<p>EmmyBet… Interesting post, thanks. I am tossing around a lot of these same ideas and issues with my S. He is only a sophmore, but is somewhat in the same boat as your D. We have looked at a few schools last month and I was surprised by what he liked. He LOVED Reed college, but he is a pretty laid-back student… he is also the one who is always the first to bring up discussions in class but get a 85 on the test. The teachers all adore him because he loves learning but is not grade driven. I too think the a school that is full of high achieving top scoring kids would be too much for him. He does want to go to med school so it would almost be better, I think, to go to a school that is a little more relaxed academically. The problem is he loves being around intellectual intensity, discussion based small classes. etc. We will have a wide net, and he is probably not one who will have an " I have to got to this college" attitude because we will also be looking at schools with finances in mind and we have talked to him about this. He is a B+, A- student with high SAT scores, so I’m afraid he might sneak his way in some of these academic powerhouses, and I’m jusy not sure that they are the place for him.</p>
<p>Thanks for the story! I guess we’ll have to wait and see, and I’m glad I can go ahead of you as someone to watch, as I’ve done with the classes of '09 and '10. </p>
<p>Having had one go through already, I will say that they do change so very much - it’s inspiring to watch. I think my D will know what feels right (she’s definitely a “feeler”) and it will work out. I know money will play into her choice, but I don’t think she’ll feel pressured (much) by prestige. We’ll see. Her first priority is a great (not specifically “top”) BFA program, which has its own set of criteria, but much of the same issue of how competitive or intense an atmosphere she wants to live in.</p>
<p>Quite the trip we’ll be taking!</p>
<p>EmmyBet, I am so happy that I can follow you this year and hopefully be able to gain some wonderful advice. My S is also not influenced by prestige and is looking at colleges that are similar to Reed’s inclusive and autonomy supporting environment. So far, besides Reed, he is looking at Colorado College, Whitman, St. Lawrence, Wesleyan(UBER REACH), Bard, Sewanee, Lewis&Clark and Hamilton. As you can tell, outdoor activities are also a must. </p>
<p>My friends daughter just went through the search for schools with a BFA and BA in theatre route. I didn’t really understand how hard this is, because a lot of the schools, if you get rejected from the BFA program you also get rejected from the rest of the school. I never knew this. She said the auditions were VERY stressful, but her daughter got into some great schools. USC, NYU, BU all in their theatre programs. I think Vassar looks like a good choice for your D. Has she also checked out Skidmore? I thought it looked good for the artsy kid. I think Connecticut College also has a great theatre and dance program. It looks like a winner for a 3.3.- 3.6 kid.</p>
<p>Emmybet, I’d say Vassar would be very reachy (middle 50% is 29-50), however the Vassar supplement does give students a bit of a chance to stand out - both with the “Why Vassar” essay and the option to mail something in. (My son mailed in origami earrings he made.) My son benefited from having higher scores though and from being male.) I’d say to optimize her chances she would have to apply ED. (I think they have both ED1 and ED2.)</p>
<p>EmmyBet – Your junior daughter sounds a lot like my younger, sophomore daughter. We will be thrilled if ours can score a 27 in the ACT next year as standardized tests don’t appear to be her primary virtue.</p>
<p>As per Vassar, I had the chance to talk with one of the senior admissions officers there a few months ago. She was, I thought, very candid about what they look for in prospective students and one of the things she hammered away on several times was “standardized tests are VERY important.” I think mathmom has it right by saying “the Vassar supplement does give students a BIT of a chance,” but anything below a 30 on the ACT makes the chance of admission for an unhooked female very dicey.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to hearing your daughter’s story unfold over the next year. Perhaps I’ll be joining this group in the future once we have a good handle as to whether D2 belongs with the 3.0 – 3.3 or the 3.3 – 3.6 group (right now it could go either way!)</p>
<p>Thank you for the perspective, folks! You’re confirming what I suspected, what we kind of knew all along. Sure, someone in the bottom 25% of accepted students DOES get in, but usually with some kind of hook. And the big question - for a lot of these kids in choosing reaches - is do you want to be in that bottom 25%? It may never matter when you’re there, but it could.</p>
<p>And I don’t see her applying ED. That’s hard with anyone doing auditioned programs, just can’t lock up that kind of time, and it’s not a first choice kind of thing for her. If she decides to throw in an RD application after she’s thought about it and done her fall apps, I’ll support her. </p>
<p>I’m curious how a lot of these kids will handle their reach choices - it’s hard for anyone, but this group is in a particularly tricky spot with them.</p>
<p>hudsonvalley - welcome! And many of us spend time on both of those threads - people are very understanding and usually can relate to both. Weighted, unweighted, academics only, how they test … the conversations tend to be a little different because of how schools define kids. But the parents are pretty open about how anyone wants to define him or herself.</p>
<p>Hi, EmmyBet and 5boys! My S is so like your children, and looking at similar schools–so far his favorite has been Whitman on the West Coast (he also liked Reed but we had the same worries about overly-stressful) and we are going to look at Vassar as a reach on the East coast.</p>
<p>My son is looking at schools where he can major/minor in science or psychology and theater, so BA programs work better for him than BFA programs, and if all goes well he should have lots of AP/IB credits that can transfer from high school to allow him to do that.</p>
<p>BUT…we struggle with the mix of reachy vs. match. I think Whitman IS reachy for him, and Vassar very reachy (but both, I guess, with the “male” bonus). He is mostly looking at smaller schools but has not ruled out larger schools (U of Washington is staying on the list as a match for instance, and he is interested in BU as well). His has good ECs, mostly showing a passion for theater and music.</p>
<p>I think I’ve mentioned before, but my S is a straight 3.5 unweighted guy, with decent test scores (1400/1600 SAT; 2070/2400); my guy also loves to learn but hates to “work for the grade” with busywork. He is getting more mature about that, but with a very demanding AP/!B schdedule this semester, it looks like he’ll still be at a 3.5 for this semeseter.</p>
<p>What’s great here is how people - especially local people or people who’ve been through this before - can lead you to schools where you can tweak your needs. Vassar’s a reach, but my D really loved Bard, which has many similar attributes, and has a much better shot there. Skidmore - thank you for the suggestion! GKM, you guys should look at it. For some reason my D was turned off when she read about it, not sure why. Same with Ithaca … but she likes Syracuse (these last two are auditioned BFAs). It’s a funny process. The nice thing is once you drop the “name-brand” objective or some kind of status idea, you can find all kinds of wonderful possibilities.</p>
<p>So true, EmmyBet! Actually, Bard and Skidmore are on the list for more research for us before we do our tour of schools in Mid-Atlantic/New England in June.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have thread going about interesting college admissions at my S’s school this year and I was mostly just curious about what I perceive as a shift in college admissions this year, going in a direction of trying to find authentic kids who, like my S, and apparently some of your kids in this thread, are looking beyond the mentality of “HPYSM or bust .” I agree that once you look beyond the name-brand objective, there are so many amazing schools out there. I have hard time understanding why everyone is so focused on these schools. I really don’t think it is going to be the life-changing experience that so many think it is going to be. I know of a lot of kids from our school that got into some of these schools and then hated them when they finally got there. I think fit over prestige is SOOOO much more important. Gkm, from what I’ve heard on the Whitman thread it is pretty reachy for 3.5 and under kids. The seem to like high GPA’s. Although from our schools naviance, there has been a lot of kids admitted with lower GPA’s so he will go ahead and apply.It’s hard to know yet just where my S will go as far as match vs. reaches. Since he is only a Soph, he hasn’t taken any AP’s yet. His GPA is hovering around a 3.2(academic classes only) right now.I’m hoping he will mature more next year and push himself to DO that busywork and study a little more because he hopefully"gets" that Junior year will either make or break him for some of his matches. The good news is that, you might have heard me mention on a previous thread, he is going Spring semester next year to a school in Vermont called The Mountain school. It is on a rural farm and you live with 45 other students and teachers. Anyway, there is no internet access, except in the classrooms, and no cell phone service. I think that there being no distractions and everyone studying together will only help his grades.</p>
<p>I think what your son is doing is fascinating and very brave. How did you ever decide on it?</p>
<p>He’s going to have some pretty awesome teacher recommendations!</p>
<p>Wow, 5boys, that sounds like a fantastic experience!</p>
<p>We know Whitman is reachy; we’ll know exactly how reachy after all the AP, SAT Subject Tests, IB exams and all come back from this year (and final grades). Makes ME stressed out for my S just thinking about it!</p>
<p>Thanks EmmyBet and GKM for the support! He found out about it online last year and decided to apply this year. They only take Juniors. I too think it is incredibly brave and mature of him to leave all his family, friends and teachers and go across the country to go to school and live with 45 people he has never met before. From what I’ve heard it’s life changing for the kids and they remain friends for life. The school has been around for 25 years. I’m sure he will have some great college essays to write. Everyone has chores on the farm everyday and their is also an organic farm that the kids plant and then crop some of the food that they cook. There is also a pretty big wilderness component to it too. Anyway, it definitely fits my independent, free-thinking, live off the land, mountaineer S.I guess a lot of their alum go to pretty prestigious colleges, but I don’t think my S really cares about that too much. He is really excited… I’m sad because I know we will miss him around here, but I guess it will be a taste of what’s to come:-((((</p>
<p>I was expecting something more momentous, more … joyful, but I believe we have a decision here. D has picked Knox. It breaks my heart a little to let go of Linfield, but I think Knox is the best place for her. We felt it at that first CTCL fair a year and a half ago and our recent visit, while far from perfect, cemented it. For parents of rising seniors, one tip I can offer at this point is to visit before the accepted students day. D’s positive interactions at other college visits were holding her back from fully committing to Knox, where she didn’t have lunch with a student or a sit-down with faculty (everything was done in big groups). That Knox won her heart without these things says a lot, I think, and I’m thrilled for her.</p>
<p>Congrats, digdig!! And, thanks for the tip on visits!</p>
<p>We have friends where both parents and now 2 of 3 kids have gone to Knox (and I think the 3rd might wish she had). It sounds like a tremendous school, and I wish your D well. I am sorry for you having to let her go so far away … I know the feeling. But it will be exciting, too!</p>
<p>S1 is coming back tonight from his UChicago overnight visit. I’m eagerly anticipating what he’ll tell us! I just want to celebrate after he decides.</p>
<p>^ talk about down to the wire, Pop!
:)</p>
<p>PCP, we’re on that boat with you!</p>