Right college list for bright girl with moderately bumpy jr. year?

Parents Corner
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<p>As a huge favor, I am hoping some of the very wise parents here can help my best friend out. Her oldest daughter is a senior in high school and has not yet got a college list together. </p>

<p>Here's the background. Large CA public school, v. competitive, known as a "feeder school". Freshman year, 3.9 average. Sophomore year, 3.7, first semester Junior year 3.7, second semester barely 3.0. Some Ds in there. Rough year and family conflict. This year, probably back on track for a 3.7 or 3.9. </p>

<p>Has taken some APs, but for example AP Stats vs. AP Calc, and no more than 4 total. Best subject was chemistry.</p>

<p>Has not yet taken the SATs. From the PSATs, expect between 1800 and 2100, probably closer to 1800 than 2100.</p>

<p>Very bright girl, but no interest at all in things "intellectual". Will debate with ferocity on issues, if they are concrete and topical. </p>

<p>4 years varsity soccer in large competitive conference. 3 years varsity tennis. All-conference soccer junior year, will be again this year, probably captain this year.</p>

<p>No other ECs. Summers spent working at a sandwich shop to earn some money.</p>

<p>The theory is she will be best at a largish school where some other very bright kids can be found, along with a name-brand football or basketball team. Where she can major in business or media or something practical. The theory is also that she might be well-served by leaving the California consumer society behind to experience the rest of the country.</p>

<p>If the school really needed soccer talent, she could probably play. But she has not been recruited - which actually surprises me. She did not play club soccer regularly or do ODP or any of that - family just couldn't work out the schedule ( 5 kids...)</p>

<p>So how do these schools sound or do you all have other ideas? She needs to get started and I am pretty clueless:).</p>

<p>University of Miami
U of Iowa
Fordham (Jesuit but maybe that's OK?)
U of Delaware
Clemson
Boston University
Tulane
Purdue
UConn
UCSB (Iknow, still CA, but she likes the idea...)
Wake Forest
Ohio State</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>She might look if Miami's EA date has passed. A friends son got in EA last yr with similar stats. They were shocked, it was a real reach for him. He is a freshman there now and thriving. Though I think that Miami has it's own consumer society.</p>

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<p>I think your list is very good. </p>

<p>Has this kid visitied any schools? Does she think a big school is more appealing? Or is this a mom theory so far?</p>

<p>Another tack would be less competitive D3 schools with good academics, who might want her as a soccer player. This could be a school like Skidmore, Allegheny, Goucher, St Lawrence, Clark, Wheaton, Beloit, Mt Holyoke. </p>

<p>Or possibly a smaller D1. Maybe Holy Cross, if Catholic is okay? They combine high level D1 sports with LAC.</p>

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<p>She'd have a decent shot at Wisconsin if she can hit a 3.7 avg gpa and 1900 on the SAT. It's better than the other Big 10 schools on the list and more interesting. UW loves OOS students with cash.</p>

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<p>Hmm. I love Wisconsin. I know some exceptionally bright CS grads from there. What's the social scene like there these days?</p>

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<p>Madison is also a relative bargain for OOS, significantly cheaper than other publics OOS.</p>

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<p>You could add Syracuse too.</p>

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<p>if shes looking for a name brand basketball team, a great education, uconn is the place- its academic quality has improved exponentially over the past few years. although playing soccer there might be a stretch?</p>

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<p>SBMom, I missed your post at first. The large school thing right now is me and her mom thinking about it. She has refused to discuss this all with her mom or me as too associated with her mom. But now she is working with her dad and a counselor, so we shall see. I think she could play D3 soccer at some of those places and will leave it to her dad to take her to look. It would need to be a LAC not too intellectual, more conservative in culture.</p>

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<p>UCSB is going to be reachy --- the UCs will only look at her sophomore and junior year grades and UCSB is particularly sensitive to downward trends. Additionally, she needs to take both the SAT AND the SAT II's by December. It may be tricky to do well on both. If the D's are in the UC a-g requirements, she'll have to have made the courses up with a passing grade in order to meet the scholarship requirement. </p>

<p>I'd suggest San Diego State U may be a better choice for business than UCSB. Plus, she won't need the SAT IIs and will have a better shot at admissions. And, SDSU has a very huge football program and isn't shoddy at basketball either. The Cal State application is very simple - no essays needed.
However, as with the UC's, if the D's were in a-g requirements she may be sunk if she hasn't made up the course work.</p>

<p>Another suggestion would be the University of Portland in Oregon. It's a smaller school (3,000) but has Division I athletics and lots of team spirit. Nice business program and they are often willing to overlook a few glitches in the transcript. It is a Catholic school but since Fordham is on the list, might be worth a look. I'd also have her take a look at Gonzaga in Washington state, another Catholic school with huge team spirit (especially for basketball). Seattle U might also be worth a look. All three have great business programs and are caring places where it is difficult to slip through the cracks.</p>

<p>Wake Forest seems totally out of reach to me for someone with D's on the transcript and probable SATs in the 1800's. Tulane would also be reachy with that transcript.</p>

<p>Finally, will she need financial aid? Some of the schools on the list - especially the out of state publics - are not good choices for kids who need substantial financial aid.</p>

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<p>D3 schools like you describe, very strong soccer, moderate selectivity:</p>

<p>(Hobart &) William Smith
TCNJ
Puget Sound
Willamette
Redlands
Wittenberg</p>

<p>a little harder, but hey, if she's a great player--
Skidmore
Denison</p>

<p>These schools are all nationally ranked in D3 soccer. If your friends D is a possible D1 player D3's will want her. Schools ranked lower in soccer may even want her more.</p>

<p>As for conservative schools with moderate stats, look at James Madison & Mary Washington.</p>

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<p>U of Miami EA deadline is November 1st.</p>

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<p>u of i urbana</p>

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<p>Did she happen to retake the classes she got the D's in. My D's friend who had an F jr year had a hard time getting into any of the Ca publics despite some otherwise high grades. He did not get into any UC's that he applied and did not get into San Diego State. I think he got into Chico and SF. He had better luck with the Arizona schools.</p>

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<p>good point mom60. </p>

<p>Also, can she get a good GC letter explaining the situation that might help explain the drop in grades?</p>

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<p>The drop in grades should be explainable. But she hasn't retaken anything. I think the idea now is that leaving CA is good for her, so that will be the focus.</p>

<p>I believe they are prepared to pay full freight, given the situation.</p>

<p>She is a legacy at Bucknell. Anyone have knowledge about their soccer? </p>

<p>Thank you all so much for the responses. This is my best friend and I really would like to help her daughter if I can.</p>

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<p>Ohio State has really improved its programs and its reputation. Indiana seems to meet her criteria, great business school, big, sports are important. If she wants to go to a smaller school how about Ohio Wesleyan, seems very sports minded, smaller but close to Columbus.</p>

<p>She really needs to get on the ball and take the SAT's. If she's interested in midwest schools, I would really try to pursuade her to take the ACT's. This late in the game with no time to retake, the ACT would give her another oppportunity to score higher in the shortest amount of time.</p>

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<p>The social scene at UW is pretty much the same as ever--maybe a little moreso. Not many large scale protests anymore but lots of groups with issues.</p>

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<p>I agree with deb922 on advising her to take the ACTs. Since the categories are more than verbal and math, maybe she could show strength in all areas and support the theory that 2nd semester jr. year was a blip.</p>

<p>As a single mom of five I know how hard it can be to juggle all the practices and all the other ECs. My DD#2, a recruited athlete ended up at a big OOS public D1 on full scholarship. She is in the honors program so her classes are small. And it was not a school on her inital list, they called her.</p>

<p>I think your friend's daughter will have a hard time with the UCs since their UC GPA is for 10th/11th grades. OOS publics with rolling admissions might be willing to wait for her first semester senior grades. And she would have time for SATs and an ACT.</p>

<p>Alumother, you can PM if you want more info.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

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<p>Lafayette in Penn. The campus was pretty. The town wasn't much. We weren't planning on visiting but were seeing other schools in the area so we just stopped in. The admissions office was nice and helpful and they said that they don't get many kids from Ca and that would be an advantage.
We went on a tour with 2 guides and just our family. They had a beautiful gym that was fairly new. It all blends together but I seem to recall that sports participation was big.
We ran into a group of girls off to soccer practice and they stopped and talked with us and invited my D to come watch. D was a soccer player who had no intention to even think about college play. She declined the offer but it sticks out as a friendly place.
In the end she didn't apply due to the size but it seemed like a great place.</p>