Western Schools for the 3.0-3.3 kid

Parents Forum
901

<p>I disagree about the research aspect. I have a ton of science major friends at the UCs. If they want to do research, they can. I worked for engineers at UCI, doing data entry and quite a few of the people on the payroll were students. UCI has a higher proportion of grads to undergrads than UCSC, UCR, or UCM (does UCM have any grads?), meaning that undergrads are more likely to work directly with professors. The quality of research at a UC is generally much higher than that of a LAC. </p>

<p>But for undergrads, the experience, since there are no grad students, may be better at a LAC than major research university.</p>

<p>There may be many reasons for an abysmally low graduation rate. For schools like SOU or Humboldt which admit less academically qualified students, many will drop out because they’re underprepared for college. At SOU and Humboldt State, many students come from more disadvantaged backgrounds which means that they may need to take some time off to work (especially true at SOU, and other non residential CSUs). It could mean students aren’t getting the classes they need, or that they need severe remediation, thereby putting them on the five or six year track. There’s a reason Harvard has such a high four year graduation rate. All of its students are extremely academically qualified, and the excellent financial aid means that they can continue to go there without worrying about how to pay for it.</p>

902

<p>@MirabileDictu:</p>

<p>I talked with my son about your post, because he’s junior at Willamette. He doesn’t have learning disabilities, so I wanted to ask his opinion before answering your question. Willamette has been a great choice for him, because class sizes are small, around 15 students per class, and professors are accessible and helpful. The students and staff on the campus are open, welcoming, and friendly. My son chose Willamette over UC San Diego, Emory University, and other schools, and we have not regretted the decision. He told me that students with documented disabilities receive extra time on all assignments and examinations, and that tutoring and extra help is readily available. Given your list, he believes – as do I – that Willamette is the best choice for your son. Of course, this is just one family’s opinion. But I encourage you to visit the school. It’s a gem.</p>

<p>@ whenwhen and others interested in environmental science, in addition to a reasonably comprehensive course of study, Willamette University owns and manages both a forest (Zena forest) and a sustainable farm.</p>

903

<p>Thank you, fellow CalAlum.</p>

<p>The size and individualized attention at Willamette are very attractive. Given that it appears to be offering better aid than the other private school’s we’re looking at, it is our most likely private option. We just need to figure out is it’s worth $15k per annum more than a CSU to us, and if we can scrape up the money. If/when my son gets into any UCs, we’ll have to add them to the equation (though they’ll only be around $5k less than Willamette), though size is a serious concern at all but Merced. CPP and CPSLO also seem unlikely to me due to size. Sonoma might be a contender due to proximity.</p>

904

<p>Just want to throw in that UC Merced is worth consideration. I have toured the school twice and have always been impressed.</p>

<p>People look down on it, but I think it offers an LAC experience at a UC price. My D applied, and liked the small size.</p>

905

<p>crizello,</p>

<p>I agree re: UC Merced. Visited with my son just before Thanksgiving. The diverse student body made us feel at home, and my son really appreciated the apparently irony free zone that it offered. The students there were uniformly positive and excited about the opportunities and resources available to them. There’s not much to be said for Merced itself (when friends asked where it is I had to reply, “Near Los Banos” – enough said), but the campus is great. Like Humboldt, it is a school where my son’s scores would place him around the 75th percentile, so perhaps he would require less support there. One can also save lots of money there by moving off campus after freshman year.</p>

906

<p>Hi, MirabileDictu; my son is a sophomore at SOU. Not an ES major, but did enjoy his ES class that he took this year to satisfy a gen ed requirement. He does not have experience with LD tutoring services (I sort of wish he did, because he also, after an educational psychologist’s testing in sixth grade, demonstrated slow processing speed compared to other quadrants measured) but does say that SOU’s small class sizes (classes are taught by professors, not TAs) are great and that in his experience professors are very willing to be available to students outside of class. When he toured the campus as a HS senior, that was one of the things that his tour guides (a freshman and a senior) said was one of the things that endeared SOU to them, as well.</p>

907

<p>Some acceptances have come in over the last few weeks, so additional visits are being planned.
Right now we are looking at re-visiting Willamette with an overnight (accepted EA with, what I believe to be, their highest merit amount).
Also need to schedule a visit to Western Washington, where the student has already visited, but I haven’t. Accepted there with “highest honors” and in at the honors program.</p>

<p>Planning visits to Santa Clara U., accepted EA but with no real merit money, and Barrett Honors at ASU, which automatically involves significant scholarship money.</p>

<p>Haven’t heard from Whitman or University of Washington yet. I think Whitman is a reach and UW is too big for an ideal fit, but we will reconsider those when/if acceptances come.</p>

<p>Thoughts on or experiences with any of these schools and advice on the visits are all welcome!</p>

908

<p>Mirabiledictu- Willamette would have been my first choice for my S several years ago. H and S visited and loved the disabilities director. From what my H said it sounds like it would be hard for a documented student to fall through the cracks. My S had a good experience meeting with students and sitting in on classes. In the end my S decided he wanted a BFA which Willamette did not offer. He also did not get any merit aid from them.</p>

<p>He ended up at Univ of the Pacific. The disabilites office was easy to work with. They were willing to take old testing saving us the cost of retesting. They also were willing to give S all the accommodations his Dr recommended. Extra time on tests, quiet test location, note taking. They did not have special tutoring available but I think they did say he could get priority with the writing center. In the end it all didn’t make much difference. If you student is not going to go in and ask for help when it is needed all the accommodations are worthless. The student must be proactive, they are not going to come looking for you. My S did end up graduating from UOP but there were some rough moments. I think the school is beautiful and they have caring helpful staff. The school does a good job of offering plenty of on campus events and entertainment which helps since Stockton is not a great college town.
The sciences at UOP are challenging. For a LD student I would be hesitant to recommend the school. The prepharm and predental programs make the science courses pretty competitive.
I also have a student at Davis. She is just starting out with the disabilites office. This child was not one I thought would use or need the disabilities services. Her LD and ADD didn’t seem to be a hindrance to her success in school. Granted she had to work much harder for her results. Mid quarter she felt she needed extra time and quiet area for testing. She contacted the Disabilites office and made an appointment and had some documentation from her neurologist. I was pleasantly surprised that she got what she needed without difficulty.
With my S I made him an appointment with the Disability office at each school when he visited. The range of services varies greatly.</p>

909

<p>DS has reduced his list to colleges in Washington and Oregon…wants a change from the brutal Texas heat and the terrible mountain cedar allergies. We spent some time just before Christmas in the cold rain, and he seemed fine - said it’s all about the gear, which I guess is true.</p>

<p>University of Puget Sound is his top choice (should hear by mid February), followed by Western Washington University (admitted), then it gets a little tricky: Oregon State (admitted, but a bit on the large side), Willamette and Lewis & Clark (pending; good size, but only offer a concentration/minor in geology), and Southern Oregon (right size, but no geology degree)</p>

<p>DS had a good ACT score (32) but uw GPA was 3.3 because of some mild LD/ADD issues and a poor fit at his crowded public high school, so we’re hoping for a small-ish LAC or good support services (extended time and quiet environment for tests, note-taking assistance unless he’s allowed to use his laptop for classroom notes).</p>

<p>Any thoughts, experience or opinions on either the colleges or the LS support, we’d appreciate!</p>

910

<p>My daughter attends WWU.
Today she is @ Mt Baker taking skiing lessons.
She started snowboarding in middle school, just started skiing last year)
Its one of her favorite resorts.
She gets priority registration & learning support at her school, although it has taken a bit to find a good tutor match depending on class.</p>

911

<p>ek-- you indicated in the past that your daughter was less than happy with Western in the past. Have those issues resolved for her?
Also, did she go with the honors program or does she have any experience with it?
Western is pulling ahead as a top choice with recent admission to the honors program and accompanying merit $.</p>

912

<p>Bumping this up. How are the 2013 HS admission cycle going?</p>

913

<p>mom60, I think the class of 2013 3.0-3.3 did really, really well! My son has been accepted to 13 out of 14 schools so far. (I know it’s too many, but who knew he would be so successful!) I don’t want to blow my cover by listing the schools here, but DO check out this thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939937-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2013-hs-graduation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939937-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2013-hs-graduation.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Look for the Western schools in the group. There are so many terrific schools that have welcomed our kids.</p>

914

<p>I listed the schools my 3.28 daughter has been admitted to on the other thread. Two of her schools are in the west: U of Redlands and Mills. Redlands was a very strange story–she tried several times to get on their mailing list without any luck, the website kept saying, “check again in September” about when she might be able to interview well into Nov, the EA acceptance letter arrived in a small envelope without any indication of merit $, finally someone called her from the Ad office in February to congratulate her on her admission and ask if she had any questions, then she received a letter indicating that she had gotten a (small) “talent award” for her writing portfolio. I’ve read on CC that the admissions office was very slow making decisions. Maybe they’re all new this year. Redlands is by far the most expensive school after merit and FA decisions, so it would be off the table anyway. So whatever. Mills, on the other hand, is still among her top choices. Does anyone here have information/experience with Mills? We visited in February (from the east coast) and were really impressed. The young women there seemed interesting and smart and the campus was lovely. And the weather!</p>

915

<p>My DD is in at University of San Francisco and Seattle U. There are a couple of eastern schools as well and she’s feeling the pull of home in her decision-making. Personally, I want her to keep an open mind.</p>

916

<p>DS (3.27 UW GPA / 3.75 W, 32 ACT) accepted to some wonderful western schools: University of Puget Sound, Western Washington, Willamette, Oregon State, Southern Oregon, Fort Lewis, Colorado State - all with merit aid/OOS tuition waivers.</p>

<p>Others he applied to RD but withdrew his application from (and heard very favorable news in response, indicating likely acceptance) once he decided on the University of Puget Sound: Whitman, Lewis & Clark, University of Oregon</p>

<p>Rejected: Colorado College (beware of “need aware” admission policies!)</p>

917

<p>Just checking back on this thread & I wanted to respond that yes D is doing much better at WWU.
She wisely opted to notch down her academic major alittle, and seems to be hitting her stride.
I also give credit to her for developing a support system for herself & ways to keep herself on track. She has developed some good friends and has come a long way.
:slight_smile: I think she is as about as happy as I have ever seen her.</p>

918

<p>Decision still not made. Waiting for results of FA appeal at Willamette, though not very hopeful (they had originally said decisions would be released by 4/19, and they now say that due to the volume of requests, decisions will probably be available on the 23rd). Possible poor timing issue ahead, as I will be across the country from the 25th through the 30th, which seriously limits our opportunity to make last minute visits to the runners up. </p>

<p>We’ve ruled out a number of schools (St. Mary’s, UOP, and USF for inadequate FA, Sonoma State and CSUMB due to better options in major elsewhere, Southern Oregon due to better options cheaper and closer to home) and are down to four. </p>

<p>My son’s first choice is Willamette. His reasons are good. It’s strong in his major (Environmental Science), offers great learning support, has small classes and a great student:faculty ratio, the campus is a manageable size, and he liked the students he met on his overnight. The one downside is that the current price tag of $34,700 out of pocket after aid is more than we can pay.</p>

<p>The other schools in the running are:</p>

<p>UCSC. Pluses are a strong and popular program in the major, good student:faculty ratio for a UC, and well considered learning support programs. Minuses are campus size (son is not thrilled by the idea of taking a bus to class), large classes (especially Math), difficulty getting into required courses, and the fact that my son did not enjoy his campus tour there. His poor reaction was, however, probably a result of the type of tour it was. He strongly preferred all of the schools where he was not part of a large group for his tour. Additionally, quarter system will either be great (due to the ability to focus more on fewer classes) or a struggle (due to the rapid pace). Cost is $27,800. More than we can afford, but doable with $5,500 in Federal student loans.</p>

<p>UCM. Pluses are small size, lovely new facilities, really friendly and diverse student body. Minuses are large classes, location, low graduation rate, and less established academic program. Cost is just a few dollars less per years than UCSC.</p>

<p>Humboldt State. Pluses are reasonable campus size and very strong program in major. Minuses are worst student:faculty ratio of the four, remote location, poor graduation rate, and the usual concerns about cash strapped CSUs. Class size is better than the UCs, but nowhere near as good as Willamette. Also significantly less learning support than both Willamette and UCSC. They recommend hiring a tutor. The low price tag of $18,500 is, however, affordable for us.</p>

<p>One other minor consideration. My son does not smoke or drink (really). He’s not judgmental. He’s got plenty of friends who party. He’ll hang out with them, he just chooses not to indulge. Says he doesn’t like the taste of alcohol and that school is hard enough, “why should I make it harder?”</p>

<p>Other than the price, Willamette seems like the perfect fit. My son is eager to be done with the process (he likes to make his mind up and move on; soul searching and vacillation are not his style). I feel bad for making him wait. I feel bad for pushing him to consider UCSC despite his negative reaction to his visit. I worry a bit about the social fit at UCSC and Humboldt. Though Merced seemed like a better social fit, I’m concerned that its offerings (both in the major and in learning support) don’t measure up to those at UCSC, despite the similar price tags.</p>

<p>I would appreciate advice regarding the strength of the academic programs, quality and availability of learning support, and the social scenes on these campuses. Is it worth borrowing an additional $7k per year to send him to Willamette? We have no assets (don’t own a home) and we’ve got some consumer debt, so the idea of borrowing around $30k beyond the Federal student loans (which we plan to pay for him) is frightening, especially with the unjustifiably high interest rate charged for PLUS loans.</p>

919

<p>MirabileDictu: my D would have chosen UCMERCED, but it didn’t offer a BA in her major. We liked the school for all the reasons listed</p>

<p>Willamette is a good school (my hometown) but are you talking 30K total for 4 years plus other loans? Seems like a lot</p>

920

<p>crizello-</p>

<p>For Willamette we would take the full Federal student loans for all four years (they start at $5,500 for freshmen). We would also need to borrow an additional $7k per year in parent loans for each of those four years. That would be a total of $27k in student loans (which we plan to pay) plus an additional $28k in PLUS loans. Grand total would be $55k in loans.</p>

<p>If he goes to a UC we will take out the $27k in student loans. Of course if he takes more than four years that figure could go higher. If he goes to Humboldt we will not need to take out any loans.</p>