Safe / Target / Reach List

College Search & Selection
1

My son is applying to college next year. He’s interested in either a Classics and/or Chemistry/BioChem/MolecularBio major. He’s possibly research scientist or medical/dental career.

His stats are:

  • GPA: 98.1 overall [4.0 uw / 4.8 weighted];
  • 21 total classes including: 3 APs; 14 honors; & 4 regular (3 Latin, 1 PE).
  • 7 classes senior year: 3 APs; 1 Reg (Art); & 2 college (Latin & Chemistry at a competitive LAC).
  • SATs: 1460;
  • Lots of community service;
  • EC focused on literary things (poetry, drama club, speech/debate), varsity sports & student government.
  • Science camps and summer work.

He’s open to rural or urban settings. US or Canada. Goes to a rural public high school. White. Middle income.

Any safety, target, reach suggestions as we plan our summer college visits?

2

Safety schools need to be affordable so what are the finances for college looking like so what can you as a parent afford to pay each year?

Home State?

3

He’s got a 529 which could cover 1/3 of a LACs total cost. Maine.

4

He sounds like a great kid!

“Middle income” means different things to different people. And to different colleges. Have you run the FAFSA EFC calculator yet? If so, what is your EFC? That is generally your best case for what colleges would expect you to pay. But you will need to run the calculator from each college website to see a ballpark of what to expect from that college.

Also agree knowing how much you are willing to pay is helpful for giving recommendations.

Does he care about size of the college?

What is his SAT breakdown? What was his PSAT score?

5

This might get you started on Full tuition and merit scholarships:

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20798968/#Comment_20798968

Not to knowledgeable about East coast schools and did not notice your poster name. Hopefully some more knowledgeable posters will comment.

6

SAT was straight split: 730 / 730 (single attempt). I ran just the estimator at Bowdoin and it looks like they’d offer us about $50k in FinAid.

7

Sample a bunch of “flavors” of colleges – the big school, small school, urban, rural, etc. A small rural school close to home can give him a feel for whether he wants that environment, then he can add other small rural schools he didn’t have time to visit from his list.

Classics is an oddball major so you’ll need to build a list of colleges that offer it. Chen and biochem related majors are common, so they shouldn’t be a limiting factor.

Once you have an idea of his preferences, build a list of colleges that meet those needs and run the net price calculators to see if they are affordable to your family. In addition, make sure his test scores are at or above the bottom 25 percent for the school and that at least half the schools on the final list accept 50 percent or more of applicants.

8

Thanks

9

@NewEngParent ,

Okay, you mentioned LACs, so I am going to assume that LACs are on your radar, maybe not exclusively, of course, but you’re thinking about them (else, why mention them?). I am an unabashed LAC supporter, but I don’t mention this option if a student/family is not looking for that. Also, normally, when a parent is in your situation, just starting out, I encourage them to do the initial research (and I do), then come back to this board with a list of possibilities, even if that list is very long.

To be honest, most LACs should be in play for your son. At first glance, I thought that he hasn’t taken many APs, but there’s still senior year, of course. Also, some schools (you described your son’s high school as rural) do not offer as many AP classes as other schools. Colleges/universities realize this and do not penalize. They consider each applicant’s course rigor in context.

As @intparent suggests, perhaps it is time to decide on subjective factors. Your son is open to location, so that’s great. Does he want a liberal environment or more middle-of-the road one? Does he want an outdoorsy, granola-y place or a more traditional, “classic” college campus? Does he care about ranking and overall perceived prestige? Greek life? Is Greek life an absolute no or a maybe (especially if Greek life isn’t that big of an influence, which is the case at many LACs)? Or are you the one thinking about LACs, but he perhaps wants a mid-sized or large university?

I could easily throw a hundred names at you. For now, think about the above questions and what type of school he’d like to attend (LAC, mid-sized public or private, large R1 university). Do understand that LACs/private universities usually are the ones that have more merit money to hand out. Your son would be a very attractive applicant at a number of schools; he could even be in line for half tuition scholarships and maybe even full tuition scholarships. In general, the most generous merit awards will come from schools where your son is a significant cut above the typical applicant. Keep in mind, too, that the “elite” schools do not give merit money; they meet the full demonstrated financial need of every family, but they do not sweeten the pot with merit. Thus, a middle class family might find that the cost to attend Williams and Amherst is too high, but the family’s very high-achieving son or daughter is offered a full tuition scholarship at Beloit or Rhodes or the College of Wooster.

There are many threads on all of these issues (such as best schools for families seeking merit), so you should find a wealth of information here. Be excited! Your son is in great shape.

10

If you can tell us how much you think you can pay, that is helpful. Also – don’t look at the net price calculators in terms of how much aid they give you, but instead what your cost of attendance will be (since the top price varies). Consider loans as something that you or your kid have to pay – but most colleges are going to expect that he will at least take out his federal loans ($27K total for the 4 years).

I’d stick more with schools where his stats are above the 50% mark than the 25% mark. A lot of students on the lower end of the admissions stats are hooked somehow (athlete, legacy, URM, famous, etc).

I’m going to assume you are from a New England state given your user name, but it would help to know the actual state. Geographic diversity can get you a merit aid boost at some schools.

Have you heard of the Fiske Guide to Colleges? It is a really good starting point to look at college possibilities.

11

These LACS have particularly strong programs in Classics

Reed
College of the Holy Cross
Oberlin
Haverford
Davidson
Kenyon

Oberlin and Kenyon offer merit. Holy Cross has a couple of full tuition scholarships for Classics majors

12

Thanks @Hapworth… does it matter to a college or university that he’s got some savings for college? And why are you a big supporter of LACs? We looked at NU, BU, UMaine, & NYU; he wasn’t excited about those, felt lost. We also looked at JHU, WM & Case and he liked those. He does like Bowdoin & Bates, but I wonder if that’s just cause we’ve been there several times for events, so I’m trying to find a diversity of things to look at this summer. I thought about Haverford and Williams, but really who wants to get a kid’s hopes up? I think probably being more realistic with some reaches is the right angle.

13

@NewEngParent If S is definitely interested in Classics, not all programs are created the same. Many schools offer Classics but are limited in course breadth, depth and number of faculty. Much easier to find lots of schools excelling in his interest of bio and chem. Not so much for Classics. Of course most of the Ivies do a fantastic job with Classics

14

The net price calculator should take that into account. You should know that savings in HIS name is going to affect his financial aid quite a bit more than savings in YOUR name. Haverford seems like a reasonable school on his “low reach” list if the net price calculator looks good.

He sounds like the type of kid who would thrive at a LAC. Class sizes are small, kids are known to their professors, it is easier to take advantage of the opportunities the schools offer for research or projects or speakers or whatever.

You might want to look at Dickinson as a match. They meet 99% of need, too.

Also – at this time you should be focused more on matches and safeties. Odds are higher that he will be attending one of those, and it takes more elbow grease to find ones that he likes.

15

@NewEngParent,

I am a big fan of LACs because I attended one, though a much more modest school than what your son will be aiming for. I knew that the LAC environment was right for me, just as for others it won’t. I knew that I wanted a smaller school with smaller classes. I knew that I wanted to know my professors and know them by first name. I knew that I wanted to live in the dorms (weird, I know). I wanted to eat in the cafeteria. I wanted to live, breathe, eat, sleep, and enjoy the college 24/7. I also attended large universities as a graduate student, and I enjoyed those places too.

Okay, so he might not be interested in LACs, or he might be, but he needs to figure this out for himself. Sounds like he’s open. That’s good. He liked Bowdoin and Bates, so maybe identify other schools like this.

Yes, a student’s savings are taken into account for the financial aid forms. A student’s savings count for more than the parents’ savings, up to 20% I believe. If that was your question.

It sort of sounds like he feels at home at a mid-sized university, but he just needs to find the right one. This is good. For instance, if he liked Case, maybe look at Carnegie Mellon. If he wants LAC options, there are plenty of choices.

EDIT: @wisteria100 has offered a list of schools that are all excellent, just in case you are not aware of the LAC landscape (though it sounds like maybe you are, so I apologize if I spoke to you like a newbie).

16

thanks @intparent & @wisteria100, those are also very helpful tips. I’m guessing one needs to look at the course catalogs for their Classics/Latin classes and see what’s actually being offered consistently.

17

One of the big things isn’t AP totals but in relation to how many offered at school x. Also ecs tied to his interests and incorporated into interesting and well written essays and supplements are make or break at the schools you are mentioning. He will be a strong middle of the pack with 1470 sats but his gpa is terrific. Some test optional schools like bowdoin should definitely be explored. Not the 1470 is lownor a problem at all. But not shoe in scores. He sounds like a great kid. Have fun.

18

@Hapworth no apology needed. I don’t know, and I don’t assume anything. I saw @wisteria100 list, those seem great and to @intparent’s point I figure we’ve got to put some time into uncovering options.

19

Not just the catalog, but also the registration system (which you may or may not be able to see, it varies by school). Sometimes the catalog shows courses that are rarely offered, or the catalog is even out of date.

20

Sorry to be clear. Strong middle of the pack at the Bowdoin level and even at that tier he is more than qualified.