<p>He is applying to Rice, thats in his top 3. But the GPA factor is bugging. Rice admission is difficult and for son it is a reach. Rice seems to be perfect fit for him. Any other college like Rice comes to mind? His ACT score of 35 would put him in the running but not the forefront.</p>
<p>Just found out from the school that they have already sent his docs to Denver!! I am not even sure if it is a right fit for son! And now he has lost out on one of his other choices (was the intention of this thread to find a better option in terms of safety schools).</p>
<p>What now? They have a max of 10 schools we can apply to.</p>
<p>pixejig-- You’re overthinking this and making yourself worried for no reason.</p>
<p>Your description of your son sounded a lot like a pretty typical DU student, to be honest. Easy going, not a big snot about grades, not stuck up, likes to have a good time but wants to be successful, too. It is a very cooperative and not overly insane environment. It is really full of a bunch of pretty great kids.</p>
<p>You could do worse with a safety. Trust your son to figure some of this out. I know it’s hard to let go, but it will work out for the best, whatever the outcome. I promise.</p>
<p>My son is a junior at DU and loves it. Right now he is finishing up a semester abroad at the University of Maastricht, where he has just thrived. About 75% of his class is going abroad this year. Most of his friends, like he, are Cherrington Scholars…His fall quarter tuition to DU paid his tuition, board and airfare to and from Europe. he has travelled all over, and has learned to be almost ridiculously frugal while doing so. There are some entitiled kids…and a lot of not entitiled kids. They all get along.</p>
<p>DU is a great school for smart, ambitious, practical/pragmatic kids. My son has been very happy with the academics—in his opinion, the kids at DU are as smart as those anywhere, they are just more likely to have been slackers the first year or two of high school, more the late bloomer type. Access to faculty has been exceptional, and professors are very helpful in helping students define their interests as well as helping them master class material.</p>
<p>there is a party scene–just like any where else. Sometimes my son partakes, sometimes he does other things he finds more interesting. He is in a fraternity, but he has a lot of friends not in his house as well. The greek scene at DU is not exclusive as it is at some other schools–you don’t have to belong to the house or even any greek house to go to the parties or other activities. Every year my son’s house does a huge Laughs for Leukemia and Lymphoma benefit, near and dear to their hearts because 2 members have been diagnosed…and all the other houses pitch in to help, using their personal connections to help land talent and donating time, people and all kinds of other help so my son’s house can raise maximum $$$$. </p>
<p>My son also hangs at Chabad on Friday nights because he likes the rabbi and the people there…</p>
<p>sometimes likes to cook with friends in their apartments…</p>
<p>sometimes likes to go to clubs in Denver…</p>
<p>and sometimes likes to hike, ski, or go camping.</p>
<p>pixeljig - have you looked into Wash U in St. Louis? sounds like it might be a fit.</p>
<p>Yes Kansas, thats on his list too. A reach of sorts again.</p>
<p>I hear what you are saying poetgrl, my son is chilled out, he is the type to figure things out when the time comes (that includes not studying for tests!) GC knows him well and says DU is the place (except for weather) for him.</p>
<p>I just do not want to waste a good safety option, what if he ends up going there!!</p>
<p>How cold does it get in Denver??</p>
<p>pixeljig–look up the weather data on the internet. It is sunny in Denver most of the year. The city is really a great place. You might take your son by for a visit and to do an interview and whatnot. He might actually WANT to go there. My D fell in love with the place and chose it over what a lot of other people might consider “better” schools, largely because it was the right cultural “fit” and she hasn’t even been slightly disappointed. Would agree with Boysx3 that the kids there are every bit as intelligent as the AP kids my D knew who went other places. FWIW</p>
<p>If he goes there, you can get him a nice jacket or two and some cool hats and wamr socks. It’s not a huge campus, but a beautiful one, and it’s not like he’d have to be outside for very long. I don’t know what to tell you, except that…let him go there to see what HE thinks. </p>
<p>Heck, it’s one of the few schools whose endowment is going UP right now and not down. Nobody is being shoved into forced triples, either. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks^.</p>
<p>I know I am being paranoid to some extent. We plan to visit in the spring break, depending on the EA replies. </p>
<p>The study abroad program starts in which year? Are the dorms nice?</p>
<p>I’m not sure if there is a “start” on the study abroad but it seems most students go abroad junior year. The Cherrington program is amazing…all kinds of opportunities and very strong advising to make sure each student gets the right opportunities for himself…not a canned generic approach. My son was helped in finding lots of appropriate programs to investigate, based on his academic interests and has been very pleased with the program he is in.</p>
<p>As far as the dorms…they are dorms. The first year dorms are nothing to get excited about. The dorms for sophomores and upperclassmen, however, are another story…new and beautiful. There is a plan to tear down JMac, where a lot of first years live, to build another dorm.</p>
<p>Denver has wonderful weather. Almost always sunny. Never seems to get too extremely cold. Some snow, but not as much as we expected. Denver has a great cultural scene–all kinds of clubs, concerts, shows, restaurants, good museums. The conservatory on campus is excellent and gives students opportunities as well.</p>
<p>My D’s best friend goes to DU and she loves it. My D is at UCLA and couldn’t handle a cold climate so it wasn’t on her radar. She was home for Thanksgiving (in Nor Cal) and thought it was freezing here. She commented that she never could have gone to school in Denver but that her friend says, “it’s not that cold there”. So it’s probably an individual perception thing. I had visited U of San Diego with my older D and would recommend applying there as a safety. Beautiful campus, relaxed student body and great weather. I suggest applying to a wide variety ( including a fair share of reaches, matches and safties) and visit or re-visit his top picks AFTER acceptances come in.</p>
<p>I too, have heard complaints [?] that U of San Diego seems to be overrun with rich kids. It’s probably an exaggeration, although in surveys some undergraduates report that the school is attempting to attract a broader array of kids with quite generous financial aid packages.</p>
<p>As for U of Denver, no one has mentioned two significant facts about the place;
- Condi Rice is the most famous alumni.
- The LAX team is D1 and is just as popular as the hockey team.</p>
<p>Let’s not forget that OP’s son spent years in the tropics and Europe. No matter how nice WE think Denver and Denver weather are, it doesn’t mean it will appeal to a child with that kind of background. Fact is, it DOES get cold. (Today, it is frigid!) Fact is, Denver is a SMALL city. Its cultural scene is SMALL. Its overall culture is SPORTS. For some, it’s the best city in the world. My kids loved growing up here. I like living here, but miss big city vibe though I also appreciate the lower cost of living here which I probably wouldn’t enjoy if Denver were a real metropolis. I’ve known foreigners - Europeans and Asians - who love Denver, and others who found it too small, too white, too insular and too much in the middle of nowhere. Like others, I recommend OP’s son visit – after he gets his acceptances and feels he wants to explore this safety.</p>
<p>OP, depending when your S applied, you may find that your S will have his acceptance letter by Christmas (that’s what happened with my D). The acceptance letter should also state what merit aid they are offering. Having this information early on in the process is a bonus.</p>
<p>Did your S interview with DU? I’m not sure where you live, but DU sends out folks to do interviews (I think it’s called a Hyde interview - it’s been over a year ago so I’m not certain of the name).</p>
<p>The boy I mentioned in my earlier post who was accepted at DU and was offered $14K merit decided to go to our state flagship U where he is studying Computer Science/Engineering. My D who also declined her spot at DU ended up at our state public U mostly for the economic value (and a good rep for her intended major).</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much. It really does tend to work out for the best in the end. Really!</p>
<p>Thank you folks for your wonderful responses!</p>
<p>Yup, son hates cold weather even though he is born in New York, he has lived in Asia for 10 years and in London for 3 years (hated the damp cold cloudy weather there). Refused to take part in any sports as the school did not have any grounds and kids had to travel an hour plus every day to get to the grounds by which time it used to be dark!</p>
<p>We have not visited any schools except the ones in NYU and for summers he has been to CA (Stanford-EPGY) twice.</p>
<p>He loves the Stanford Campus hence I feel that he would like the Campus-type environment and since he loves hanging out with friends he would like to at least be able to the shops and restaurants. He would not have a car. </p>
<p>He has applied EA to Gtech and SCU and hopefully the replies will be positive. Then there would be no pressure to find a safety. He will be applying to 8 others now by Jan 1 and we will not know about those until after our spring break is over. Yet, we will try and visit those schools as well when we go to visit the 2 EA schools in March if he gets in.</p>
<p>Thats the plan. We had to finalize the list of ten schools by Dec 1, the date has passed but the GC is waiting for our final nod.</p>
<p>Someone in our school has also suggested Elon and Loyola Marymount. Southern Methodist in Dallas was on my radar a while back but I did not get good feedback from the CC posters who PM’d me.</p>
<p>
[Denver</a> CO Weather 80201 Forecast: The Denver Post](<a href=“Weather news from around Denver, Colorado and the world”>http://weathernow.denverpost.com/)</p>
<p>Right now it’s 5 degrees. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 32 and low 11. It’s supposed to snow Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. I consider that plenty cold. I used to live in Colorado Springs and agree that the weather is better than the midwest for example but it certainly gets very cold, snows, etc. If the S ends up going to Denver he will certainly have plenty of opportunity to experience cold weather.</p>
<p>Loyola Marymount is often a safety in our area for kids applying to USC.</p>
<p>I am looking up on LMU right now (son is is school), seems like a neat option. Is it close to USC in physical proximity? How is the general reputation? My neighbor went there and she is all positive.</p>
<p>^^ It’s not close to USC. LMU is just north of LAX and about 2 miles from the beach and Marina Del Rey.</p>
<p>Loved LMU but D wasn’t feeling it. PM me if you have ??</p>