<p>Forgot to mention (should you look at California schools) - if your D is a fairly conservative Christian, Pepperdine might be a good choice. Their admissions stats have skyrocketd lately - probably because the campus is drop-dead gorgeous and many apply who really don’t belong on campus. It’s a Christian school, religion classes, etc. For kids who are just applying because they like beach volleyball, think again. For kids who fit the campus demographics and mission, it can be a wonderful place.</p>
<p>“I think Cardinal Fang was just trying to warn you…”</p>
<p>Got it. Consider myself “warned” 
</p>
<p>Believe me, I have a LOT of internet message board experience, so I know how it goes on these things. And I am NOT AT ALL interested in comparing kids’ credentials. Those that are, I feel pretty sorry for. Anyway, arrogant may have been the wrong word. Maybe it was the “2350 at age 12” part that made me laugh out loud… Heard about those kids, but never have seen one in person. God bless 'em if they do actually exist, because they’re going to need it. </p>
<p>Okay, I asked the “D” about the PSAT. She kinda frowned and said she didn’t do all that well on that test. We looked it up and she had a 66 score, which was 95%. I have no idea how good that is. Sounds pretty good to me, but from what I’m hearing around here, she may have trouble getting into the local junior college nowdays… ha, ha ;)</p>
<p>Yeah, the “at age 12” made me laugh too! 66 sounds like her score in one of the 3 sections of the PSAT. If you were looking online then you have to click each of the 3 tabs separately and add them up to get the total. Last year’s cutoff for TX was around 215. If her total is above that, she will qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist and move on further to be considered for finalist.</p>
<p>“2350-- at age 12” I laughed at that also.</p>
<p>Some people here are terrifically helpful. Some are snarky and hand you your head on a platter… Some post their reply before they realize that the written word has different meanings without the inflections of spoken conversation. I assume that everyone is trying to be helpful, unless proven otherwise…</p>
<p>All in all, you have come to a good place to get information. </p>
<p>I’ll be interested in what your D thinks about Trinity. I have 3 friends (kids of friends?) who are there now, and love it. Wish my D would consider Texas, as I think it would be a good fit for her.</p>
<p>^^^ Your daughter must not have looked at the right score on the PSAT, LW. It has 3 sections and is scored like the SAT, but at 10% (ie a 66 would be a 660 on the SAT) so she’d need 3 scores which should total around 215 or so for her to be at the NM level for Texas (I’d have to check the threads on the past years scores-- this is just a guess).</p>
<p>And in all fairness, each internet message board has its own “personality” as it were. You will soon get a feel for the cc “personality”. Not sure what you are trying to say with this comment
They do exist (see the link in post 66 and look up some of the homeschooled kids- I am awful at remembering names so can’t pull up other links off the top of my head). Some of the super bright kids may have adjustment issues, but many are remarkably well adjusted. I am hopeful you didn’t mean for your comment to sound the way it did.</p>
<p>*** ahh-- many of us cross-posted. Yes, I agree that the 2350 at age 12 was a tongue in cheek comment by that poster, but it is also, in some cases, real!</p>
<p>Ah, I should have seen that. I looked up the other PSAT scores and remember why she was dissapointed now. She did well on reading and writing, but bombed the math. She wouldn’t make that mark for the cutoff based on what I saw. Thanks for the heads-up there.</p>
<p>I guess if we must continue on this topic of defining “super smart” kids - what I meant by “God bless them” is exactly the conclusion you arrived at yourself - adjustment issues. I’ve worked (coached to elite international competition) with several incredibly bright home-schooled kids, and they all suffered from social adjustment issues. Wonderful, well behaved and super bright, but always quirky and awkward in a group. We actually spent more time dealing with their mental game than their preparation and technique. So that’s what I meant. My heart goes out to them, because my wife, myself and my daughter know what it’s like to be considered weird for doing well in school. It can be frustrating.</p>
<p>Okay, I think I got it. There are some parents of super bright kids here, no doubt. I’ll do my best to stay out of their way. For those parents with just “pretty darn” bright kids then, I’ll take all the help I can get ;o)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Like I said before, your D, for what you said, seems like an excellent student and will likely get into a very good/excellent school. That being said, if you come to CC and talk about how REALLY smart your D is and she hasn’t cured cancer, except to get taken down a notch or two. Most CCers have their hearts in the right place, and I believe its better to learn humility in the beginning of the procees than in the end. </p>
<p>And if you think this process is hubrius-destroying, try applying for grad school. Especially in psych. Especially clinical. ;)</p>
<p>*" limbwalker: I don’t know if it has been suggested but another excellent college that may be a great fit for a really smart kid who might be slightly less socially outgoing: Swarthmore. Although you should also consider whether she will be comfortable in politically and socially liberal environments. I trust Southeast Texas is some shade of red?</p>
<p>Edit: I agree with your statement that your daughter “is REALLY smart by 99% of Americans”, but I want to point out that with about 300 Million Americans, the remaining 1% works out to about 3 Million Americans who might think she is PRETTY smart. I too have a junior daughter who I think is REALLY smart. She is one of the smartest people (adult or kid) that I know, and teachers and classmates rave about her. She also has straight A grades and took the SAT as a sophomore last year and got a 2250. I am proud, and happy about what she has accomplished but thanks to this forum I know there are thousands of kids just like her and many even smarter than her. She is considering applying Rice and to Wash U, but is by no means sure that she will get in…"*</p>
<p>Just went back and re-read your post. Sounds very familiar. Thanks for the perspective.</p>
<p>And where I live is not a shade of red, it is Aggie maroon as far as the eye can see! ha, ha. Lots of A&M graduates and “sympathizers” around here. That kind of “spirit” is a turn-off for my daughter. She’d rather have a deep academic discussion with someone than attend a 12th man pep rally any day. </p>
<p>Swarthmore? where the heck is that. Never heard of it. </p>
<p>Man, do I have a lot to learn…</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>“except to get taken down a notch or two…”</p>
<p>Guess I’ve never understood why anyone would think that’s necessary. I shouldn’t have to apologize for thinking my daughter is “really” smart. Because she is by my definition. Okay, there are plenty of smart kids out there. Of course there are. Can’t recall saying we were looking at Ivy league in the first place anyway. Just a good challenging school or program for a kid with lots of potential. I think that’s why most folks are here, isn’t it?</p>
<p>I gotta admit, so far I’m a little surprised. I mean, my wife and I do well enough but I figured that parents with abundant resources with kids who can get accepted into Ivy league schools wouldn’t be frequenting an internet message forum for their information. Am I that out of touch?</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Swarthmore is just outside Philadelphia. It is a huge favorite among smart kids who are looking for a nurturing environment. Big on social justice and politically very liberal. No football. Very different from A&M. And very, very hard to get into.</p>
<p>Like I said twice before, I’m sincerely sure that your D is <em>truly</em> smart!!! A lot of people, including me as a high schooler, come to CC thinking a top school (not necessarily Ivy) is a fairly sure bet, but that’s really not the case. It’s better to learn that BEFORE anyone applies, imo.</p>
<p>'kids who can get accepted into Ivy league schools ’
These days a kid who “can” get accepted at an Ivy league school does not mean they ‘WILL’ get accepted or even have a GOOD chance at acceptance. Statistically, the odds are falling each year and most Ivy’s acceptance rates are now between 1 in 12 and 1 in 8. That is why parents are lurking here on CC- for guidance to discover if they or their children are being realistic in putting their hopes on on Ivy acceptance[ most are not] and where else their children should look.</p>
<p>Thanks Psyc.</p>
<p>Okay, enough “Ivy”-talk. Seems to be an obsession with that 'round here.</p>
<p>I’m just a pretty regular dad who tries to make sure his kids are getting what they need. Middle of the middle class nowdays and come from REALLY humble roots myself. Knew the “D” was pretty sharp from about 1st grade on, but wasn’t prepared to be looking at exclusive-entry schools (maybe I should have been paying closer attention all along though).</p>
<p>Wife and I are trying to figure some of this stuff out for the first time. We have two more children coming up, so the oldest daugher is somewhat of an experiment. Guess that’s the way it works with oldest kids sometimes. </p>
<p>So as a parent, what kind of advice do you have based on her scores, grades and accomplishments. What kind of schools should she be looking at to keep her challenged and motivated?</p>
<p>John</p>
<p>Welcome to CC, limbwalker. People have mentioned a number of good schools that might be a fit for your daughter. I wanted to add Southwestern University, which is just north of Austin. It’s one of Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives. One thing I like about Southwestern is that it is very clear about its merit aid [Southwestern</a> University: Financial Assistance: Types: Scholarships: Merit Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://www.southwestern.edu/assistance/types/scholarships/merit.php]Southwestern”>http://www.southwestern.edu/assistance/types/scholarships/merit.php), which is helpful. This school might be a safety or match for your daughter.</p>
<p>If you’re just starting to learn about colleges, you might want to try princetonreview.com’s counselor-o-matic. Don’t take its results to heart, but do use it as a starting point to get an initial college list put together. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks Austinhills, I totally forgot about Southwestern (and know nothing about it yet). My wife and I were trying to remember if there was a school in Georgetown (right?) or if we were getting it confused with the old Southwest Texas State (now Texas State U).</p>
<p>I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks for the links.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>“mean, my wife and I do well enough but I figured that parents with abundant resources with kids who can get accepted into Ivy league schools wouldn’t be frequenting an internet message forum for their information.”</p>
<p>CC may be the best place in the country to get info about college admissions and to get info to help smart kids who are college bound.</p>
<p>In many respects, one can learn more here than from expensive college counselors because you can hear about the experiences of other kids and families.</p>
<p>limbwalker,</p>
<p>Whether or not your younger kids have been identified as being “very smart”, it’s likely that they are because siblings IQs are usually within a couple of points of each other. Also it’s likely that you and your wife have high IQs – whether or not you were ever identified as being “very smart.”</p>
<p>Thanks northstarmom. Yes, our son (14) is showing signs of doing as well as his sister, if not better, and he’s a student athlete and very involved in other activities. This search for information may very well help him more someday than his older sister…</p>
<p>Let me just say that I’m very glad to have found this board. I know I’ve used other message boards to learn a tremendous amount about other topics I’m interested in, and that education really changed my life. So I know how powerful they can be if used properly. </p>
<p>Thank you to all who have posted replies. Sorry if some of my answers sounded sarcastic. Unfortunately, I do a pretty good job of using sarcasm to entertain myself sometimes… ;)</p>
<p>God bless.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Limbwalker- your situtation reminds me of ours a few years ago. Our public school was not one that encouraged students to look beyond schools within the boundaries of our midwest state and while we knew our D probably had the credentials to get into a school that falls into the ‘selective’ category, we became increasingly aware that she might try for some higher reaches as well. </p>
<p>CC became a source of valuable information - much more so than the school guidance counselors. Especially from posters like the majority on this thread (but of course, there is plenty on CC to take with a grain of salt ). </p>
<p>We were a little late to the game as far as understanding that (a) many bright students out there really prepped hard for SATs and took them multiple times (B) SAT II subject tests existed in the first place and that apparently many students knew this and took them soon after they completed the related AP course (but they seem to be increasingly less critical) and (c) that you might want to have a ‘hook’ up your sleeves. So as the search process continued, we slowly ventured futher up the selectivity ladder for reasonable reaches, but kept a firm grasp on the extent of competitiion. And we increasingly came to understanding how important it would be for a student who had simply lived and pursued her own interests without any notion of developing some college hook, to be careful to project her unique personality in her application essays. </p>
<p>The best advice we got from CC, (aside from the rather late understanding that there SAT IIs scores might be necessary), which is reiterated everywhere on these boards, is (a) to have the appropriate distribution of reach, match and safety schools that your student could happily see herself at - and safety means financial safety as much as academic, unless your funds are truly unlimited; (b) that ultimately, it is about fit, especially for students, like the majority in college, who do not firmly aspire to a specific vocation and (c) that she has to let that which makes her the special person she is shine out, in some fashion, in her essay - ‘show don’t tell’. </p>
<p>One thing I would suggest is that, in the search process, your daughter be very open to anything that seems a good fit. Clearly you and your daughter are not prestige mongers, probably actually averse to anything that reeks of that - but don’t assume too much about the student bodies at various schools. Frankly, WashU IS a prestigious school and for your daughter’s class, may well be as difficult to get into as almost any school, including Duke and many ivies. Many of the schools you assume are filled with priviledged kids with attitude are in fact filled with kids from every stratum who find the majority of their classmates down-to-earth. This may be far more the case in need-blind schools than you realize.</p>
<p>Finally, as you get further into the process, don’t make any assumptions about your need for financial aid - comfortable or not, you may be entitled to some and there are freely available calculators, some on specific college websites, which might give you a good initial estimate. On the flip side, don’t absolutely rely on the estimate as concrete. There is a lot of good help to be had on CC about this as well - that is little down the road but something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Hi John & welcome to CC! I too have a junior DD and she’s in the same boat as your DD; really smart as defined by the vast majority of people (family, teachers, etc.) but she’s not planning on curing cancer this summer I love CC because it has put this whole college search and admissions process in perspective; my DD now knows which schools on her list are “lottery” chances and she’s promised us not to fall in love with them.</p>
<p>I suggest that you read Loren Pope’s book 40 Colleges that Change Lives; it really helped me to understand LACs. Most libraries have it and bookstores almost always have it on their shelves. I think you’ve started the process on a good note with your DD; it’s just as important to know what you “don’t” want in a college as what you do. With over 3000 institutions of higher learning in the US it’s ok to cross off schools because they don’t “feel” right. There’s a great thread somewhere on here about the “stupidest reason your child wouldn’t apply to a school.” My DD had a list of 33 at Christmas and it’s down to 9 now; she’s visited 5 of the 9, but there have been schools where we’ve stepped on campus, she’s looked at us and we’ve all known it wasn’t for her (but at least one of those made my youngest’s eyes light up.)</p>