Prospective Education/Psychology Major--What Schools Are We Missing?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi. My D19 is interested in majoring in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. She wants to be a teacher and a therapist. We live in the Maryland suburbs of DC and our state flagship, UMD, is about 20 minutes away. She seems to like larger schools (as do I), and I am interested in schools that have a broad variety of majors in case she changes her mind down the road. Here are the schools on our initial list to start visiting next spring. I’m wondering if there are others I am not thinking of that could be a fit. Other things to consider: good, not perfect student with LDs; will likely be in 3.5-3.7 range, some honors, likely few APs, but dual enrollment through CC or other University; comptetive college prep school, assuming average SAT/ACT, but no idea yet. Good ECs, fluent in Spanish, plays cello, URM (not Hispanic). Suggestions are welcome–thank you!

  1. U. of Maryland (visited many times for various programs--literally in our backyard; will visit again; she's blah about going to school at home, but excellent School of Ed and affordable for me)
  2. Indiana (my alma mater, lots of family there, great school of Ed)
  3. Vanderbilt (she loves Vandy, her first college visit outside of UMD; the only small school on the list; extreme long shot for admission)
  4. U. of Georgia (will visit; family in the area; great school of Ed)
  5. Ohio State (she is very interested; talked to admission rep last month, hope to visit in spring or fall. Great school of Ed)
  6. Florida State
  7. UNC Chapel Hill (long shot admission, nothing compelling
  8. Penn State

Others that have come up: Alabama, South Carolina, NC State, Rutgers, Pitt

2

Did you run NPCs and can afford the EFCs at these schools?

3

You have a lot of expensive OOS publics on that list that will expect YOU to pay all costs. What is your budget for how much you’ll spend each year on college? Is money no object?

If money is a concern, then I wouldn’t bother visiting unaffordable schools. No need for your DD to fall in love with a school that she won’t be able to attend.

If you can afford any school, then super…apply to any big school that you all like.

Seriously, for those majors and possible career goals, any affordable good school will be fine. Your own flagship, if affordable, would be fine. A good regional instate school would be fine.

4

If you live in Maryland, why not more Maryland state schools? There’s Towson, UMBC and St. Mary’s. St. Mary’s doesn’t have the education major, so if she’s seriously interested in that it’s not as good a fit. But Towson and UMBC both do.

Is she sure that she wants early childhood education? Early childhood is preschool through grade 3; elementary education is grades 1-6 in Maryland (I think in a lot of other states it’s K-6). Something to consider. There are more jobs for elementary educators, and they tend to get paid more.

Double-majoring is difficult for education majors. They have a heavy course load, and they have one fewer semester to complete it in since they need to do student teaching in their last semester.

If she likes large schools, why not consider some large private schools where she has a decent shot at admission and some financial aid? Like M2CKs has said, large OOS public flagships don’t offer a lot of financial aid to nonresidents.

Some suggestions are American University, Villanova, Syracuse, Baylor, Marquette, Elon University, Lehigh, University of Miami, St. John’s University (in Queens, NY), Loyola Maryland, Drexel (not known for the best financial aid - but worth a shot), DePaul, Duquesne, High Point University, and Quinnipiac. Lehigh and Miami are probably a bit stretches/reaches assuming average test scores and the GPA, but less of a reach than Vanderbilt.

If she likes Vanderbilt, for location she might also consider Belmont University, which is also in Nashville. Wake Forest might be a similar, but more attainable. Boston College might also be an acceptable reach for her, too.

If she’s going to apply to a long-shot public school, she might as well make it University of Virginia, which at least meets full financial need for accepted students from any state. (I can’t remember if UNC does.) Alabama may award her a scholarship depending on her SAT scores, but typically they need to be high.

As a last note, if your daughter is interested in both education and psychology, she might be interested in a career as a school psychologist!

5

Thanks for the feedback. Cost does matter, and my EFC is full pay at most schools I’ve looked at except Vanderbilt. I can’t realistically go over $35K-$40K, so it will depend on what scholarships work out. I agree that each of these schools would be great in different ways. I just wanted to keep an eye out for schools I may not have thought of.

6

Tufts has one of the top programs in Child Development - which is a mix of education and psych. It might be a little easier to get into than Vandy and have similar aid. Culture is somewhat different.

I would proceed carefully on the cost front though, unless your daughter is interested in combining it with Computer Science and going into a field called Machine Learning (i.e. getting computers to “learn”) which is quite lucrative.

http://ase.tufts.edu/epcshd/default.aspx

7

Run the NPC on every college and cross out all that go over 35-40k.

8

<<<
can’t realistically go over $35K-$40K, so it will depend on what scholarships work out.
<<<

and realistically, for those possibly majors, paying more isn’t necessary…at all. So, don’t jeopardize your future/security.

I agree with @juillet look to your instate publics. I think many of the suggested privates won’t be affordable because they don’t meet need so likely you’d be gapped.

Take off the schools that have a high cost and little/no aid like Penn St

Re: Scholarships…

What are your DD’s test scores? Scholarships which really make a dent in total cost are typically given to students whose test scores are well-within the top quartile of the school.

9

@Mastadon Thanks for the suggestion. One of her tutors (now a principal in the highly rated Montgomery Cty, MD school system) went to Tufts. I’ll take a look. My daughter has computer aptitude, but little interest in combining it with her interest in teaching. I’m hoping that will change in time.

@mom2collegekids - I don’t have her PSAT scores yet, but I know we will work to do there. Separate from university-based merit aid, which I am not counting on, she is eligible for several scholarships from non-traditional sources, but it will be piecing together several options to make a dent.

Thanks for the great questions and suggestions!

10

If your daughter is interested in a smaller LAC environment has she considered Washington College in Chesterstown? They offer a strong program in Human Development- encompasses early childhood ed (with teaching certificate) and psychology: http://www.washcoll.edu/departments/education/human-development-with-certification.php

Also, Washington College can be very generous with merit aid if her GPA and test scores are strong. Their mid to higher range merit scholarships would bring total cost of attending well within your budget (with minimal travel expense to boot): http://www.washcoll.edu/offices/student-financial-aid/scholarships/

11

<<<<
Separate from university-based merit aid, which I am not counting on, she is eligible for several scholarships from non-traditional sources, but it will be piecing together several options to make a dent.


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Keep in mind that any scholarships (inside or outside sources) will reduce any need-based aid awarded.

12

@lr4550 Thanks for the suggestion! She has attended a leadership program on that campus, so I am familiar with it. She is not interested in a LAC environment, but I’m preparing myself for any sudden changes.

@mom2collegekids Thanks for the reminder. I don’t expect to qualify for need-based aid, unfortunately. However, I am in need!

13

“Some suggestions are American University, Villanova, Syracuse, Baylor, Marquette, Elon University, Lehigh, University of Miami, St. John’s University (in Queens, NY), Loyola Maryland, Drexel (not known for the best financial aid - but worth a shot), DePaul, Duquesne, High Point University, and Quinnipiac. Lehigh and Miami are probably a bit stretches/reaches assuming average test scores and the GPA, but less of a reach than Vanderbilt.”

@juillet I missed your great comment! This is exactly what I am trying to think about–private schools that may be a fit and provide merit aid. I am an adjunct at American, so I’m pretty familiar with it. We met a rep from Elon–I’ll revisit it. U. Miami has been on my mental list, Drexel, DePaul and Villanova are all worth exploring as well. I think I was concerned about racial isolation at Villanova, but I’ll have to check again. I may have it confused with another school. Syracuse keeps coming up–I think I need to look at it again. All great suggestions to get me thinking differently and put some new ideas in front of her.

UMBC and Towson are probably going to be on the list as potential “likelies” and definite financial fits. UMD would be my first choice (except the staying too close to home aspect), but it is an admission reach.

Thanks again!

14

Most scholarships from non-traditional sources will also not cover four years. Don’t go in with the first year covered and no plan for the other years. School scholarships for continuing students are generally low dollar.

Also, most Us develop their education program around the requirements of the state where they are located. If your D goes to Indiana she may have to jump through hoops to get certified in MD.

15

Hm, another suggestion is historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A lot of public HBCUs are going to have that big-school feel, but they might offer scholarship aid for someone with your daughter’s profile. And I don’t know what URM group she’s in - she still might experience ‘racial isolation’ there if she’s not black, but it’ll be a different sort of feeling.

Right there in Maryland you have University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Morgan State University. If she’s interested in Florida State, right next door is Florida A&M University, where she’d be eligible for at least some scholarship support if she got at least a 1000 on the SAT with a 550 math score. In North Carolina, there’s North Carolina A&T University, where she’s eligible to compete for a full scholarship (minimum 3.0 GPA and 1080 SAT math and verbal). She’s probably also eligible at North Carolina Central University.

Other suggestions of big state-school style HBCUs are Albany State University (in Georgia), Grambling State University (in Louisiana), Delaware State (a little more racially diverse than your average HBCU), Alabama A&M University, Tennessee State University, and Prairie View A&M University (in Texas).

Good privates that might offer her some good aid are Howard, Hampton, and Tuskegee. Tuskegee’s pretty small; Hampton and Howard are sort-of more medium-sized.

16

@“Erin’s Dad” Definitely aware of the first year vs. four year challenge–it’s definitely a hurdle. Good point on the certification–I’ve kept that in mind, but of course she’s not really focused on it yet.

@juillet We are black and I am very familiar with HBCUs (and I attended one for grad school). She visited Spelman, but didn’t like it. I was disappointed because I know many amazing alum and I thought she would love it. We will be in Atlanta again and I may try to revisit it with her. Morgan is not a fit and I’m not high on UMES. FAMU is one of my favorites and we will probably visit when we visit Florida State.
Howard and Hampton are great schools, but not on the list. Howard doesn’t have an established undergrad Ed major and they are both skewed with gender balance.

On another note, I’ve added Syracuse and U. Miami to the mix. Thanks again!

17

Not a large school but The College Of New Jersey is considered to have one of the best programs in the state

18

Looking at education programs can be so frustrating! D17 will be an Elementary Ed major, also wanted a big school in the Northeast, and has applied Early Decision to Syracuse (patiently waiting). She has been accepted to University of Vermont, Purdue (not Northeast, but family member went there) and UMaine. She decided at the last minute not to apply to UDelaware since she liked UVM and Purdue better and the acceptances were in. For some reason she didn’t want to look at Penn State though I think she would have liked it.

The main differences we found in Education programs were that some schools required application to the School of Education in spring of sophomore year for entry Junior year. Kid did not want that. The schools she applied to all admit to the Education school and education classes start right away. Another thing to look at is the number of field placements. They seem to range from 3-8. Other differences are in the grade breakdowns for each program, required second major in the liberal arts, integration of curriculum about Special Needs (some are inclusive, some require a separate major or minor), and the ability to build in semester abroad experiences into the required class load.

Basically, it’s virtually impossible to compare apples to apples, because each program is so different.

Good luck with your search!

19

Considering the intended major, career goals, home state, and financial situation, one of the most logical choices would be Towson University (formerly Towson State Teachers’ College). The total in-state COA, full sticker, is < $25K. You’d pay roughly double for OOS public universities like Georgia, TOSU, or Penn State.

Early Childhood Education must be one of Towson’s strongest majors.
http://catalog.towson.edu/undergraduate/education/early-childhood-education/

If your D wants a more prestigious credential, consider saving your money for a Masters in education following a couple years of work experience.

20

@Amkngk Thanks for the great perspective. I’m beginning to see the differences, but I hadn’t thought to look at the number of field placements. My daughter’s brother graduated from Purdue and is working on his doctorate there now. I know many other Purdue grads and they love it. We will probably visit, though I am partial to Indiana U’s school of Ed for D19. Good luck to you as well as your navigate the choices!

@tk21769 Towson is definitely an option to explore–I spent some time looking at their Early Childhood program this morning and it definitely seems strong. And I agree regarding the Masters. Thank you!