<p>I guess Im just venting. I've stalked CC for a while and its time to put in my two cents. The subject says it all. I don't care what the naysayers think... we're going for it. I figure we only have one shot, so why not. We are from California so we have the UC's (son's gpa is 3.2 UC weighted so he qualifies) and the CSU's are our lowest possibility. Here is our list. Far more reaches than safeties or matches but...</p>
<p>UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside
San Diego State, Cal Poly SLO
Washington State U - (western tuition exchange)
Penn State (son's pick)
Cornell, Rice, Notre Dame, USC, Case Western Reserve (longshots and hopefuls)</p>
<p>Which school do you consider to be the safety? Note that CPSLO and SDSU are among the more selective CSUs, so a student with a CSU eligibility index* of around 3900 may not be all that well assured of admission there (depending on major selected).</p>
<p>Have you checked the net price at each school?</p>
<p>Hi thumper1 and cobrat. Thanks so much for your input. A little more background…</p>
<p>He used to think he wanted to be a doctor. I steered him from that because I didn’t believe he had the discipline (hello… 2.5 gpa). He is mathematically inclined so I suggested engineering, maybe biomedical as a happy medium. After more research we have decided to pursue a more fundamental engineering degree to ensure career prospects.</p>
<p>The low gpa is primarily due to freshman maladjustment, so Im hoping a “holistic” reading will recognize that.</p>
<p>Hi ucbalumnus. I know you’re an expert here in CA. Yes, SDSU and SLO are the toughest CSU’s. They are more financial safeties than academic. UCR would be our academic safety I think. WSU as well. The colleges selected are probably more based on his potential rather than his prior performance. Some realistic, some fantasy. All hope.</p>
<p>As you probably know, CSU admissions are purely stats based, except for CPSLO which adds some points for other factors. So not really much of a holistic reading there (though the CSU GPA calculation does not include grades from 9th grade, which should help him).</p>
<p>UCs do holistic review, but GPA is a fairly heavy component in the evaluation, typically more so than test scores. However, the holistic review makes it hard to use any UC as a 100% certain safety.</p>
<p>He may want to consider adding unimpacted CSUs for a 100% certain safety, unless he is fine with starting at community college as his safety. (Community college is certainly a decent option in California, for students who want to wash away a mediocre high school record by doing well in college and then transferring to a UC or CSU as a junior.)</p>
<p>Would your kid be able to get fee waiver for application? If not, I am going to say don’t waste your money on Cornell, Rice, Notre Dame, USC, Case Western Reserve (longshots and hopefuls). Harsh, but just check out those schools’ admitted student profile.</p>
<p>Very important: the safety must be both certain for admission and certain for affordability. Every year, there are sad stories of students who were rejected from all of their affordable schools, and admitted only to a few unaffordable schools.</p>
<p>LOL. Trust me, I’ve been on every college website there is. Im realistic about the outcomes. Hopefully we will be one of the longshot success stories. Community college is not really a consideration for me. If you read the stats, 70% of CA community college students do not have a bachelors 6 years later. Im hoping the “true” college experience can enhance his motivation. </p>
<p>I know CC is harsh. I’ve been stalking for a while. Like I said, I just wanted to say it outloud. If none of the “12” we will look at rolling admission schools, but definitely 4 yr schools. We’re not rich… probably not even middle class, but…</p>
<p>I might suggest that your son address his GPA in the additional information section of the UC app (or common app, where appropriate). If he had a problem freshman year, but really pulled it up, he can explain. This would never be an excuse for his grades, but an explanation to give context. Clearly his SATs shows he has potential and it may be he was immature or had other reasons for his prior poor performance. Schools understand that kids do mature at different rates, but it is important to acknowledge it and show you’ve grown and hopefully his senior year grades will demonstrate that rising trend. Even though the UCs don’t look at senior year grades for admissions, it might not hurt to say that as of x marking period, he had 4 As and 3 Bs or whatever it is. You just want him to reassure them that he is worth taking a chance on…that the student they are admitting is not the same student who started out with poor grades. </p>
<p>As long as his UC GPA is above the 3.0 he has a good chance at Riverside and worst case Merced as a safety.</p>
<p>Just curious why no small, (possibly) more supportive kinds of schools. I realize that wanting to pursue engineering rules out most LACs, but there are some LAC-like schools that might be good choices for a kid who might need some support living up to his potential. (And if discipline was a problem in high school, I have observed–as a professor–that the problem can be even worse in college, with some classes only having tests every month or so, or having a single research paper that is due at the end of the semester. Most professors are not going to have daily or even weekly graded assignments.)</p>
<p>Trinity University in San Antonio comes to mind as a possibly good fit, but there might be other similar, smallish, supportive schools that offer engineering.</p>
<p>You should know that your son has almost zero chance of getting into Cornell or Rice. I’m white/Middle Eastern (but didn’t specify a race for a few reasons, so I was essentially neutral to them) with a 3.7 UW GPA and a 2230 SAT. Flat-out rejected from both. I mean, things like this happen once in a blue moon, but don’t get his hopes up.</p>
<p>Hello. Yes, the longshots were mostly for financial reasons. Because I think he has the potential, relatively smaller student body, and since they may meet most of financial need (and dare I say prestige? Affirmitive Action? Gulilty). UC’s and CSU’s because we are in state. Because I did not want to apply to 500 schools, and would need some financial assistance this is the list we came up with. For some reason Penn State spoke to him. </p>
<p>Any suggestions would certainly be taken into consideration. I think you CC’ers are the experts (to a certain extent :))</p>
<p>Best wishes! My urm 3.1 UC GPA, 1900 SAT son got waitlisted at Riverside (denied to SB and SC, SLO, SDSU), but did eventually get in . He is now a junior at a private ($$$ not a major concern) in mech engineering and it has been a roller coaster. Keep in mind that it is not just getting in; it is also getting out!</p>
<p>I like the “go for it” attitude as long as it’s with a realistic bent. As yours is. But if you don’t try you certainly WON’T get in so… might as well “go for it.” Good luck.</p>