill out the target/likely part of the list.
I know around here, say, the kids who only look at Northeast Coast and California schools have it much tougher than the kids looking at, say, the Great Lakes/Midwest too (and I am including Rochester in the Great Lakes) when it comes to finding nice target and likely options. And even some reaches that are not such hard reaches. As you point out, there are Southern public colleges really trying to attract kids from OOS. And so on.
So in cases like that, yet, I could see dragging a kid to see some of these colleges and maybe seeing if that could open their mind. But ideally they would at least agree that was worth a shot, even if they begin noncommittal.
Same. I think if justifiable, the sports tag is a “good” one (not the only good one, just one that is sort of self-explanatory for a main activity), and I think it is definitely justifiable for a team manager.
Good question - S24 is an assistant coach for a kids travel soccer team (just for fun) and I have no idea how to classify that. I’m leaning sports . . .
Have we come up with a consensus on reporting National merit commended? And if so do you report the index score? I have been told that it doesn’t add anything to the application to list it as an honor. He doesn’t have any other great honors, but if it doesnt add anything then no point in listing. (his index would have made NMSF in any state other than ours)
I presume he has an equally good SAT score?
We listed commended but it was just a space filler. You won’t add anything by stating the SI.
My two cents is there are a lot of things that may not help much, maybe in many cases not at all, but it likely doesn’t hurt either. Like, some people seem to think anything which is not an A++++ qualification or activity or honor or whatever will hurt them, but from what I have gathered from AOs in various contexts, that is almost never how it works with non-required things.
Like, for grades, required recommendations, required essays, or so on, those you all want up to your normal standards. But for everything else you just volunteer, my sense is a “meh” activity or honor or whatever may not help, but it is not like they are going to deduct points for it, reduce your “Activity Point Average,” or so on.
So if you feel this is an honor, why not? Of course if the applicant isn’t feeling enthusiastic, fine to omit as well.
We are in Texas and had a pretty high cutoff. We submitted apps before NM commended was official, but added to the resume for schools that took one, which was almost all of them. We were not TO, but are chasing merit and there are a couple of schools where I think it might bump her up $2-3K per year.
We are in NJ, where do you think that adding commended would bump merit? That is an interesting question. His SAT is 1560
yes, sat is just as good, maybe a little better
If you need any suggestions of additional safety possibilities, let us know what your kid is interested in from the college experience, plus the budget. You can do it in this thread, in a new thread, or you can PM me.
We are applying to private schools that used to be ranked maybe 75 to low 100s, but are now 90-150 or so. I don’t think it would help with a 1560, but D24 was only a 1480 (790 EBRW/690 Math, a humanities kid, not a STEM kid).
Also, there are some schools, like Texas A&M, that do give scholarships for Commended/National Recognition, if they have available funding after the NMFs.
that is interesting! His safeties are UVM, Fordham and Binghamton, the only one that has NMF sccholarships is Fordham and I dont think that they care about commended.
URoch has been on my radar for >35 yrs, as my sibs attended and I almost attended myself. A couple of my older kids were admitted too. Thus far, haven’t been able to sway S to visit. At the moment, Chicagoland is the best we can do for Great Lakes/Midwest. We will have another thorough discussion of the list after our visits are done and that first app has been submitted. I just want to make sure any possibilities that offer EA are addressed before the early deadline and we’ll face the rest as we move along toward Jan.
Which of course is precisely the part of the region where you will get the least benefit looking as an alternative!
In other words, I sympathize. And frankly, I can’t blame all these kids for having similar ideas about in which locations they would want to go to college. I actually like the city of Rochester, but I understand few kids across the country have been dreaming of spending four years in Rochester, NY. In college, though, they will learn some of that matters a lot less than they think, as long as the college itself is great.
But this is all why such colleges get so many fewer applications. And they still get great students, there is just a much higher chance of admission (and sometimes merit aid) if you fit their standard profile. Whereas you can fit the profile and still have a low chance of admissions in the popular locations.
We did this. Kids are at a top BS in New England. Did a west coast swing to visit a bunch of schools despite the kids saying that they wanted no part of the west coast. Now have several west coast schools on the list including one which was at best a dark horse going in. And it’s among their favorites overall. So you never know!
But in general we used visits to sort of survey and try to hone feelings about the big questions: large v small, LAC v university, urban v rural v suburban, climate, etc.
Fordham (safety for her) gave D21 a lot of merit(almost 30k a year; we did not do fafsa and do not qualify for FA) and she was Commended and missed NMSF by 2 questions. High cutoff state (Va), so around here everyone puts NMC and the score/SI as an award unless there are other more selective academic awards to fill the list.
thank you!