Rising senior just getting started, overwhelmed.

Parents Forum
1

I’m worried we’re late to get started and this whole thing is so overwhelming!

I have three kids, oldest is ending her junior year. We’re middle class but have been putting money aside for college since kids were born. We live in a part of the country without many colleges in the state, we have a good state university and a couple of other well-respected private universities within a 4 or 5 hour drive.

My daughter took the SAT and ACT this year and scored in the upper 700’s on the different parts of the SAT and a 35 on the ACT. She didn’t do any formal prep and it debating trying again after studying, but I’m not sure what her thinking is really there. She did very well on the PSAT and I think she’ll probably be some kind of Merit Scholar but not sure how that all works. She’s shy and not too involved in extracurriculars. However, she’s nationally ranked in a fringe sport, not the kind of sport you get scholarship money for, but it seems like many schools have it as a club sport. She has absolutely no idea what she wants to major in, not even science vs humanities kind of thing. She did submit some creative writing pieces to Scholastic this year and won some of the regional gold keys and has won some state level awards for other things she done for other classes. She volunteers for a non-profit involved with her sport and works part-time.

Ever since she took the PSAT she’s been getting all the marketing materials that I’m sure all juniors get, but she doesn’t even look at them. I’ve just been throwing them unopened into a box. She’s not too excited about going far away from home for school, and has been telling us that she wants to go to our state university and that’s fine with us. I think she should get some automatic tuition reductions based on her grades. But as she watches her friends apply for school, she’s starting to think that maybe she should at least look at some other possibilities. We’re fine with her going where ever, but if it’s a pricey private university, she’ll need to get at least partial merit aid. The scoop is those good private universities in our state don’t give much merit aid to kids from our state because they want kids from all over.

So here we are summer before senior year and … I don’t even know how to help her get started. She’s feeling overwhelmed for sure and I am too. I look at that huge box of unopened mail, so many choices, should we try to plan some travel trips this summer to different parts of the country? How do we even pick a state to get started? It’s as close for us to fly to Canada as most major US cities and someone told us we should look at Canada universities. It had never even occurred to me. Her guidance office at HS is no help. I need a game plan for the summer, it’s already getting filled with “life” but I don’t want her to feel regret because she never even tried to apply elsewhere.

I’m open to all advice, thanks!!

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It sounds like your state U will be your daughter’s safety: congrats. The next step is to identify how much it will cost without any merit aid to gauge worst-case-FA-scenario.

Have the money talk with her – make sure she understands she will need at least X amount in scholarships to seriously consider the private schools she’s interested in. Run the costs online. When estimating cost of attendance, keep travel costs in mind: in her first year, she’s likely to make 4 trips home (Thanksgiving, Xmas, spring break, summer.) If flights would be involved, remember, those are the costliest times for air travel.

She should also know just how pricey most the big out-of-state schools will be – they’re unlikely to offer your daughter much in the way of FA.

Identify which states around you give financial breaks to students coming from your state. Explore those schools online: majors, housing, student life, etc.

Help her define what she wants: talk about what she’d like to study, what her overall interest and academic goals are. Does she want an urban environment, suburban, rural? How would she feel in a large school with a big sports and Greek scene? How about size: would she be intimidated at the Large State U, and if so, is there an smaller honors program that would mitigate the size issue?

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State schools should give her merit aid. Alabama, for example, is a school that gives a lot of scholarship money for a 32 or higher on the ACT. I am not sure where you are exactly but most colleges have their applications open up August 1. If you apply early then you should be notified earlier and it will give you a chance to look closer at the schools. If you are applying in Texas then you can enter your information one time and literally apply to almost every university here if you choose to do so. https://www.applytexas.org Some universities also require an additional essay in order to apply. And some of the schools are free to apply to (Baylor). With those test scores, she should be able to have a chance at any school she wants. Congrats!!!

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@woodlandsmom SOME out of state publics will offer merit aid to this out of state student. BUT many don’t…and many, like CA, will not offer aid that covers the differential between in and out of state costs.

Alabama is the only public I know of that has guaranteed scholarships for OOS students who have high enough SAt/ACT and GPA.

This student has fine stats, and will likely garner good acceptances. But the family needs to figure out how much they can pay per year. The student needs to figure out how far she wants to be from home…it’s perfectly alright to go to one’s own public university.

If her PSAT score is sufficiently high…she could qualify for National Merit finalist states.

Has your daughter talked to her school guidance counselor at all?

To the OP…can you take her for a visit to a couple of schools within a drive from your house?

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I’d start with a college guide like Fiske and have her go through it and start to read about colleges right now. I’d also (fairly soon) get her to some schools that are close to you just to get a feel for them. Does she want a big school? Small? etc. A visit will help her get a feel for this. If she knows she doesn’t want to go “too far away” try to define that (2 hours? 4? 8?) and then start looking at schools within that radius.

Once you have a general idea, look to see what the stats are for admitted students. For those schools where she is in the 75% or above, check to see if they offer merit aid. Run Net Price Calculators for all of the schools she might like, and see if they are possibly affordable. Tell her how much you can pay while you go through this exercise.

It’s going to be time-intensive for you both, but you may be surprised what you both learn through this process. She has fantastic stats, and I assume her GPA is very high. The lack of involvement in ECs may hurt her at the highly selective schools but she will have lots of opportunities at lots of places. Good luck!

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You might want to visit a few of the LACs. Carleton College and St. Olaf are both in Minnesota. Carleton is a school that meets full need so run the NPC for Carleton and see how much it will cost your family. St. Olaf also meets full need and has some merit scholarships. There are a LACS that meet full need and LAcs that award merit scholarships. You need to figure out if your family can afford your EFC or if your daughter should pursue merit money. Your daughter should have many fine choices if she plans properly with her terrific stats.

Check out this info: http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com
And look under the financial tab on CC for more information about scholarships.

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The top 4 Canadian universities are (from west to east) University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo (for tech subjects only), University of Toronto, McGill University. Tuition will run you $30000 CAD/year which is roughly $24000USD/year plus$12000 CAD for residence costs plus a few thousand extra for books and spending money. Total about $40000 USD/year. There is extremely little merit aid at Canadian universities.

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I think you’re doing fine. You are looking for a “generalist” school ; one that offers exposure to lots of disciplines (perhaps requires it) to help her winnow choices of a major. You know she doesn’t have a burning desire to go far, far, away, or she’d have said it by now.

These things worked for us: Look at it as an adventure. Plan a weekend trip or two to any school within driving distance. Go, visit , see what walking around feels like to her, without any pressure. You’re just having a fun trip and fact-finding. For lots of juniors, it’s just too abstract. Visit a school, any school. Drive-throughs and walk-arounds, not formal take-a-tour visits , can be useful if that’s less intimidating. Mom stays very casual and laidback about it all.

And lastly, buy some pizza, some cake, and sit down as a pair and open the mail. Sort it into “that’s hilariously awful” “wouldn’t that be cool” and “meh”. You aren’t applying, you’re just imagining “what if”. Even looking at the lit prompts thought and will clarify some things for both of you. Both of mine were required to open all the college junk, and it became clear they were drawn to a certain size, a certain set of activities, and there were some things ( famous profs!! apartment dorms!! shuttles to airports!!!) they didn’t care about. They didn’t know that until sorting “asked” them to think about it for 30 seconds.

And yes, later on, have the money talk.

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All good advice above, but have the money talk now.

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This is all very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to answer.

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With her high stats, and her comfort with the notion of attending your own state university, she might as well aim high for some other colleges. It sounds as if some of the top liberal arts colleges might be good fits. Since you have three children, it doesn’t hurt planting a few hints in the younger ones’ minds. Are you open to a family road-trip or vacation which could incorporate a few colleges this summer. That could be New England, with Boston, Cape Cod, or the Berkshires as destinations; Washington-Baltimore-Philly corridor, with time on the Eastern Shore, or simply sightseeing at landmarks; etc.

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Overwhelming, but also exciting!

So what state are you from? How is your state u? Some are pretty darn good, and if that is what your D wants, go with it. Her scores are great, so she may well get some merit aid. Is there an honors college there? A chance to pursue her fringe sport?

Yes, have that $ talk. Manage her expectations.

Get that college guide and flip through it. Open that college mail. That may get her (and you) thinking.

I don’t think you have to have a big college tour this summer. Visit a few close by places to get a feel for different types of campuses: the large, the small, the urban, the rural. She may have some immediate reactions, like “I hate being in the city” or “I love the energy of a big school.” That is how we discovered our S would like a LAC. It was a surprise to us all. Are there any college fairs in your town? Your D could visit those. Many people wait to visit schools until they are accepted somewhere.

13

Has your daughter taken any SAT Subject Tests?

They are usually required only by very selective colleges, but your daughter’s other test scores are high enough that she is a reasonable candidate for colleges of that sort.

If she hasn’t taken these tests, she will need to find out which tests she needs for the schools she wants to apply to and take them on one of the first testing dates in the fall.

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@EverydayThings - If your daughter’s grades are as strong as her test scores, she might have a chance some of the top colleges. While the sticker price for these schools is high, many do give generous need-based aid to middle-class families (Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford come to mind).

If you think your daughter might be interested in attending one of these schools were she to get in, take a look at their net price calculators - you will likely find the out-of pocket cost is competitive with your state university. Here’s the Harvard calculator - it only takes a couple minutes to complete: https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/net-price-calculator

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Good advice from all above. True net cost of college is not widely understood. If your AGI is say $60k/year Harvard, Princeton or Yale should cost less than $10k/year. With her stats it should be possible for her to win anywhere from $25k/year up to a full ride at those colleges that award lots of merit aid. Generally speaking the most generous merit aid schools are liberal arts colleges one or two tiers down from the Ivy league on the way up. To maximize merit aid apply early and let them know you genuinely want to attend. Oberlin, Denison, CWRU, GW, gettysburg are generous

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National ranking in a sport is a national level accomplishment even if it is not a NCAA sport. Coupled with 35 ACT it may open doors at the schools with good financial aid. Sport associations may offer some small scholarships too.

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You are getting a lot of good advice here. If you could tell us a few more things, we can be more helpful.

  1. What her gpa is on a 4.0 scale both weighted and unweighted?
  2. What is her class rank, if you school has it?
  3. What is her highest math class and English class?
  4. How many APs has she taken?

It is great that she would be happy at your state school, so you have a fall back plan. I would find out whether your school uses Naviance right away. It can be very helpful in targeting schools for her gpa and test scores. Regarding a major, I would suggest planning a STEM major, until she knows that is not what she wants. It is much easier to switch out of engineering, premed, math or science than to switch in. By starting with something hard, you keep all options open longer. Also I would consider focusing on subject tests instead of trying to improve a 35 ACT.

I would begin by looking at some top universities and Liberal Arts Colleges on line. With a good safety in place, I would aim high if her grades are good. Here are a few suggestions as a start point.

Private Universities: Cornell, Penn, Northwestern, Tufts, UCLA
Public Universities: Cal Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, William and Mary
Liberal Arts schools: Bowdoin, Middlebury, Carelton, Vassar, Wesleyan

18

With an adjusted gross income of $60K, Harvard would be free. With an AGI of $150K, it would cost $15K. Make ure to check the calculators on school financial aid websites for any school she is interested in.

There is a box to check on standardized tests about receiving mail, and then students receive mail according to their scores. After my oldest, I told my others not to check the box. Those mailings are a bit of a distraction and overwhelming.

I would not be so sure that her sport is a club sport. I believe Harvard still has fencing and water polo. For privacy sake, I understand if you do not want to identify the sport but it would be helpful. Being nationally ranked, plus her stats, might make an Ivy school very interested.

Your daughter’s stats, awards, sport and writing, non-profit work and job make for a fine picture. She would seem to have a good head on her shoulders in general. It’s refreshing that she didn’t prep for the tests!!

It’s fine to be undecided about major. She has some interests and talents and can explore once on campus.

I think she could apply to some top colleges including Ivies if she so chose. Right now she is happy with the state u and that is also refreshing. But sometimes privates end up costing much less.

We don’t know much about her. Maybe a liberal arts college (smaller, more personalized) would work for her. I strongly recommend the book and website entitled “Colleges that Change Lives,” by Loren Pope. He also wrote “Looking Beyond the Ivy League,.” I found these books much more helpful than the big college guides. There is a CTCL fair every year in many areas of the country.

One of the other books I like is entitled “Creative Colleges” and is available online, as are the other two books. It includes dance, music, theater and writing as I remember.

Good luck! So far your family has avoided the craziness- congratulations. Hoping she can move forward with some selective choices and still stay as sane as she is now :slight_smile:

19

These are the questions D2’s private counselor asked us (parents and student):

  1. Location - within X miles of home, travel time, urban/rural, region
  2. Size - large U vs small LAC
  3. Diversity - sex, race
  4. Ranking
  5. Money - FA, merit

He also asked us to rank importance of each item.

Most highly ranked schools only give need based aid. If your family can’t afford 60K/year and is also not eligible for aid then I wouldn’t focus on those schools. You can easily figure out if you would be eligible for FA by using those school’s calculators.
If you require some sort of aid, your kid will need to apply to more schools in order to get the best aid possible.
It was CC’s collective wisdom few years back not to do ED if aid is needed, but over the years the opinion has changed because student could still get out of the ED agreement if the school is not affordable after admittance. Nevertheless, your kid should give it very good thought if she wants to do ED/EA/SCEA at any school, because by doing ED (even SCEA/EA) will give your kid a higher chance of getting into a school.

I would encourage your kid to start on her personal statement (main essay in the common application) this summer. She should also work on her common application. It is the most important piece of marketing material for herself, so it needs to be carefully reviewed by other adults.

Tell your kid that the hardest year was over, all her stats are in, all she has to do now is to just pull everything together. For both of kids, junior year was the hardest year.

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Or you may have a first choice school, and that’s fine, too.

For some students – and my son was one of them – the state university has great appeal because of its familiarity. They know older students who go there. They realize that quite a few of their classmates will end up there. They’ve been hearing about the place for years. Perhaps they’ve been to the campus. Perhaps it’s not very far from home.

Not every 18-year-old is comfortable with the idea of venturing alone into a totally unfamiliar environment. For shy students or those who feel uncertain about going to college, familiarity may breed contentment rather than contempt.

My son was one of those who preferred his state university, in part because he didn’t want to go far from home. He had a very good experience there, and four years later, when he was looking at the world a bit differently, he moved to the other side of the country immediately after graduation. Nothing would have been gained by trying to push him into a more adventurous choice at 18. The desire for adventure didn’t kick in until he was 22.

It may be worthwhile to take some time to look at the state university in detail. Does it have an honors program? (She is likely to qualify.) If it does, she might want to take advantage of it – there are usually some good perks, and it would give her a chance to meet other top students. What opportunities are available in her favorite sport? Are there any special interest programs that she might like? You might also want to do the official tour and information session at the state university campus even if she has been there before.