<p>Is is it just me, or is the Dartmouth supplement very simple? What am I missing? No essays or short answers? So I guess my son can go ahead and submit that even though he isn’t finished with the common app, right?</p>
<p>Hey y’all. D is applying to Brown & had no idea it was an Ivy. The only reason she knows how any of her schools are ranked is because I have a column for that tidbit on “the spreadsheet.” Her current #1 is ranked #11 in Regional Universities; #2 is Brown. Go figure, but it certainly alleviates the stress. </p>
<p>megpmom: I think you’re right; there is none of that prestige college stress here, like I hear about in the Northeast. </p>
<p>mommydearest: I don’t think anyone answered your question about the UA Honors app. If you log into myBama, click on the Academics tab and scroll down. Middle column, middle of the page, there is a box for Honors College; there’s a link for the Honors College Application & the University Fellows applications. The apps for Blount & CBHP aren’t there, but the CBHP page says “Students can apply for the CBHP through the unified Honors application that may be found in the Honors College section of the Academics tab.” Blount is a separate application.</p>
<p>Ugadog: thanks for offering info about the DCP; I just sent you a PM.</p>
<p>YDS, I stand corrected on ethnicity but I’m under the maybe delusional impression that it would be a bonus :)</p>
<p>I’m afraid I have unfairly influenced DS. We did the Yale cost calculator and realized that it would cost us less to send him to Yale than we are currently paying for his younger siblings to go to Catholic elementary school. I am concerned because he wants to apply SCEA and that eliminates applying EA to other private schools that I think he could be happier at and would be easier to get accepted EA. I mean all he truly knows about Yale is what he read in their book, it’s reputation as an IVY and that we can afford it. When I asked him if he got accepted did he even want to go, he wasn’t sure. I want to try to encourage him to apply RD. Any advice?</p>
<p>@Mommaof5- If your son truly truly likes Yale, then have him go SCEA. If its because of your influence and he hasnt done much research on his own, I would be hesitant to encourage. Do they even ask “The why us” question?</p>
<p>Does he need to strengthen any portion of his app before sending? If he does, I would recommend RD. Does he prefer any other EA schools over Yale? </p>
<p>Since most EA schools apply by date is 11/1, just leave it at that and he will apply to the one he has the gut feeling for.</p>
<p>I didnt find out where mine was applying until 10/31 when he asked for the CC, and I asked what school. It will work out, just leave it to him.</p>
<p>@RobD. Funny your DD wasnt aware about Brown’s status. I just went to their website and in their “About us” they do describe themselves as an IVY…
</p>
<p>We are in the Northeast and we get plenty of that college pressure. It’s like when I was in my last month of pregnancy and my mondo belly was all anyone could talk about. It is what everyone asks S about–he said he started making up answers when strangers asked, just to conclude the conversation. The only plus to the pressure is that smart is definitely cool here. I hear about kids at schools where they feel they have to hide their intelligence, or where the athletes get all the attention, and that’s definitely not the case here. Since my son is not an athlete, it’s worked for him (though who knows–he may have discovered a hidden talent if we had lived elsewhere…)</p>
<p>Crossing my fingers, S things he may have a topic for his essay. He is writing a quick short draft to see how it flows. Wish us luck that his one takes. Once he has confidence in his topic, I know the rest will just write itself. </p>
<p>When S writes something he likes, it is beautiful. When it is a forced topic, it is passable. I remember in 3rd grade when his writing prompt was about Wizard of Oz, he did horrible. When I asked him about it, he said he didn’t like the movie. But the next free topic, he wrote an awesome short story about the “Secret Lab under Winstead School.”</p>
<p>DrMom: We told DD she could apply to an Ivy if she wanted. We’d rather waste the app fee than for her to have regrets later. She wants to go to dental school, so an Ivy is crazy, but DH told her that if she got in she could always change her major to something that an Ivy degree would make a difference in; like writing or teaching. She later dumped the idea and decided to stay on course. </p>
<p>Right now her list is made up of safeties where she’s in the top 25%. Lots of merit aid and full scholarship possibilities with a couple of more challenging schools thrown in: Austin College in TX, and Smith in Mass. She’s very happy with her list and I think in her mind the “prestige” of a possible full scholarship is equal to the prestige of admittance to an Ivy. And SteveMa, she included Truman State in her list. Thanks!</p>
<p>Love the kid on the couch. Rinse. Repeat.</p>
<p>When we started this craziness my dd also thought she would apply to an Ivy - “just to see if she could get in” and then she decided against it - I think the over abundance of mail from Yale is what changed her mind - she thought it was ridiculous and it all went in the trash. She, too, has mostly safeties that she is easily in the top 25% - so will be the proud student with the scholarships instead of the “prestigious” school. Although she still has UNC Chapel Hill (which is practically Ivy-like to get into oos) and Duke on her list!</p>
<p>My s is thinking of being a history major. There is a good chance that he will end up at the 199th ranked national university (according to US News). They have about 10 faculty members in the history department. Here are the schools where the history dept faculty received their PhDs from…(7 of the ten are top 20 programs)</p>
<p>Brandeis
U of Chicago
Duke
Princeton
Rice
Michigan
Ohio State
Texas a & m
Yale
UCLA</p>
<p>They have faculty from very good PhD programs across the board. You can get a great education and faculty mentoring at all types of schools.</p>
<p>We had a family gathering tonight…Great Uncle said to DD “Why aren’t you applying to Harvard??” Ugh! just what she needed to hear!!</p>
<p>GreekMama-Yes, Dartmouth has an easy supplement. You just need the peer evaluation. My DD is applying there as well, but has to take SAT subject tests. Dartmouth is the only reason she is taking the test which shows how much she loves the school.</p>
<p>Hope everyone had a great weekend!</p>
<p>Thanks Lacrossemom!</p>
<p>So, what are we supposed to do about official transcripts from classes taken at a local university? The classes show up on the high school transcript as a summer class, but it doesn’t say that it was from a university. Please don’t tell me that I now need to spend $15 x each school x 2 kids for these transcripts!!! We were thinking about sending it to each of their EA schools, and then just waiting to see if anyone requests it, otherwise we will just wait and send it where they enroll. Do you think it will hurt their chances? It will be obvious somewhere in their application that it was a university class (2 for S1 and 3 for S2)… S1 emailed every admissions rep where he plans to apply to see what they say, but no one has responded. S2 emailed the guidance counselor and she is clueless. You all are a brilliant resource, what do you say?!</p>
<p>GreekMana–maybe you could ask the GC to add a note about those classes in the school report? I don’t know if that is enough for the colleges but it’s worth a shot. Our kids won’t have any college classes to report until after they see their acceptances so that helps :D.</p>
<p>Greek Ive posed this question before with no response. For S13, some colleges absolutely require them for admissions the U-Minnesota application directs you to send all college transcripts, even if the class was a college class taken at the high school. I inquired at Pitt when we were there and they said they dont need to see the transcript until he enrolls if he wants to get credit for the courses. The Common App directs you to send all college transcripts. Of the CA schools S13 is apply to, only tOSU says they need college transcripts for admissions on their website. S13 has THREE college transcripts luckily, only one school charges $5.</p>
<p>RobD thanks for the reply. I dont see that box on his page maybe it only shows up after hes accepted. His transcripts were just mailed on Thursday hopefully for real this time! (Can you tell Im still a little peeved?!?!)</p>
<p>Haystack I googled the name S13 was given as his local MIT interviewer. Very impressive resume MIT/UC-B, quantum physics research, etc . . . then saw that he was a professor at our local Tier 3 university. My S has been working with a professor at the U . . . PHd from Northwestern. I think S would get a fine education there and probably even more mentoring than he would at higher ranked schools. The only drawbacks are that its a suitcase school and theres no geographical diversity. </p>
<p>Drmom I didnt have to tell my S13 that an 8% acceptance rate means a 92% rejection rate. He told me the other day that he will proudly hang his MIT rejection letter on his wall wherever he ends up because at least hell know he went for it. Hes really easygoing and I can see his reaction if he gets rejected - a shrug, then hell go back to what he was doing. LOL When your D applies, I would tell her that she should be proud for working so hard to have all the qualifications to be considered for admission at any school in the country; however, they only have x number of spots in the class they have to reject the majority of applicants. Thats no reflection on her they just dont have enough room for everyone.</p>
<p>MommyDearest13–that is pretty much what DS is thinking with his lottery school as well. We’ve encouraged him to apply because you only get one shot at that and we didn’t want him to go through life wondering “what if”. If he gets in and the $$ works out, have a blast! If not, oh well, he has 11 other schools he really likes too.</p>
<p>MommyDearest - your last paragraph sums it up. </p>
<p>I haven’t posted much, but just wanted you guys to know you have a silent cheerleader here! And to our student posters, Napalm and Swizzle, et al., we are cheering you on, especially.</p>
<p>I second the Napalm and Swizzle kudos! You guys are great! I hope that you are just as wonderful and open with your parents as you are with us here in the chat room. The two of you will go far! Keep up the great work and wonderful networking/public relations skills.</p>
<p>learninginprog: Thanks for the advice! Yes they do have the “Why Yale” question and he hasn’t started it, so maybe that will be an eye opener.</p>
<p>Mommydearest13: LOVE what you said in your last paragraph!</p>