Parents of the HS Class of 2013 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA

<p>I am happy to see so many wonderful choices for the 3.0- 3.3 student.
Coral- we were in your shoes last spring. My D had several acceptances to schools listed on this thread but the one’s that were affordable weren’t on the top of her list. She had two acceptances that she liked but expensive. Come March she found out that she did not get into UC Santa Cruz and was waitlisted at Cal Poly. That left two UC schools that she hadn’t heard from. One was her absolute first choice, the other was a school that she did not even want to apply to. I suggested she apply since I thought it might be a good fit for her. She did not get into her first choice but got into the other. Upon hearing of that acceptance she said I forgot I even applied there. I made her visit. It was the only visit that while she was there she could picture herself attending this school. She texted me a photo on her way home where she was at In and Out and she had the sweatshirt on for the school.
Long story but the point is that she is starting finals today for the 2nd quarter at this school. The school she didn’t even think she wanted to apply.It has been an absolute great fit. She had made great friends, loves the area and has found an EC activity that provides her with a strong community. If she had been admitted to her first choice she would never have ended up where she is.</p>

<p>Great story mom60. I always tell myself they end up where they belong but it is good to hear from others that it is really true!</p>

<p>Also I love the poster idea LongRange-- I wish I had heard that idea when my oldest was deciding on schools</p>

<p>Some of you may recall my posts following the horrible, bruising rejection my S received from his ED top/only choice. I confess I cried for a couple of days, and felt so much guilt because I had not thoroughly understood how selective this college had become or what “need aware” admission really meant. We visited; he fell in love; he applied ED; I didn’t persuade him to continue with EA applications. Terrible disappointment (read, heartbreak) mid December.</p>

<p>So here’s what I did, with help and guidance from some very kind PMs, especially from K who shared her daughter’s experience last year. I followed him around with the brochures on hand of other colleges he had shown some interest in. I researched more colleges and went to their websites and signed him up to receive emails and more brochures. His email account and our mailbox filled up, amazingly quickly. I stood outside his closed door and asked him questions about majors, preferences for weather, this or that special program or feature. I made him sit beside me as we viewed campus online video tours. Every day I mentioned just one thing about the rejecting college that he had not liked or been unsure about. I converted our 9-ft dining table to college-central, with “stations” at each chair for the colleges he was considering. Visually it reinforced the idea of plenty of possibilities, a whole world of options out there.</p>

<p>I asked him to pick 1-3 colleges that we could visit during our Christmas break, from a list I’d made showing which schools were still open on our December days or would re-open before school started again. I wanted him to stand on just one other campus, see other possibilities for himself in person, visually place himself and imagine his future on another campus.</p>

<p>The airfare was expensive, but it worked. He just needed some help to move on.</p>

<p>Coralbrook, it does get better, absolutely, I agree. </p>

<p>Two out my four children did not get into their first choice schools. These two did very well at their schools and they both thrived. It can be difficult, it will hurt, it is almost feeling like not getting invited to a party that everyone else has been invited to, but you!</p>

<p>The passage of time and being involved in school activities, a part time job etc helped as I recall just being very busy.
No one wants to see their child disappointed, we all hurt when our children are hurting.</p>

<p>The other two did not have a number one choice, which I always felt was a great attitude! I do not know how they accomplished that mind set, but they did.</p>

<p>Coral - several years ago my niece was wait-listed at her first two choices. She never got off of those wait-lists and was “doomed” to attend her third choice. Within the first week, she was completely in love with her school and ended up having the best four years she could ever have hoped for! She loved everything about it - her classes, friends, etc. She graduated two years ago and misses it terribly!</p>

<p>In time, everything will get better. Things happen for a reason; your daughter will thrive wherever she goes!</p>

<p>Adding DD’s acceptances:</p>

<p>COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES FOR THIS THREAD
Agnes Scott
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 2
Baldwin Wallace
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Chapman
Clark
College of Wooster
Colorado State
DeSales
DePaul
Earlham
Eckerd x 3
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga
Goucher x 4
Guilford x 2
Hofstra x 2
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 2
James Madison
Knox
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 4
Oregon State
Rider
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 3
Taylor University (with small merit)
Tulane
U Arizona
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 3
U Hartford
UMBC
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3
U Redlands x 2
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus
Wagner
Warren Wilson College
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2
Willamette x 3
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)
jkiwmom is offline</p>

<p>@tpcrd66 - my daughter is attending RIT, a smaller program in CIAS. She applied ED, after we got written confirmation that if she did not get the scholarship she needed, she would be able to withdraw. We are very fortunate that my husband works at a college that offers the benefit of being able to apply for tuition exchange. It is still a competitive scholarship (about 50% of eligible students are awarded the scholarship at RIT). But, she did get it - which knocks $31,500 off tuition, and increases every year. So, we are incredibly fortunate on that end! We did the Colleges and Careers program last year, which was fabulous. We are also planning on going to Accepted Students day in April. PM me if you have specific questions.</p>

<p>I may be contrary to the prevailing trend of distraught parents and students who are devastated by a rejection from a university of college. I think a rejection letter is a very valuable learning opportunity for our kids as they head out into the world as young adults. I think to many parents get in wrong by acting as if the sky has fallen. Instead, we should be reinforcing the lessons of how hard work over the long term earns results. Getting into that dream school is not a matter of luck. It is the reward for that what the grades they achieved during high school, for the many hours in EC’s, and the effort put forth in studying for the standardized tests. If they didn’t make the cut then they didn’t do enough to earn the admission. Its a hard lesson but a very valuable one.</p>

<p>USN Chief, I have to disagree. In some instances, for some students, not getting into a dream school may mean that the student didn’t do enough to earn the admission. But in many instances, where the number of candidates who “make the cut” significantly outnumber spaces at that school, whether or not a particular student gets in is basically a crap shoot. For those students their hard work did not earn the results.</p>

<p>Have to agree with daisychain. One admissions counselor who spoke to our group during a campus tour explained that the staff was trying to craft a freshman class that was as diverse as possible. Some musicians, some athletes, some techie kids, etc. Your child might be a star violinist, but there might be 20 other star violinists in the same application group. Let’s say most are girls, your child is a girl, and only two of the other applicants are boys. The school orchestra needs two more violins. The school is short on boys in the orchestra to begin with. So even if your girl has test scores/grades that are a bit higher than the boys, the school might choose the two boys for those slots.</p>

<p>There is no way the girls applying could have worked any harder – they are not going to be chosen. It was just a tough year to be a star violinist girl applying to that particular school. I thought that was a pretty good explanation for why some get in and some don’t, given by an actual college admissions staffer!</p>

<p>Adding my son’s acceptances (3.3/28/1240/1860)</p>

<p>COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES FOR THIS THREAD
Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 2
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Clark
College of Wooster
Colorado State
DeSales
DePaul
Earlham
Eckerd x 3
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga
Goucher x 4
Guilford x 2
Hofstra x 2
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 4
Oregon State
Penn State - Behrend
Rider
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 3
Taylor University (with small merit)
Tulane
U Arizona
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 3
U Hartford
UMBC
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3
U Redlands x 2
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2
Willamette x 3
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>

<p>USNChief, I also must respectfully disagree with most of your post. Yes, receiving a rejection, painful as it is, can be a valuable learning experience. However, most people know how incredibly random the college admission process is. We all know of applicants with lower stats who may have been accepted over those with higher stats or applicants with identical stats where one was accepted and one was not, because most schools look at more than just numbers and ECs. Often they take into account geography, ethnicity, intended major, special talents, etc. Case in point, DD was accepted to SUNY Binghamton EA, definitely her reach school… She was accepted over many kids with higher stats, especially higher SAT scores. Why? I think it’s probably because we’re from FL. If we were NY residents, I’m not sure that she would have been accepted EA - or at all. Most colleges strive for diversity and they are more apt to take an applicant that will help that cause. Many very deserving kids are turned down from schools for reasons that have little to do with their hard work and stats.</p>

<p>USN Chief said:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Okay - I mostly lurk here, but as a member of an admissions team for over three decades (guess which one) and someone married to an Adcom at a competitive university I can say that comment is one of the most CRUEL I’ve ever heard.</p>

<p>MIT, for instance, had just shy of 19,000 applications for only 1,000 spots. They send acceptances to 1,500 student due to yield which is getting tighter. We have to turn down a lot of qualified students who were “good enough”. Any one of them would have been an outstanding candidate. But when you have so few students and have to build a “class” you’re looking for attributes that parents, teachers and students can’t anticipate. Sometimes - with all things being equal and too many finalists after you’ve weeded out the ones that can’t do the work - it comes down to a gut feel, a qualitative issue, or some details in the interview report. It comes down to looking for a mix of artists and musicians and thinkers and dancers and athletes and (fill in the blanks) to have a broad campus culture even if we are mostly known as an engineering school. Sometimes it comes down to a well thought out recommendation on the part of one teacher and a rushed one on the part of someone else.</p>

<p>It is NOT often not having a perfect score (we turn down a lot and accept many with less than perfect scores). It is not about being 99th percentile and straight A (sometimes those are the least interesting candidates).</p>

<p>There are a lot of factors leading to a decision that have NOTHING to do with a student being unprepared or not good enough.</p>

<p>Yes - I do think some people spend too much time mourning the school they didn’t get instead of celebrating the one that saw their potential (or their child’s).</p>

<p>But how dare you kick people when they’re down by implying they didn’t do “enough.”</p>

<p>…and so the gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair begins. I know better than to get into an arguement via forum posts especially when people get their color up defending their children. There are always exceptions to be found in what is essentially an imperfect process. Generally, the process works as intended with the information that is available. I stand by my comments and respect that you disagree.</p>

<p>Well said, ExieMIT.</p>

<p>I think it’s been a whole week since I’ve stated how I appreciate all the posters on this thread who keep it positive and supportive. Tonight I feel the need to say it again.
(Coral - I want to hear from you in a week. I’ll bet in that short amount of time, things will already be looking up.)</p>

<p>No gnashing of teeth or pulling of hair in this forum, USNChief (unless you count HeavyLidded who has apparently been pulling out her own hair for some time now) :slight_smile: As has been mentioned before, we are a positive and supportive group!</p>

<p>Coral - I may have missed this, but is your daughter’s second choice a feasible option?</p>

<p>I absolutely agree that the best way forward is to celebrate the successes. My son’s first letter back from a college was a rejection letter. I can very much sympathize with the range of emotions that it brought forth. I (we) decided that when you “reach” for some schools that you must also expect that a rejection is not only possible but also very likely. A realistic assessment of one’s chances (again in an imperfect system) is extremely important before developing an emotional but perhaps not entirely realistic attachment to a particular school. I just think that as a parent, an important part of my role in this process has been to keep my son’s expectations tempered with a good dose of reality. Researching the enrollment statistics from past years has been very useful. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Nothing can reinforce a child’s feeling of disappointment and inadequacy more quickly than a parent who does not have a more mature and reasoned response to a rejection letter.</p>

<p>I apologize for a clumsily made point. I am truly sorry if I offended anyone. We are all on a similar journey but each journey is truly unique in many ways and the lessons learned are not always the same.</p>

<p>Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…and back to celebrating the successes.</p>

<p>I’m on iPad so don’t know how to cut and paste to update the thread with acceptance data. Here are D’s acceptances this far:</p>

<p>CSU Chico
UC Merced
U of Pacific</p>

<p>MirabileDictu:
Thanks for the words of encouragement. </p>

<p>Glad Willamette is on the radar (my hometown). My D really liked Merced but right now it has dropped down because she wants a BA in Chemistry and they only offer BS. Her intended career is middle school science teaching, so she is looking for more multi-disciplinary options. We both liked the school though</p>