<p>Hope you can help a newbie here. DS is a junior this year and we have looked at 2 schools so far, both in the midwest. Son has chosen one of them, a VERY small LAC - less than 600 kids in a very small town. It just might be a great fit for him, as he is used to living in the middle of nowhere, but I am afraid of their very low (31%) graduation rate. It doesn't get any better looking at 5 or 6 year graduation rates either.</p>
<p>Honestly, he has almost zero interest in looking at any schools, so I don't know whether to drag him in the hopes that he will see that there's a little more out there, or whether to just stop here. I have grown a list of about 20 schools (really liking Missouri S & T myself), so just not sure what to do here.</p>
<p>He is a high A/B student depending on his mood, however his GPA's crashed first semester of Sophomore year, so I am really hoping that recovers. I think he has a 3.3 UW now and quite a bit higher weighted because he takes a lot of honors classes.</p>
<p>It probably wouldn’t hurt to back off for now and concentrate on finishing up junior year , planning senior year, and taking various standardized tests. Many families (mine included) wait until summer after junior year or even early fall of senior year to begin thinking of specific colleges.</p>
<p>But, you might want to scout out summer programs at various places (lots of these at large state schools) and see if you can get S interested in trying one in an area of interest. Perhaps you can begin with Missouri S&T? He might have a different outlook wrt the types of places that might interest him once he has spent a summer taking college classwork and living in a dorm.</p>
<p>Can you afford this institution? If so, then yes you could hang it up (at least for now). If you can’t afford it, then you need to sit down with DS and have The Money Talk. The need for a financial back-up plan might inspire him to look at a few more places.</p>
<p>I agree with both frazzled and happy…have the money talk with your son. And then try to get him to attend a summer camp at a college. The ones my son attended were very helpful when he started looking at colleges, even during his internet searches. There were a few things about the campus itself or something a school did or did not have and location of the school that he already had a pretty good handle on. Helped him to narrow down a number of schools immediately.</p>
<p>You need to decide whether or not you want to fund a school with a 31% graduation rate. I wouldn’t for many reasons, but the top one is I’d question whether my child would have a good college experience at a school where there is little stability.</p>
<p>I’d also recommend you back off. He’s doing pretty well for a junior. None of my kids expressed much interest in college until fall of senior year. That’s when all their classmates were buzzing about where they’re applying, where they got in, . . .</p>
<p>(Of course this doesn’t mean <em>you</em> have to stop. I loved poking around various web sites, putting together spreadsheets, . . . . You just might hold off sharing what you find out until your son is more receptive.)</p>
<p>My kids really changed their “wants” between mid-junior year and early senior year. I would back off for now and maybe sneak in a couple of other visits if you “happen” to be in the area of some different types of schools.</p>
<p>Agree with MomofWildChild on fitting in some “in the neighborhood” drive-by visits. We did several of those early in the process on our way to and from family events in neighboring state. D ended up unexpectedly really liking one of those schools which wouldn’t really have been on our radar otherwise. We have found that many schools, especially in geographic proximity, look similar on paper but are quite different in real life. That casual, walk through and maybe a tour, approach can be a low pressure way to see some options and have apples and oranges side by side to compare.
Also, for D, seeing something that she didn’t like, helped her to clarify what she did like. Early in the process she was much better at articulating dislikes. Sometimes the things that are a good fit are so comfortable that you don’t realize what a fit they are until you experience something that’s not.</p>
<p>Your son is very early in the process and as teenagers what they want moves around a lot. With one of mine who thought he knew what he wanted, we just went ahead and applied to a few mid level schools like Univ of Wyoming, Montana State, NAU etc. and after he was accepted went on a few visits to open up his eyes to what else was out there. </p>
<p>Back off for now, but maybe try this strategy next fall.</p>
<p>Your son’s mind may be “made up,” but your wallet may still have a different opinion.</p>
<p>I agree with the above point about being reluctant to fund a school with a low grad rate.</p>
<p>BTW…have you determined how much you will spend each year? Most schools do NOT give much aid, so if your son is thinking that he’ll great great aid, that may not happen. Out of state publics often give terrible aid, but some will give merit scholarships for HIGH test scores that also have strong GPAs.</p>
<p>Once you determine how much you’ll spend, let your son know his limitations. He also needs to know that he can’t just “borrow the rest”…like some kids think. He can borrow up to 5500 for frosh year. More than that would require a co-signer, and many parents wisely won’t do that. </p>
<p>A small LAC could cost $40-60k per year. Are you willing to spend that much?</p>
<p>What is your son’s likely major or career interest?</p>
<p>* a VERY small LAC - less than 600 kids in a very small town*</p>
<p>Does your s have a friend that attends the school?
Send him for a visit during a hs day off (preferably Fri-Sun or Sat-Mon) but while the college is in session.
He can live the life of an enrolled student.
He likely to meet people who will tell him they love as well as really hate the school.</p>
<p>I have found the summer programs at Missouri and intend to try to get him into at least one of them. Hopefully the admission for these is not super-competitive because it looks like something he would really enjoy once he gets there.</p>
<p>The school he really likes so far is Blackburn College in Illinois. He says he really likes the “laid back atmosphere” of it there. It is probably more affordable for us than a state school like the U of I because I think he would qualify for some financial/merit aid there. </p>
<p>He “thinks” he is interested in engineering or math and has always excelled in math. </p>
<p>I truly believe the sit back and wait approach would probably work best with him, but I am just afraid of cramming a 25 school tour into 2 weeks this fall - ugh! DS is of the impression that he will just show up at campus x when its time and all will be right with the world. He also was of the opinion that its not a big deal - if he doesn’t like it he will just transfer… SO not happening and I have definitely explained this to him.</p>
<p>Guess I should be happy he’s such an optimist:)</p>
<p>I’d be worried about that graduation rate too. Frankly, I kidnapped my kids and took them on tours of 3 or 4 schools over their spring break that I thought they should look at. They weren’t invested enough at that point to pick out schools on their own, but they did go along with me. For my younger son who at that point was really open ended about what he wanted we looked at one urban, one suburban, one rural, one tiny (but still bigger than 600!) and one big LAC (around 3000), and a couple of medium size research universities. You don’t have to look at 25 schools. My older son looked at 3 junior year, and then 4 more (none the same since he didn’t get into any of the ones he’d looked at!) in April of senior year. My younger son looked at 4 junior year, 2 fall of senior year, and then took a second look at 4 in April of senior year.</p>
<p>Everyone’s’ already said it, but yes, just put the list on the back burner for now. You can focus on the application list again next spring break and get in a couple visits. Then maybe just wait until summer to finalize the app. list. Leave the Best 376 Colleges on your coffee table though ;). (you’ll find that he will start flipping through it on his own).</p>
<p>Is he prepping to take the ACT or SAT in Jan. or March? This needs to be your main focus for right now. Sometimes just starting the prep for the exams starts to wake them up to the the reality that college really is just around the corner. </p>
<p>It’s may be better if he focuses just on his school courses and testing this year. He may need to just focus on his grades and the prep for now (since you mentioned the gpa drop). </p>
<p>the summer program sounds great :). he’ll need to think of some community service opportunities too.</p>
<p>With school application dates and financial aid dates all over the place (beginning December 1 of senior year) I am just in a slight panic about this. I thought we’d check out a few here and there over summer, etc. but so far he has no interest.</p>
<p>Am I completely over reacting? I feel like we’re light years behind everyone else on these boards. </p>
<p>Assuming we’re not attempting the Ivy’s (we’re not) are we safe to apply during most of his senior year?</p>
<p>I think you are all right - leave him alone for now. I will keep checking out schools online, compiling the do-able ones and get him into a summer program.</p>
<p>He is taking the SAT and 2 subject tests in March.</p>
<p>So - - I will not bug him. I WILL not bug him. I will NOT bug him, I will not BUG him! babababababa:) </p>
<p>My son made up his mind in Jr. High to go to a Highly Selective University. We made him go see other schools, gave him the old Safety School" excuse, and he also applied to his State School, but he just got admitted ED to the school he chose in Jr High.</p>
<p>So, there you go. Everyone is different, and sometimes it works for motivation. </p>
<p>Your Milage May Vary, but regardless, there are two sides to the coin.</p>
<p>Not all small schools have an engineering or math program that would suit his needs, if indeed he decides to go down the engineering/math route. Be sure to check the catalog of the school in question.</p>
<p>I am definitely checking out what they all offer - the one he likes so far has a 3/2 program with several really good schools, but my thinking is that if he could settle into a school that has the whole program it could save a lot of problems later with transferring in general and with his credits transferring.</p>