What are my son's chances at something other than community college?

<p>^ Many people applying will have 4.4 weighted GPAs, not 3.4. A 3.4 UNweighted is low. Does he have Ds?</p>

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<p>It’s not competitive in the sense that it’s not going to get him significant merit aid at many places. She didn’t say it made him inadmissible.</p>

<p>He has only received one D+ for one card marking period (advanced chemistry.)</p>

<p>Has he received lots of Cs?</p>

<p>The minutiae of your son’s grades are, in my opinion, irrelevant and I’m not sure why liv4physicz is driving for these details. His grades are his grades, they’re not changing now and wondering about what-ifs is useless. The here-and-now: Start looking at local options that are affordable in your budget.</p>

<p>He maintained all A’s and B’s for both freshman and sophomore year and just a couple of C+'s and one D+ in his junior year. The C’s and D+ were in advanced calc and advanced chem. His GPA last year was 3.9. It dropped dramatically this year because of the class difficulty.</p>

<p>Where were you planning for him to go?</p>

<p>Ok. So back to my original question. Is there any other option for my son other than community college. So far, I’m getting the impression there’s not.</p>

<p>There is. Your local commuter state school is probably affordable.</p>

<p>The reality is that the vast majority of college students in America attend their local state school or community college. Going away to college is a luxury that right now, unfortunately, your family can’t afford. Lots of families are in the same boat.</p>

<p>There is nothing wrong with going to community college and transferring. Lots of people, myself included, have successfully taken that path. I ended up at an OOS public flagship and that’s the name on my diploma. Nobody cares where the first two years of a degree were completed.</p>

<p>I know quite a few people that have commuted to Eastern and their tuition is around $4,000 without aid so that could be an option.</p>

<p>Your son would be admitted to schools. Your finances are what may limit his choices. If you can swing 3-4,000 plus the stafford loans he can take out (5,500 freshman year) he has a budget of 8,500-9,500 plus a little extra if he can work the summer and save his earnings.</p>

<p>You or your son can go to the state college websites and check to see if there is a cost estimator/calculator and plug in your numbers.</p>

<p>If there is a state school that he can commute to this could be a good option if he wants to start at a 4 year school. Otherwise, as someone mentioned he can start at a community college and transfer. During the 2 years he’s at a cc you can try to save some additional money.</p>

<p>I thought Eastern was closer to $8000 for tuition. I don’t think it’s only $4,000 but if it is, that would be a possibility.</p>

<p>I think its $8000 with room and board. Here’s the link [EMU:</a> Student Business Services, Staff Refunds](<a href=“http://www.emich.edu/sbs/calc.php]EMU:”>Tuition and Fees Calculator - Student Business Services)</p>

<p>I can’t believe Eastern’s tuition is so low. I will look into that for sure. Thank you.</p>

<p>Oakland and Wayne State would be great options. He can live at home and commute to school. I commuted to Wayne State. Wasn’t the best situation but it was my only option. I got my BSChE degree and had multiple job offers. It worked out great for me.</p>

<p>He will get into many of the schools mentioned: Eastern, Western, Central, Ferris, SVSU, GVSU (MSU might be a stretch…harder to get into these days.) But if costs are a factor, you will want to look closely at Oakland, Wayne State or MCC.</p>

<p>By the way, his stats are above average every where but here on CC.</p>

<p>No problem (:</p>

<p>Have your son apply to lots of schools. Also apply to community college. Then, when the cost of attendance arrives in April, figure out the real cost of attendance for four years. I think you will find that most schools aren’t giving out boat loads of money. My nephew was offered a Promise Grant in Michigan, that was later taken away…</p>

<p>Look at some of the smaller private colleges and find out what their qualifications are for merit scholarships. Also have your son speak with his guidance counselor about possible scholarships that are available through local agencies. </p>

<p>There is nothing wrong with going to the smaller state colleges, no matter how much they are disrespected by many of the posters on this board who can afford to send their kids to the elites. Many, many people graduate from lesser known schools and go on to have perfectly happy and productive lives! I came from a low income, nonprofessional home and chose a private college over the best repped state college… I’d have probably been much happier among the students at the state than I was at the private, where I was out of my league socially.</p>

<p>Wdaveo I disagree with him not being able to get into MSU. The OP will probably be able to get into any public university in Michigan except U of M. You say MSU is tough, but that 27 would be at the top of their middle 50%, though the GPA is a tad low. I think the only way the OP would be rejected to MSU would be if he/she applied really late, such as in February or March of senior year. However, he would probably get rejected/waitlisted at GVSU as well, since GVSU is growing the amount of applications each year, and they would be nearly full by that time during senior year.</p>

<p>^ He didn’t say the OP’s son wouldn’t get in, just that it’s more of a stretch. Which, it is. And even if he could get in, those stats won’t get merit aid and the COA for MSU this year is about $21k for freshmen- well under the $3k-$4k the OP said she could contribute.</p>

<p>ETA: What does your son want to study? That can help narrow down the schools.</p>