Colby, Colgate, Middlebury, UVM, UMass and Wake Forest. No idea where she will end up. Good luck to everyone this year!
Same, DSâs school only offers a very limited number of AP classes. Itâs amazing to me how some kids take so many APs beginning Freshman year. My son took the max and he had 4 by the time senior year began, so he was ineligible for all those various AP awards predicated on taking large numbers of them. He was also the first in school history to get as high as a 4 in chemistry. Not exactly a powerhouse program, haha!
Admissions is complicated. The school is trying to balance a lot of things. So, male or female matters. What school/major a student is applying for matters. Thatâs just for starters. Itâs not just a matter of how strong an applicants credentials are. Applicants have to fit the slots the school is trying to fill.
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This is something a lot of people donât understand
Wow - those are fantastic schools. Couldnât get my daughter to apply NorthâŠor to small schools, LACs - except W&L - and only based on the allure of their huge merit offferings. Obviously UMASS is the outlier in that itâs large but if the money is right, itâs a solid choice. What a great list of options your daughter has!!! We looked at Wake - my daughter didnât like (obviously some campuses kids love, some hate) - the funniest thing though. They have parking lots everywhere - in front of every building instead of garages on the fringes. For some reason that bugged her 
Wake is a great school, did a great job marketing, and I know they have great student satisfaction. The three LACs - all off the charts. Wow, thatâs awesome for her!! Itâs going to work out any way you go!!
It is possible to be admitted with a small number of APs. My kid was admitted with only two completed APs (the maximum that are offered at his high school before senior year) and is currently enrolled in only three. He has a strong GPA and SATs that Rice would consider good (which he submitted), but his stats arenât off the chart. ECs are pretty good with some awards as well (but nothing super unusual academically). That said, his Common App essay was quirky (which could be a negative with other schools), he put a lot of time and thought into the Rice supplementals, and he showed a ton of demonstrated interest early on. I really do think luck comes into play at a certain stage in the review process.
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Luck for sure - because when you get to the Rice level, which Iâd equate to the Ivies, even the best of the best on paper - itâs a stretch. I personally donât believe Rice is a target or safety for anyone!! The CC is littered with kids who only apply to Rice, Chicago, Ivies , WUSTL, Vandy, Duke, etc. who have accomplished more at 18 than I have at 50 - and they get turned down everywhere and are stunned.
You always need that âsafetyâ which for them might be a Rochester or William & Mary, etc.
All the schools say what youâve listed - they look at your academic record in context of the schoolâs offering to see if youâve challenged yourselfâŠso makes sense. Congrats to your child.
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I should add that heâs out of state. I know some posters were looking at the breakdown of in vs. out of state.
Although I am glad my daughter got in, I am not too happy with zero financial aid. For people in the similar situation, what some ways to fund the kid education instead of selling my investment for retirement?
Quick story - I went to Syracuse. Good friendâs parents sold their house and moved into a trailer for her to go. Two years in - they pulled her as they were out of money and she went to the in-state school (Montana).
Your situation doesnât seem as dire - but donât do it. If she got into Rice, I assume you have other quality and cheaper options. My kid got into W&L - not quite as up there as Rice but still elite - at $81K - no thanks.
You should never borrow from or sell off your retirement. Thatâs college planning 101. I would argue you should limit the pain to yourself financially - because you never know when a job is lost or the markets crash.
I would call them and assuming you are under the $200K mark - which is where they seem to show that youâd get $$ - Iâd ask why. I had the conversation with W&L because all the schools say - x $ at that income based on normal assets.
I found out normal assets for them is 2x your salary - so if you make $200K and have $400K in assets thatâs average. Above that, your $$ are going down.
In the case of W&L - but youâd need to ask for rice, they do not factor in your 401K but they do factor in your home equity.
Bottom line - Rice is AWESOME but not to the extent of straining your finances. Many colleges have Honors Colleges. The brand name isnât the same but they can still have a wonderful experience and youâll save the stress.
Arizona is a solid school, fantastic merit aid, has an Honors College and you can still apply - last admits are May 3rd. But I assume youâve already got safeties.
We are into W&L, American with $15K and Miami with $25K (so $50K COA).
For me, the financial strain - not worth it. I hate to give up great names that my daughter adores (especially American) but at $60K, the value not there (for me).
Good luck to you.
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Many students pay full price. Do you have any money saved in a 529 or other savings accounts? Rice presumes you and/our your student will use savings, get a loan on the equity in your home, borrow against retirement, sell assets etc. to fund the cost. Your student can take out a student loan, and you can take out a loan for the student. Have your daughter apply for outside scholarships. If your student is smart enough to get into Rice, he/she probably could get some outside scholarships from religious/civic organizations/nonprofits etc. There are jobs available on campus in various academic departments, as an admission tour guide, at the school newspaper, at the recreation center etc. where your student can earn a little spending money even if he/she does not qualify for work study.
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Thanks so much. Where is your daughter going? I am hoping my daughter doesnât like Wake as the others are so much closer to home. I think she wonât go to Umass as she is ready for something new and a lot of her class goes to Umass. I have been reaching out to lots of people and it seems like her choices are all pretty equal academically so now a matter of figuring out all the other stuff.
I agree. Rice isnât a match for anyone. I think that is hard for people to getâwe were hoping our daughter would get in but didnât expect it. I recommend for people reading this in the future pick a school and ED. This year was complicated as it was hard to know where you wanted to go but at our high school it seems like the kids that did ED got into higher ranked schools than those that didnât.
You really seem to love Rice. Any particular reason? We really never did too much research on them. Just out of curiosity, really.
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Part of the issue is - kids want to show off. My daughter is pushing X college because she might look bad with her friends at Y college. I mean, thereâs brilliant kids at most colleges, certainly at every flagship.
You have UMASS (too close) and UVM - which I hear great things about. Colgate, Middlebury, and Colby - probably interchangeable. Iâd imagine (donât know but live in the South) Colgate has the biggest name but I know Middlebury and then Colby are ranked higher - but again, we probably all look at that too much.
For me, my daughter is a go getter and if she were at Colgate or U-Mass or heck, U-Mass Lowell - I know sheâs going to end up just fine. Iâm already panicked on finances - so the less I have to stress, the better itâll be in the long run i.e. cheaper is better. We applied to schools that had super merit possibilities - long shots at the elite but still opportunities - knowing if we didnât hit a home run those schools would be out. We did not apply to any that only grant need based aid.
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PS - the one thing I read about UMASS - every poster rates about their food. School - ok. Sure. But the food - supposedly 5 star!!!
I love Rice? Yes, and no. I love the academics, the residential college (havenât lived up but for my greek wannabe daughter - i worry, what if sheâs not chosen, what if she is hazed). I love the area and culture it would have provided for my daughter.
We knew it was unlikely sheâd get in. And thatâs fine.
Iâm proud of her for applying, taking the time to do the extra work. Iâm also glad she was rejected somewhere (four as it turns out - two rejections and two WLs) - if youâre not rejected somewhere, you didnât aim high enough - in my book.
Rice is a wonderful opportunity for someone where that vibe fits their personality and most importantly, the family can afford it.
The ego or âshowing offâ as it were is the main thing that is stopping S21 from accepting/embracing going to Miami OH. Itâs crazy because it isnât like it is 1) bottom half of the barrel, and 2) that IU or LUC are âeliteâ. Sure, Sister Jean makes LUC look good in March (LOL), but it is ranked no higher than MIami OH, and IU-Kelley is great, but not worth premium. He wants people to be impressed when he tells them where he goes. I think the work he does while in college should speak for itself and not be carried by the collegeâs name.
My daughter didnât like Miami due to its remoteness - and yes itâs ranked about 100 - but itâs such a different type school. tOSU is the flagship and then you have lesser ranked Ohio U. Miami is like a liberal arts feel but flagship. The people whose kids go - rave rave rave about it. Pitt as well.
The crazy thing is for all the rankings chasers (and yes, Iâm one) - you have to spend four years there. So rankings / pedigree should be so far down the list - but they are not. For my daughter, itâs College of Charleston that she feels (partly due to me) is too low - but honestly itâs the right fit for her. Both times sheâs been there sheâs been jazzed, itâs a campus but in the heart of the city, and sheâs a âfellowâ - so in Honors and then a small group within Honors.
U of SC - obviously not a pedigree school - but theyâre the #1 Honors College - itâs likely not as good for her - but she wants to say - Iâm in the top Honors College. Itâs funny too - there is no Honors rankings but thereâs someone who rates them - and U of SC has been in the top group each rating.
Itâs crazy stuff - but honestly, the magazines and then us as parents sort of created this mess ugh.
SigghhâŠthis is a pervasive issue here in our school systems too. Umass A and Lowell are great for Engineering and CS, and both have terrific job prospects for kids. But everyone wants the brand names. Though I have a hunch that Umass A will become a brand name in a few years wrt CS/Engineering.