@eh1234 I thought that this may be helpful.
http://cofc.edu/academics/documents/data-science.pdf
@homerdog Iâm very familiar with the concept of a lottery school.
@homerdog â we did visits to two schools that are a short distance away but I just knew D19 would not want to attend. It was worth it for us because when we visited other âmight be interested inâ schools, D could say âthis school seems like that little one that was right next to the railroad tracksâ or âthis school seems like that one that was right off the highway and surrounded by a circle of huge treesâ. Highly technical lingo for our mega spreadsheet, huh?
@carolinamom2boys I only meant that S19 is aware of âlotteryâ type schools and that heâs protecting himself against loving a school where even the brightest kids may not be accepted. He lives it every day at school where he knows kids with super high stats who were turned down almost everywhere.
Sometimes we know things on an intellectual level, but still get emotionally attached . A rejection stings no matter how much we know we shouldnât get attached.
@carolinamom2boys Thanks for sharing that! It sounds like a really cool program and it was nice to know that some students are entering without much CS background. It might be a little too far from home and a little too âsouthernâ for S19âs tastes.
Is CofC the type of school where male students attend class in button down shirts and ties, or is that more typical of private universities in the south? I donât think my skateboarding, sneaker-hoarding son could get past that!
@carolinamom2boys Understood. S19 has already explicitly stated that heâs not looking for intensity and competition when he gets to college and thatâs pretty much what Chicago is. He also says, though, that he wants to be in a place with peers. Itâs hard to flush that out. Plus, I think there are other things he could get from this visit.
Does he like the hustle and bustle of a city campus? (If he likes it and then hates rural schools after other visits this summer, then his list has to change dramatically.)
Does he want to be somewhere where he would be middle of the pack at a highly selective school? Or could the idea of being a big fish in a small pond feel better?
Does he mind the lack of sports culture?
Does he like this sort of highly intellectual student that is predominant at Chicago? Or are they too serious for him?
What does he think of the curriculum? (Grinnell and Kenyon are both on his list. Grinnell has only one class requirement and Kenyon has a bunch. Chicago is like Kenyon in that way.)
I know kids at Chicago. I really think thatâs zero chance he will come home and declare that Chicago is for him. Thatâs why I was asking if anyone has taken their kids to a school for other reasons other than really considering the school.
@eh1234 Absolutely not. My son attends in jeans, t shirts and Vans everyday. Not formal at all. I understand that many people arenât looking for southern schools , I sent it mainly to describe the major way better than I ever could . While Charleston is a southern city, youâd be surprised at the north east presence there .
@carolinamom2boys Good to know! S19 currently has a geographic and distance preference, but I think we could probably expand the search a little bit if a particular school looks like a good fit. Iâve heard that Charleston is a really interesting place (just had some relatives return from there!)
It is @eh1234 . I grew up in Maryland and moved to Charleston in 1991 to marry my husband who was in the service . I now live in the upstate of SC. I like it, but thereâs no place like Charleston. SC has quite an international population now with the number of international companies entering the state like BMW, Mercedes, Michelin and a lot of feeder companies. Itâs a great vacation destination .
So D19, after many years of professing her passion for teaching, including landing a summer job working with kids, has decided that she wants to consider nursing. This totally changes much of our target spreadsheet. Iâm really torn on how much to focus on this because I know kids change their minds. Our top financial option (UMD) does not have nursing and she is unwilling to attend the Baltimore campus (not traditional college experience). I know it is unrealistic to expect a 16 year old to know what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but I sure would like to focus on our very nice list developed for Education! Plus, recent health events have made me rethink how far away she should go. I need to be able to get to her fairly quickly (direct flight or 6 hour or less drive). sigh Vent overâŠ
@DeltaMom2019 Another option is a child life specialist. They work in hospitals with sick children to help them prepare for procedures and provide support to them.
@DeltaMom2019 â your D19 sounds much like my D19, who professes her love of theatre tech, but also professes a desire to go into politics/public policy. So we have two spreadsheets (!) and we are highlighting theatre tech programs that are in the vicinity of the Washington, DC metro area (where we live), so it is easier to focus on those schools where she could somewhat easily do Capitol Hill internships while also pursuing theatre tech. (Itâs part of the reason VCU is high on her list, as she could do theatre and be located in the state capital.)
@carolinamom2boys - Thanks for the suggestionâthis sounds very interesting and right up her alley. Iâll share with her!
@OrangeFish - We are also in the DC areaâŠI work in DC and we live in Prince Georgeâs County, MD. I like the idea of two spreadsheets. Thanks!
Touring nearby schools: We had our D17 and D19 both take tours of our local open-admissions university (the one where I work) very early in the processâsophomore yearânot because we expect theyâll go there (one definitely isnât, the other is only interested in majors not offered there), but to give them some insight into the way college marketing works before they experience anything higher-importance.
Students with disparate interests: The mention of a child with interests in theatre tech and public policy reminds me of my D17, with longstanding interests in neuroscience and conflict studies. The big benefit: It made for a very nice initial spreadsheetâprecisely 37 colleges offer both of those, so it was a pleasanter starting point than what my D19 (one of these three types of engineering) had to start with.
We are looking at chemical engineering. I wish that was something at C of C because every time @carolinamom2boys posts about that one, I wish it was an option for my girls.
Sorry @Mom2girls , no engineering. It is a great school , especially the Honors College. My oldest son chose it over Clemson Calhoun Honors (which is a cardinal sin in my area), Furman, Wofford , and Winthrop. Sorry , if Iâm a little enthusiastic about CofC. If someone is looking for an urban school, itâs a nice option. No football though. Number 1 ranked sailing team in the country though.
@OrangeFish one of S17âs closest friends will be at Muhlenberg next year as a communications major and he plans to continue in both theater and music.
I can give you an update at Thanksgiving as they will be together for that at the friends aunts apartment in Manhattan.
I will say his top choice was Ithaca, for the Park school of communications and their theater program but Muhlenberg gave him a much better offer. We had a similar experience with Ithaca and didnât even visit as a result.
@carolinamom2boys I donât think you need to apologize. Except for the fact that you make me envious!
Thank you, @eandesmom â and I appreciate your insight on Ithaca, too. D19 met a sound engineer who works on Broadway, and he recommended Ithaca for theatre tech. However, he also said not to go in debt for it as the business is based on who you know and on your reputation. We have heard through the grapevine that Ithaca doesnât really give good offers, so we chose to skip it altogether.