Son's List Needs Help! 3.2 & 26 ACT

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi there! Have 3 children, all different academically. D1 is a 3rd year at Cal. No fin aid. Classic self motivated, 4.6, 11 AP, almost perfect SAT, involved kid. Doing great. Biggest decision for college choice was 'which one'.</p>

<p>D2 is freshman in high school, seems to be same type of personal focus as D1.</p>

<p>Middle son. Really interesting kid, great mojo, will do well in life, wants to have a college education.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.2
ACT: 26
All boys catholic high school in so cal.
ECs show depth of interest and responsibility and leadership over time. But nothing extra incredible. He's been interested specifically in cycling, photography, and homeless community. No academic awards or honors other than basic honor roll for 3.0+ status. Varsity letters in football (2 yrs then an injury), tennis (2 yrs - one as captain)
Diagnosed with ADHD 2nd semester jr year
Interesting job - he's a gondolier</p>

<p>Looking at bus major (marketing), but hoping to go in as undeclared "to be exposed to things/ideas"
No interest in any CA state schools that would admit him (CSULB is a safety due to localized school district 'College Promise', but low on his list)
No UC would accept him (maybe Riverside but he doesn't want to go to that school)</p>

<p>Questions:
- does not checking box saying 'applying for fin aide' help Admissions in any way? ( out of state tuition will be a hefty nut, and we make $300+, so chances for support is quite low, but hate thought of throwing any $ away. My gut says we should self identify as full pay)
- western undergraduate exchange: does applying as WUE student hurt his chances in any way? Especially since he's a lower performing applicant? Basically, do they outright reject or roll him into regular app status? (We know there are limited numbers of WUE spots at each college/univ in the program, and most are given to professional degree apps - I.e. Engineering, nursing, etc..).
- should he not disclose ADHD? We worry that again, with his stats, it may put him in the 'burden on university resources' category
- early action: would there be any benefit to EA knowing he's holding hope that this semesters grades in AP's will make him slightly stronger candidate (his schools first semester ends dec 18th). Would there be any downside?
- does going in as undeclared hurt in any way? Would declaring be a stronger app?</p>

<p>He us interested in:
USF
Colorado State
Univ of Colorado Boulder
Univ of Colorado Denver
Univ of Denver
Michigan State (Lansing)
Univ of Oregon (Eugene)
Oregon State (Corvalis)
Portland State Univ
Seattle State
Univ of Wash (Seattle)
Wash State (Pullman)
UNC</p>

<p>Many are reach schools. But wondering if you have any input or thoughts? Thanks for your time.</p>

2

<p>Have you considered any of the “Colleges That Change Lives”? </p>

<p>Does he plan on taking the ACT again? Will super-scoring help increase his score?</p>

<p>You might also want to see if he is interested in any school that is on the list of “A+ schools for B Students” You can google it. The list is put together by US News and World Reports. </p>

3

<p>I do have that book, I’ll look at that. Thx</p>

<p>He does plan on taking one more time. So it will be his 3rd</p>

<p>1 st results
E: 25 M: 25 R: 25 S: 24</p>

<p>2nd:
E: 28. M: 26 R: 22 S: 26</p>

4

<p>Did you have any thoughts on the list he’s created?</p>

5

<p>I would take UNC off the list. It’s very hard to get accepted at out of state. Even an in state resident with his GPA and ACT score would not likely be accepted. I would spend the time, cost and effort of an application on a school with a higher likelihood of admission. </p>

6

<p>You are also looking at mainly large state colleges. Since he has ADHD, I was wondering if you would consider some smaller colleges. </p>

7

<p>I agree that UNC is way out of reach for him. It would be a reach if he were a NC resident, and they are considerably harder for out-of-state applicants. Just as a point of reference, it was my son’s first-choice reach, and he was rejected. His stats were: 3.3-3.4 unweighted/4.0+ weighted GPA (full IB program, plus additional AP class, and all “Honors”); 31 ACT/2060 SAT; superb leadership extracurriculars, strong community service, etc. He was also waitlisted at UWashington. Your son might have a shot at another UNC, like Asheville, but not Chapel Hill. I would also suggest some smaller colleges, especially if you can pay full freight. What about Guilford, Whittier, and Eckerd? Those were safety schools for my son, and so they are probably matches for yours. Otherwise, some less-selective state universities like Montana, NM, Wyoming, WVA, et al, if he wants a big school away from home. </p>

8

<p>I think as long as they had a b-ball or f-ball NCAA team(s), he’s open to many</p>

9

<p>WUE’s look like good option, and helps keep cost down. Only WUE’s with broad openings on your list are probably WSU, UC Denver and Portland State.
All are good possibilities but very different settings
I would suggest at least taking a look at these: Western Washington University and Montana State – as further WUE options (and nice campuses/settings).</p>

10

<p>The football explains many of the colleges on his list.</p>

<p>One college that comes to mind, that has sports is Elon. It still would be a high match one, but his sports background might be an asset. Classes are smaller, which is good for a student with ADHD. </p>

11

<p>See the two Texas schools in the Colleges That Change Lives Book. He might like the one near Austin. </p>

<p>Whittier & U of SF sound great too. </p>

12

<p>

Are you talking about Seattle University? It is a private school.</p>

<p>I lived in Seattle for over ten years… never heard of Seattle State.</p>

13

<p>The University of Arizona has a well respected business schools, a good football and basketball program, is less expensive than many other OOS scools and he might even get a merit scholarship with his stats. </p>

14

<p>My son (from NY) had same stats last year and got into Pepperdine, Occidental, Elon, Eckerd , U of Denver, Fordham, Northeastern, Rollins, U of South Carolina, Belmont, Guilford, Rollins, Stetson and waitlisted a U of San Diego.</p>

15

<p>Is there a price limit that you have set (net of scholarships and financial aid)?</p>

16

<p>I too was wondering about all those big schools for your son. My S1 had very similar scores. He went to Dominican Univ. of Calif, in Marin. Loved it, graduated in 4 years, played lacrosse, majored in business and had a real job offer upon graduation. Small classes, gorgeous campus in beautiful area. </p>

17

<p>Be sure to call the FA and admissions offices to ask specific WUE questions. We went to a Portland State open house last spring and after sitting through many info sessions I finally forced the FA person to ask specific WUE questions. At least half of the people in the room were OOS and interested. My question was, of all the people who are eligible based on published benchmarks how many actually receive the WUE. The answer was 30%. That took it off our list as a financial safety. Schools likely handle this differently, so it would be beneficial to call and get it really clear.</p>

18

<p>Great input. </p>

<p>Re: smaller schools, we will absolutely recommend for him to review ones you all suggested. </p>

<p>Seattleu.edu has an entrepreneur minor he was looking at. It’s a Jesuit school so maybe his counselor recommended to him.</p>

<p>We suggested he look at Oregon and colorado due to large students with disabilities departments, especially for ADHD. They have their profs dialed in to participating into extended test time, alternate test areas, etc. that’s why he was looking at the larger schools. Some seem to be very supportive to students with those types of learning issues. </p>

<p>Really appreciate all the input. Thank you.</p>

19

<p>@vichig, I agree that that you should take UNC off his list. We toured there last year and they take less than 15% of OOS applicants and those have top stats. As far as the others on your list, I am not very familiar with many schools on the west coast. </p>

<p>I know several boys at the U of Denver. They provide excellent support for students with learning differences.</p>

<p>U Nebraska at Lincoln might be another your son could consider. His stats are inline with their acceptance profile. I’m not sure how much money they will offer your son–they offered my son a full tuition scholarship, plus they kept adding on additional scholarships for leadership, honors, business honors, etc. Very nice people and we loved Lincoln. </p>

<p>If he would consider Texas, he should look at Baylor, and TCU. St Edwards is a private college in Austin It has a good business school (not as good as TCU or Baylor) and the students interact with UT students. You can try SMU, but getting into the business school if you are not offered direct admission is very competitive, and you will most likely be writing a very large check.</p>

<p>If he will consider U Arkansas, with his current stats, they will waive 80% of the out of state tuition. In the south there are many schools that will offer him money and or waive out of state tuition for him. </p>

<p>University of Kansas gives generous OOS scholarships, but his GPA might be a bit too low. If he is interested you might want to make a phone call. Their site says you need a 3.5 GPA with a 25 ACT, but they will accept the best GPA given–weight or unweighted–it does not matter. </p>

<p>Someone else mentioned U of South Carolina. Beautiful campus and he fits their profile. The business school is know for its international business program. We really enjoyed our tour and meeting with the business school there. </p>

<p>There are also good colleges that are test optional. Wake Forest has a top rated business program and is test optional–but they don’t give much merit aid, so again, you will writing a large check. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

20

<p>you may want to check out univ of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and Auburn, as well as Univ. of Mt in Missoula, not sure if you meant UNC Chapel Hill (I have a D there, from OOS, and yes, it’s very competitive to get in) or Charlotte or Asheville, but I’ve heard good things about Charlotte as well as Asheville, which is gorgeous! In the NC area, also, ECU (in Greenville, NC) and potentially Appalachain State in Boone, NC</p>