Parents of the HS Class of 2013 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA - Page 5

northeastmom · 08-10-2011, 02:18 PM

Quote:

but she says because she wants a broader range of majors in case she changes her mind later on.

That is really something very important to consider. Many UGs do change majors. I would hate to have my children boxed into a corner or needing to transfer!

mamaduck · 08-10-2011, 02:28 PM

She is an unusually sensible child :-)

reeinaz · 08-10-2011, 03:09 PM

mamaduck - also check out Ithaca. They have a highly regarded communications dept with a good film program. My kid is also looking at Emerson and to a lesser degree Columbia College-Chicago. I'd prefer he get a broader liberal arts education but he might be more successful in something more specialized in his interests. So Hampshire is also on the radar as a school where he could focus on what he wants to focus on.

Thanks yabeyabe2 for that affirmation

I've been researching for quite some time but this is completely new to me. I feel like the schools are all over the place but there's a reason for each one.

mamaduck · 08-10-2011, 03:11 PM

reeinaz, what are you finding on Columbia College Chicago? From the website, it looks like they have amazing facilities, but their retention rate is really low. Student comments seem to run the whole spectrum.

mazewanderer · 08-10-2011, 03:18 PM

I once met a student from Columbia College Chicago and she seemed to like the music program very much. Her comment was that the teachers were very involved in progress of the students.

reeinaz · 08-10-2011, 03:30 PM

I'm guessing that because Columbia Chicago is open admissions, that might have something to do with the low retention rate. And also maybe people realize that studying the arts is more challenging than they thought. Even with my son, as much as he loves to write, getting him to study writing techniques and look at his own writing and others with a critical eye is like pulling teeth sometimes. I really do think it would be good choice for someone with passion and ambition though, especially when you take into account the industry connections that can be made there.

yabeyabe2 · 08-10-2011, 04:30 PM

I think the suggestion of Ithaca for communications is very good, as I have heard they are strong in that field. You do need to be prepared for VERY cold weather there; a friend with 2 kids at upstate NY schools said that Ithaca somehow was much colder than the other, more northern school.

Re intense party atmospheres, although they are available virtually everywhere, some schools have more pervasive party atmospheres and peer pressure to participate than others.

northeastmom · 08-10-2011, 04:36 PM

Ithaca is not on the tuition exchange list (see my post #53).

I don't see Quinnipiac as having more partying than the large VA public options, but everyone needs to know their child.

RRTMom · 08-11-2011, 07:39 PM

My daughter is going into her junior year of HS with an 3.1. She got 210 on her PSAT's in her sophomore year. She would like to major in English and possibly minor in art. She is not positive what she wants to do yet but is thinking of a publishing career but also interested in screen writing. She feels she could always teach at the HS or possibly college level too. She would like to stay in New England or possibly the NYC area. She did visit U-Mass, Hampshire College & Amherst. Of course she loved Amherst, hated U-Mass, liked Hampshire but not the campus or buildings. She did like the 6 college consortium idea and wants to visit Smith. Not sure if she should consider this if she doesn't bring up her GPA.

yabeyabe2 · 08-14-2011, 11:02 PM

For publishing or screenwriting, NYU would likely be good, but a 3.1 weighted GPA, even with stellar SATs, would likely not suffice absent some other attribute. There are other places to explore in the NYC area--Adelphi, Fordham, Drew, etc, depending on the other attributes she seeks.

Smith and Holyoke are very good schools, if not being coed is not a problem; as you note, the GPA could hurt. With all consortium arrangements, it is important to check how many kids actually use them and whether getting into small, highly sought after classes is possible--publishing and screenwriting seem likely to attract a ton of kids.

Many schools are strong in English and Art; she may find that Summer institutes could be sufficient for publishing and screenwriting if a college does not offer them. As both fields attract hordes of bright kids with connections, so having Teaching as a Plan B is wise.

I imagine there are some good options closer to Boston, too.
Best of luck.

kathiep · 11-20-2011, 05:41 PM

Looks like a good thread to bounce back to page one.....

vandygrad87 · 11-21-2011, 08:30 AM

Agreed! I will be watching to see what schools are discussed.

My child so far is interested in JMU, Towson and University of Mary Washington. We have many other schools on our list to look at though. The trouble is finding the time to do so!

texasmom14 · 11-21-2011, 11:40 AM

Glad to see this thread is alive again - DS and I went on our first college visit two weeks ago, University of Houston. He spent 90 minutes with the golf coach and thinks the school is great. He didn't care about the campus, the dorms, or anything other than the golf program. I am working on a couple other visits for early in the year - Kansas State and possibly Mississippi - I would like him to have a couple of other doors open in case he is not recruited by Univ. of Houston.

On the academic front not much has changed - continues to study the night before the test and is getting by with B's and A's. He is actually taking 2 AP classes and getting A's in both, getting a B in his dual credit class.

Has anyone visited schools in the south?

vandygrad87 · 11-22-2011, 08:31 AM

Texasmom14: The furthest we've gone to in the South is Virginia. But, we would also like to take a look at Elon and Furman. I'd like my D to look at University of Alabama and Auburn but she seems to have ruled them out.

She LOVED James Madison though and likes University of Mary Washington.

jrussell4 · 11-26-2011, 11:13 AM

I've been lurking on the main 2013 thread, as well as on the 2012 3.0 to 3.3 thread, and was happy to finally find this one. (Thanks Reeinaz!) We have a D 2013, and D 2015. Older D I just can't get my bearings on, especially right now. She is a voracious reader, but seems to have pretty severe test anxiety. She transferred from our hugh public academic HS to a college prep, but it really hasn't impacted grades. She's stuck at about 3.0 unweighted. She is hardworking and motivated, but just can't seem to perform on exams. We are going to get her some help for SAT prep, but I frankly (and literally) stay awake at nights worrying about what is coming in the next 12 months.

We're on the West Coast, and have just started the process, and D considers herself a city kid. That being said, I'm trying to suggest DePaul, Fordham, and St. Joe's in Philly, with a smattering of LAC's. The LAC's will probably get shot down, although our first ever event was local presentation by Linfield College, which she really enjoyed.

So with all that off my chest, any suggestions for urban picks, LAC's that might appeal to a self-proclaimed city kid, suggestions for test-aniety hindered kids, or anything else for a family that feels like the tidal wave is about to crest? Thanks!