High SAT, Wilting GPA, Needs campus nature - Page 4

csleslie51 · 07-04-2009, 11:42 PM

"Treed/lovely environment; he'd like to be an author" Maybe we need a bit more to go on - areas of the country of interest, size, possible courses of study and outside activities he is interested in. Would make school suggestions a whole lot easier. My own S was similar, attended a school many ccers would overlook, was more or less at the top of his classes but found a stimulating environment among the other top students and great faculty support.

mythmom · 07-04-2009, 11:51 PM

Hampshire might be a good option.

'rentof2 · 07-05-2009, 03:17 AM

Both Hampshire and Evergreen have been mentioned, and they're worthy of some real consideration. The thing with both, though, is that the students need to be really self-directed to make those kinds of programs work. A developed internal motivation is a big element of student success at both schools.

My kid, for example, is a disiplined worker and a strong student, but he works best in a more structured environment where the expectations of him are clear, and where there is a predictable structure to his days, his semesters, his progression through the college years. I think for students who are still "figuring out what they want to do" places like Hampshire and Evergreen are often not the best choices. They seem to really work great, though, for focused students who know what they want to do, and who want to do it on their own terms... with a minimum of hoop-jumping and doing things the way other people insist they be done.

FallGirl · 07-05-2009, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Wow, I sure got the preachers out of the woodwork. I need some solid advice on where my kid should look next

Sorry, I think I am one of the posters that you are referring to. However, the main reason I posted was in response to someone saying that the large state schools would likely take your son and I haven't found that to be necessarily true. It depends on the state you live in. Also, that might not be the best choice for your S. A smaller school might be a better fit and there are a lot of them out there.

If it hasn't already been recommended, you might want to speak to someone at S's school guidance office. They might know of some schools in your state/geographic area that would be a good fit. It is likely that they have worked with other students who are similar.

EMM1 · 07-05-2009, 11:38 AM

Upon further consideration, I think I owe the OP an apology for giving unasked for advice. I know from experience how frustrating the situation can be, and I'm sure she's doing the best she can.

Good luck! I hope that it all works out.

Olymom · 07-05-2009, 07:05 PM

Thank you, EMM1 and the parents who agreed with me but felt that saying so here would expose them to pain (I received several pm's to that effect).

Evergreen is actually in our town (Olympia, WA) and it is an excellent school. My son did the campus tour and it was ok but didn't grab his heart. He really liked a day he spent at Whitman, but he does not have the grades for Whitman. Reality check: a student really does not have their senior year to fix things. Applications are done in the fall and maybe, maybe, fall semester grades are included -- but fall semester senior year is a frantically busy time -- many seniors ride a strong junior year into the application process and that's not what is happening here.

I appreciate nightchef's comment about the abilities a strong test taker shows. It shows, in a pinch, that one can produce. To me (but clearly not to all parents here) that means we need to find a situation where that ability is drawn out -- and repetitive assignments ain't it.

Lastly, our school gc is . . . shades of useless. I know a ton more about the college hunt/application process than she does. She has 350 students to track and many of them need close supervision to get to graduation. It can be painful to read about other schools where real services are available. Bummer!

CC should be for everyone who is interested in attending college or supporting someone interested in college. Sometimes we do need a reality check -- but sometimes we need words of experience, not words of condemnation.

lastminutemom196 · 07-05-2009, 09:21 PM

Olymom

Does your son have geographic limitations? Are you and he willing to go anywhere or are you wishing to limit your search to one or two regions?

Also, aside from the low writing score, is he considering studying creative writing or some other such major?

Olymom · 07-06-2009, 06:51 PM

He's not that into a hot climate (attended a Boy Scout jamboree one August in VA. I think it was 104 and humid for four days straight). I suspect (but do not know for sure) that he loves the Pacific NW more than he knows. I doubt he would be happy in the middle of a big burg. He likes the idea of Kenyon (me too!) but that wilting GPA . . .

emeraldkity4 · 07-06-2009, 10:00 PM

Even though Reed College has been getting more press, I would still look.
My D was accepted with a generous aid package with 3.3 GPA and average SATs ( but great reqs and essays)
Providing he likes to work his tail off and when he isn't- he is complaining about it.
Trees!

I think this is an excellent school too.
http://www.humboldt.edu/

Mombot · 07-07-2009, 12:51 AM

Olymom--I empathize with you as my son is driving me bat**** crazy right now, but fortunately his GPA is decent so he is off to survive in a big ol' state school and he will either sink or swim.

I identify with your son because I was there once--but being a girl not as many people made allowances for me. I had a GREAT experience at the University of Oregon and my college GPA was over a point higher than my HS GPA. The big schools don't mess with busy work--you take a midterm and a final and in the liberal arts classes you have one big paper. That's it. If you know the material and you are a good writer you do really well because face it--most freshmen are terrible writers, and most college students would rather take a bullet than write a paper.

Lots of trees, great liberal arts, great campus, big enough for big picture thinkers but small enough he will get attention if he wants it. And the GPA requirement is really doable for boys who may not be so great at grade-grubbing.

'rentof2 · 07-07-2009, 01:57 AM

My D is off to UO this fall. She's really looking forward to it. I'm glad to hear you loved your experience there, Mombot.

yabeyabe2 · 07-07-2009, 04:33 PM

Olymom, hang in there and do not be discouraged (given your strength with your own situation, I am sure that is unlikely). I was a rebellious high schooler whose grades did not match my SATs and, once I was in college, my GPA soared because I was away from busy work and HS teachers who hated being asked challenging questions. You seem concerned about your son's desire to be a writer given his low writing scores. Perhaps he has not yet accepted some of the rules of writing which can get him marked down, such as word usage, etc? My suggestion is to look for schools which feature small classes and nurturing professors who will inspire him more than his HS teachers. The Colleges That Change Lives website is a good start. Note, too, that if he is willing to come to the Northeast/Midatlantic, he will find lots of trees, lots of excellent schools of all sizes, no 104 degree heat--and schools where his geographic diversity increases his chances.

Northstarmom · 07-07-2009, 05:07 PM

SAT Writing can be relatively low if a student is an excellent and very creative writer and doesn't bother to write in the boring format that gains high SAT writing scores.