Just starting the search-need advice

5boys · 11-03-2009, 03:33 PM

Hi all fellow parents! I'm a relatively new poster starting the college search with my HS Soph DS.

He is currently attending a top 50 private day school in CA. We want to start looking at some colleges this spring so he won't be so overwhelmed next year. I know it's a little early for suggestions based on stats, but I can kind of see where he is going.

I'm sure he will have strong testing..took SAT in 7th and 8th grade for CTY and scored in 96%. He did not take PSAT this year but will for sure next year. GPA will probably be around 3.3 or so. He is very smart but NOT a type A study all the time guy. He will have a few honors and AP's. Tons of EC's. Eagle Scout, OA, Wilderness First Responder, beach lifeguard,volunteer fireman, UCSD Med Center volunteer, over 1000 hrs. community service I'm sure.

He wants a college that is NOT in CA, plenty of outdoor opportunities, relaxed/laid-back, and somewhat small (he loves the LAC type school with small classes and plenty of Prof. contact.) He definitely does not want a school where you have to study night and day becuase as you can see he has ALOT of interests. He eventually wants to go to med school and study either ER med or Rural med. He also loves to travel and would love plenty of study abroad opp's.

On his radar are #1 Colorado College, then Whitman, Colby, Bates, Hamilton, Lewis&Clark,St. Lawerence( if anyone has some insight on this school it would be appreciated)& Macalester.

FA will be an issue( we are receiving FA now at his current school)

I know I have come to the right place for the best advice!!

kantianethicist · 11-03-2009, 03:49 PM

Since FA is a concern, maybe looking 3000 miles away isn't the best idea--transportation costs really add up. Are you looking for merit $, grants, loans, and to what extent--it makes a difference.

I'm not surprised that Colorado is # 1 on the list--based on what you say it seems like a good fit. Is he at all interested in environmental science? That is a particular focus there, I believe. I'm not sure it's a haven for people who need a lot of aid-- especially grant aid.

5boys · 11-03-2009, 04:08 PM

We don't need 100% aid but we definitely can't be full pay. He will also be looking at schools that he can get merit aid as well. He is not interested in Environmental Science. He likes IR and maybe Chemistry, Humanities, or Philosophy. He also like theatre, but not as a major. As you can see he is all over the place.I don't think it really matters if he wants to go to Med School, as long as he has a good GPA. That's what a school that is NOT as rigorous as some others may be good for him since he is VERY laid back about school. I think he would thrive in CC's block plan.

idad · 11-03-2009, 04:37 PM

Look into the University of Denver which has a good merit aid track record. (Second time today I recommended this school.)

5boys · 11-03-2009, 04:56 PM

Thanks idad, we are definitely going to look at UDenver when we go out to Colorado to see CC. It sounds like a great school and is also a little easier to get into than CC.

Parent100 · 11-03-2009, 05:22 PM

Since you say he is VERY laid back about school, I would advise you to rethink schools the likes of Hamilton, Colby, Bates and Whitman. Pay attention to this stat: the % of freshmen in the top 10% of their high school class. (Can be found in U.S. News Guide.) Many of the schools you mention have this statistic at higher than 50% indicating a highly studious student body. Your son may find the academics too rigorous, not that he doesn't have the ability, as you point out.

My son, also the product of a top private H.S., attends a LAC considered less selective than many of those you mention and he works very hard to have a GPA that would be necessary to get into med. schoool.

Also, in order to increase the chances of merit aid, try looking at schools rated below the US News top 50. There are some fabulous schools that are more likely to give merit aid than those schools for which all the top students are clamoring to get admitted to.

kantianethicist · 11-03-2009, 05:41 PM

What about that non-traditional school in Washington state, Evergreen? Is that too laid back? Too hippie? Hear it's very intellectual, but no grades--maybe not for pre-med track. Just a thought, because it's less costly, even for OOS, I believe.

Kajon · 11-03-2009, 05:53 PM

GPA is going to be critical for good merit aid. Since your DS is only a Soph, she should put some effort into raising it up. (at least to 3.5 - 3.75)

I like Colorado College. It is "one class at a time" so make sure this fits your daughter's learning style. We got something in the mail from Westminster Utah and they seemed to embrace outdoor activities.

Nester · 11-03-2009, 06:51 PM

I know he doesn't want CA, but have you visited UC Santa Cruz? NoCal really is different from SoCal, and this might be an excellent financial back-up.

5boys · 11-03-2009, 09:09 PM

Thanks Parent100,

He will definitely be looking at schools outside the top 50. Lewis & Clark, Hobart& Smith, St. Lawrence, University of Denver. Thanks for the input on your son. What school is he at if Im ay ask?

momofthreeboys · 11-03-2009, 09:43 PM

My son definitely loved Colby and thought the kids were very "smart" but also laid back. He preferred it to Bates although Bates is a great school. You can be smart and laid back...I know that. He also liked Hobart, St. Lawrence, University of Denver and Colorado College. If you are looking for a safety school, we just finished visiting Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and really liked it, plus they have some great financial initiatives. Lots of bikes, skis, and outdoor types on campus and it's a great college town. Its' a WUE school and we bumped into quite a few kids from CA there.

2collegewego · 11-03-2009, 10:18 PM

We visited both Bates and Colby and one of my kids really loved Colby but it does seem like a school where kids study hard. Other than that, it fits well. Hamilton is a very nice school too but a little less outdoorsy. Students stressed that the writing requirements were rigorous.

Have you run your numbers on a calculator to see if you will need merit or financial aid? I'm not sure Bates, Colby and Hamilton offer much in the way of merit aid.

By the way, aren't Hamilton and Bates some sort of SAT-optional? (I think Hamilton required other testing if a student chose not to send SAT.) It seems to me your son's strength will be his testing and his service. I wonder if Catholic schools-- with their emphasis on service-- would be a good match?

SmithieandProud · 11-03-2009, 11:11 PM

I would definitely look at Colorado College (I see it's already at the top of your list) or other schools in Colorado, Utah, Idaho even (especially southern idaho) for outdoor opportunities. I mean in Maine, they call them "mountains" but speaking as a West Coaster, no timber line = no mountains.

Have you thought about Boise State in Idaho? It's a bigger school, but if he gets into the honors college he can live in honors college student housing, which is integrated with the honors academic program, so it would have a small community feel in a larger university setting or else he can choose to live in one of the residence halls that's organized by academic interest. Also, there's great outdoor activity nearby and the school is very big into it's football team (the ever-scrappy, fun to watch Broncos). Average GPA is a 3.35, so sort of a good match/possible safety for your son.

Idaho State is another one. Again, it's big, but it's a really good school and it's near the Idaho Utah border in a self-described "outdoor lover's paradise" Seriously, they have a whole page dedicated to the outdoor environment surrounding the school. Study Hard. Play Hard. | Idaho State University

Your son might want to consider sports medicine or physio-therapy as well, if he's interested in medecine but not a study all the time type. It's an exploding field, and he'd get to work with other outdoor enthusiasts like himself.

One thing to keep in mind about Colorado College though is that while in terms of location and stuff to do it's a good fit, the block system means you are studying HARD. You have to fit a semester's worth of material into just a few weeks, so it's long hours in the classroom, a lot of homework, and every assignment and test is worth a lot of points. If you mess up, there's no "try again after midterms", you're just kind of screwed. And if he's already not inclined to study all the time he may not be able to pull the kind of GPA at CC that would make him competitive for a good medical school. I don't know, I would visit and see what you and he thinks, but that has been the experience of my friends who went to CC and they were 4.0 high school students.

SmithieandProud · 11-03-2009, 11:13 PM

Also, obviously, Idaho State and Boise State are both much cheaper than the private college options you're considering.

mom2collegekids · 11-03-2009, 11:27 PM

Since money is an issue, I would suggest that you encourage your son to get/keep his overall GPA to at least 3.5 to make his overall stats appealing for some merit scholarship money.

You said that you can't be "full-pay," but that you can pay some. Do you have a rough idea of how much you can pay each year?

Do you have any idea of what your family's EFC will be?

It's best to include all options since many F/A packages include a bunch of student loans (which are often undesirable when they're large). And, some F/A packages include "gaps".