<p>Rodney,</p>
<p>Not rolling admissions, but still a way to get an early acceptance–look for the Priority Applications that are emailed all fall. I can’t remember all the schools that my daughter received them from, but do remember Allegheny and UVM. My D used the Allegheny one, but sent in some extra stuff because it was actually high on her list, so she wanted them to see her essay or supplement or something. Oh, she also did Guilford…that ended up being her first acceptance.</p>
<p>Rodney –</p>
<p>Our (west coast) 3.0-3.3 D was accepted at KU, UConn, Iowa, Indiana, and DePaul. She had good test scores, which helped. She focused on the East Coast and Midwest as she wanted to experience a different part of the country. </p>
<p>All these schools are great choices to consider in my opinion, based on what you described (with the possible exception of Indiana based on size and location, even though it is a wonderful school). She visited all but UConn. </p>
<p>Before the visits, she was sure she would enroll at KU. The visit to KU was ok, but for her, it was not what she was looking for. She liked DePaul in many ways, but I think she wanted a school with more school spirit, and a more traditional campus. Indiana is a great school, with a beautiful campus, but she did not like the size, and it is a little more difficult to get to.</p>
<p>She liked Iowa the best and will start in August. She really liked the warm feeling she got on campus (even though it was bitter cold when we visited), the size and look & feel of the campus, great school spirit. excellent choice of majors, strong (but not over-the-top) academics and reputation, friendly vibe, liberal climate, etc. It is a bonus that it is easy to fly into the Eastern Iowa airport and relatively close to Chicago (3-4 hours). The campus is easy to navigate, and really beautiful. They have a strong liberal arts and social sciences focus, fantastic writing program, etc. </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the nod, 5boys. </p>
<p>I think a kid who “learns for the sake of learning” deserves the teachers’ love! I don’t want to sound pompous, but I was like that, always experimenting and taking risks and following my own interests, even if it meant getting a lower grade. I was very intellectual in HS and lots of people suggested Reed. </p>
<p>I decided back then that Reed was going too far for me. Not only is it very intense, but it is small, and the coursework is some of the most predetermined in the country. I loved the idea, but I knew I couldn’t live it. I ended up at Chicago, where I felt there was just as much of an atmosphere of intellectual intensity, without quite the in-your-face-ness, and more variety of people. Also it was very easy to get away from the college part of my life if I wanted to. </p>
<p>My D is a noncomformist who finds Bard very attractive. She visited Hampshire and thought it was too loose - she felt it lost a lot of community feeling because of everyone doing their own thing, often not even on campus. She liked Sarah Lawrence at first, but now says she thinks it’s too intellectual-all-the-time. </p>
<p>These are all subjective opinions, and I put them here to show how someone has to figure out where they are in that spectrum. Being artsy or intellectually focused can mean a lot of things. Right now she’s trying to find a place that’s got just the right balance FOR HER, a little nerdy, a little laid back, not too Joe-College. These are good questions.</p>
<p>If anyone is considering a school that’s universally known for being at one far end of the spectrum, they really should be sure. I saw far too many people at Chicago who ended up very unhappy - not in over their head, but just not suited to that atmosphere. Although my H went there by mistake … he says he’s lucky, though, because inside there was a Chicago type trying to break free. That’s a hard one to see. Adults often can give that kind of perspective to a kid; I think people around him knew he was different, but he’d never gotten a chance to find out.</p>
<p>I’m hoping my D will keep Goucher on her list, even as an outlier. She met them at the CTCL Fair last year and really got a good feeling. It’s nice to know that someone who considered Bard liked Goucher in much the same way. Thanks.</p>
<p>mom2sons: thank you; looks really good as an option for that early admit!!!</p>
<p>One school I loved that had bright kids that didn’t seem to be killing themselves (like a Reedie)but were excited about learning was Hendrix. Don’t let the Arkansas location fool you. The school is very diverse with wonderful opportunities and gives generous merit aid. The admit rate is high because the students tend to “self select”- lots of folks stereotype Arkansas and won’t apply. The kids they take are quirky, friendly and mostly bound for graduate school. The experience is not traditional as there is no Greek life and no football. I would have loved this school. A national merit finalist from D’s school turned down a slew of more prestigious colleges for Hendrix. We saw her during the admitted students visit and she loves it there.</p>
<p>Hendrix was, however, one of the schools, however, that my son was a bit intellectually intimidated by (or rather may have realized he would have to do more work than he is willing to succeed).They begin admitting students in the fall so it is nice to have that early admit.</p>
<p>Another school that D considered and has a friend at was St. Olaf’s in Northfield Minnesota. Very warm students and staff (brutal winters). You might check into it as well. </p>
<p>I know I keep mentioning kids I know at these schools. The high school my kids came out of (university town) sends kids all over the country.</p>
<p>Just curious:what are the students of this thread’s grades like? Are there a lot of B’s or some A’s, B’s and the occasional C or just A’s and B’s? Just to give me a better idea of where to apply based on where some of your children got in.</p>
<p>For those suggesting schools to FTCdad, remember that his son might want to play football, which some of the schools suggested do not offer–and which can increase his chances of admission to schools which do. </p>
<p>Our high school’s seniors have started a Facebook page of where they are headed. It has been very surprising how kids who were not all conference third team football or lacrosse players appear to have received significant help in admission to schools which play those sports but do not offer athletic scholarships.</p>
<p>CIA… mostly B’s&B+'s, a few A’s and only 1 C+ in physics last year.EmmyBet, Hornet and Nightchef… Thanks for the recommendations. He does have a few of these on the radar. We will definitely visit Goucher and Bard. I think also that Hampshire would be too loose for him. Also, as far as Hendrix, one of his main criteria is that the school be close to the mountains for rock climbing and mountaineering. I don’t know about Hendrix but it pretty much rules out a lot of the schools in the midwest… too bad too because I think they are generally more laid back. That is one pull for Reed. He is VERY intellectual and didn’t even flinch at the Freshman HUM 101 reading list, in fact he got really excited, and he is a great reader and writer. BUT, he is still going to want time to explore his passions in the outdoors and I’m afraid Reed would not allow enough if it. We are from San Diego, but my S does not want to go to school in CA, and we don’t care where in the country he ends up as long as he is happy and thinks the school is a good fit for him. So far, besides Reed, Bard, and Goucher, some of the schools that we think he would like, but haven’t visited are… Vassar, Colorado College,Sewanee(although this may be too preppy for him, but GREAT outdoorsy place) & Whitman(although apparently they LOVE high GPA’s so pretty much a reach). He did kind of like Lewis&Clark but was somewhat of a let down after the excitement and energy he saw at Reed.</p>
<p>Isn’t it great how everyone brings in their own perspective? </p>
<p>CIA - you can define “3.0-3.3” however you want. It can mean a pretty standard set of Bs, a mix of As and Bs, or a bunch of As with some Cs. It can be higher or lower according to how you perceive “weighting” grades, or it can be different if you only average the academics vs the electives. We’re pretty open-minded. Also, some kids here have higher GPAs, but their lower test scores pull them into a similar kind of applicant. </p>
<p>In our case, my D has a mix of As and Bs, 1 C. Lots of the Bs might get weighted, but lots of the As are in arts classes. We originally were afraid that her scores would drag the whole package down, but fortunately she got an ACT that balances with her B+ average.</p>
<p>What pulls us together is that the college application experience will tend to be pretty equivalent, and we’re all dealing with how to weigh pros, cons, highs and lows. The kids are different, of course, and that makes it all very interesting.</p>
<p>5boys - it’s great that your S knows himself so well and can “get the feeling” at schools. Good for him! Have you read the Colleges That Change Lives book (probably you have)? Maybe they’ll have a fair near you - they list their schedule on the website. It was very helpful to my D when she went.</p>
<p>S just got a call from Providence that he has been accepted off the waitlist. Providence was one of his favorites, but he is thrilled with Marist. S will decline the offer.</p>
<p>I think Providence is having some problems because of their recent big tuition hike. I know two kids here that were set to go and ended up changing to different schools.</p>
<p>I agree. That huge hike in tuition was shocking.</p>
<p>Their new pricetag does not really seem out of line with similar types of schools in the northeast. I imagine that many full/near full paying students applied thinking it was 5,000 less than the current sticker price. Even with a 12-15,000 scholarship, that 5,000 increase has a big impact to anyone other than wealthy families.</p>
<p>MaryAnn, I think that your son made a very good decision! Good for him!</p>
<p>Rodney - besides McDaniel - take a look at Eckerd in Florida - another rolling school - pretty reasonable for a B student - it is also a CTCL school.</p>
<p>SLUMOM, I showed my son your post and he was comforted by it, because he knows a couple kids at RIT and he has become quite enamored with it after talking to them but he didnt know if his GPA would make it a big reach or not. He also has grown to like Alfred after somebody’s post earlier mentioned it and due to his interest in this he has done a bit of research on it.</p>
<p>hornet, thanks for the advice my son is a junior that wants to major in biomedical engineering and he has AP Calc and AP Physics on his schedule for next year even though he is still waffling between AP physics and AP Bio. He plans on taking the SAT II for Math and Bio this year.</p>
<p>mom2sons, thats good to hear my son was considring RPI and even though it’s probably a reach he plans on applying. He likes WPI now after losing his strong dislike for the Boston area (which I honestly never understood haha). We will definitely be visiting schools within the next month. I might have to take on your rsystem of well placed bribery because he got a 690 CR and 640 Math with definite room for improvement (I dont think he omitted one answer in Math for one reason or another). Is CSM, the Colordao School of Mines?</p>
<p>yabeyabe2 is right he is in love with football and would love to play in college but to be quite honest he said himself that it would not be a make or break neccessarily.</p>
<p>Yes, no football at RIT or Clarkson! Alfred is in the “Empire 8” conference, Division III.<br>
Alfred’s football team moves in the incoming freshman class! My H & I hardly lifted a finger last August, I joked “guess we could have left the Advil at home.” I think out of these 3, that if you require need-based financial aid, that Alfred would probably give you the best financial aid package. S did receive $12,000 in merit aid from Alfred, but enrolled elsewhere.</p>
<p>FTCDad: honest to goodness I think your S is well placed to have an amazing admissions season. Those SATs are fabulous! </p>
<p>My experience with my higher GPA daughter with a combined M/CR 60 pts less than your S’s was that she got in everywhere (9 of 11 campuses) but 1 match and her reachiest school and with good merit aid. I believe the fact that your S is a guy looking at LACs will help him out and the football thing may be a hook depending on the division level.</p>
<p>I hope you and your son feel confident about his chances at a wide variety of excellent schools. If you don’t, stay off the rest of CC and come to this thread only ;)</p>
<p>FTCDad - Yes, CSM is Colorado School of Mines. Very strong in some areas of engineering, but not all, due to their focus on extractive industries.</p>
<p>For an early acceptance, I believe Pitt, Indiana and Tulane give very early news and, for a less well-known choice, I believe Elizabethtown is an underrated school which promises an answer in 2 weeks. Highpoint might be another option.</p>
<p>A note on “Priority Applications”–an expose in the NY Times found that colleges often use them to boost their their stats, first by lying about how many are sent out to boost their number of applications received (one school’s letter said “very few” when the actual number was 6000) or by sending them to kids who are actually not likely to be accepted, which makes them seem more selective.</p>