<p>Hello. This is my first post on this forum, so forgive me for the newbie questions and blank expression... ;)</p>
<p>I've been involved in several forums over the years and have been in the fortunate position to offer a lot of advice to folks in specific areas, but I must admit I'm a little lost on the topic of helping a child choose and prepare for college.</p>
<p>My wife and I attended a small state school here in Texas. Both of us were very good students, but nothing like our daughter. She's wrapping up her junior year, has never made a B in her life, and just scored over 2100 on the SAT. Every kid or teacher we meet at the high school (just moved here this year) tells us how smart our daughter is.</p>
<p>It's a nice problem to have, but I'm starting to wonder what schools she needs to be considering... My wife and I aren't hurting financially (thank God!), but we're by no means wealthy. </p>
<p>Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>God bless.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Welcome LW. There are some very good schools in TX, including UTA. I think if your DD makes the top 10% of the school then she would be automatic. If she would prefer small schools then there are alternatives all across the country. Any idea what she would like? Small/large, urban/rural?</p>
<p>UTA is such a great school in such a fun town. Make sure to visit and see how it feels to her.</p>
<p>How about Rice University? The most academically elite college in the state of Texas.</p>
<p>Rice is another very good school. Truly more info is needed about your D’s preferences for geographic region, size, programs, academic stats, etc. There is a good thread at the top of the Financial Aid forum if she’s interested in targeting her list toward merit scholarships. </p>
<p>She certainly doesn’t have to make up her mind about anything right now but should be looking at potential schools (at least on the web) and gathering info so she’d ready for applications in a few months. Time literally flies from this point on, so you should get ready too! You and your wife should be deciding on how much you can truly afford to help her with her education and help her set realistic goals/budgets by being candid with her. Way too many kids end up heartbroken every year because their parents didn’t have “the other talk” with them and they fell in love with a dream school that was completely unaffordable. They recover, but I’m not sure the parents ever do! So, if you haven’t already, learn all you can about the FA process, starting right now! It’s so much less stressful for all if the process is broken down into smaller, manageable tasks over the summer and fall. (Warning, at some point, senioritis will hit even the most dedicated, responsible kid…!)</p>
<p>I’d also look at Baylor…</p>
<p>I should warn you that a 4.0 and 2100 SATs are not uncommon here on CC. Don’t believe the teachers who tell you that your D will definitely get into an Ivy, but don’t get too depressed from the skewed view at CC either.</p>
<p>The flagship campus in Austin is just UT (or tu if you’re an Aggie). UTA is the Arlingtion campus. A good school but not the same. What’s her class rank? </p>
<p>At this point she should be (or have been) visiting a wide variety of schools to see what type she likes. If she might want small, has she visited Trinity U in San Antonio?</p>
<p>Why is everyone only focusing on Texas colleges? OP did not specify a geographic preference. If there is a preference to stay relatively close by, in addition to the colleges mentioned she could also look out at Tulane and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Straight A and SAT-2100 from a small town in SE Texas could go to a number of good schools all over the country. It would help to know more about exactly what courses she has taken, how many kids are in her high school, what kind of colleges the smart kids tend to go to, what extra-curricular activities she participates in, whether she has work or volunteering experience, and so on. Despite the fact that this is a great forum, you may also want to browse a few books next time you are at a Barnes & Noble or other bookstore.</p>
<p>You might want to check out a bunch of books from the library that have advice about picking a college and just skim them yourself. It sounds like you want her to go to a place that challenges her academically. Is her guidance counselor good and does he/she know your daughter fairly well? They might have good suggestions about what might be a good match for her. Is your daughter a home body and would prefer to stay close to home, or more adventurous and would want to experience a different part of the country? Lots to consider.</p>
<p>Speaking of Barns and Noble, I found that a good place to start was the Fiske Guide to Colleges.</p>
<p>My reason for mentioning Trinity was that a visit would probably be a drivable week-end thing from their home. It would give someone a feel for a mid-small private school with a slightly southern , slightly conservative feel… OP’s original post made it sound like they were just starting to look, so I suggested someplace close.</p>
<p>Great. I was hoping you guys would jump in and help and it seems you have. Thanks!</p>
<p>She’s having trouble deciding on a major. She has so many interests she doesn’t know where to start. Never has had trouble with any subject at any level and finds “everything” interesting… Drives me nuts. Her mom and I both knew what we wanted to be before we were 15. And that’s what both of us do for a living. Daughter is not very outgoing and doesn’t like the UT/A&M battles that go on. She would rather stay out of that stuff she says. We’ve taken her to UT, Texas State, SFA, U of H, A&M, Sam Houston State and UTSA (she likes San Antonio). We moved here from Southern Illinois, but mom and I are originally from Texas. While in St. Louis (we used to go there a lot) Daughter saw Washington University campus near Forest park and really liked it. We plan to take her by Rice and see if she feels the same way, but she says she doesn’t like Houston (too big). So unless she has a change of heart about UT (can’t see her ever wanting to go to A&M), we’re running out of options here in Texas. Which is frustrating because that’s one of the reasons we moved back - more in state college choices…</p>
<p>Not too interested in Baylor (her aunt didn’t have a good experience there and told her to avoid the place). I’ve lived in Waco before and don’t consider it a very good place if you have other options.</p>
<p>Oh, class rank is going to be 1 or 2 out of 130 depending on transferred grades. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Would she venture to California? USC would be a nice fit for her, maybe the UC’s if you don’t mind paying OOS costs.</p>
<p>Oh, and good advice on the financial aid Sk8trmom. Thanks. We are definitely starting to look hard at that now. Wish we could say we were more prepared, but life has a way of moving very fast with 3 kids!</p>
<p>“I should warn you that a 4.0 and 2100 SATs are not uncommon here on CC…”</p>
<p>Got it. I have seen some of that already. Didn’t say she was one of a kind, but certainly has more options than her mom or I did. Definitely more potential. What started to get my attention (other than the grades) was when all the AP teachers and students in her AP classes were telling us how smart she was. It was usually the first thing out of their mouth. So we were curious what her SAT scores would look like. Once those came in (yesterday), we were pretty amazed and figured we’d better broaden our search outside of the obvious for her benefit.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Oaksmom, I haven’t even considered Calif. schools. I will ask her tommorrow. So hard to get an answer from her. Lost of book smarts, not too much experience if you know what I mean. </p>
<p>She’s pretty well a homebody but I think that will change once she gets out of the house. The move between her Sph. and Junior year has been difficult for her socially. She’s in the marching band and enjoys that, but isn’t sure she wants to march in college. May do concert band, but would like to focus on studies. </p>
<p>She has an interest in international studies, mostly from a cultural standpoint and has expressed interest in anthropology and languages. But she’s also expressed interest in math - theoretical math. She likes her accounting class, surprisingly (weird elective she fit in when nothing else would fit) and excels in anything math or reasoning. </p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>If she wants to stay in Texas - mainly look at Trininty, Rice. Add SMU or TCU with large possible/probable merit scholarships.<br>
Don’t let her aversion to Houston (too big) keep her from looking at Rice. MY friends who have kids there say it feels very close and concentrated in the university area. Ivy quality education for much much less. </p>
<p>If she wants to go farther away - wow, you need to get a new filter for her to use…</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a problem that she doesn’t know what her major is–that’s normal for most kids. That’s why colleges give you two years to decide!</p>
<p>Where did you move from?</p>
<p>You might want to give her a copy of Colleges That Change Lives; you can get it from the library. It is worth it for everyone, brilliant, bright, or average, to think about whether they want a UT experience, a Rice experience, or a Southwestern experience. The CTCL book tells you what colleges that are more like Southwestern are like. Some of the CTCL type schools schools would be happy to give your D full tuition, which is worth thinking about in the current economy.</p>
<p>All other things equal, I am quite fond of Rice (even though Midwest D goes to UT)</p>