Class of 2011!!!

Mizo · June 30, 2006, 1:53pm

I am obssesed and so are you!

My D, a multicultural Black girl
born in US: ¼, African American; ¼ Nigerian, ½ Zimbabwean

High School Country Day Prep School on Academic Scholarship (4th highest entrance exam score for her class)(Private school from Pre-k 8th; from Middleclass immigrant dad and first generation American mom)

4.398 Weighted GPA (only 2 B+, remainder A- and above)
Top 10% just barely 
Unofficial Rank 8/80 (her school doesnt rank)
National Honor Society
Probably: National Achievement Scholar and National Merit Semi-Finalist
[PSAT: 219 in OH: Verbal 75, Math 66, Writing 78]
AP Scholar with Distinction

Honor classes 10 by graduation (one senior year)
AP classes 9 by graduation (2 self study, one each in grades 10 & 11) (4 senior year)

JV soccer co-captain
JV/V Academic Team Captain
School magazine Music Editor & Editor at Large
VP & V County Teen Library Board
Volunteer work in Nicaragua
Many cool summer programs: Smith, U Cincy Med School, Kenyon Young Writers
(Telluride Finalist - did not make the final cut).

SAT 1: 700 v; 680 m; 670 w (12 on essay)
SAT 2: 710 US; 690 Biology; 700 Literature
US History 5 (self study)
Biology 5
European History 5
Statistics 4
World History 3 (self study)

Senior year classes:
AP Chemistry
AP Calculus
AP Spanish
AP English
Adv. Historical Research
Religion 12

College List
Bryn Mawr
Haverford
Wellesley (Legacy)
Yale (reach)
Mt. Holyoke (safety)
Miami of Ohio (safety)
Kenyon
Vassar

D likes the suburban life, ethnic diversity, theater, movies, great restaurants, good shopping, very social but low key. Her list of friends reads like the United Nations, would like to have more African Americans in her circle of friends when in college but not interested in HBUC. Interested in health care career. Wants a small school. Yale is the only exception.

Is the above list realistic without taking SAT I over? The scores are her second try, same as 1st time except math went up 80 points. Frankly, I think the child has done enough. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for your time in advance.

momrath · June 30, 2006, 9:49pm

Mizo, I think just about any college in America would find your daughter a person of interest. I wouldn’t take the SAT again. Her scores are acceptable and won’t keep her out of any college. The writing score is unfortunately low – for a writer, especially – but our understanding is that this test is being discounted by many adcoms.

Presumably with her writing skills she will put together knock out essays and, again presumably, her private school teachers and counselors will write strong recommendations for her. Especially at LACs these intangibles will make all the difference.

Is she an American citizen? I ask because international status would affect her chances somewhat. Also, are you looking for financial aid, either need based or merit or both. Again, your financial requirements would influence how she structures her search as you may need financial safeties as well as academic safeties.

I think she should continue to work on her safeties.

Kenyon is a wonderful school and was one of my son’s top choices. It’s become increasingly more selective recently, however, and I would move it into the match category. It is decidedly rural and although it has a vibrant on-campus community it is really in the middle of nowhere. I guess she knows that since she attended a summer program there. If she’d consider Kenyon and Holyoke despite their rural location, she may open the door to other more remote colleges like Hamilton, Skidmore, Conn College, Grinnell and Williams.

I would also think that Holyoke wouldn’t provide too many of the elements on her wishlist. I’m familar with Miami of Ohio (great school) but I’ve never been there so can’t comment on the environment.

A some other ideas for schools that have good diversity and offer the kind of atmosphere she’s looking for (“suburban life, ethnic diversity, theater, movies, great restaurants, good shopping”): Wesleyan, Tufts, Smith, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Melon. JHU & CMU both score high for diversity, creative writing AND health care fields.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Mizo · June 30, 2006, 10:07pm

Yes, she is a US citizen. D will spend 2 weeks at Kenyon next month in the Young Writers Workshop. D’s GC says Kenyon gives great merit aid. I would say she is correct as D got a full ride to the summer program although we are solidly middleclass.

We have visited most of the other schools on the list and she interviewed if it was available. Miami is rural but is our premier state school and 45 minutes from Cincinnati.

D liked the diversity and equestrian facilities (yeah, D rides too) at Holyoke and the five college system is definetly a plus.

I think the whole family feels more comfortable sending D to a small LAC, it just fits her personality and will probably work best for her academically.

Yes, financial aid will be a must. Will need about 50% of the cost of attendance and will finance the remainder from current income and college savings plan, of course one never saves enough. Blessed to have something to work with.

Hoping to D gets outside scholarships to eliminate her loan obligation but if she can get out with no more than $20-25K that will be workable. The goal is no student or parent loans.

Will have D work on the safeties, I’ll suggest Univ. of Cincinnati which is our home school and Agnes Scott, location Atlanta, great merit aid and diversity 20% African American.

Thanks and will keep you posted.

momrath · June 30, 2006, 11:21pm

Mizo, Just to clarify, will you depend on merit aid for that 50% or will you qualify for need based aid. Makes a BIG difference in the options available to your daughter. If you qualify for need based aid and the merit is just an “extra bonus” then she can choose among a wide range of selectivity. If you need merit to make up the difference between private tuition and what you can manage then she’ll have a different list.

No arguments here with the advantages of an LAC. If she likes her experience at Kenyon and is seriously considering Holyoke then I would definitely take a look at Hamilton, Skidmore, Conn College, Grinnell and Williams. None of these (including Kenyon and Holyoke) is especially known for diversity, but on the other hand they actively recruit URMs and would be VERY interested in someone with a background like your daughter’s.

collegeprep11 · June 30, 2006, 11:30pm

nice stats but i’d definitely retake the sat and try to get 700+ for each. even though your d is black she’s not urm. she went to a prep school so many top schools will likely compare her to other prep schools grads.

College List
Bryn Mawr (match/safety) - i’d replace this with smith. similar selectivity but more recognized.
Haverford (reach)
Wellesley (match)
Yale (far reach)
Mt. Holyoke (safety)
Miami of Ohio (safety) big state school? i’d take if off the list
Kenyon (match/safety) very isolated- off the list
Vassar (match/reach)

I’d also look into reed(match), pomona(reach), pitzer or scripps (safety), macalester(match) and uchicago(reach)

jazzymom · June 30, 2006, 11:33pm

Mizo: I suggest you take a look at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Well, it’s in Eagle Rock, a middle-class neighborhood in L.A. It’s small, nurturing, very high quality academics (especially sciences) from what I’ve heard, and it really cares about diversity. And the very diverse city of Los Angeles is on its doorstep. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it’s merit scholarship or FA policies. But here’s a link: <a href=“http://www.oxy.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.oxy.edu</a>.

momrath · June 30, 2006, 11:49pm

Huh? African Americans and Hispanics are still URMs even if they’re solidly middle class. LACs – especially those located in remote areas – recruit aggressively among prep schools in order to increase their non-white percentages.

collegeprep11 · June 30, 2006, 11:52pm

yeah, occidental. a decent school in a greatlocation and i’m sure your d will get $$$. that is, if she doesn’t mind attending a 2nd tier school.

Mizo · December 2, 2006, 9:57am

Update:

SAT I retake scores: 770 v, 680 m, 680 w
She is taking SAT II: Math I and retaking Lit today.

List of Schools:

Univ. of Cincinnati - Admitted
Fisk U- Admitted
Pending:
Spelman
Agnes Scott
Yale
Washington U in St. Louis
Tufts U
Kenyon
Bryn Mawr
Mt. Holyoke
Swarthmore
Miami of OH
Wellesley

Mizo · December 22, 2006, 10:20am

Hi to all

Update: SAT II retake Literature 770, Math I 620 (offset by a 4 on AP Stats Exam and pull a B in AP Calculus and 680 on SAT I Math section)

List of schools stays that same as the last post but may add Goucher. Admitted to Fisk with full ride; Univ. of Cincinnati Arts & Sciences Honors Program (close to full ride pending); Agnes Scott w/a minimum of $12K merit aid, more pending final merit aid interviews.

Happy Holidays!

MSMDAD · December 23, 2006, 8:35am

Mizo, Congratulations! You should be very proud of your DD, especially the improvement in SAT I scores. Did she apply to Fisk ED?

sybbie719 · December 23, 2006, 10:21am

Congratulations on your D admissions. I am sure she will end up some where great.

Unless your D gets into a school where she can get 100% merit aid or gets some outside scholarships, for most of the schools on her list, especially those that give FA based on demonstrated need, there is a student self help component to financial aid packages which includes loans. IF D gets outside scholarships the monies can be used to offset the self help component .

starting in fall 2007 the stafford loan maximums are:

freshman year -3500
sophmore year-4500
junior year up until student graduates- 5500

regarding collegeprep’s statement:

There is some truth to the statement as many black students on campus are first generation children of recent immigrants from africa or the carribean (and those blacks are overrepresented and schools are looking to recruit more blacks who have multigenerational roots in the U.S. where they are still woefully underrepresented).

Even with merit aid, be sure to read the fine print and make sure that you can live with the terms of the merit aid. Find out if there is phase in for maintianing GPA, what would happen if student did not maintain GPA (which could be a strong possiblity amongst pre-meds where some of the sciences are weed outs). If GPA is not maintained for some reason, is there a probationary period given which student can use to raise GPA. Is scholarship attached to being in a specific program, etc.

good luck to you and D.

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