Just starting the search-need advice

[wrist]

tk--I wish I could remember where I read the 75 (ish) % figure regarding the admitted students not needing financial aid. I remember it, as it hit home. Your data is from last year before endowments sank and need blind traditions became compromised at various colleges across the country. Things changed a lot last year.

[laxtaxi]

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[tk21769]

tk--I wish I could remember where I read the 75 (ish) % figure regarding the admitted students not needing financial aid. I remember it, as it hit home. Your data is from last year before endowments sank and need blind traditions became compromised at various colleges across the country. Things changed a lot last year.

Yes, we are all at the mercy of incomplete, conflicting, and changing information. On paper, according to the most recent Common Data Set information I was able to find, Colorado College and Whitman College appear to have very similar financial aid numbers (the percentage of students who apply for and receive need-based aid; the percentage of need that is met; the average FA packages compared to total costs). Perhaps the two schools did suffer different effects from the meltdown, or developed different responses. Who knows? They are both terrific schools that seem to be attractive to some of the same kinds of kids.

[Gwen Fairfax]

Marlboro College in VT...Hampshire in MA.... both great for self-starters, small and nurturing, lots of opportunities (Hampshire is in the 5 college consortium so, though it is small and tight-knit, there's access to lots of classes.) Not sure either is great with FA...

[momofthreeboys]

I think you have a great start although Macalester is abit of an outlier on your list. Along with helping figure out trips/college info/etc. I agree that it is very helpful to find a real financial bargain to have in your hip pocket that your son likes. Statistically they should be an easy admit for your son which has it's own bonus in that the kids get really excited about that first exceptance. For that particular school look at Ft. Lewis in Colorado, Western Sate College in Gunnison, Westminister or U of Utah in Salt Lake City, Northern Arizona, University of Montana, Montana State and that ilk that having rolling admissions. Find the colleges that participate in WUE which means generally tuition is 1.5 times the in-state rate. We found, too, that the western states (with the exception of Cali) have out of state rates very similar to our in-state rates since we're in a high cost state and if the kiddo falls into the top quarter there is some merit monies for OSS kids. Always good to have one of these on the list. I won't know where S2 is going until spring since he applied to Colby, Colorado and Hobart as an RD candidate and we will need some aid for those schools to make it happen.

[wrist]

I guess what I took away from last year's application process was that I was sorry that I didn't factor our D's admissions chances vis-a-vis our need for FA enough. She got into Bowdoin (need-blind and more selective than CC) and Berkeley (in state) and Whitman (need-blind) but not Colorado College, who actually told us that we had too much need. Like I said, she's happy, but I think I would have encouraged her to apply to more need-blind schools if I had been more on top of it. Just trying to share our experience, and pass on whatever lesson I learned that might help someone else. On the other hand, some of the less selective schools (American, Westminster, Tulane) that weren't need blind offered her full rides. There's that way to go also.

[puma12]

As I was reading your OP, I kept thinking - WHITMAN - then I saw it was on your list. Has your son visited? My S is a junior there and has absolutely loved it. They just completed a huge new rock climbing wall - indoors! to go with other outdoor facilities. The outdoor rec club is one of the most active in the US. The academics are high level, as another poster stated, but my S has had time to heavily pursue community service, play a varsity sport, and participate in some outdoor activities. It is a friendly laid-back atmosphere where the students are bright and care about their classes, but aren't uber-competitive about it. His classes have also all been tiny - as few as 9 and as many as 30. This class size definitely deters getting behind in any way! I predict if your S were to visit he would have a feel if it seemed like a comfortable spot for him. My S receives quite a lot of merit aid, as well as need based aid, and he knows many other students with one or the other as well. The school admin and financial aid people are incredibly easy to deal with (I spend alot of time wishing the high school was as easy to work with as the college!). Have fun in your search!

[5boys]

Puma, Thanks for the wonderful feedback on Whitman! I really think it is going to end up being high on his list. We are in the process of planning a trip up to visit in April. My dad lives in Seattle so we are going to Whitman and then over to Portland to see Lewis& Clark and Willamette. I think Reed is WAY to academically intense for him, although in a lot of other ways it sounds perfect for him. He likes a lot of different types of people but mostly unpretentious and authentic. I don't think the rural environment would bother him at all if there is plenty of outdoor stuff going on, and it sounds like there is.

Wrist, momofthreeboys, he is definitely going to apply to some true academic safety schools; Willamette, Lewis&Clark, UVM,Westminster& Green Mountain School( two recent finds that sound great for the outdoors, GMS even has an Outdoor Adventure major.) I think at these schools he would have a realistic opportunity for merit aid.Then he can go ahead and apply to less safe schools like Colby, Bates, Whitman and Colorado and we can see how it all plays out at the end. I know he will want to apply to a few EA schools so if he happens to get in early and the FA or Merit is good, he can just relax.I know he is going to hate the stress of all these college app's and how competitive all the kids are at his school. He definitely shies away from that.

[5boys]

Momofthreeboys, please keep me posted as to where your S gets admitted and ends up. It would be interesting to me since our boys sound so similar and like the same schools)

[tk21769]

>>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.

5boys, I'd like to encourage you and I certainly wish your S luck. Sometimes I worry I'm over-promoting one of our own schools, but I try to do so only when I sense it might be the right place for a particular kind of kid.

>> Is your S loving the block breaks?? I think that one of the best things about CC.

Yes, he is. He's been using break time to explore other parts of Colorado. There's a lot to see and do. The school philosophy and systems encourage exploration. Check out the CC "venture grants" to support travel and other costs associated with independent projects.

>> What do you think about my S's GPA? I know in every other area he will shine.

Well, it won't hurt to bring it up (and there's plenty of time for that if he's only a sophomore). 3.3 would be a little low for CC, and maybe a show-stopper for Williams which of course is a fine school, but even more selective.

CC does have a "holistic" approach to admissions. He sounds like a great kid and an interesting applicant to me. Volunteer fireman is a good one. There seems to be a consistency to his interests in the outdoors and service activity, which would fit very well at Colorado College and some of the other schools mentioned.

[5boys]

Thanks again tk for your encouragement! I do think there is a pretty good chance he can bring his GPA up to at least 3.5. For one thing I told him he had to have at least a 3.4 to get his drivers license. I think he is a kid that needs a little push, because he can do it, he's just lazy at times. I also want to take him to visit CC this year because I know the minute he sets foot on that campus and takes a look around at the scenery....i.e. climbing spots, he will be amazed. I'm hoping that may work wonders for his GPA as well)

[momofthreeboys]

If it's an unweighted 3.3 it's probably a match for Colorado College so if he likes it he should definitely apply. S1 got accepted RD several years ago with a 3.3 unweighted and decent AP and ACT that weren't as high as the OP's son's SAT will probably score. We liked Whitman and Lewis & Clark but for some reason the NW just "felt" too far away to both my boys. Same for Montana, neat schools but they just felt like the trek was too far. OP you'll have alot of fun on your trips with your son. All of us who did mom/son trips have posted how much those trips meant to us.

[5boys]

momofthreeboys, I am really looking forward to our trips together. I feel like it will be the last time I can have some mom and son time together. My H and sons do a lot of climbing, hiking, and backpacking alone and with scouts( I am NOT an outdoor type, my type of camping is "Camp Hyatt", so I finally get MY time.

Yes, his 3.3 is unweighted, he has not taken any AP's or honors( honor classes are weighted at his school) yet and my guess is that he will do better in the harder classes. I think his W GPA will be around 4.0. but right now it's really hard to tell. The good news is that I know he will love a few schools that he can get into with ease. His school does not rank and only computes GPA 10-12.

[momofthreeboys]

My best advice is to enjoy the process. There is tons and tons of advice on these boards, but don't get "freaked out" by some of the super stats that abound, remember those are a tiny, tiny fraction of the kids going off to college and 'stats' are only one element of the equation albeit an important element. If you have a good list with financial and selectivity variety for him to apply that he would like to attend you will not have angst.

[momrath]

he has not taken any AP's or honors . . .yet and my guess is that he will do better in the harder classes.

Am I correct in my understanding that your son hasn't taken any APs or honors because they are only offered to Juniors and Seniors?

Taking advantage the "most rigorous curriculum" is noted in college admissions. If by the middle of his Senior year he has a ~5-6 advanced classes under his belt his transcript will reflect academic seriousness and focus.

All statistical factors -- GPA, rank, scores -- have to be weighed and balanced when looking at LAC admissions. The subjective factors can tip the scale -- essays, recommendations, extracurriculars, interests, activities, family culture.

In short overall character and personality: Will s/he fit in? This applies to the most selectives and the less selectives. For example.although your son's GPA would probably be a no go for Swarthmore, it may be less of a factor at Williams because he fits the Williams culture of smart, outdoorsy, self-reliant. Same for Colorado College, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Middlebury, some others.

Frankly I think the biggest obstacle that your son will need to climb over is that he's in the middle of a very crowded demographic: (I'm making some assumptions here. Tell me if I'm wrong) White, male, middle class, Judeo-Christian, from a popular state. If he does have a diversity hook – race, religion, culture, first generation college – bring it on.

He'll need to spend some time thinking about how he wants to present himself on paper so that his persona will jump off the page. I don't mean fabricate. I mean focus and reinforce. E.g., the Eagle Scout, rock climber, actor, emergency responder. (Rock climbing lends itself to all kinds of metaphors.) The statistics are important, yes, but so is the person, the spark of enthusiasm, the intellectual curiosity, the passionate commitment. This whole person perspective gains dimension through the subjective parts of the application.

Reading back over some of you past posts I’d say you have an interesting but exasperating kid on your hands. Highly intelligent, driven to excel when he thinks something is important, less so when he doesn’t. You often see a certain false insouciance among the students at many of the colleges that he’s looking at. The relaxed self confidence that belies a deep seated seriousness. A CC poster said that Williams students reminded her of ducks – gliding effortlessly on the lake’s surface, while paddling furiously underneath.

Having already achieved Eagle at his age is a major accomplishment. He should use the next two summers wisely to delve deeply into whatever excites him, both for personal growth and focus, and because college admissions like to see progression and commitment. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying he should do anything because it will help him get into college. He should do it because it’s the right thing for him to do.

He sounds like a great kid. You will enjoy guiding him and joining him in his search.