My son has been dealing with chronic illness since 8th grade. His GPA is very low because of this… 3.3 unweighted 3.66 weighted. 1420 SAT (but was unable to finish the 2nd math section). He has only been able to participate in 2 extracurriculars because of his health. He explained his situation in his Common App essay and described how he has gained management strategies that helped him improve his academic success last year.
We are from a very competitive school district in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He was able to take his 1st AP course this year… AP physics and he he has an A so far. Due to cognitive fatigue (not a lack of cognitive ability), I suggested that he only take one AP course. He is taking honors Calc AB, but it is really easy for him so he has decided to self study for the AP calc exam in May.
He applied to Rutgers school of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He wants to study Bioinformatics. Do you think he will get in? If he doesn’t get in, do you think he should take a gap year? The reason I ask is because he was already rejected from the main campus at a comparable university in PA and offered a 2 year program at one of their satellite campuses. He got into West Chester, but they don’t have strong strong math/science programs. If he takes a GAP year, his GPA will be much higher by the end of this year and he will have gotten credit for 2 AP courses as well.
I can see Rutgers happening (50/50) but hopefully it’s not your only school. I mean, there are others like ASU or UAB or closer to home like UDEL, U Buffalo, NJIT, VCU, WVU etc. all have bioinformatics.
So finding a great college to study at is not an issue.
Regardless - to answer your question on gap year - why? What would he do? More schooling or have a job? Does he need a gap year, i.e. with his illness is he not ready for a four year school? Or maybe you want him home and to go to a 2 year school first?
So Penn State branched him (not uncommon) but I don’t see another year as the way into - what you’ll deem a better school.
There are great schools out there and Rutgers may work - but you haven’t put these other great schools on your list and many will be easy admits. Your list needs to be wider and include schools that will achieve budget and admission success - and I just named several (I can’t speak for budget but if Rutgers is affordable…)
So yes to a gap year, if it were needed and for the right reason, but in this case it’s no and no.
You simply need to expand your list to get him into a school where he can study what he wants.
Unless there is a plan in place for a tremendously meaningful and productive gap year, I don’t see taking a year for the sole purpose of showing one additional semester of grades as a good plan. Colleges will already see the improvement in the first semester senior year grades.
There are many fine colleges your student should qualify for. Be sure to develop an application list (including match and safetys) that reflect the student’s academic achievements.
I agree with the advice given so far. @tsbna44 has already mentioned several possibilities, but if you would like additional suggestions of schools that could work for your family, providing more information on the kind of experience your son would like as well as the budget would be helpful.
Thank you all for your input! I just had him apply to University of Deleware, Bucknell, and Millersville. That brings his total application count to 10 schools. It is best for him to stay fairly close to home (in case of a severe flare in his illness).
His dad and I are divorced. I still have college debt that will most likely never be paid off in my lifetime. So funding is definitely an issue. He lives with me full time. I don’t know how much (if at all) the fact that he is African American and gay will really factor into the equation in this day and age. The extreme battles we have faced through the entire k-12 school system to be recognized as a gifted student with an IQ between 141 - 150 (depending on which of the two school evaluations you look at) has been a battle that has taken years off of my life. Once he got sick, the struggle just added another layer of difficulty to getting him an appropriate education. Ugh! I’ve been triggered! Let me digress!
He is at the top of the charts (98.6 percentile) in math ability. He is above average in Language/verbal skills, but nothing spectacular (90th percentile). So he really wants a high caliber STEM program that will actually challenge him. But he is going to go at a much slower pace because of his illness which affects his cognitive stamina but not ability.
After being denied main campus and offered a satellite school in state, I question what kind of education he will get at the schools he is more likely to be accepted at. He also applied to Lehigh and I know the education would be great. It would most likely open up opportunities that he would not get going to a lower tier school. I don’t want him saddled with debt for the rest of his life (like I am). I want him to have a social life where there is an adequate number of black and LGBTQ students. So having an on campus experience is important.
If your son is going to have to go at a slower pace because of his illness, he really should avoid high intensity schools such as Lehigh. To be able to live on campus at most schools, he will need to schedule at least 12 credits a semester.
This was something I was wondering. The one college won’t look at his first semester senior year grades in their reconsideration process. Will colleges that haven’t sent out decision letters look at senior year grades?
Is there any chance of him taking a reduced load and spreading his courses out? It seems like it would work for him, however, to be on campus and get financial aid, I believe you have to carry 12 credits and most merit only last 8 semesters (I don’t believe it covers summer credits).
I think it would be a good idea to speak with the disability center of any school you apply to or consider and talk about what his schedule would look like and what supports they have in place.
He might also consider a community college to get reading intensive or time intensive classes out of the way.
The process is different for each school. I remember my son’s RD schools asking for mid-year grades as part of their admission review process. The guidance counselor can always send them.
4 classes a semester is doable. It is not like High school where he has to take seven classes back to back. A slower pace for him means breaks in between classes/studying which is much easier to do in college than in High school I would think.
I looked at Millersville but didn’t see the major. He’ll get a residential experience there vs WCU. UMBC has the major. TCNJ has classes but not the major and is close.
Lehigh meets need but do you have need ? The other parent matters so Bucknell might be a wasted app. Juniata gives tons of aid and has a Masters in bioinformatics. Maybe some bleeds to undergrad ? You can research.
As you know debt is no good.
I wouldn’t worry about how many apps - I’d worry more about the right schools - which bucknell likely isn’t given the cost and social life.
Another factor to consider (which may have already crossed your mind): make sure that any school he goes to has excellent disability/access services and is accommodating. We are from a competitive Philly suburb school as well, and my oldest also has chronic illnesses that can flare (actually both my kids do but my oldest is more impacted), plus my oldest in LGBTQ+. She just graduated from Bryn Mawr and they did a pretty good job of accommodating for her, although not perfect by any means. It also made a difference that she started college in 2020 during the pandemic so every department was stretched thin. I would suggest checking with parents/students who are already at whatever school he gets into, and seeing if their disability office is easy to work with, accessible, handles sudden issues well, etc. That would make a big difference in our choice of schools, IMO.
Please feel free to ask me any questions! My youngest is a HS senior and just committed to a college. We’ve learned lots along the way
Does your son have a 504 with accommodations for his chronic illness?
There are HUGE differences between schools in what they offer in their Disability Services. S23 goes to a school that not only has Disability Services, but an office that provides case managers should a student have a flair up and have to miss part of the semester or be hospitalized.
You asked about a gap year and I wouldn’t recommend it in terms of being a stronger candidate, but I would consider it if you feel you need to take some time and find and research schools that would be the best fit for him in terms of providing the support he needs to thrive.
I just want to say…in my opinion, your son does not have a low GPA. A low GPA to me is 2.0 or below. He has a B average GPA, and there are plenty of colleges where that will be a GPA welcoming him!
Did your son’s school counselor explain the chronic illness issue? Usually these things are addressed by the school counselor.
Does your son have or has he had a 504 or health plan? If so, what accommodations does he have that he might need also in college…if any? This would be good to explore for him.
Have you explored the other NJ public universities? Stockton, Rowan? For example.
There will be lots of other students at many colleges who are strong students and chose wherever for whatever reason. In my opinion, he can get a strong education where he gets accepted.
At Penn State, GPA×Rigor is 2/3 of the decision so it’s not surprising he was branched BUT did he apply to Applied Data Science based in IST (NOT in Eberly) and did he check Summer (which would allow him to have a lighter load both semesters freshman year). If he did both these things and was branched, then comb through the majors in Ag, I believe there’s a major where all students have a minor, one of which can be data science/informatics. Another option is SODA or Anthropological Sciences in Liberal Arts, plus he could be a Paterno Fellow Aspirant and take most of his classes through Schreyer. (All CLA students willing to take on the challenge are Aspirants and if they have A-Bs in 4 Honors seminars or more at the end of freshman yea,, they’re in.)
Pitt factors GPA and SAT equally so it’d be better odds. He could also apply to Temple Honors if the deadline has not passed.
Susquehanna has a data science major with a required cluster in one subject, which can be biology + application project.
What qualifies as “fairly close” to home? 2 hours? 1/2 day drive? Or…? Additionally, does he need to be close to home in case of a flare or does he need to be close to a medical facility that is able to take care of him with respect to the medical issue?
Additionally, look into your health insurance to see what kind of out-of-state coverage it offers, as depending on what kind of insurance you have, an additional health insurance policy may be needed for your son (which would be an added cost).
Can you give us even a ballpark figure here of what would be affordable without any loans? Will your family qualify for sufficient need-based financial aid? (Run the net price calculator (NPC) at private schools on your application list to find out.)
Is there a certain percentage or a certain number of black students (i.e. small percentage but at a bigger school so a larger actual number of students) that he is looking for?
What kind of on-campus experience does he want? Does he prefer big schools? Is he interested or open to a smaller school where most students live on-campus? What attracted him to the schools that he’s already applied to?
Have you used the net price calculator on each college applied to or of interest?
Also, be sure to check each school if it requires the finances of only the custodial parent (the one providing the larger amount of financial support) or of both parents. If both parents, be sure to include both parents’ finances in the net price calculator. How to check based on the college’s financial aid application requirements:
FAFSA only: custodial parent only
CSS Profile without CSS Noncustodial Profile: custodial parent only
CSS Profile with CSS Noncustodial Profile: both parents
College’s own financial aid form: varies, read college’s web pages carefully
Number or percentage of Black undergraduates is readily available from College Navigator and other sources like the colleges themselves, although what the social scene is like can vary and probably means more subjective determination.
, they’re in.)