<p>I go to Northwestern and my sister is my complete opposite. She's about to take the ACT/SAT's, I want to get an idea of where she should be looking for college, here are her stats:</p>
<p>Female from one of the top private schools in the area, MO resident</p>
<p>GPA: 3.0 (dont rank)
SAT: CR 470 M 420 W 450
ACT 20 (I forget the breakdown)</p>
<p>She doesn't really do too much outside of school, she does a lot of dance and music stuff, but nothing stellar. Where is she destined to go?</p>
<p>The local regional state university or community college, whichever she thinks might be more appropriate for her.</p>
<p>What does she want to major in? What are her passions and interests?</p>
<p>She is really into Asian stuff and her unrealistic dream job is to be a performer in Asia. She’s done professional musical theater and is musically trained in two instruments, but again nothing super. She watches like random asian pop stuff I think it’s called and listens to japanese music a lot although she has no idea what they’re saying.</p>
<p>I am kind of embarrassed that she’ll be going to a community college or something like that especially coming from a school like mine, it’s a real shame and big waste of money for my parents…</p>
<p>" I am kind of embarrassed that she’ll be going to a community college or something like that especially coming from a school like mine, it’s a real shame and big waste of money for my parents…"</p>
<p>“She’s done professional musical theater and is musically trained in two instruments, but again nothing super.”</p>
<p>I suggest that you not help your sister because you don’t seem to have much confidence in her.</p>
<p>Just because she has different interests and talents than you may have is no reason to assume that she won’t achieve her dreams or to assume that her path would be some kind of embarrassment to you.</p>
<p>For all you know, she may end up eclipsing you some day due to her achievements in whatever her field of choice is, which even could end up being a vocational field. She’s still young and may develop extraordinary talents in ways neither you nor she can imagine now.</p>
<p>As opposed to the typical cc advice of “community college if not Harvard!!1” I’ll offer my two cents. As a Missouri native, she should look at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. She can participate in the Performing Arts program there (with access to all the cultural benefits of St. Louis) and study abroad somewhere in Asia to see if a career there would really interest her. On the other hand, your initial question is rather condescending.</p>
<p>I would love for my sister to eclipse me actually, don’t get me wrong. The thing is she’s never shown any interest in school and she hasn’t been able to stick with something long enough to make it be substantial. She wastes her time dreaming about being a pop star in Asia somewhere. Coming from a family that sacrificed so much to send both of us to a private school, this is kind of disappointing. I may be condescending, but I have a different perspective.</p>
<p>*She’s about to take the ACT/SAT’s, I want to get an idea of where she should be looking for college, here are her stats:</p>
<p>Female from one of the top private schools in the area, MO resident</p>
<p>GPA: 3.0 (dont rank)
SAT: CR 470 M 420 W 450
ACT 20 (I forget the breakdown)</p>
<p>She doesn’t really do too much outside of school, she does a lot of dance and music stuff, but nothing stellar. Where is she destined to go? *</p>
<p>Is your sister a junior? </p>
<p>Since you’re both home right now from school, would she be willing to have you help practice for her SAT/ACT? If you don’t have any practice books, you can pick up some at a bookstore. If she seems hesitant to practice, perhaps you can provide an incentive…such as…if you practice with 2 sections, I’ll take you to the movies after (or something else that is important to her.)</p>
<p>Her stats aren’t so low that she doesn’t have some decent choices. There are many state schools and private schools that will accept her. Will your parents pay the $30k-40k+ per year for her education.</p>
<p>She may not be NW material, but many of us aren’t…yet we still had successful lives. So, you can have high hopes for her.</p>
<p>As for her Asian celebrity dreams…they’re just dreams. Real life will either tell her that that won’t happen…or it will. There’s no point in trying to dash her hopes now.</p>
<p>Many large state schools have performance voice programs. While I wouldn’t recommend that she only major in that (unless she’s got a voice like a superstar), but she could take some classes, and the profs will tell her if she has what it takes. </p>
<p>Gently (gently) encourage her to do her best in school to perhaps boost her GPA (or to at least keep it from dropping below a 3.0). </p>
<p>With a 3.0 GPA, there are many state flagships where she’ll get accepted. While they won’t have NE’s ranking, they’ll be respectable mid-tier schools.</p>
<p>A community college is not her only option. :)</p>
<p>Yes, she’s a Junior. I know she’s not NU material, but it’s just hard to watch someone with all the things they need to succeed just ignore them and not use them.</p>
<p>College counseling doesn’t seem to be worried. I sure would, since the rest of her classmates are aiming a lot higher. I just don’t think private school was a good choice for her, I understand sibling equality, but you have to play to one’s strength. </p>
<p>I’m just watching out for her and definitely don’t want her to go to community college. Besides Fontbone, what other schools in particular could be in reach?</p>
<p>“The thing is she’s never shown any interest in school and she hasn’t been able to stick with something long enough to make it be substantial.”</p>
<p>She may not be academically inclined. Many people – including some very smart people – hate school and are much more likely pursuing a vocation – including the post high school education to get the skills for a vocation – than getting a college education. There are many vocations that are lucrative careers.</p>
<p>She also may be the type of person who would benefit by taking a gap year and working a full-time job of any type or doing full-time volunteer work. Perhaps, too, she could test our her dreams of being a performer by trying out for Disney or something similar.</p>
<p>My older S thought he could be a punk rock star, so after he flunked out of college (He is a really smart guy who had gotten into 2 top 20 schools), for a while he tried to make it in punk rock. After my sister in law stopped letting my S live with her for free ( H and I had asked her to charge S rent), S learned that he could not support himself on his earnings in punk rock, and then he got an office job, and has done well there – including getting promotions in a tight economy. </p>
<p>Your sister might benefit from that kind of wake up call.</p>
<p>I used to teach college at a second tier public. Many of my students weren’t interested in academics and would have been better off getting vocational training in a field that they loved. Those kind of students ended up either dropping out of college or finishing with mediocre grades and getting a very ordinary job like doing deliveries for Fed Ex or being administrative assistants. They would have done better financially and probably would have been happier if they had learned trades.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Since when did you become an NU adcom? Oh, right, never. So I don’t think you’re in a position to judge whether someone is worthy of your school. </p>
<p>And succeed how? By your presumably very narrow definition? I define success as being happy and spiritually at peace. It sounds like your sister fits that definition to a tee – she knows what she wants to do and and is happy right now. Even if she doesn’t become a pop star in Asia, you are in no position to judge whether she’s successful</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Then why are you? Have you talked to them? Have you approached them at all? </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>“Higher?” Higher than what? Is someone applying to RISD “higher” than a state conservatory? “Lower” than an NU applicant? You seem pretty judgmental for someone who hasn’t even lived for a quarter-century. And, what does it matter what her classmates are doing? Unless she is applying to the same schools, it shouldn’t matter one little bit to which schools they’re applying.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why not, exactly? Because it would dishonor your family? I’m surprised you don’t think NU is a disappointment, considering how vehement you are about “shame” and whatnot. Community college may be what she needs, or it may be a horrible mistake. I would just refrain from making calls based on irrational preconceived ideas and instead make them based on investigating options and in which environments your sister would thrive.</p>
<p>This entire thread is disgusting. And unnecessary:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>/thread</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I am no NU adcom, although I wish I were, I’d love it! I mean, statistically speaking, she’s not NU material, don’t need to be an adcom to determine this, so spare me.</p>
<p>I am just looking for options for her that would be good fits for students like her! </p>
<p>NU is far from any disappointment to me, but I guess you would consider it disappointing if I’m assuming you go to Princeton…Imagine if you were in my position. Please do not get all self-righteous about something legitimate, more legitimate than most of the kids on here worried about getting into Harvard</p>
<p>I want her to succeed at something do not get my intentions messed up. Also, as another poster pointed out, she might have to have a wake up call, but i’d prefer to spare her the trouble and help her find her way without that. </p>
<p>I understand it’s easy to call me the ‘big bad wolf’ but you don’t know my situation and that wasn’t what this post was about, it’s about finding an option, not about bashing her. My ‘condescension’ was in regard to the fact that her achievements aren’t especially noteworthy, which is relevant to qualify in terms of making an accurate description. I’m just telling it like it is and I’m looking out for her, not looking for people to attack me. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>On the other hand, I’d say this thread is just about as legitimate as that.</p>
<p>I’ve seen enough posts about kids whining about near perfect GPAs, SAT scores, etc. it’s very rare that you see a post with stats like these. I’m probably asking the wrong crowd!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Neither are recruited athletes, those recruited for a particular extracurricular talent, etc. Yet they are still at NU. “Statistically speaking,” she will not get in based on academic merit. And you didn’t caveat your post. Given that I have not perfected the art of telepathy, what you post is what I and others see.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s not legitimate if the people who get paid to get students into college are not concerned. You said they were not concerned. This thread is addressing a real issue – your sister’s college plans – in an illegitimate and unproductive way. We don’t know what she wants in a college. Does she even want to go to a traditional university?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Many people’s achievements are not noteworthy. My father’s weren’t. My mother’s weren’t. They are successful now. And your idea of noteworthy is not the end-all-be-all. Neither is mine (by which probably 2000 kids nationwide might be “noteworthy”)</p>
<p>Wow, harsh crowd. Especially post #11. Wonder what crawled up his @… and died.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ll try to recommend a few schools. GPA is pretty good, but the standardized test scores could use a little work.</p>
<p>Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. Kind of close to me and has a decent rep.
Also, maybe Cleveland State if she wants an urban campus. Both of thses would be matches with current stats. If she raises her SAT/ACT she might even get a scholarship at CSU.
Another one would be John Carroll. This would be a slight reach for her, but a lot people that I know who go there love it. </p>
<p>If she can get her ACT/SAT up to 24/1200 she would have a decent shot a Dayton. Seems like everyone is happy their and I knew a few successful alums. </p>
<p>A slight reach would be Ohio University. Party school. A drinking town with a football problem. Athens is very pretty in the fall and OU has a very nice campus. Visit near Halloween. </p>
<p>Another borderline match/reach would be Florida Atlantic. Up and coming school and real close to the beach. I was seriously looking at this school but they apparently don’t give very good merit aid. </p>
<p>If she wants the big school experience, she should try LSU(reach now for her), Ole Miss (high match), Miss. State (high match), Arizona State (high match), Texas Tech (reach).</p>
<p>Other schools I’ll just toss out there:</p>
<p>Kent State- nice campus and area
Temple- Slight reach, but another school in a big city
RMU- Know nothing about the school except they send me something like every week, near Pittsburgh and would be a match for your sis.
High Point- Match, there was an interesting thread on CC about it a year or so ago. Apparently they treat their students like kings.
Lake Superior State- Nice campus,on old military fort I believe. But it is on the U P of Michigan, so not sure if your sis would be interested in it. Would be a match.
UIC- Kind of a reach, but she would be by her big bro. </p>
<p>Even a CC is a not a bad option. She sounds like a bright student. With some motivation, it sounds like she could pull of a 3.3 or above at CC and transfer to a pretty good school. </p>
<p>Good luck to you and her.</p>
<p>I suggest she look for a good Arts school. I have many friends who intend to go to college for that purpose and have found their match schools. None of them are nationally ranked performers, but that’s what they want to do with their lives and they’re very happy about it. </p>
<p>I also have a group of friends who are obsessed with drawing and have been raving over RISD. </p>
<p>If that doesn’t work out for her, and she realizes she wants a different major, she could always switch.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot. For the specifics coollege this is exactly what I was looking for. </p>
<p>Baelor please stop looking to pick fights, it’s rather annoying and not conducive to the issue at hand. Unless you have particular schools in mind then please stop looking for trouble. </p>
<p>Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>I can’t resist to point out some flaw in your argument baelor since you’re so keen on arguing. It’s no secret that varsity athletes are given a slight break when it comes to admissions. However a lot of top notch schools that are serious about academics ( Stanford duke northwestern notre dame) simply cannot afford to lower standards that much. I just saw on espn last night a special on notre dame recruitment and how many great athletes routinely are barred from playing at notre dame because of their academic performance in high school. Please check your facts before you make a broad generalization. </p>
<p>That’s my last comment to anything not related to my original post but I couldn’t let you get away thinking that you’ve got all the answers.</p>