I’m a parent of a high school senior. The strategy was to apply to the schools she was really interested in, a couple of schools that she had a better chance of getting into, and Azusa Pacific as her backup school. Turns out, she was rejected by the ones she was really interested in, on the wait list of the 2 schools she had a better chance of getting into, and accepted at APU.
She is a biochemistry major and wants to either work in forensics or the biomedical field (her first choice is forensics). One thing that is stopping her from just going to APU is the perception that employers may not know her school or dismiss her application just based on the school she attended. She has been attending very small Christian schools all her life and has endured “what’s that/where’s that?” every time she tells people where she goes to school, so for once she’d like to attend a school that is well-known (like the other 6 schools she applied for).
We discussed the different choices:
Pay the deposit for APU and forget about the wait list. Doing this sooner may help with getting better housing.
Wait closer to 5/1 to pay the deposit for APU in case one of the waitlisted schools actually get back to her prior to 5/1 (no hope?) but hope for acceptance in one of the other schools and forfeit the original deposit (we're okay with losing the deposit). However, if she's not accepted from the waitlisted schools, then she might not get her choices on housing.
Decline APU, hope for the wait list, and go to community college if she doesn't get in, but hopefully transfer to one of the other schools on her list in 2 years, although I don't think she likes the idea of staying home for another 2 years.
I’d like to get your thoughts on the choices stated above (and the rationale) and also on the perceived fear. I think her 4 years at APU will be great - small classes, nurturing professors and fellow students, and the advantages of having a newer science building, but am concerned about future job prospects. Thanks in advance for your replies!
Options 1 and 2 should instead be this: Pay deposit now at APU and accept WL positions. You WON"T hear anything until mid May or June, if at all. There is no reason to wait until closer to May 1st.
Job prospects all deal with how effectively she uses her three summers. If she’s a big fish in a smaller pond (APU), she’ll be noticed by her profs and departments. I’d have her go there and have her hustle. Kids who go to more well-known schools who don’t hustle for good summer/internship/co-op opportunities won’t be attractive to employers regardless of their alma mater. I think the perception of APU’s disadvantage is exaggerated. This is what I’d advise my kid if I were you. Good luck.
There is only one option. Pay the deposit for the accepted school and get better housing now. Accept the wait list too. The waitlist result may come out in June or later if they offer admission. Until then, don’t expect any change. Then you just lost the deposit to the first school. That would be the best scenario. If not accepted from the wait list, work hard and plan for transfer next year.
The wait list situation is pretty much out of your control after you let the WL schools know of interest, ask GC to send not, go through the WL process–look up for advice. So you proceed with other choices. As others have said, it’s highly unlikely, there will be a move on the WL until after May 1, when schools actually find out who is accepting the admissions offers. You can ask how many have gotten off the wait list in prior years and find out how many are on the WLs this year, to get some idea of the odds.
As to whether to go to APU or the local CC is a decision your DD and you have to make. That she is used to a Christian based smaller school environment may make this the perfect stepping stone to college courses. She can then apply to transfer to other school with a successful year of college under her belt. She’ d be an excellent transfer candidate with high grades, at either the CC or APU, because she’d have a clear reason for transfer, citing limitiations in future courses at both schools Colleges love that reason for transfers and after high grades in college courses, make that a main consideration for acceptance. They then have a student who has proven s/he can do well in college level courses and who wants more challenge and is in an environment that is more restrictive. Very underrstandable to want to transfer. Harder to make the case when a transfer is between similar schools—it often comes down to a kid not liking the school where s/he is and it’s difficult not to suspect a complainer in such cases.
Thank you, everyone. I love how all of you said pretty much the same thing. I’ll have her send in her deposit in the next couple of days to ensure better housing. Thanks for the comment about being a big fish in a small pond. In her very small school now, she is well loved by her teachers as they voluntarily tell me stories about her out of the blue; I’m hoping for a similar response at APU, but she is also prepared for the reality of a being just a number in a much larger public school if she ends up going there.
Her HS friends and the adults she knows are not representative of future employers or grad schools.
forensics (such as on the CSI shows) is a technician position and a BS is probably sufficient. If she wants to work in the biomedical field as a researcher then the degree she will need is a PhD. Otherwise she will end up in relatively low-paying jobs with little opportunity for advancement.
If any of the xfer schools she is thinking about are UC’s, they only accept junior xfers. Personally, I’ advise not to xfer unless she really finds APU not to her liking (which means after she’s been there a while). It’s easier to get involved in research if you’ve been at the same school all 4 years than if you xfer in. Typically you’ll start small and get increasing responsibility, the kids there all 4 years have 2 years of this under their belt the day you show up if you xfer. The lower and upper division classes will likely integrate better at the same school. Kids are generally more open to making new friends frosh year when everyone is new.
Thanks, mikemac, for the additional insight. She was waitlisted in 1 UC school, and her top 4 choices were all UCs. I’ll let her know about the whole transferring in and competing w/others who have already been there, which might sway her. I spoke to her earlier, and she’s not ready to commit yet (considering going to cc and transferring but knowing that we’ve never really liked that idea).
Attending a CC is not the end of the world, and if your daughter has a better chance of getting into a university where she wants to study, do check that out. There are very clear pathways for transferring from the California CCs in to the UCs. You and your daughter have time to research this a bit before May 1. See these two forums for ideas: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/ http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-colleges/
You also haven’t mentioned whether money is a factor, so if it is, do take a long hard look at the aid your daughter has been offered at ASU, and any aid she would be predicted to receive within the California public system. For some students, that makes a huge difference.
Happykid had to start at our local CC because of money, and I did feel terribly guilty about it. I was worried that she was missing out on something. However, she had a great time and got all kinds of attention from her professors because the classes were small. When she graduated from the CC, she confessed that she hadn’t felt ready to leave home just yet, and was glad to have two more years with us before flying the nest. She settled in very well at her 4-year U, and reported to us that that she could tell which of the juniors were transfers like her, and which weren’t. The CC graduates were much more self-directed and self-motivated.
Since you mentioned the other schools are UCs (It was just a guess of mine before), one other option she has is to attend UC Merced. It turns out that kids who are UC eligible but not admitted to any UC campus to which they applied are automatically offered a spot at Merced. See http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-uc-guarantee-20141225-story.html#page=1