<p>Hey guys, glad to see that this thread exists. I am a B/B+ average student and so far in this college application process and have already been accepted to Northeastern, UMass, Clemson and Pittsburgh. I think the lesson that other people on CC need to learn is that it's not the end of the world if you don't have an A average. There are plenty of good schools for people with a B average.</p>
<p>Thank you for posting that pierre 0913 and congrats on your acceptances!</p>
<p>pierre, Congratulations on your acceptances! You have some fine choices!</p>
<p>I assume that the state schools they are not offering B/B+ kids much in the way of merit/financial aid. Let us know if you get lucky in that regard. This is something to keep in mind in this economy. Tuition keeps rising, for many tuition is huge concern, and public Us are there to educate their instate students first. They are accepting OOS students, but often as full pay students, unless they have very high stats (there are exceptions though).</p>
<p>The B student with average level test scores is not likely to get merit money at the privates either. One place to look for that kind of money is MomfromTexas's Full ride scholarship thread. </p>
<p>I am going to be in this situation soon as I have a A/B student who is going to have luke warm test scores. He would do better in smaller schools, LACs, in my opinion, but affording them is going to be an issue. My son who is a freshman in college was a B student but stellar SATs did open up some merit options for him. OOS non privates did not offer him a dime. Two of our own state schools came up with merit money, and that with the low sticker price made them prime considerations. My next son will be looking at the smaller state schools here as they will be the most affordable for us.</p>
<p>cpt, this was not our experience with S #1. He grew into being a B/B+ student with plenty of Cs from freshman year. His test scores uneven. He ended up with 5 merit scholarship offers all at private colleges (of course their sticker price was higher than OOS public Us.). We did apply for FA, and this could have played a role in merit aid, but know that our EFC is not low, still it did there was a gap between sticker price and our efc at the time.</p>
<p>I'll be in touch with you in the next year or so, I know. We thought we would be in this situation for S3 and I believe you did give us some pointers. But S4 did very very well on his SATs which made a big difference. Just in his early schools, it was clear there was a market for high scoring, B students who were males and looking at LACs. Some of his friends with lower test scores did not share his experience. They were accepted to some good private schools but, not a dime of merit money was offered. </p>
<p>My older son did get merit money from schools but they did not exceed $5k, and for $50K+ costs, it was a drop in the bucket. He had a performing arts talents that gave him some scholarship opportunities, but again, it did not translate into a lot of money.</p>
<p>First son had good grades, good scores, but nothing waaay up there. Applied to name colleges, was an athletic recruit, did not get a dime offered from anywhere but his safety school. But he did get into more selective schools than his peers with the same stats.</p>
<p>So glad to see this thread!</p>
<p>My 15 year-old D is a sophomore, gifted IQ. So much for the good stuff; now, the bad.</p>
<p>She has terrible emotional issues (OCD) that impede her progress. Last year, freshman year, D was out of school half the year sith an eating disoder, was on a variety of meds....this year she has improved but her psych issues are still with her and she has continued therapy. Now she is in an alternative program in her traditional high school. It is strictly self-paced computer-based work. She loves this method of learning and she goes very very fast, so she is due to finish high school next year, just gone 17 and still a Junior. OK for her--she HATES high school. </p>
<p>Anyway, her PSAT score came back at 190 (high for a 10th grader) and her GPA is UW 3.9. Great numbers, but the reality is, D cannot function in a competitive environment with her peers. So dad and I wonder: where can she go? What can she do? Around children and adults (such as, in an office situation) she is incredibly poised and polished, but put her in a group of kids her age and she implodes into an emotional blackhole (she thinks she's ugly).</p>
<p>She plans to travel for a year after she finishes HS (she is saving her money for this). Her experiences--sailing, hiking (the Andes), trekking (the Amazon) and organizing 501 (3) (c) campaigns for both domestic and international homeless/abused children, as well as her previous world travels, look great on her college applications, but without AP courses and with an emotional handicap where she can't relate to her peers, how will she survive? Who can she live with? Who will she talk to? Will she be so stressed she can't function? Where can I find a college for underachievers who need adventure and thrill-seeking (NOT thru drugs or sex!) to keep them motivated? Does one exist? </p>
<p>We are so worried, hubby and I. Any advice?</p>
<p>Elizadoo, if I were you, I'd post on the College Search and the Parents boards, asking for very unique college environments. There are some pretty unusual schools out there that not a lot of people know about.</p>
<p>pierre and fellow parents: please note.......35 on the ACT kind of trumps a B/B+ average....and pierre also has, I think, mostly AP's and honors.......on the other hand, his admission results definitely tell you something about the priority of the schools he applied to ( class rank not highly considered)...</p>
<p>pierre: we all hope for your splendid results!! congrats again!!</p>
<p>Our D is a junior at a very traditional private high school with a rigorous grading scale (83-84 = C+; 86-87=B-; 88-90= B; 91-93= B+; 94-95= A-; 96-98= A; 99-100=A+). I expect that she will have mediocre test scores. She has a 3.2 on that scale and will probably rank in the middle of her class of 150. But she is a very gifted critical thinker and has razor-sharp logic skills. Her best grades are in English, languages, social studies. She needs a school that would honor those skills (and maybe give some scholarship $). Her ECs do not reflect the kind of continuity most schools look for, other than writing (editor of school literary journal, Kenyon writer's conference). This girl rises to a challenge, and would be frustrated and unmotivated at a school where the best students were aiming toward pre-business, teacher certification, etc. She wants to study abroad, get her hands dirty in Darfur, document the Blink-182 reunion, etc. And she could -- but she's afraid no one will give her the chance. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Kalamazoo College. Very challenging, but willing to give a promising student without stellar grades a chance. Known for study abroad, and they have good merit aid.</p>
<p>Thanks, cad, --Kalamazoo's a good choice-- but what if she wants to get out of the snow/rust belt? It's not just a matter of weather, but also of expanding her geographical and cultural horizons?</p>
<p>sulenkamom, look at UNC-Asheville and St. Mary's College of Maryland, very excellent LAC's that are highly underrated, plus the weather is warmer!</p>
<p>Please, please, please admissions, smile on my wonderful B+/A- guy with great stats who wants to play D-III football at a LAC!!! (fingers and toes are crossed!)</p>
<p>I'm a B student...apparently.</p>
<p>Summarized 'stats':</p>
<p>Male from Arkansas
GPA: 3.10 weighted (2.90 unweighted)
Rank: 20-30% (out of 600)
SAT: 2030 (1320/1600)
EC's: Member of three clubs, played high school baseball.</p>
<p>I was already rejected ED by Lafayette and accepted by Hendrix College (and offered $12,000 in merit aid).</p>
<p>I've obviously already applied, so I can't add or drop any of these colleges, but what do you guys think about my chances for the following? Accepted by at least one? At least two?</p>
<p>Wake Forest
St Olaf
Rhodes
Sewanee
Furman
Illinois Wesleyan</p>
<p>^ You'll get geographic diversity at Olaf, which is a plus.</p>
<p>"This girl rises to a challenge, and would be frustrated and unmotivated at a school where the best students were aiming toward pre-business, teacher certification, etc."</p>
<p>That's pretty harsh - - students are intellectual light-weights just b/c they have an interest in pre-professional majors.</p>
<p>
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That's pretty harsh - - students are intellectual light-weights just b/c they have an interest in pre-professional majors.
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</p>
<p>You do have a point. I graduated from college in economic times simlar to - or worse than - the curent ones. My state had a 25% unemployment rate. At the time, I was very happy to be able to start a job in my chosen profession immediately after graduation. Bright but not wealthy students entering college now may have similar ideas.</p>
<p>Yes, I dont understand the comment re teaching and accounting. My D is pre-law, but I have told her I would really like her to get teacher certification. The accounting and education students may have to take some specialized courses, but unless you think the college wont have enought general classes, I dont know why that should bother you.</p>
<p>Eliza, I have a close friend here whose daughter has some severe mood disorders and OCD. They really are not sure what her issues are but she worries her mother terribly as she has needed some intervention at times. She is going to a local school which is highly selective. Are there any such schools near where they live? She can commute or live on campus with someone keeping an eye on her. </p>
<p>In our case we have many nearby schools so it would be no hardship for someone to pick one close by. However, everyone does not live near colleges. </p>
<p>The other alternative is to look for schools that have strong LD support and insist that your D registers and stays with a program there so that someone is monitoring her. Or with student health, where again she stays in touch and you stay in touch with her counselor. Your continued financial support would be contingent on her cooperating with this arrangement and sharing medical and counseling information.</p>