D25 only has 4 schools on her list so far. Maybe that’s enough? She wants to stay on the west coast which really narrows the field. She initially looked at East Coast/midwest schools but decided the travel was too much (We are a 2-hour drive to the nearest airport, so combining that with a flight to the East Coast is a lot). Looking for small to medium-sized schools. She probably won’t apply to UCs because they are huge, the application is a beast, and the ones she might want to go to she probably wouldn’t get in anyways. Should she look for more schools? Any other suggestions?
Demographics
CA resident, rural high school
Cost Constraints / Budget
CA in-state UC cost (@ $41,000 a year) is our target. Under $60,000 max. Less is always better! All schools on her list so far fall within this criteria.
Intended Major(s) Undecided, D25 strengths are writing and analysis, so something that combines those skill sets. Some ideas we have tossed around: Geography (GIS), English with a technical writing emphasis, Data Science, etc. She will probably apply undecided at schools where that is an option.
One school is enough if you get in and it’s affordable - but it’s nice to have choice.
So yes you’ll be fine - as long as she’s happy with NAU.
If there’s a case that someone went 0 for four, they’d still have time to find something as schools like U of Arizona, etc. you can apply late.
But in this case - assuming she likes NAU enough to attend - she’s in good shape.
Best of luck to her.
PS - Gonzaga and Redlands are smaller and different than NAU and CPSLO…is she sure she “likes” either the large or the small? Plus Gonzaga has the religious bent.
My kid applied to two schools -got into both - picked one and off he went! He’s thriving there. So really as long as the schools on the list make your kid happy, then you don’t need to waste the time or energy on a bunch of other applications.
I don’t think she has to apply to more, but maybe add a couple Cal States? Perhaps Cal Poly Pomona, or SDSU, your local Cal State, although those aren’t small. Maybe Whitman? It is small, offers merit, and was one of my faves.
Thank you. Yes, the list is a bit eclectic, but there are reasons each one appeals to her…size, location, relatives in the area, familiarity due to relatives that are alums, etc.
We don’t live near any of them and many have a more commuter vibe. Anecdotally, we know quite a few students from our town who like Chico, so that may be added. That is how NAU got on the list, knowing students from our town who had a good experience there.
One daughter only applied to 5 schools, and frankly one of them probably could have been skipped (it was a way-safer-than-safe safety, when she had other safeties that she preferred). Four schools is fine as long as it includes a solid safety, which obviously is true in your case.
Your daughter could look for other nearby schools that she might prefer to NAU, but if she does not find any other than the three other schools that she has already applied to I don’t see any problem. A student can only be enrolled at one university at a time.
A class rank of 15 out of 322 is pretty good. If your daughter does add any schools to the list, it might make sense to add reaches – but only if she would actually prefer them to the schools that are already on the list and only if the NPC shows them as likely to be affordable.
Your daughter already has an acceptance at hopefully a college she will be happy to attend.
She sounds a bit like my kid. My kid initially applied to only three colleges, all viewed as sure things by most (and she had acceptances to all three by the first or second week of December). The kid decided to add a reach school in November…and that was fine (not accepted).
My kid felt no need to add additional college applications just for the sake of adding additional college applications.
Agree that if she’s happy with NAU why bother? But I also understand the FOMO around it.
A dear friend’s daughter was just accepted to NAU and her older sibling is graduating from there - she loved it. I’m glad your daughter has one ‘happy to attend’ school already! That’s huge!
One note - an exception to the size of the UC’s might be UCSB’s College of Creative Studies - considered a college within the college, they offer a small program and a major in Writing and Literature that may be of interest if she’s a good writer…fwiw, but agree the PIQ’s are no small task. Then again, for a strong writer that might be the ticket! Good luck to her with the choice!
So your D25 is opposite of my S24. He applied 20 schools, West coast, East coast, Southern border, Northern border He spent so much efforts writing essay after essay after essay, asking for LORs and keeping track of deadlines. And at the end, he only seriously considered 3 or 4 schools. Your kid will be fine as long as she is OK to attend the 3 likely or assured schools. Good Luck.
He spent so much efforts writing essay after essay after essay, asking for LORs and keeping track of deadlines. And at the end, he only seriously considered 3 or 4 schools. Your kid will be fine as long as she is OK to attend the 3 likely or assured schools. Good Luck.