Where Should My "High SAT" Son Apply?

Applying to College
21

<p>My son raised his ACT from a 31 to a 34 with ZERO studying.</p>

<p>So I think you are being too pessimistic about having to remember old material.</p>

<p>Having more familiarity with the exam will no doubt help you.</p>

<p>I think the first time, he didn’t have time to finish the exam, but the second time, that wasn’t a problem.</p>

<p>My advice would be to do some sort of organized prep course, rather than studying on your own. True, you could simply study on your own by taking practice tests, but I have always found that if you take an organized prep course, and treat it like a JOB, that this “forced” study will pay off.</p>

22

<p>My suggestions:
Amherst
William and Mary
Haverford
Reed
Northwestern
Wake Forest</p>

23

<p>Oh no, I took the practice math test at home. All wrong were Geometry ones that needed formulas like distance, midpoint, area, etc. English wrong ones were basic grammar ones. </p>

<p>I want to but they cost 1,500. My parents can afford it, but are cheap. lol!</p>

24

<p>^ don’t do the prep courses! from what i hear they’re not worth it. just pinpoint your weaknesses when studying on your own from like a prep book, take pract tests, and on the day of the test, just be like, “I’m gonna rock this”</p>

25

<p>Then I would suggest keep doing practice tests, and keep track of your wrong answers, and then a couple weeks before the exam, spend your time studying all your wrong answers.</p>

26

<p>Thanks for your response.</p>

<p>I like them all except for Reed. Too left wing activist for him, I fear.
And too much drugs. He is totally straight. Has never even had a beer.</p>

<p>Given his English orientation, Amherst makes sense.</p>

<p>William & Mary would be great, but for some reason he doesn’t want to apply, even though he loved Williamsburg when we took a trip there a couple years ago.</p>

<p>Haverford has been on my radar screen, but my rather admittedly narrow feeling about it is that no one seems to have ever heard of it, including me, until recently.</p>

<p>Northwestern makes sense.</p>

<p>Wake Forest, I fear, is perhaps too southern for him, because while he grew up in Florida, both his parents are northerners, and he kind of has a New York personality.</p>

<p>I will give your list further thought.</p>

27

<p>Only reason I said Reed was because, based on my own research when I was applying, the students there are intensely interested in learning and where studying is typically prioritized over partying, and that seemed to parallel what you had described.</p>

<p>But I can identify with the skepticism about the radical left wing sentiment there and other LACs. Even though I consider myself pretty liberal, sometimes it feels closed minded and suffocating when the other side is seldom given a chance to rebuttal :)</p>

28

<p>As someone who lives minutes away from Davidson, NC - I thought you should know that from my perspective, Davidson College and the surrounding area is quite liberal and a little “green-conscious.” I’m gonna cite the fact that one of their 22 majors is Environmental Science and another is Poli Sci, that they rented goats to control an invasive plant, and that the one student from my school I know who just enrolled is planning on majoring in Environmental Science. </p>

<p>Maybe I’m wrong there, do your own research to contradict the “vibes” I get, I just thought I’d put up a little red flag.</p>

<p>If his grades were “poorest” freshmen year, consider the fact that some schools (I believe Princeton and UPenn are among them) claim to not consider freshmen grades. If this is the case try to research this :)</p>

29

<p>Sorry to seem rude but if you seem to know this much about each college that is being suggested and seem to already have steadfast opinions on colleges and the admissions process on general why aren’t you and your son simply doing the searching…which can easily be done. Or better yet, why isn’t your son doing it more individually?</p>

30

<p>I’ve heard Pton doesn’t, but does Penn not? I’d be soo happy if that were the case</p>

31

<p>In my opinion, the reason that the prep course is indeed worth it, at least for some people, is because it forces you to study. You go to a building, and listen to lectures, and/or take practice exams.</p>

<p>It therefore serves the purpose of “forced” study.</p>

<p>If you are at home, you may simply goof off too much.</p>

<p>Since one or two answers could make the difference between cracking your goal (700 for example, or 600 for example), spending the money in my view is worth it, unless you are very disciplined.</p>

32

<p>yes</p>

<p>his grades were poorest his freshman year !!!</p>

<p>I heard that Johns Hopkins doesn’t count 9th grade grades either.</p>

<p>Thanks for the tip on Davidson.</p>

<p>Not what I wanted to hear, but thanks for the heads up.</p>

33

<p>I believe that if a kid is truly smart then he or she shouldn’t take a prep course. He or she should have the drive to want to do well on the test. Those are the kids who should apply to top schools, those who prep for the test on their own. Later in life your child won’t have their boss paying for a course to better prepare your child. Your child should prepare himself. Taking responsibility to prep by yourself is one of the true signs of determination, possible success and so much more.</p>

34

<p>Didn’t mean to sound like a know it all. The answer to your question is that while I have been reading up on colleges for 5 years now by buying every college guide ever sold by Barnes & Noble, I am still interested in the opinions of the people on this sight. While I DO think I know a lot about the various colleges, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear what others have to say. I am 55 years old, and some things have changed in 30 years. For example, Wash U is much higher ranked than in the “old” days. </p>

<p>To the extent that the responses validate my the ideas I already have, such as the Davidson recommendation made by someone, obviously I am happy, because that may indicate that my thinking is on the right track, but to the extent that I can learn something new, so much the better. For example, some later responder just emailed me that Davidson may be more liberal than I think. My question was only posted a couple hours ago. If people continue to respond in the days to come, I may learn something I don’t know, or I may wind up questioning some of my assumptions. </p>

<p>I have four college degrees, and my son’s mother has three. And my son is really not familiar with which are the top colleges. So we give him recommendations for him to consider. Ultimately, the decision must be his, if only because I don’t want the responsibility of telling him what school to go to, because if it doesn’t work out, he will forever blame me. Further, eventually I will have him read the responses to my post, so the information is not only for me, but for him as well.</p>

35

<p>floridadad</p>

<p>Get a copy of USNews and World Report’s college edition when it comes out next month. Their ranking system is far from perfect, but they give you a lot of useful data.</p>

<p>First of all – with those numbers, there’s nowhere he shouldn’t apply. Although his raw GPA is low – top 5% Great. Many students with a 3.7-3.8 UW GPA are barely making the top 10% of their class. So, it sounds like your son’s school has a tougher grading system – colleges generally are aware of individual differences and take this into account. </p>

<p>Granted that there are a small number of schools (HYPSM and a few others that have admissions rates <10%) which will be ‘reach’ schools, but nothing wrong with applying to a reach.</p>

<p>Take away those schools – fewer than 10, actually, since he probably won’t apply to the Cal Techs and MITs anyway (given that math and science aren’t his thing), and you get to the schools with admit rates of 10% to 20% Statistically, your son’s standardized tests are above average, and his grades may or may not be below average, but not significantly so. Given the acceptance percentages, almost no one has even a 50-50 chance at these schools, however, if he applies to half a dozen of them, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll get into at least one. </p>

<p>This covers the top 25 or so schools in the country.</p>

<p>As you keep going down the list, the admissions percentages continue to grow. Many people with your son’s stats are attending schools ranked 25-50. I think it unlikely that he will fall out of the top 50.</p>

<p>This doesn’t even consider the top liberal arts colleges – though these are generally smaller schools (which may not be your son’s goal).</p>

<p>Last thought – you mentioned Brandeis. Great School. One of my daughters is a recent alum, she loved it there. Also, we’re about the same age – I agree Wash U wasn’t ‘on the radar’ 35 years ago, but it most certainly is now – it’s a top school in every way.</p>

36

<p>I am happy that you realize that sometimes liberals go too far. I want my son to go to a school that celebrates western culture, not a school that despises it, and not a school that teaches that the culture of Chad is just as good as the culture of Italy. And I want him to go to a school where he will be studying hard, not occupying the Dean’s office because the school hired a non-union janitor, or something like that. I realize that 90% of the professors will be liberals, and that is fine, but I don’t want him being taught by outright communists. </p>

<p>I went to Cornell in the mid 70s, and was a liberal back then, and majored in Industrial Labor Relations, and had a number of left wing professors from the 60s who tried to indoctrinate me into socialism. Instead of moving left, I moved right, because what they were saying simply didn’t ring true to my personal experiences.</p>

<p>And while I am perhaps naive, I don’t want him going to a college where kids are snorting cocaine, or taking pills. </p>

<p>On the other hand, I don’t want him going to a school where the social life is all about football, and getting drunk at the local bar scene. I want him in a more intellectual, Oxford type environment.</p>

37

<p>Penn does look at freshman year. That said, I think he would be a competitive candidate there. The school is balanced politically.</p>

<p>Oxford type environment brings the Claremont Consortium to mind.
Pomona and CMC should be looked into. CMC values leadership, so the ECs might be an issue, but the debate and interest in politics without being green/granola activitst might be a fit.</p>

38

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Yes, I think he has a decent shot at Brandeis. And that is exactly the type of intellectual school I would like him to go to, as opposed to let’s say, the University of Florida, where football and drinking seem to be the two top interests.</p>

<p>My brother lives in Boston, so that would be good as well.</p>

<p>Big money though.</p>

<p>Do you know if they give any merit type financial aid?.</p>

<p>As for Wash U, my brother’s kid went there, majored in business, and is doing extremely well, just a few years out of school. For some reason, though, even though Wash U is highly ranked, I wouldn’t be that excited if he got in there, as opposed to, let’s say, a Johns Hopkins, even though they are ranked about the same. I guess we all have our own preconceptions about what is “good”.</p>

39

<p>floridadad</p>

<p>We were probably classmates at Cornell!! A year apart at most. </p>

<p>I was in though and had more balanced political views from professors. It’s interesting how people can be in the same place at the same time and have different experiences.</p>

40

<p>A couple of questions–</p>

<p>which AP tests did your S take? I ask because not all APs are created equal. Which SAT Ii subject tests did he take? </p>

<p>Where were his poems published? The school literary magazine or Atlantic Monthly? It makes a difference. </p>

<p>How good is he at debate? What kind does he do? Are we talking about someone who who has won some major tournaments? Someone who participated in TOCs? Or “just” another high school debater? </p>

<p>Does he want to continue to debate in college? If he does, that narrows the number of colleges to consider–and the type of debate he wants to do will too. If he doesn’t, then I would recommend that he avoid applying to the colleges which have strong debate teams–or at least include some colleges that don’t. The colleges that have strong teams attract a lot of applicants who want to debate in college and thus it’s harder to stand out in their applicant pools.</p>