@natty1988 S21 seriously considered both but in the end decided that a big university was going to be an outlier for him and he loved Wichita’s presentation. So he went with that app for a big school vs. Montana or Montana State.
I would love to have seen him apply at Montana. They both look like fantastic options.
Ah. Yep big universities aren’t for everyone, just as small ones aren’t for everyone either.
@ububumble That’s great news! I’m following with great interest, as my DS22 has similar stats. Much personal turmoil freshman year, exec functioning stuff, etc. led to lots of climbing his way back up in terms of gpa. Your son’s results are giving me hope for my kiddo. Western New England is on his list right now, and we hope to be able to visit in the spring.
Congrats to your son!
Chalk up another win for S21! He was accepted to LaSalle University in Philly today. It was a really nice surprise as he wasn’t expecting to hear from anywhere between the holidays–happy New Year’s Eve indeed.
I was excited about this one. There is so much about the place that feels right to me for him. He really liked the virtual visit we did in the summer but since then, it’s faded for him. But the size, the location and the spirit of meeting kids where they are (Higher achiever? Great we’ve got a plan for you. On your way to figuring it out? We’ve got a plan for you too.) all puts it higher on my list. The letter said accepted for Elementary Ed which is not what he applied for or is interested in. So, some follow up required there clearly but not overly concerned.
Depending on where everything shakes out, I may insist on using one of his live visits for this place. I don’t pull out the “just do this for me” card often so when I do they tend to pay attention.
Current count:
9 applications
4 acceptances
Western New England with $15K per year in merit
Wichita State
Keene State with $4K per year in merit
LaSalle with $12K per yer in merit
1 waitlist (Xavier)
still waiting on the others
Options abound for this 2.58 GPA kid who is so much more than his numbers! And he’s going to have (some sort of) a basketball season this year. 2021 is looking up so far.
So happy to hear about your son’s successes. Congrats to him and to you for seeking out schools that are such good matches.
I would encourage you to visit LaSalle in person before making any decision. There is much to like about LaSalle but when we visited with my S years ago we didn’t love the neighborhood (and I went to a different college in Phila. and my S ended up at Fordham in the Bronx so we’re not afraid of urban campuses). This was years ago and things may have improved but especially given that he has other excellent options just be sure to visit so you can make your own informed decision.
@happy1 Thank you!
And yes, a visit would be required for any school he ultimately chooses but particularly for those in cities. Especially for this kid. He’s been pretty adamant about choosing schools with defined campuses and one of his first questions is always about safety. LaSalle reads well in a virtual visit in terms of contained campus and with 4 years of housing available. But I’ve spent a good amount of time in Philly and know it’s a city where a one block difference changes everything.
Appreciate your perspective and thanks for sharing it!
@ububumble I just discovered this thread and wanted to say how impressive your journey has been. Your S21 is incredibly lucky to have a parent who is laser focused on helping him find the right fit and setting him up for success. In a process that can seem overrun by sky-high achievers and their super-stressed parents, I find your tone and approach both refreshing and inspiring.
Thanks so much @cuppasbux.
So much got us to this point but the combination of hiring hundreds of people over my career and learning that the Harvard grad was not necessarily a better hire than the State Directional U grad nor did they automatically have a standout career and being raised myself by a guy who failed out of his first college, started back at a Comm College and ultimately went on to an Ed.D. and then returned as a professor at a Comm College has taught me that there is no one right path leading to whatever we define as success.
Add to that two kids who can’t be more different from one another but what they have in common is diagnosed anxiety (and more) which taught me through some hard lessons early on that there are far more important things than my kids’ grades and “performances”.
And so we get to the message they’ve both heard for many years in this house: We don’t care what you do, there is no pre-planned path. All we want for you is to give yourself options. Options are the key.
As part of his road, S21 could end up leaving after a semester in college and determining to start training for a trade. Or he could come home and decide to take classes at a community college. Or college could be exactly what he dreams it will be right now and he could graduate with honors. All honorable. All choices. And he’s put himself in the position of having them.
In some ways I think he’s in better shape at this point than many of those sky-high achievers because he knows those options exist for him. Many of those kids aren’t even aware of the different paths yet or the fact they may have to/want to choose one.
Super philosophical tonight–must be the New Year’s Eve in me. 
Roanoke is in. And it’s a yes!!! He’s so thrilled about this. We’ll definitely be making a trip to VA for a visit. Right now it’s one of his top two so this one was big.
A little background on the journey with this school because for kids like him, they usually aren’t on the straightest path but it doesn’t make the path any less true or possible.
He applied early action to make sure they understood his interest. Admissions reached out to schedule an interview and he jumped on it. That allowed him to create a more personal relationship with his admissions counselor. He received a letter two weeks after applying requesting Q1 grades and for him to rank his preference of the school. Both in his interview and in that letter it was suggested that he move the school to ED as that would boost his case.
He said no to ED both times and then again after another email from the admissions counselor. That email said “I’m on your side and I’m going to advocate for you with the committee. But you are definitely on the edge and it’s unlikely you’ll receive merit money and we’ll ask you to agree to work with an academic counselor when you get here if you’re admitted. ED would really help.” He replied that the school is a top choice for him but that without visiting he couldn’t apply ED, it just didn’t feel like a smart move. He also said that he’d be excited to work with a counselor and receive that support when he got there–it’s part of what drew him to Roanoke in the first place.
And he waited. And then their entire IT infrastructure went kerplooey in December and into this month. Literally, the whole school went down. And he waited.
Today there was a text saying “we’re back up and running, check your portal”.
And he’s in. Exactly the way his counselor described. No merit, with a counselor.
I have no doubt he can succeed there. Whether it’s the place for him or not, we’ll see after a visit and hearing from all schools.
Big day here. Big day.
Current result count:
9 applications
5 acceptances
Western New England with $15K per year in merit
Roanoke
Wichita State
Keene State with $4K per year in merit
LaSalle with $12K per yer in merit
1 waitlist
Xavier
still waiting on 3 more
As he said after opening the email: Mom, I’m undefeated on the season. 5-0-1.
He’s earned every minute of this celebration. Proud beyond words of this kid.
I am so happy for you and him!!! Congratulations
Hooray!!! And thank you for circling back with the update!
CONGRATULATIONS !
Is Roanoke the front runner for now?
Congrats to him- but also to you. You came into this willing to research and find the right match. You both did it. And that’s always so good to hear.
@MYOS1634 based on everything he’s seen and heard it seems to be his top choice. But he hasn’t visited and so he’s (wisely) holding out a little bit. Western New England has been the favorite for a long time and he visited it early on. We’ll take a drive back there and make sure it looks as good after knowing all of his other options. And he loves Salve and wants to hear from them to know if that’s an option.
And he still wants to visit Wichita State because he’s had the chance to embrace it as he heard from them first and they sent swag. 
I may put the kibosh on that visit because while it seems like a great school I think there are much better options for him in particular (smaller with more built in support, housing beyond first year). It’s not that I don’t want him to see it but with COVID I’d like to keep travel to a minimum this spring.
Of course, out of all current options Roanoke and WNE are the most expensive. That will play in to a degree as well. We’re fortunate and are full-pay but that doesn’t mean it makes sense to invest $XX,XXX more in one school over another if the education will be similar.
A lot to think about but a year ago we didn’t know we’d even have these options so we’re happy to have the dilemmas.
An unexpected embarassment of riches is such good news. 
Fingers crossed for what happend next: hopefully it’ll be possible and fun to (re/)visit, then make the choice.
Congrats to your son!
We visited Roanoke back in 2016. Pretty campus, spread out enough that it does not feel tiny. Mountains in the background. And the town of Salem just across a small street, so the campus does not feel isolated. Close to I-81 for easy access. The surrounding neighbor was really nice. It just had a nice, safe feel about it.
Keep us posted!
Hartwick is a yes today!
At this point I update not because I want to share every minute detail of this process but because I want more families like ours who come to CC to see the possibilities. CC can be a pretty intimidating place when your child isn’t a 3.7+, 10 honors/AP class, multi-EC, test-taking wonder. This was all easier with my first frankly, he fit that mold and I felt more comfortable in this world.
It’s easy to find the responses to questions about a 3.0 kid that quickly jump to “head to Comm College” or the perhaps unintended but nonetheless there spirit of “what makes you think you’re ready for college if you only got a B in high school”. That’s what a 3.0 is–a B. I think we forget that sometimes.
What’s not so easy to find are the stories that reflect most high school kids. Early on in this journey I found a couple of threads that gave me broader perspective and a place to start. A few notes on schools that weren’t widely talked about here. I continue to be thankful for them. And places like this are critical for a search like this because the school guidance counselors also tend to focus on the very top students and those struggling to graduate. It’s rare to have a counselor really know the schools that are right for kids like S21 beyond the local, state options.
As this all winds up for S21 over the coming two months, I hope others can see themselves in his story and know that there are schools that want them that they’d be excited to attend.
17/18 is soooo young. There are miles to go for all of these kids. They are just at the beginning of their stories.
And because he’s now giddy at these options and said today that he’s had more victories in college apps then he did during this past soccer season , here’s the latest round up:
6-0-1 record
9 applications
6 acceptances
Western New England with $15K per year in merit
Roanoke
Wichita State
Keene State with $4K per year in merit
LaSalle with $12K per yer in merit
Hartwick
1 waitlist
Xavier
still waiting on 2 more
I enjoy following you & your sons journey. I think you’ll get a surprising amount of merit from Hartwick too.
Editing to add: I agree with you on the knee jerk reaction of people bringing up community college when your child isn’t top of the class and I’m going to say it here. Community colleges are wonderful opportunities for many students but for a student that may need a consistent nurturing environment to thrive, they might not be the right choice. Here they are largish institutions with a transient student body and very low graduation rates. The transfer rates aren’t very high and for simplicity sake if you add both, you still have under 40%. Additionally there is a real transition from CC to 4 year schools that no one mentions. I learned about this from students who have done it and there was shock and the desire to drop out at that point. I wonder how many CC to 4 year school students actually complete their degrees? There is an argument that getting in at the beginning of freshman year and developing from there that makes sense to me.
Thank you @Sapphire_G. I’m glad you enjoy following along. Here’s hoping on Hartwick–because that sticker price is…phew…
We’re aligned about Comm Colleges. I’m a huge believer in the power of those institutions. My dad was a grad of one and went on to his doctorate. And then came back to teach for decades at the same Community College. I believe. But to have them serve the purpose so many on this site suggest (two years to prove you deserve a 4-year school) it requires the right kind of student, with the right kind of self-motivation and the right kind of support from the institution itself.
My hypothesis, and it may well be wrong, is that many of those on this site urging that path to more average performing high school kids don’t really know all that much about the path. Instead they think of it as PG years for those kids they don’t think have “earned” college yet like their kids have.
(please note: Comm College is a completely different story for the highly motivated, stronger performing kid who takes that path for really wise financial reasons. Or the return-to-school student who needs to balance life/work/school as they get back in the swing of getting a degree. The benefits there are countless.)
Agree 100%! My S17 was a 2.7 or 2.8 maybe? Can’t remember exactly now, but my college professor FIL said exactly what you do - comm college is really better for higher performers who already know what they want. For some kids like my son, it’s high school 2.0 and not really a motivator. My son has done well at his school, and is on track to graduate in the spring. So glad your son is having such a good experience with admissions! I’m sure he’ll do great where ever he ends up!