Starting to put together the list for next year

College Search & Selection
1

<p>D is a HS junior. She likes the idea of big Southern schools. She does not care for winter and loves the thought of joining a sorority. She’s a big fan of school spirit. Her list of schools right now is pretty large. We’d love to hear opinions about the appropriateness of her list and we’d also appreciate recommendations of schools we haven’t considered. We’d like her to know by the summer where she wants to apply</p>

<p>About her:
GPA – 3.9 UW - School only weights AP courses and some upper level magnet courses. She attends a competitive magnet math/science program in a suburban school. All core classes have been either magnet, honors, or AP level (except history – took AP Human (4) and regular World and US.) Finished French IV last year. Taking AP Calc AB, Physics 1, and English Language this year. Will likely take another 4 or 5 AP classes next year for a total of 8 or 9. All other classes will be magnet classes</p>

<p>SAT – 2130 (720M, 690CR, 720W) That’s from October. She’ll take this at least one more time.</p>

<p>Rank – School doesn’t rank until senior year. Magnet students make up about 20% of the class. She’ll likely be in the top 10%, but could end up just out of it.</p>

<p>Possible majors – interested right now in Neuroscience or Nutrition. That could change. It won’t be engineering and it won’t be English or History!</p>

<p>Money – She wouldn’t get any need-based aid. We’d like to spend less than 40k per year.</p>

<p>ECs – very involved at school. Mostly with student council and class officer type activities. Lots of leadership.</p>

<p>The list:
Alabama – visited (she loves it) 1st words out of her mouth when she saw her SAT scores ‘I could get free tuition at Alabama!’ From mom’s POV - It’s far and huge! (OOS)</p>

<p>UNC CH – visited (she loves it) a reach for admission and finances (OOS)</p>

<p>U South Carolina – visited (she likes it a lot) I think she could get some merit money based on results from others at her HS (OOS)</p>

<p>Clemson – visited (she likes it a lot) Not sure about the possibility of any merit here? (OOS)</p>

<p>William & Mary – visited (she likes it a lot) a reach (IS)</p>

<p>Auburn – visited (she likes it) I don’t think she’d get much in terms of merit here (OOS)</p>

<p>Ole Miss – visited (she likes it) I think she’s guaranteed a decent amount of merit unless I’m reading the scholarship info wrong. It’s far! (OOS)</p>

<p>James Madison U – spent a weekend there at a conference (she likes it) a match, but in the mountains! (IS)</p>

<p>UGA – wandered around campus one summer evening – thinks it’s beautiful & would like to visit (OOS)</p>

<p>NC State – visited (she likes it) (OOS)</p>

<p>Eastern Carolina – visited (she likes it) safety that is not in the mountains (OOS)</p>

<p>U of Miami – I think she could get in but wouldn’t get any money without way better numbers?</p>

<p>UVA – a reach (IS)</p>

<p>VT – a match? But in the mountains! (IS)</p>

<p>UNC Wilmington - ? (OOS)</p>

<p>Coastal Carolina -? (OOS)</p>

<p>Christopher Newport -? (IS)</p>

<p>Sorry for the book! Any thoughts or suggestions?</p>

2

<p>Take a serious look at Tulane University. A great school, and rather generous with merit aid. Also, you need to add a few private schools to the list, and Tulane helps with that. Private schools will often be lower in cost than OOS public universities, because of merit aid and other tuition discounts. Never assume you will have to pay full price. Thus they should not be avoided. If she becomes interested in Tulane, it is better to apply as soon as possible because some scholarship deadlines occur in December.</p>

<p>I think your D can do better than East Carolina University, and probably most of those other NC schools except NC State (which is only slightly smaller than U.Alabama).</p>

<p>If she wants sports “spirit,” then Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, UGA, and VT all have plenty to spare. So do some of the others.</p>

<p>Personally, I am an Auburn graduate, and always appreciated that students were so friendly and welcoming. I knew several students from the Northeast (at least three from New Jersey) and they all fit in great. However, I would take a full tuition scholarship from Alabama if offered one. On the other hand, Auburn does not sound like a state school. People sometimes think it is a private school, which does not hurt a thing. :wink: </p>

3

<p>Hi your D’s high school sounds like the same type of high school my oldest D went to( a Magnet Math & Sc HS, magnet students acct for 20% of the senior class ) . We are Virginia residents. We had also looked at a few of the colleges on your list at that time. We started out with a very long list & finally narrowed down to 5-7. She is now at University of Virginia & my youngest D is also at UVa too.</p>

<p>Great school spirit. Lots of clubs, events & things to participate. Fantastic school. It does not offer a " Nutrition " major though ( I don’t think, but I can’t be certain). The Colloege of Arts & Sc offer Neuroscience.
Weather:The weather is generally very nice there. This week, the temp. there has dropped down to 30s, daytime is a higher 40s/50s. They are bilding new dorms too.
We also visited W & M and VTech. These 2 colleges are going to feel different to you / your D in some way.
You have some fantastic choices in Virginia.</p>

<p>We had also tour UNC- Ch and Univ of Georgia a few years back simply because we had relatives there / traveling at the time & wanted to take a look. Nice campus, large school & they offer lots of majors. I think Univ of Georgia has something like " Food Science " ( ?)<br>
If you decided to go there again, visit Emory Univ ( in Atlanta GA ).
Best of luck to you!</p>

4

<p>U Florida- friends daughter rc’d her degree in nutrition as undergrad and stayed for her Masters in Dietetics.
UGA
UVa
Miami- try the ACT. My older son took SAT then ACT. ACT was much easier and scored very high. Full tuition scholarship to Miami. (4.0 UW and 34 ACT). I think there is more competition than ever for these scholarships at UM. Apply early. Your daughter may get 1/2 or more merit. </p>

5

<p>@NROTCgrad
I can’t help it - the cost of so many of the privates scare me. I’ve heard good things about Tulane (although D doesn’t think she wants to explore it because she has visited New Orleans and didn’t care for it) but I look at the cost and it just seems exorbitant! Her stats as they are now seem to put her at about the 75th percentile for Tulane - are there schools that would give her merit for that? She just loves the idea of U of Miami, so we thought that one ‘just for fun to see what if…’ would be OK, but I don’t want her to wind up with too many choices that we’d have to veto for cost.</p>

<p>Any other private colleges you’d suggest? She has visited Elon and didn’t like it, and visited Furman and - while she liked many things about the school - just felt that it was way smaller than she was looking for. Schools like Vanderbilt and Emory seem out of reach.</p>

6

<p>Run the Net Price Calculator and see what Tulane thinks you can pay. But Also they are known to give a lot of huge scholarships like 20 and 30k iirc. Vanderbilt seems like a reach given the selectivity but she isn’t out of range, stats wise.</p>

7

<p>Why are there so many OOS public schools on this list? Although if you can pay 40k/yr they aren’t too bad a deal.</p>

<p>The sticker price you see on school’s websites are likely not what you are going to pay… I would also recommend Tulane, she would prob get some merit. </p>

8

<p>Tulane is in a great neighborhood in New Orleans. I can understand some people not liking New Orleans. It is a love it or hate it kind of city. But the area around Tulane is really nice. She isn’t going to school in the entire city. If she doesn’t like downtown or the French Quarter, then no need for her to visit those areas.</p>

<p>As BrownParent suggests, the net price calculators will tell you actual price. “Sticker price” is frequently discounted heavily at private schools. Harvard claims, for example, that it is as cheap as most state schools for most families. So, look at the real price using the net price calculator.</p>

<p>If you want a relatively large school in the South, then you have already have considered most of them. But since you have looked at Elon and Furman, then also take a look at Wofford College in South Carolina. I grew up in Alabama, and if I had known about Wofford back then, I would have gone there. Also Rhodes College in Memphis is great. Eckerd College in Florida is highly regarded too.</p>

9

<p>@Ctesiphon‌ </p>

<p>Likely the list has many OOS publics because the D wants a big Div I sports school with Greek systems. For those, you often have to consider publics. </p>

<br>

<br>

<p>Well, of course she loves it. :wink: What’s not to love…it’s gorgeous, the people are friendly, the merit is awesome, the weather is very good, and the Greek system is popular. </p>

<p>As for it being huge, Alabama is very thoughtfully laid out. The GenEd/Core classes are mostly held in the buildings that are around the Quad. Courses within one’s major are going to be located in one of the univ’s areas (for example, NE area is STEM, NW area is Humanities, SW is business, communications, education, and so forth. The peripheral buildings are the support buildings and dorms. So, there isn’t a lot of criss-crossing across a large campus. </p>

<p>As for being “far,” what state are you from? Bama has students coming from all-over. Over 900 students are from Calif…and there are students from Hawai’i and Alaska (now, that’s far)…as well as int’l students. </p>

10

<p>At this point, Alabama is probably your best option… it essentially characterizes a Big Greek Sports school in the South. Roll tide. Plus, you won’t be emptying your wallet because she’ll get a big scholarship.</p>

<p>I would also really recommend she reconsiders Tulane and New Orleans as a whole. With a 3.9 GPA and that SAT score she would likely receive some good merit to bring the school into your price range. @fallenchemist can probably offer more info on the school.</p>

11

<p>I wouldn’t rule out a school just because it is too far or because a school is “in the mountains.” It is true that Virginia has some great public school options, it doesn’t hurt to explore and spread your wings so to speak. I know I found the best fit for me almost 8 hours away from home and my parents couldn’t be happier (coincidentally at W&M, but besides the point)</p>

<p>If she got into Alabama, really loves it, and especially has a full tuition scholarship I think it is worth at least considering. Personally, I like the small school feel, but I can understand why someone wants a larger one and I wouldn’t rule it out for my child on that basis alone.</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision. She sounds like a smart kid with likely great choices come April</p>

12

<p>@mom2collegekids I guess I’m less concerned about the physical size of Alabama than I am about her chances to get involved in the things she enjoys. For instance, if she wanted to be involved in giving campus tours, would she be one of 400 people who wanted to do that?</p>

<p>And I think the far thing only bothers me - not her. We’re in Virginia, so it’s driveable (but a loooong drive.) I guess I just like the idea of her being somewhere where, if she really needed to, she could come home for a weekend. Although I ended up at a college only about an hour away from home and I don’t think I ever actually just dashed home for a weekend!</p>

13

<p>UVA and Especially W&M don’t seem out if reach. Great schools and in budget IS.</p>

14

<p>@mostlydolores many high stat kids find something through UA honors college and other areas ‘to get involved’. Those interested in Greek. A stand out student is going to get noticed as well as be involved where they want - sometimes with persistence. </p>

<p>My freshman UA scholarship student is involved in two activities that are ‘selective’ (UA Million Dollar Band musician as eng major - one of 400 students in MDB - which is the largest single organization on campus; STEM MBA - one of 300 freshmen in this program). There are so many different things offered, that students find their niche. I also have an older student at UAB who is taking advantage of the opportunities there as a nursing major, also scholarship and honors programs.</p>

<p>Several areas to get informed and ‘get in the system early’ at UA - one is freshman on-campus housing; have priority with early deposit. Second, if an honors student and want to do Outdoor Action or Alabama Action prior to starting classes; another is Camp 1831 - all three of those fill up early (as soon as you can sign up, do so). If student is doing Rush or band will already be on campus before classes start. Some students also do Early College so are on campus early. Many enjoy having an opportunity to ‘bond’ with other entering students with those activities.</p>

<p>We also looked at off-campus housing early in freshman year for sophomore year - signed a contract in early Oct for something very close to campus. There are closed UA parent facebook pages that are helpful - so can continue to get great info from ‘experienced’ parents as well as share with other parents going through what you are going through (parent class of 20XX page) plus students have a number of facebook pages and sources of info.</p>

<p>Parents and students who may never have had much interest in college or SEC football have a great family experience with UA. Students do pay a modest fee for football tickets; students get into other athletic events free.</p>

<p>A smaller campus may have a little less learning to do (by students/parents) but there are so many great opportunities which are especially beneficial for high stat kids. Students and familieis have to determine what is important and attractive.</p>

15

<p>@SOSConcern Thanks so much for your thoughts on how to find a niche in a large school. That really did ease my mind some!</p>

<p>@BrownParent and @NROTCgrad So we did run some Net Price Calulators. Wow - that was really interesting! It didn’t occur to me that the NPC would throw in estimated merit. It did knock about 20k off the price of Tulane and made Alabama seem even more attractive. I thought she’d get merit at Ole Miss and she would - but even more than I thought. It was a little time-consuming but so worth it! We’ll run more later but I have absolutely learned my lesson about net price calculators - what a great tool!</p>