<p>She will have a good shot at any college in this country. She comes across as a “compassionate conservative” due to her volunteer work. I think colleges look for conservatives since they are accused of being so liberal. I don’t know about Dartmouth’s financial aid, but our school, which is heavily Republican, sends many kids to Dartmouth every year.
She should apply to a variety of schools, including those that give merit scholarships like Duke and Emory and U Chicago. But it seems she has a chance anywhere. Make sure her recs are good. I wish my daughter had those stats! Good for her.</p>
<p>Stockmarket - do you really want her to attend a school that vets their applicants based on their politics? No, I didn’t think so. Having made my point, I don’t think any top schools’ admissions departments will hold her politics against her, and I don’t think it should be removed from her resume - if she done active work in politics, then it should be represented as an EC.</p>
<p>Her problem will be finances, and it sounds as if you are going about pursuing finances in the right manner - a mix of merit schools and full need schools. Be sure you have run the FAFSA and any online calculators for the schools she is targeting (I know Dartmouth has an online calculater for the EFC), and know what you and she will be expected to pay. The truly poor, the house and business poor, and the really middle class, but frugal groups, all may have problems meeting an EFC, even when the bulk of the award is generous. Also be aware that your daughter is a strong candidate, but merit aid at the very highest rank merit granting schools (ie Duke, the Morehead) is extremely competitive, and even she may not win in that competition, and have to go down a rung or 2 in selectivity. How does she feel about that? How much will the family be able to stretch to reach the EFC? She sounds like someone who needs to cast a wide net, and will have a number of choices to sift through in the spring - Good Luck to both of you.</p>
<p>I used princeton calculator. It shows that our family contribution (her plus both parents) is around $5000. We used similar forms like FAFSA for prpe school. If we take her work away then family contribution goes to somweher around $3800 (I do not remember exactly). Yes we are looking at all the possibilities.</p>
<p>“school that vets their applicants based on their politics” what it means? I am sorry I do not understand it.</p>
<p>Okay she did not want to remove her Political ECs. She was vehemently opposed to it. But I think based on all your input I am litlle less nervous about politics. I will agree with her decsion to include political activities on her ECs list. </p>
<p>So lookd like she may have a good chance. Any other thing she need to purge (if she agrees).</p>
<p>Stockmarket. You really don’t need to do anything else. Let her pick her universities to apply to, make sure some give exceptional financial aid, i.e. Princeton, and some give good merit aid and then see what happens. Frankly, and no offense meant, looking at your daughter’s credentials, this seems like a silly discussion. I really thought this was a fake, that’s how little you can do to “improve her chances”. It’s done already. Have fun setting up your list.</p>
<p>Alumother:</p>
<p>One of the kid who has similar financaila aid in prep school told us aout this iste. This kid is attending this year Princeton from my daugher prep school. He chose princeton over H and Y because of aid.</p>
<p>This is not a fake credentials but I have changed one or two things just to hide her identity. Thanks for your kind words.</p>
<p>Stockmarket, BTW my D is also at Princeton and loving it…Wise parent to hide her identity.</p>
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<p>I apologize for putting it that way. A school that would penalize or eliminate an applicant because of her political views would not be true to the ideals of academic freedom and open debate. It would not be a school that most parents would want their children to attend.</p>
<p>Stockmarket</p>
<p>I would also advise your D to avoid checking the box for ethnicity. It is usually optional and if her name doesn’t give it away it could be to your advantage. That is a mistake I believe we made with my D and if I had it to do over again I would advise her to leave that section blank</p>
<p>Stockmarket, Welcome! Your questions are neither foolish nor stupid.</p>
<p>Your daughter has an EXCELLENT profile and the potential to get into any college in America. Of course, there is no guarantee, but there is nothing in her background that would keep her out. </p>
<p>I would encourage her to leave her political involvement on her resume and not worry about her affiliation working against her. In fact, just the opposite may be true. Colleges both big and small are actively seeking diversity of all kinds and political diversity is one category that is challenging for them. </p>
<p>Just about every selective college leans toward the left; some are radical, some are more balanced. All, except for a handful, encourage kids to form their own opinions and the administration (and by extension the admissions committees) understand that in order to stimulate debate they need to admit some Republican fish into the Democratic pond. </p>
<p>So getting in as a right-wing activist isnt the problem. I think the combination of being low income, Asian AND Republican gives her a unique hook that will be appealing to many schools.</p>
<p>The question that may arise is where would your daughter feel comfortable? At most medium to large universities, including the most selective, there is a reasonable representation of all political viewpoints. Republicans may be in the minority but they are not endangered species and political debate is normal. However, at a few notably left-leaning LACs (small, liberal arts colleges),your daughter may feel ostracized because of her conservative positions. </p>
<p>Two excellent LACs that come to mind that I think would be very interested in the Asian and conservative combination are Williams and Amherst. They are both extremely generous with NEED based financial aid. Id also take another look at Questbridge. Your familys need for high school and college are two different things.</p>
<p>Dear parents thanks for your help. One Ivy school in, Let us see how fin aid will work from other places. Thanks a lot for your help and kind words.</p>
<p>stockmarket: you might look at James Madison College at Michigan State University. It’s a residential college within the larger university, focusing on social sciences, especially politics. Though this isn’t a top school, it’s a good program and your D would have a good chance at a full-ride scholarship with her background.
<a href=“http://www.jmc.msu.edu/[/url]”>http://www.jmc.msu.edu/</a></p>
<p>"James Madison College, the residential liberal arts school at Michigan State University also draws praise. According to one James Madison College student, “It should be ranked in a different category from Michigan State University. It has great professors, none of the classes are taught by TA’s, the faculty is always available, the classes are no more then 35 people, it’s a competitive environment, and is very challenging.” (The Princeton Review 2004 Edition, The Best 351 Colleges)</p>
<p>I’m trying to figure out what type of school OP’s daughter is interested in. Small, big, where, LAC, University? Does he say and I just missed it?</p>
<p>Stockmarket,</p>
<p>I do not think GOP involvement is any problem.</p>
<p>My son was the state chairman of Teenage Republicans in our state for two years, and he wrote his main college essay on how much he improved in canvassing from door-to-door from his first time until his senior year. He interviewed at a number of schools for scholarships, and ultimately decided to attend USC on a Trustee’s Scholarship, but at every school where he interviewed they told him they LOVED the essay, even though many of them were quite liberal. I think passion and accomplishment is far more important than ideology.</p>
<p>My son received some questions during scholarship interviews related to politics, but he was confident in his views and did not come across like a know-it-all or as obnoxious and condescending. He knew quite well that they may disagree with him, but it would have been silly to try to change his stance in the middle of an interview.</p>
<p>In a previous thread some time ago, this subject of a politically conservative student on a liberal campus was discuessed. Some thought this would be an advantage because competitive colleges like to compose a diverse class–including different political orientations.</p>
<p>“Do you think she will come across to Adcoms as a not compassionate kid as she is on financial aid and still believe in GOP views?”</p>
<p>HA~HA</p>
<p>Why can’t a poor person be conservative? This made me laugh.</p>
<p>I doubt most universities would consider being affiliated with the GOP to be a minus. The ones that might would probably like the chance to bring the “light” to such a talented youngster… If the concern about GOP affiliation is high, then look to UChicago, as the WSJ said:</p>
<p>“It is no exaggeration to say that Chicago laid the intellectual foundation for the conservative ascendancy and nurtured the ideas that now drive the debate over economic policy, legal theory and foreign affairs. The key ideas of the so-called Reagan Revolution, including monetarism and deregulation, trace their origins back to the free-market theorizing of Chicago’s economics department.”</p>
<p>(Don’t hold it against the school either, it has produced its share of liberals as well, and invented sociology.)</p>
<p>If the financial need is three, most top tier schools will provide aid. A friend’s kid received $42,000 per year from a top Ivy. As others said, just apply and see what happens.</p>
<p>Your daughter should come to Princeton :p</p>
<p>I take it from her resume that she is a senior since you list 12th grade activities - is that correct?</p>