<p>My son is a junior. He is homeschooled. He scored a 35 on his ACT. He LOVES math. He is very good at science. By the time he graduates, he will have taken 7 AP tests. He has made a 5 on AP Stats and Chemistry so far. He will be taking 2 more this year and 3 his senior year. He will also have 30 hours of dual credit courses at our local junior college by the time he graduates. Writing is his weakest subject. He is thinking he would like to stay in the South. He doesn't have a lot of extra-curriculars. Since junior high he has worked doing the sound, computer, etc for our church worship services and all special concerts and events. He goes to church leadership youth camps in the summer, works at VBS, etc. Our family travels quite a bit. We have been overseas doing mission trips as a family for a week or two four times a year. Plus we just travel.. So his having a job hasn't worked out either. That is all he is involved in. He doesn't want a huge school like many state flagships. I think he wants something smaller and more personal. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Davidson
Richmond
Furman
Wake Forest</p>
<p>I would second Wake Forrest. If he wants a big name/prestige, Tulane, even though it’s a bit bigger it still has a low student-teacher ratio (11:1). Haverford is small & selective, maybe William & Mary.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If he will have completed college sophomore level math (multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations) at the community college by the time he formally enters college, and is likely to major in math, it is worth checking for a colleges with strong math departments that include graduate level math, since students that far ahead in math often want to take graduate level math courses as undergraduates.</p>
<p>Wanting a small school with a strong math department that includes graduate level math may be a tough fit, since the strongest math departments tend to be found at larger schools. Caltech, Rice, Brandeis, and RPI may meet both criteria, but Rice is the only one in the south (Texas).</p>
<p>However, junior, senior, and graduate level math courses at big universities are often small (check the schedule of classes at each school’s web site); if he is already past the freshman and sophomore level courses (or chooses the honors versions if offered), then he will likely find small class sizes in math.</p>
<p>For cost considerations, try the net price calculator at each school’s web site.</p>
<p>Remember to have a safety with assured admission, assured affordability, and good academic fit.</p>
<p>You don’t mention money. If you have lots of money, you have more options. 
If not… There are two main types of financial aid, merit and need-based. Typically the very top schools (Ivies, Stanford, Caltech) have more (or exclusively) need-based aid, and give money to middle-and-lower-income people. The very top schools claim to “meet full need”. The magic number to look for is Expected Family Contribution, which can be determined by FAFSA 4Caster, and is a rough estimate depending on the school. The next-level schools tend to have more merit money, to attract students away from the very top ones. You can also look at the net price calculator for each school.</p>
<p>Your son sounds a lot like my son, who is very happy to be at Harvey Mudd, near Los Angeles. They primarily have need-based aid, with little merit, so you have to be able to afford what the EFC thinks you should afford. Another school he considered is Rose Hulman, which has more merit money and less need-based money. Both of them are small undergrad-only schools with only STEM majors but a relatively higher proportion of humanities requirements than other tech schools, and both are very highly ranked by USNWR for non-PhD schools.</p>
<p>Other schools for math students are Williams, St. Olaf, Caltech (too grad-student-focused for my son), MIT (too big for my son), Case Western?.</p>
<p>I don’t really know of schools in the south except Rice, which I really loved and my son liked, and meets full need and also has some merit money. Although it’s a university, not a college, it’s a very small one.</p>
<p>Good luck. Feel free to ask me more questions, either here or PM. :)</p>
<p>EDIT: Cross-posted with ucbalumnus, who has a good point about small schools and math. Mudd and Caltech and Rice wouldn’t have the problem of not enough math, but I don’t know about the others. Look into the school’s online catalog (easy) with your son and see if there are 30 math classes he hasn’t taken, with 20 of them interesting to him, and find out (tougher) if these courses are actually offered on a regular basis. He won’t be able to take even 20 classes probably, with the other requirements, so this will give him plenty to choose from.</p>
<p>You guys think he could get into Wake Forest and some of those other more elite schools even though his only EC are things at our local Baptist Church??? I didn’t think they would take him… I figured we needed somewhere less prestigious. I didn’t mention that he is pretty conservative as well…</p>
<p>Also he will have only taken through AP Calc as a senior. I’m trying to decide between AP and BC for him. Most of the 30 hours are in things like Speech, intro to theater, world geography, etc. I didn’t think he should take things like Calc or advanced science courses at our local cc as I didn’t think they would be equal to what he would get at a “real” college. Ours is pretty easy. He’s easily earned all A’s there and in his online AP classes. But he has several B’s from me… He says I’m the hardest teacher he has had so far.</p>
<p>The major portion of even top schools is grades, recommendations, test scores, essays. Your son’s ECs may or may not be a problem, but his conservativeness certainly won’t get him rejected. My son had few ECs (although what he had was mathy) and was accepted into Rice, Caltech, Mudd, and others. Caltech and Mudd will want to see evidence of interest in math & science, but AP Stats & Chem are evidence. My son’s Caltech & Mudd science essay was how he thinks about math - no product, no recommendation, nothing. Since your son LOVES math, he probably reads about it, plays with it, etc.</p>
<p>I’d recommend Calc BC, and I’d highly recommend that he take it at the CC as well as planning to take the AP test. No, the CC isn’t equal to what he would get at a top college, but it is equal (at least at my son’s CC) to most colleges. But just because he took it at the CC doesn’t mean he can’t take it again at the four-year college.</p>
<p>Caltech and Mudd in particular could (just guessing here!!!) get a kick out of his lower grades from you and higher grades and 5s from elsewhere - they are both known for less grade inflation than most schools.</p>
<p>Rose Hulman (at least a few years ago) didn’t seem to consider ECs at all.</p>
<p>While I wouldn’t recommend throwing an app at a school when the student has no chance whatsoever, I would say that your son does have a chance. He’s travelled, he’s met people, he’s done stuff…</p>
<p>While your son may not have traditional ECs such as participation in sports or editor of a newspaper, I think you should consider your family missions to be EC activities as well as his work in the church. Schools are looking for kids who are active and involved in things they care about and it sounds like your son is. Don’t downplay his experiences just because they are not typical – that could work to his benefit at least for some schools. For example, he can write an essay about an experience on a mission. He can also get a letter of recommendation from someone at church to speak of his work in the church as well as your family’s commitment to going on missions. Focus on the great work and life experiences he has had.</p>
<p>I’m not that familiar with schools in the south but many of the recommendations seem very good to me (ex. Davidson, Furman, Wake Forest etc.). I think that it would be important to visit schools and look for a place that is a good fit for his interests and personality. Also if it is important to you that there is a Baptist community or church nearby, you should research that as you look at each school. Good luck.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>All of these would be considered ‘conservative’ schools to some degree…
Davidson
Richmond
Furman
Wake Forest</p>
<p>Add to list…
Sewanee–University of the South </p>
<p>other less selective ones in the south but still good schools…
Belmont
Stetson
Birmingham Southern
Rollins
Wofford
Rhodes</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If he will only be one semester (AB) or one year (BC) ahead in math when entering as a college freshman, then the availability of graduate level math at his undergraduate school becomes somewhat less important, although a reasonable selection of junior and senior undergraduate level math courses is desirable to keep him interested if he goes deep in math. You may want to add Carleton (an undergraduate only school with a good math department) to the list, if going to Minnesota is acceptable. As already mentioned, Harvey Mudd is also worth a look, though it is in (southern) California.</p>
<p>A typical decent math department will have junior and senior level courses in real and complex analysis, abstract and (intermediate/advanced) linear algebra, numerical analysis, logic and set theory, geometry, and elective courses in other topics like number theory, computability and decidability, (intermediate/advanced) differential equations, etc… At smaller schools, statistics and/or computer science may be combined with math, so there may also be courses on probability, statistics, and computer science.</p>
<p>ACT is too high for Rollins. He’s still got some time, why not suggest he volunteer at the local hospital or something? Not math related but it shows community interest on a broader level than just in the church.</p>
<p>You guys think he could get into Wake Forest and some of those other more elite schools even though his only EC are things at our local Baptist Church??? I didn’t think they would take him… I figured we needed somewhere less prestigious. I didn’t mention that he is pretty conservative as well…</p>
<p>=============</p>
<p>Does he play any musical instruments?</p>
<p>There’s no reason why he shouldn’t try for some elite schools ESPECIALLY if he needs a decent amount of financial (and you QUALIFY for the aid that you need.)</p>
<p>However, if you can afford to pay for wherever he goes, then you might also consider some schools that are “need aware” because he might get a boost there. </p>
<p>If you need FA, then you need to find schools that are affordable AND give the aid you’d need. You need to determine how much these schools will expect you to pay and whether that’s do-able. Most schools do NOT meet need. However, since your son has high stats, there are also some schools that will give him a good scholarship for his stats.</p>
<p>Re: Rose Hulman: isn’t it primarily for engineering, vs. math and/or physics?</p>
<p>@calla1 - Engineering is what Rose Hulman and Harvey Mudd are known for, true. But they have the main STEM majors as well. [Rose-Hulman</a> Institute of Technology](<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman) says why students might want to go to Rose-Hulman for non-engineering STEM majors (would that be STM?).</p>
<p>momknows, You’ve received some good advice so I’ll just elaborate on a few points. You son is a possible contender for any college in the country. There’s nothing in his profile that would keep him out and a lot that would get him in. There are no guarantees, of course, so he needs a balanced list. What he and you should concentrate on in focusing his list are the following</p>
<ol>
<li>Finances
Be very specific on what you can afford. If you will need financial aid, determine how much NEED based aid your son will be eligible for. If it’s enough, then he can build a wide list. If it’s not enough he’ll have to look at schools that offer MERIT based aid which is a different list. </li>
</ol>
<p>If your EFC is very low he might look at QuestBridge.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Personality / Character of the school
Even with a focus on medium to small, there is a wide range of school personalities. Urban/rural/suburban? Sporty? Political? Religious? Fraternities or none? Especially at small liberal arts colleges, fit is important.</p></li>
<li><p>Strength in Math/Science
Your son should decide whether he wants a school that has a strong technical flavor or a more general liberal arts scope. Right now it’s okay to explore both.</p></li>
<li><p>Reach/Match/Safety
So after you’ve identified the one or two that provide most of your son’s wishlist and that you can afford you can go up and down in selectivity to have a balance of reach/match/safety.</p></li>
<li><p>Crafting the application
International exposure is a good EC. (You’d be surprised at how many firstyears even at elite colleges don’t even have passports.) Your son could leverage this experience into interesting essays and resumes which will help to flesh out who he is and what he can contribute to the campus community.</p></li>
<li><p>Suggestions
I’d add Emory. And second Williams. Williams is not in the South, but otherwise a good fit. Small, academically rigorous, excellent math and science, middle of the road politically. Only need based aid though.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>He hast around 150,000 in his 529 account. </p>
<p>I asked him and he said he thinks he would like a Christian school. But he LOVES sports and would like to have decent football and basketball teams.</p>
<p>Yes, he actually does play an instrument. He plays piano, though not really from his own choice. His dad won’t let him quit until he graduates. He started in 3rd grade, though, so he is pretty good and actually does pretty well at a few competitions, but he is going to quit as soon as he can.</p>
<p>The piano is another great EC so be sure that gets onto his college application. It doesn’t sound like a lack of ECs should hold your son back. And Christian colleges in particular should appreciate his extensive mission work and volunteering in church. The most important thing will be finding a group of schools that are both affordable and are places where he is comfortable and can get the math/science classes he wants. Good luck.</p>
<p>He hast around 150,000 in his 529 account. </p>
<p>I asked him and he said he thinks he would like a Christian school. But he LOVES sports and would like to have decent football and basketball teams.</p>
<p>Yes, he actually does play an instrument. He plays piano, though not really from his own choice. His dad won’t let him quit until he graduates. He started in 3rd grade, though, so he is pretty good and actually does pretty well at a few competitions, but he is going to quit as soon as he can.</p>
<p>===============</p>
<p>Oh good…so he has another EC and he has a good college savings acct.</p>
<p>Yes, a Christian College will like all of his mission work.</p>
<p>I don’t know which Christian colleges are known for being strong in math. Is he firm about the school being a Christian college or would a school that is a bit conservative-leaning be ok? </p>
<p>Is he looking for a school where many kids attend some kind of church service on weekends?</p>
<p>By “Christian school”, does he mean:</p>
<ul>
<li>A school (which may be secular, or even affiliated with a different denomination or religion) where he can find a community of his faith?</li>
<li>A school which is officially affiliated with his faith and has a religious environment?</li>
</ul>
<p>If he is looking for the latter, then the choices will likely be limited. For example, if he is Southern Baptist, then the list of affiliated colleges is given here:
[Southern</a> Baptist Convention - Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.sbc.net/colleges.asp]Southern”>http://www.sbc.net/colleges.asp)
Of course, even within this list, there is considerable variation in how religious the environment is. Baylor is generally regarded as being conservative, but not to the extent that Liberty is. Also, it may be difficult to find strong math departments at smaller colleges in general, so it may be especially difficult if it is desired to do so at smaller Baptist colleges.</p>