Furman is a formerly Baptist college where that is still a strong influence. It is certainly well-respected among conservative colleges but it isn’t a college one would think of for an OOS Jewish student who wants Jewish life. They do have a Hillel (and religious life for various faith traditions) but compare membership to FCA or CRU.
As for Wooster, the comments you read don’t mesh with actual experiences I know of. Their year long research project can involve science and can be based on clinical experiences. I’m not sure you cut it for the right reasons but since you needed to cut I guess it helps.
I’m not sure there are 2 safeties on your list, unless your child really has a 3.95 gpa (as per the modified title)? Is your safety Rhodes?
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I am also confused about the gpa (particularly unweighted) as well as the test scores. Did this student take the SAT or is the 1400 a predicted score?
I agree that there are no true safeties on this list. UMD looks like a match, but I don’t know the HS. Does the school use Naviance? Most of the schools on this list look like matches and reaches, at least to me (until I get some clarity).
I am very surprised about Furman.
Beyond the Hillel, Greenville has a strong and long-standing Jewish community with several very active congregations close to the Furman campus.
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Within walking distance of the Furman campus? Really?
My advice to the family stands…take premed OUT of the college search. Find colleges where this student would be happy without thinking about premed, and premed admissions. Fact is…the prerequisite courses can be taken anywhere. Shadowing etc can be done on school breaks and in the summer….if premed actually ends up happening.
I think this student has the potential to be admitted to something on this list…but the parent also wants merit aid. If these schools are matches and reaches as folks have said, merit aid isn’t going to be easy to come by…especially for reach schools.
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Is there a reason UDel isn’t on the list?
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UDel should be on the list, IMO. This student will likely get accepted, academics are strong, large Jewish population, etc.
The OP said they were not looking for more state schools. I think this one should be added.
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From my perspective in absolute terms and certainly in relative terms to that area of the country, having Chabad, Conservative, and Reformed congregations within a 20-minute drive of campus is close. In addition, it seems like the OP has found Furman to be a campus where her daughter would be comfortable as a Jewish student.
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What we know is that the OP wants $20,000 or so in merit aid. What we don’t know is what the family can actually pay per year. $20,000 in merit on an $80,000 cost leaves $60,000 to pay. $20,000 merit on a school that is $50,000 leaves $30,000.
What actually is the family budget per year.
I’m again going to say…rethink College of Charleston. It very much feels like a LAC, and checks off the other boxes this student’s parent wants.
I agree, UDel should be considered.
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Just wondering if you are local to Greenville? I am in NC. I drove through Greenville SC on my way to visit Agnes Scott recently and just in the time I was there for lunch found it to be a very conservative place. We were refused service by one server when we went to get take-out pizza because we were wearing masks. Another server helped us, but the first one made a big show of “not being able to hear us” although the other server had no problem and my daughter is a theater kid who can project like nobody’s business. Frankly, our brief experience soured me on the whole place. I saw two people in the whole town wearing masks. Huge contrast with Charlotte where we had just been and folks were putting masks on to go into the gas station where we stopped and Atlanta and Decatur where we were going. I did not find Greenville to be friendly at all.
If she’s open to a women’s college I would recommend Agnes Scott. It is very diverse and in a lovely area of Decatur.
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As for academics, my daughter just got accepted into NYU’s DPT program coming from UDel, and they only take 40.
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No, I am not local to Greenville, and I want to stay in my lane. I know Greenville a little bit through my industry, gourmet food. Greenville does seem to have an outsize amount of Gourmet Markets and Gourmet Grocery stores for the town’s size, which would follow that they have a population to support it. We knew a family that lived there about 20 years ago, and that is how I found about the Jewish Community in Greenville. Beyond that, I don’t have any other insight.
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Well, I don’t know any more about it than I posted either, but living in NC I did have the vibe that Furman would be very conservative, not sure about the Jewish presence, but I know Atlanta and Charlotte do have strong Jewish presences. She would definitely get a guaranteed scholarship of at least $22k at Agnes Scott.
Our safety is… UMD. She can transfer there from CC where she takes a lot of classes the moment she graduates HS (She is doing Dual Enrollment instead of AP.) She will also be accepted into VCU OOS. Current GPA is 3.97 unweighted and 4.74 weighted (almost all classes were Honors except PE and foreign language in MS that go to HS transcript… I am also sure that UPitt will take her but probably with very little money or no money at all.
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Just remember…medical schools might not consider any prerequisite courses taken at the CC as what they want. @WayOutWestMom do all medical schools consider prerequisite courses taken at CCs?
I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this scenario. You have a strong student who has the potential to get decent merit aid at any number of colleges that likely could bring her costs very near the instate costs of UMD, but you want her to attend a community college? Why? Because you think those A grades from a CC will improve her chances of getting into medical school?
I think (?) that this student is completing her HS requirements through a CC… rather than taking the more “traditional” route of AP classes. Our HS gives students an opportunity to attend CC during senior year, but the stronger students always go the AP route (not taking anything away from this student).
If UMD is the safety (because she can get accepted directly from the CC), is this a school that she likes? That is important- plus the OP indicated that this student might not achieve a high enough gpa at UMD. This is what made me ask about a Plan B.
I would forget about premed right now- she can take those classes at most schools. I would find an affordable school that makes her happy. Everything else will fall into place, whether it includes medical school or not.
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Yes. It is big public college. We are trying to avoid big public school and OOS tuitions and no scholarships for OOS. We want smaller classes.
We are absolutely fine with conservative as long as not anti-Semitic and not pro-Palestinian…
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I think medical schools are fine with intro Bio, Chem, Physics, Math, Psych and Sociology taken in CC. Bio will be equivalent or above AP Bio. Chem would be equivalent or above of AP Chem. Math is above Calc AB. Physics is above or equivalent of algebra based physics. Student will take a lot of Bio and Chem in 4 year college plus MCAT. I do not think she will apply to Harvard medical school :).
We are Jewish and my D’s school was 6%. For us, the actual percentage didn’t matter. We wanted a school that was accepting of all regardless of who or what you were.
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