Just starting the search-need advice

[ncmentor]

Glad to see your starting to look as a Sophomore. Lot's of kids who see "their school" early can accomplish anything once they know what it takes to get in. My advice would be to visit a sampling of schools and not limit yourself to one level or type of school. With his starting GPA I would not bother with the very top schools but he can still show some amazing growth over the next two years if he wants.

In NC I would take him to Warren Wilson so he could see an amazing outdoor school, and Elon so he could see what a school that's "all about supporting students".

Have a great time...

[wrist]

D goes to Whitman and loves it. She applied to Colorado College and we were so surprised she didn't get in that my H called and asked why. The person in admissions hesitatingly pointed out that we really had too much financial aid need. Whitman is need blind. At the time of applying to colleges, we weren't really paying attention to the whole need blind thing. It all worked out just great as she's really happy, but I did recently see a table somewhere of financial aid stats and something like 75% of the accepted students at Colorado College needed no aid. Your D is a sophomore, and I think all these numbers change quite a bit from year to year (or at least they changed a lot last year!).

[arbiter213]

Colorado college can be a pretty intense academic experience from what someone in my family (an alum) told me. But certainly not a type A sort of place. That list seems pretty good. Less outdoor opportunities, but Connecticut College might be worth looking into.

[Parent100]

5boys,

To answer your question, he's at Rhodes College. Having a great experience there.

[5boys]

Hi again all! Thanks so much for all your advice and suggestions!

Smithieandproud, I really don't know about a big school for my S. He will have to visit, and I know that some of the honors programs are great and it makes a big school seem smaller. I would like for him to apply to some of them because they usually have good merit aid. I also heard about another school in Utah that is a LAC but I can't think of the name right now. It looked great for outdoor opp's.

We will also look into Warren Wilson. It also looks like a school my son would love.He really wants to go to school somewhere in Colorado right now. He is an avid rock climber( won competitions) and that is THE place for that. We will definitely visit and sit in on classes at CC. I think he will either love or hate the intensity. The funny thing is that although he is a pretty laid back student he does REALLY well when he can focus on one thing. He loves to fully engage in what he is learning. HE can really focus that way. I also think the the 31/2 day off every month would be wonderful for him. CC is also great about out of the classroom learning which my S would also embrace. I'm a little worried now about the FA situation now because I think someone said that 75% were full pay. I think if he really loves CC he will end up applying EA.We will just have to see.

I do think there is a good possibility that he can bring his GPA up to 3.5 and that would help with his options. At his school though, kids with UW GPA's of 3.3-3.5 get into some GREAT schools. Top Lac's and 20-50 Universities.

[5boys]

Momofthreeboys, Sounds like our boys are similar in their school lists. What grade is your S in? Keep me posted on your search and results, I'd like to see where he ends up. As far as FA is concerned, we will get the full picture next year when he gets a little closer. My H is self-employed and so our financial picture changes rapidly. We are committed to no student loans though.

[fireandrain]

Look at some of the former all-girls schools that are now co-ed: Skidmore, Connecticut, Goucher, Vassar, Wheaton, Sarah Lawrence. They are all small, LACs, with the close one-on-one professor contacts he is looking for. I've known them to accept boys with below 3.5 GPAs but high SATs.

[5boys]

Thanks fireandrain, I've heard a lot of great things about Conn. College and Skidmore. I think he would have no problem getting in to either of these schools if he likes them( based on the stats from his school). Vassar looks a little reachy but will take a look. I don't know much about the outdoor opportunities at these schools either and that is a top priority for my S. He just would NOT be happy at school where he couldn't do some hiking,climbing, etc. He needs it like air. I've talked to a few of his teachers and they say that he is one of the best in group discussions and really makes the conversations interesting and exciting, they feel he really needs to be at a school that promotes that sense of community.

[mom2collegekids]

>>>
My H is self-employed and so our financial picture changes rapidly. We are committed to no student loans though.
<<<

Ahh! completely understand! especially in this economy! :/

However, it would be a good idea for you to use an EFC calculator, and input a couple of "income scenarios" to get an idea of what your EFC would be. That info will tell you what you really need to be looking for. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml

You may already know this, but OOS publics can rarely (if ever) meet the need for OOS students (heck, most can't even meet the need of their in-state students and in-state students' costs are much lower).

So, if you're interested in some OOS publics, you need to look at schools where merit $$$ will cut those OOS costs. And, note...many OOS publics don't give merit to OOS students, but there are some

Since you're firmly against the idea of loans (I completely agree), you have to make sure that you're looking at schools that can meet need w/o loans (thru grants, scholarships) AND that you can meet your EFC (scholarships do not reduce EFC)

I don't know if you're familiar with the term Cost of Attendance (COA). That's the total estimated Cost of Attendance to go to a college for one year - tuition, room, board, books, fees, misc.

For in-state publics, the COA is *about* $25k per year

For out-of-state publics, the COA is *about* $40k per year (UMich is $50k)

For privates, the COA is *about* $50k per year

These are just general estimates based on a chart that was posted here on CC. Some schools cost a bit more, some cost a bit less.

Tip...beware of when you visit COA pages of various colleges...some only post their "per semester" COA (which some people don't realize), and some schools only include the cost of their cheaper dorms and cheaper meal plans. Also, some colleges don't include fees, books, or misc expenses on their COA pages. So, it's something to keep in mind when comparing.

Another tip - It was shocking to us to find the wide range in dorm costs at various colleges...some colleges charge $5k per year, some charge $15k per year!!! This doesn't include food! So, it's something else to consider! yikes!

[tk21769]

5boys, your S sounds a lot like one of mine. CTY, high SAT scores in middle school, lots of IB courses but not quite a "type A study all the time guy", very outdoorsy.

He's a first-year student now at Colorado College and absolutely loves it. The combination of location, block plan, and academic quality make it especially good for any study that benefits from outdoor field work (environmental science, field botany or zoology, geology, anthro/archaeology) or other focused, individual and team projects. The school has a nice arts/music scene, plus an unusual mix of small-city environment and spectacular mountain setting.

As other posters suggest, the place is intense in ways you may not imagine (starting with orientation week, when my kid's 8-student team did trail maintenance on a 14k-ft. mountain). Each class has a room assigned, for the entire block, only to it. This means that discussions and other activities can and do continue there, long after class hours. The school emphasizes discussion, participation, and close relationships with professors. It is not a place where you can snooze in the back of a large lecture hall (though I don't think it has the bloodshot intensity attributed to Swarthmore or Reed.)

There's a rather glowing review of CC on CollegeGuide.org, which is a conservative college site (though CC tends to be described as a fairly liberal place).

As for FA, according to the school's Common Data Set figures for 2008-2009, 286 of 550 enrolled first-year students had applied for need-based aid. Of those, 236 were determined to have need; 236 (43% of the class) were awarded aid. The average finaid package was $30,402. These numbers are for enrolled, not admitted students. Colorado College also awards merit aid (an average of about $10K to students determined not to have financial need).

(Link to Colorado College Common Data Set)

[momrath]

5boys, Before you go any further I thinks its important to clarify your position on financial aid: what you absolutely need and what you’d like. Many of the East Coast LACs are quite generous in NEED based aid, but don’t offer any MERIT aid. Thus, if you can get by with need based aid alone they can stay on the list. If you’re not sure use one of those aid calculators to give you an idea of what to expect. It’s not guaranteed and mileage varies from school to school but at least you can see what’s feasible.

My son shared many of your son’s characteristics: intellectually curious across a wide range of disciplines, artistic and involved in outdoorsy activities at the Eagle Scout level of activity. Laid back on the surface but actually quite serious and intense at the core.

Some East Coast schools that I’d recommend: Williams (my son’s alma mater), Hamilton, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Kenyon

All of these schools look at the applicant holistically: Grades/Scores/Rank/ECs/Essays/Recommendations. If one is weak (but not too weak, of course) the others can compensate.

Since Williams is the one I’m the most familiar with I’ll comment further. It’s highly selective but also puts a lot of emphasis on admitted kids who fit the Williams profile. Williamstown is a small village located in the middle of spectacular mountain scenery. It offers multitudes of outdoorsy activities – hiking, climbing, backpacking and a whole assortment of winter sports. The campus outing club is one of the best in the country.

In spite of it’s athletic focus Williams also has a highly developed arts culture – an excellent theater program that draws on the long established Williamstown summer stock theater, excellent music and world class museums.

The academics are top notch. Williams IS very rigorous but there are excellent support systems among professors and peers to help kids through. The retention level is superb meaning that if they accept you they want to keep you.

[5boys]

TK, Thanks so much for your reply! I have seen your posts many times on this forum and I know that your S LOVES CC. I hope you can be a great support for us during this process. My S LOVES everything he has read about CC and can hardly wait to visit.... maybe your Son can be host when he gets that far. I know that CC can be intense but I think being able to study one thing at a time would be perfect for my S. He recently took a summer school class and loved being able to focus on that one subject. He got an A easily. He tends to have SO many interests that focusing on all his classes at one time can be frustrating for him and it is why is GPA is not where it should be based on his intellect. I know he would LOVE the music and theatre scene at CC as well as the amazing outdoor opp's. He needs to be in the outdoors like he needs air!!! Is your S loving the block breaks?? I think that one of the best things about CC. I really fell optimistic about the aid %. Someone said earlier on this post that 75% of kids were full pay. I found that hard to believe. What do you think about my S's GPA? I know in every other area he will shine.

[5boys]

Momrath,

Yes, one of my best friends son is at William's now.He graduated from the same school that my S goes to. Her son is a lot like my son in many ways. I just felt it was WAY too reachy based on my S's GPA. He also won't have but a few AP's. I was trying to keep him looking at realistic schools and maybe just a few reaches. I don't want him to be in over his head, remember he wants to go to med school and GPA is very important. As far as FA goes, I'm not excessively worried about it. We will try to get some but whatever we have to pay to bridge the gap we will. We have a lot of extended family support.

[mom2sons]

Congrats on getting started in this process in the Sophomore year. This gives you lots of time to research schools, and plan some visits. Since merit aid is important, you might want to check out the data on the College Board site. For each college, they list the average non-need scholarship. They also list the mid 50% SAT scores. From these data, you can get a sense for where you S might get extra merit aid. Also, it's worth preparing for the SAT, since scores can translate into $ at many schools.

[mom2collegekids]

momrath quote:
>>>>
5boys, Before you go any further I thinks its important to clarify your position on financial aid: what you absolutely need and what you’d like. Many of the East Coast LACs are quite generous in NEED based aid, but don’t offer any MERIT aid.
<<<<


I agree. I don't know if your read my post (#24), but when people need money for college, and they have a decent income that will indicate an unaffordable EFC, then school choices must include schools that give good merit. Many schools don't give any merit money.

You'll be very disappointed if you're told that you have a $30k EFC for 50k schools (believe me, people are shocked to learn what their EFCs are )