Don’t try to convince him to attend–but to visit? That’s a great idea, as some Questbridge/full-need applicants can indeed receive a free trip.
In my mind, this isn’t just about whether he attends Georgetown, but whether he expands his world. Besides, a free trip to see a bit of our nation’s Capitol might actually be…fun.
Your friend is smart enough to get into Georgetown, and to get a free ride no less.
I think that means that he is also smart enough to do the same research you have. HIs opinion is as educated as yours is.
He wants to go where he wants to go. Why on earth would your opinion on HIS future carry more weight than HIS?
It’s a common misconception with some people that disagreement equals ignorance. It doesn’t.
You’ve expressed your opinion. He disagrees. It’s time for you to back way off and let him make his own decisions about his own future.
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I’m very sure that he does not have anxiety or any problems. He is a wide receiver for the High School Football Team.
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You do not know if he has anxiety or depression issues.
He’s Hispanic. Many Hispanic kids like to stay close to home because the culture is very family oriented. My Italian family can be that way as well…with most kids going to college within a few hours from home so that they can attend family events.
I'm not sure about the circumstances regarding his scholarship. FYI, he was born in Contra Costa County, CA and lived in El Salvador till he was 3 and then came back to CA. He is first generation. We go to a "middle" school in San Mateo County. My friend also applied to CSU Northridge, CSU East Bay, CSU Channel Islands, San Francisco State, San Jose State, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UCLA and Stanford (ED-deferred).
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Your thread is misleading. We don’t know if he’s gotten into any of the UCs. If he does, and he wants to become a doctor, then he probably will pick a UC (or Stanford if he gets in).
How did your friend apply early to both Georgetown and Stanford? Stanford’s early admissions is single choice, so a Georgetown EA application should not have also been submitted.
Is your friend simply waiting to hear back from UCs and Stanford?
Do suggest to email for a “fly in” (Georgetown would pay for his plane ticket to go visit). After all, he’s got nothing to lose, and visiting the capital while staying at Georgetown, even if he doesn’t really want to go, is hard to miss. Who knows, he may change his mind after going there. If he doesn’t, it’ll be time to back off.
He is waiting to hear back from the UC’s and Stanford. I will talk to him for a “fly in” to Georgetown
Did your friend apply to any other out of state schools aside from Georgetown? If not, it looks like he really wants to stay in-state and just applied to Georgetown because he was pushed to do so. Not a good reason to attend. Georgetown is a fantastic school and kudos to your friend for getting in but it just may not be the right place for him right now.
In any case, it’s too early to decide one way or another. At least let him hear all the decisions.
Why is it SO important to you that he attend the school of YOUR choice?
He sounds like a pretty smart kid. Why isn’t he allowed to make this choice for himself? Why must you make it for him?
Don’t talk him into anything. As a friend, accept his decision and offer him the same support you would expect from a friend.
It is one thing to politely mention that med school admissions are extremely competitive, particularly in Calif, so attending a mid-level CSU is probably not the best option, but to insist that he go OOS which he clearly does not want to do, isn’t going to help.
Hopefully, since he had the stats to get into G’town, he will also get into some UCs. UCs are the traditional gateway into med schools in Calif…along with the better privates.
^bjkmom: it’s very possible that a first-gen kid from immigrant parents has no tools to make a rational decision. If Sacramento is close to home, it may “sound” as good as Georgetown or Stanford. I don’t think prestige is the matter here.
Also keep in mind that this kid got a full ride to Georgetown, whereas CSUs likely have some student contribution with loans. Once all acceptances and financial aid packages have arrived, the friend can make comparisons. In the meanwhile, I don’t see the harm in encouraging a fly in to DC.
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Also keep in mind that this kid got a full ride to Georgetown,
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Doesn’t Gtown also pkg loans with their FA pkgs? I think they do. I think what the OP is saying is that G’town “met need” with a variety of aid…likely including a mix of grants, loans, and work study.
That said, let’s hope he gets into a UC…that is a better path for med school.
Besides…if this kid DOES end up having med school worthy traits, he should NOT be in DC if he wants to go to a Calif med school. He wouldn’t be able to afford the interview trips.
That’s why the school has guidance counselors. Apparently, this student’s choices aren’t Sacramento or Georgetown like OP stated in the title. Choices include the UCs and possibly Stanford. I don’t see anything irrational about that college list.
OP can mention visiting the schools, but if he’s really concerned about his friend he should have a chat with their GCs and let them do their job. This high school senior should not have to put up with OP badgering him or her for the next several months.
Not all high schools have good college advisers (like that kid with financial need who could have had full tuition/full ride scholarships at many universities thanks to great stats and was sent to a community college losing any chance at those scholarships, or the ones whose guidance counselor didn’t know about Questbridge, or the many who dont seem to know about rules for fee waivers…). Sometimes the GC mostly deals with disruption and mental issues + scheduling. Sometimes they have hundreds of kids to deal with and are too overworked. Going to see the GC is necessary but not sufficient (or may not be possible at scheduling time.)
However, the choices indeed aren’t Sac State or Georgetown, and I sure hope OP doesn’t intend to badger his friend for the next several months.
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Not all high schools have good college advisers (like that kid with financial need who could have had full tuition/full ride scholarships at many universities thanks to great stats and was sent to a community college losing any chance at those scholarships,
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Yes, that story is a heartbreak. I don’t know what he ended up doing. He didn’t live close enough to any 4 year univs to commute and his family couldn’t pay their EFC. Idiot GC! (who else has a primary job of helping HS school kids with the college process and doesn’t take the time to learn about merit or FA opps??? )
I know.
This is, quite frankly, offensive. First-generation college students aren’t stupid. I was first-gen, too, and I knew what the difference was between a school like Georgetown and a school like Sac State. Being first-gen actually means that you need to do more research because nobody in your family can help you apply or make the decision. I made a somewhat similar choice - staying nearby home and going to a “less prestigious” college rather than applying and going far away - and it was disheartening to hear people question my choice as if I was some kind of idiot who was unable to make my own decisions with respect to college. They didn’t know my personal circumstances and I wasn’t willing to tell the whole story of my life to someone every time they asked why I was going to the college I chose rather than a college they presumed would be “better” for me.
It’s not necessarily accurate to say that a college degree is an investment that will help the family. For low-income families, it doesn’t always work out that way. (The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace is an extreme, but real, example about how doing well in school and going to a top college for free doesn’t always completely turn life around for very poor first-generation college students.) Also, in order for a student to benefit from the degree they have to finish it - and maybe the student thinks they will be less likely to finish if they are not nearby home and/or if they go to college with a lot of students who are much more financially stable than him. Family support and connectedness are a big deal for many famliies/cultures.
^ I apologize if that offended you juillet. I know quite well that first gen kids aren’t stupid, as I work with many. I also know that their perceptions, or their parents’, are absolutely not as informed as what most kids on CC simply assume, and can be VERY off.
And the Short and Tragic Life is not representative… attending a college with resources and support such as Georgetown (or Stanford, or Pomona), presents opportunities that a low-tier directional will not offer, and can be crucial to first gen, lower income, or immigrant kids who don’t have other networks to use.
Incidentally, you did go to a prestigious college - not one that people might have thought was prestigious enough for you, but one that does hold elite status within certain circles… it’s not like you attended Georgia Gwinnett where professors are put on furlough. Now if you compare Georgia Gwinnett to Columbia, where do you think a first gen kid would be most likely to fall through the cracks? It doesn’t mean the kid HAS TO go to Columbia, or Georgetown, or whatever, but giving it reasonable consideration would seem a first step.
I agree that OP doesn’t know the circumstances affecting his friend and in any case the choice is unlikely to be Georgetown or Sac State, but I don’t see what a fly in would hurt. At worst, the OP’s friend will come back convinced that G’town isn’t for him, and OP won’t be able to argue.
When choosing their college, most high school students couldn’t give a damn about prestige. They’re happy with a place that’s affordable, offers decent educational opportunities, and that they think they’ll enjoy.
If this was a choice between Sac State and Harvard, that’s one thing. But Georgetown isn’t worth nagging someone about. It may be a big deal on the east coast, but not here on the west coast. Equivalently, schools like UCLA and USC may be big deals on the west coast, but they’re not going to wow anyone back east.
Bowing out of this discussion.