That is all very nice and I’m all for some reach applications. In reality, the odds of a 3.2 GPA student being admitted to a college with a sub 15% acceptance rate are slim. Wellesley also has a reputation for being quite intense which may or may not suit the OP. I expect the OP will pursue.
Again I encourage a balanced application list with reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that the OP would be happy to attend.
There are schools that place high value on test scores. That doesn’t mean they don’t care about GPA at all, but it wouldn’t hurt to find fits that highly value the test. Washington U comes to mind.
So maybe check out the CDS for the schools you’re interested in and find the section with the table listing the importance of the application factors.
Those are probably too large for the OP. The LACs mentioned in this thread are probably the best for an intensive but also supportive environment. I would keep Cornell, especially if the HS does relatively well there in admissions.
Well said! This student has already aced the SAT. There is absolutely no reason for them to take another SAT or the ACT. They need to focus on getting straight A’s this semester. If they can, it will be the first semester of good grades for them, not enough to prove that they’ve solved their ADHD issues, but a lot better than nothing. That’s another reason why they shouldn’t apply ED, or possibly even EA, anywhere. They want to have that straight A first semester of senior year on their record, before anyone looks at their application. And if they can’t get straight A’s (as a student with a 1540 balanced SAT), then they really should not be applying for top schools - even if money were no issue, which it most definitely is, for them.
Which still leaves 30K/yr in living expenses - and the family can only contribute 10K/yr,. It’s still pie in the sky, for this student.
We need to find out what the older sibling has been living on for the past two years. Maybe it’s been bread and water. Unless the OP is completely strapped for funds, I generally assume when people throw around figures this far into the discussion that R&B is a constant no matter where they enroll and they are talking about tuition only. But let’s find out.
Huh? What, you think that when a parent says that they can only contribute 10K/yr for college, that they’re just not mentioning the 30K/yr that is needed for room and board at the college? I mean, this kid is not talking about commuting to school.
When the student reports that Mom says there is only 10K/yr for college, believe them. It doesn’t mean that there is really 40K/yr for college!
Let’s find out. Also, let’s find out if the OP is First Gen college because that hasn’t been established either.
Never mind. I see it (Wellesley legacy.)
Presumably, a Wellesley graduate would know that by saying “there’s only 10K available for college” that they were, in effect, saying, “You can’t go away for college,” That is, unless they were only addressing the tuition issue. But let’s see.
Is it really your position that the OP shouldn’t take a shot at a Wellesley legacy because of how ADHD impacted her homework?
I forgot that the OP had stated this back on July 10. I would think $199K versus $201K is going to make all the difference if $200K is the new threshold to qualify for free tuition.
Even with free tuition, they’ll need 30K/yr for room and board - and they say the family can only contribute 10K/yr.
Yes. They shouldn’t take a shot at Wellesley because their GPA is relatively low, and because they cannot afford Wellesley, even if they were to get a full tuition scholarship.
I wish I knew Wellesley as well as you. I think the OP could add something to Wesleyan - what the mother (and Wellesley alum) means by that willingness to pay 10K for college needs to be clarified. Just seems odd that she’d permit her daughter to apply to out of state colleges when she can’t afford to?
Every student, any student, can add something to any college. Every student is valid and worthwhile. By that logic, admissions should be by lottery.
It is pretty much a lottery.
Please let’s get back to the OP! TIA!
@Vi_moral – there is a giant cacophony here. But look, your biggest bottleneck for college selection is your $10k/yr budget. $15.5k/yr if you get student loans. So it’s a waste of time to look at all kinds of other criteria before you narrow your list based on cost. Do this:
Why $20k? I’m just giving NPC a margin of error. Depending on your family’s finances, I am hopeful there may be a few that will come in below $20k. But it’s not a given. Otherwise your next option is to live at home and commute to a nearby in-state college.
Just being pragmatic. I wish you the best. You’ve got resilience, and that will carry you a long way in life.