<p>Yes, some HBCUs can seem very parochial to students and parents. On visits years ago to Howard and to Dillard as an undergraduate I observed this. I thought Dillard's 'Stay Off the Lawn' rule was particularly ridiculous. Spelman's "Man on the Floor!!!" announcements were hilarious. It's all part of the college experience.</p>
<p>Many HBCUs have financial and administrative troubles, but the stong, solid ones stand out. As for the aesthetics of individual campuses, Hampton University is quite picturesque.</p>
<p>Tying together two strands of this thread:
RESOLVED: The college application process belongs to the child. I will argue the affirmative. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for your wise words about HBCUs. I will step back from the bit and not try to put my vision into place when it is HIS decision. He is off for a 4 week LEAD program and I will take this opporturnity to think about anything BUT college admissions.</p>
<p>Once more my "virtual family" talked some sense into me.</p>
<p>Lead stands for Leadership education and development. It is for rising high school seniors and is a summer program for students with an interest in business. Students spend from 3-4 weeks at various business schools around the country. Here is their website [url=<a href="http://leadprogram.org/%5DLED%5B/url">http://leadprogram.org/]LED[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Yes, as Prefect said it is a summer program for rising seniors (focusing on AA and Latino/Latina) interested in business. It is competitive admission (based on PSAT and GPA) with essay and recommendations. The applicant pool is international (there are kids from PR and Mexico in my son's group). For the right student it is a great opportunity. Even if your son/daughter might not be comitted to doing an undergrad business program the classroom work and the site visits open up a whole new world to these kids.</p>
<p>The schools involved are top notch (Wharton, Kellogg, Stanford, Tuck, etc.). Good exposure to rigors of college life. </p>
<p>Best of all the cost doesn't break the bank!! I paid $1200 for the whole 4 week program. Feel free to PM me if you want more info!</p>
<p>How are you all feeling? I'm so distracted at work that I can hardly write. I keep thinking of what it's going to feel like to have only one child at home.</p>
<p>5 days for us; mostly feeling pressured to (not) take care of last minute details. My "only child left at home" and his friends are totally filling the void CD was gone most of the simmer; just got back today).</p>
<p>Our only child/daughter is about to go off, feeling very bittersweet. We/she all worked hard to get here. Wasn't that the point? Feeling thrilled that she will have a great experience, but at the same time, grieving for the what is being left behind.</p>
<p>Wow, I can certainly understand the mixed emotions. DS is a rising senior and each time we do something "for the last time" I can feel the emotion. For those of you packing up the minivan can you give the parents coming in your footsteps some advice? Looking back on your son/daughter's senior year are there good words to give those of us on the path? I know some have previously commented about the merit scholarship process, etc. but more information is never a bad thing.</p>
<p>For example, I would LOVE to know how this Common Application works. I don't want to ask my son because I am carefully trying to stay out of the way and let him lead the process. But what if you want to send one essay to one college and another essay to another college, can you do that?</p>
<p>Here is another--what if you are applying ED to one school, EA (non binding) to another and RD to some more. How do you ask for teacher recommendations. Obviously if he gets into his ED school the recommendations for the RD schools are not needed. But if he waits until December (after ED comes out) to give the RD recommendations they might not arrive on time.</p>
<p>Just spent the better part of the year with D in doing the applications, etc. My best advice is to have a strategy in place starting now. We narrowed down a list of 7 schools by Sept. Set up one email address just for the colleges to correspond to your student so that you both have access to all the things they send to you over the course of the months. Have you student settle on a list of 3 teachers that know them well and would give them a really good LOR. That said, you and student should really work on a resume. D and I did one researching the internet, and came up with a very compelling but simple one that was quite eye catching. Print these off on your computer and give each teacher a resume and your list of colleges. Each recommendation should be addressed to the individual school. In October we gave these teachers their "packet." Our deadline for daughter was to have all her applications in by December 1. It was stressful, but it got done. We took more of a role with this because we didn't want to leave D fate in the hand of GC solely. When the pressure was off after submitting, D decided to apply to 2 more schools. We did RD. If you want FA, I would suggest not doing ED or EA. We also submitted the resume, picture attached,with the application and yes we did Common Application as well as a school that did not use the CA. D picked out a main essay and tweaked it for any individual school as necessary. Gladly she was accepted to all the schools all with fairly good to really good FA packages. I hope this helps and good luck. One more thing, please have delivery confirmation or certified mail when you send these applications off. Too much work involved to not know if they have been delivered.</p>
<p>"For example, I would LOVE to know how this Common Application works. I don't want to ask my son because I am carefully trying to stay out of the way and let him lead the process. But what if you want to send one essay to one college and another essay to another college, can you do that?"</p>
<p>Late in the process last year they added a feature that lets you fill out different "versions". Most of it stays filled out when you strart a new version, but you can do different essays</p>
<p>We have 2 weeks until DS leaves and I agree with milkandsugar that the emotions are bittersweet. </p>
<p>I now am trying to get back in gear to assist DD who is going into 11th grade. </p>
<p>Triguena,
CA does allow you to send different essays to different schools. Also tell DS to make sure when using CA to still check each school's specific requirements. For example, in addition to the CA requirements, some CA schools add their own additional requirements. </p>
<p>In regards to teacher recommendations, my major advice would be to request the teacher to submit their recommendations atleast 3 weeks prior to deadline. This will afford your S time to insure recommendations were received. Also, in applying to schools at various times such as ED, EA and RD, the major advice is to plan ahead and pace yourselves. My DS applied to quite a number of schools so he requested recommendations from his teachers in groupings.</p>
<p>Actually, I'm not sure if "versions" will be available this year on common app. Last year it was made available after numerous complaints. However, it wasn't clear that it was a permanent change. The common app website currently says that after your application is submitted, it will be locked, so don't count on being able to do different essays for different schools until you investigate further.</p>
<p>which, annoyingly, you have to log into to reach. </p>
<p>I just wanted to say, as mostly a lurker in this thread, that I've really appreciated the interesting conversation here. Good luck to your children who are off to college this school year or applying this year or next year.</p>
<p>Just got back from dropping the kid off. /cry</p>
<p>It seems we spent all summer getting ready. Then we started. Drive from Detroit to Washington (that prompted a what was I thinking - I hate that drive and the older I get the longer the drive seems)</p>
<p>Straight from home to the dorm to take advantage of early check-in. And oh my..we pulled up the the dorm and Howard was waiting for us. The radio station was broadcating live. Tons of students eagerly waiting to asist with the move in and unpacking. All extremely friendly.</p>
<p>And although her room-mate was there, the kid opted to spend Friday night with us. Saturday, we did more shopping, dropped her off so she could get stuff done. Took her out to dinner later on and dropped her off for the night.</p>
<p>Next day was church at Rankin Chapel. Great service. Great sermon. Great choir. More shopping, the off to a reception for the scholarship recipients. Did I mention that Howard is kind of hilly (huff-puff)</p>
<p>Took her back to dorm after the receptin and then hubby and i looked at each other in the hotel. Oh btw he lost it when we left her the 1st night. It is kind of building up in me. Tears are imminent.</p>
<p>Texting back forth on the trip home. So far several phone calls and e-mails. I think we are all reassuring each other :)</p>
<p>I know it the right thing. I know this is what we are supposed to do. I know we gave her the tools to cope and excel...but I MISS my baby!!!</p>
<p>Howard has an entire week of activities for the freshman before classes start, which is a good thing..keep them busy.</p>
<p>Anyway thats where we are now. Good luck to all and thanks for letting me share .... runs off to find tissues</p>
<p>DS just had interview at his #1 choice school. This school is a reach for but he loves the program. Interviews are encouraged by school but not required. Knowing his board scores were low for school DS saw interivew as way to let other parts of his record shine (he is a nice, personable kid). Interview is with admissions rep (grown up on staff).</p>
<p>First question by interviewer--where does your mother work. Now I have a good job, somewhat known in academic circles but SO WHAT!!. DS gave somewhat vague (but accurate) answer. Interviewer told him (twice) to be more explicit. The interview went down from there. DS gave the interviewer his resume (since he obviously has not yet officially applied). Interviewer grilled him on grades (why only Honors, why no AP?) DS has run his own business for last two years. Interviewer asked how much profit he turned. </p>
<p>The straw that broke the camel's back was when interviewer asked him how many African American kids went to his school (BTW interviewer is AA). DS was flumoxed. "Uh, not many." "So, your school is not very racially diverse?""Uh, not really" "So, describe your friends." Then he asked DS why he didn't play any sports (there are many many ECs on DS's resume).</p>
<p>There is much much more but I don't want to write a novel. Needless to say DS is devastated.</p>
<p>Wow, Triguena. I am hoping that was just one bad seed in the bunch of admissions staff. I can't imagine a whole admissions staff who focuses so heavily on superficial and unrelated areas, such as profits and parent's occupation. I haven't been through this whole admissions process, but would setting up another interview be an option? Perhaps a phone interview?
I don't think so...but worth a try if the interview was that bad.</p>
<p>Also, if you don't mind sharing, can I ask what school your son interviewed at?</p>