shoot4moon

Help! Our daughter and I just returned from a college visit trip to Boston and NYC. She LOOOOOOVED Boston and has her heart set on attending colleges back there (we live in CA). Her top choice was Boston University, but she also liked Boston College. She liked Clark University also, although she would prefer living as close to Boston or in Boston as possible. I think she would be ok with a school that had efficient public transportation to Boston also, but the closer the better is her feeling.

She is a low B student with some honors classes, plays waterpolo, and has not done much volunteer work or extracurricular activites. Really likes to write fiction, but doesn't like to share her work. Interviewed well at Clark University - she's a smart kid who will likely have high SATs but has ADHD which has negatively affected her grades.

She is highly motivated to improve her grades next year as well as her extracurriculars, and has hired a coach for her ADHD to help her improve her study strategies. (She has an IEP, which we will likely change to a 504 in late Jr. Year. I am in the education field, and I pressured them into doing one, but RSP teachers have varying skills with honors students, and this one isn't much assistance.) However, I think all of these schools are a rather far reach for her, even if she makes significant improvements this year.

Does anyone have some suggestions for target and maybe schools for her in the Boston area? Based on this trip, I believe that she would be open to a school with between 2 - 18 thousand kids (as long as they have a good system for not letting kids get lost in the shuffle) with a liberal arts backbone and a good business program. She thinks she wants to go into marketing or creative writing. She started out not wanting a girl's school, but now she is a bit open to that option. I know it wouldn't be her first choice.

vinceh

In the city:

BU
BC - though probably a reach given your description
Northeastern - Basically behind Fenway Park
Emerson College - Same general area as BU & Northeastern - Communications Oriented
Simmons College

danas

Boston University has a "College of General Studies", a program for the first two years at BU. Applicants who are not admitted as a regular applicant because of some deficiency (such as low grades) are sometimes admitted to this program and usually continue and graduate as regular BU students. I don't know if there is a different financial aid policy for these applicants.
I know a student with a C+ average and good (median for BU) SATs who was admitted, attended and graduated.
Simmons is a womens' college with a good Boston location.
Curry College in suburban Milton is for LD kids.

IBclass06

If she is sufficiently interested in business, Babson might be worth a look.

lili92

suffolk perhaps
have a friend there
loves it

pierre0913

Northeastern University

2bizee

How about Suffolk University. It's on Beacon Hill, in the shadow of the State House. Good business department, with graduate programs in business. B average is right in line.

Also check out Bentley and Stonehill, both emphasize business in Boston suburbs.

hop

I second the poster who suggested Simmons.
While a womens college, it is right across the street from Northeastern
and Mass Art, so the students do not feel isolated. It has a wonderful support system
for all of it's students, great professors and would not be as difficult to traverse for an LD student as some of the larger schools.

Danielle :)

Boston University and Northeastern both sound like good ideas. Boston College may be a bit of a stretch, but definitely no reason not to apply!

silverturtle

Boston University.

shoot4moon

Thank you - how does Northeastern do about supporting their freshmen? The size scares me. I know nothing about Suffolk, so will investigate that one, and we met someone on the train who was really sharp and loved Simmons - couldn't stop talking about what a wonderful experience she had there.

Any comments on Emmanuel or Wellesley?

danas

I don't think Wellesley is in the discussion, or Boston College. But the other mentioned schools are. There should be plenty of opportunities in the end.

OneMom

Suffolk, Simmons, and Emmanual are good choices. Northeastern is a great choice, too. She should hold out to be IN the city.

Will7

Northeastern, Boston College, Boston University

Most of the main ones *

willmingtonwave

I saw this and I thought Northeastern right off the bat.
BU too.
Both of them are actually IN Boston.