Son19 is kind of picky, so I’m not sure if urban Cleveland is going to work. I think Rose Hulman would be a place he would like too, but there is no way he is considering that locale. He looked at some info Roe Hulman sent him and said it looked like a nice school, but he’s be bored. I think he might like Case, but maybe not Cleveland. I doubt we’d visit either. He did read the literature though.
I don’t anyone who’s been to Case, and only a few kids from our school have ever applied. It just seems that every kid that is interested in STEM in the Northeast applies to the same handful of schools now, and it has gotten increasingly competitive and very hard for a suburban white male to get any sort of merit $$. I think son19 is a decent candidate at all of these local tech type schools but maybe he should seek out some other options.
@RightCoaster Maybe you just have him apply and see how the acceptances fall. Don’t visit unless it looks like a possible option in the end. We have to do this with a few schools that check many of the right boxes but we won’t get to them unless S19 is accepted and still interested in March 2019.
Case was appealing for my d19, but doesn’t seem worth it when she would find Rochester more convenient and similar in cost. Our research is that the same kids tend to apply to both though. It was attractive in that it’s on the Amtrak route, and I believe the application is free as long as you apply before a certain date.
We ruled out Rose because it just seems a very inconvenient location for traveling back and forth from home. Additionally with Rose, it’s small and with fewer alternative majors in case d changes her mind on major.
Visiting from Class of 2018. My S18 visited Case and was accepted with a generous scholarship. It is very urban, which is not his top choice since it doesn’t have a clearly defined campus. I really liked it. It is still on his list due to great science reputation and possibility of sport, and son is open minded about it. He knows he’s a “bloom where planted” kid.
As far as waiting until accepted to visit, you may wish to rethink if Case seems like a real possibility. Several high stats kids were deferred or denied this year, unfortunately even some that visited. Not sure what happened there. Check out the threads on the Case pages.
@homerdog You pretty much confirm my impression of Oberlin. While my kid might go there for the summer bass institute on campus, and I like that they seem to have a more open curriculum than a lot of liberal arts colleges, I’m not sure he would even do a formal tour. Not because of the student body though - I’m pretty sure it’s out of the price range, and if he does study music, it will have to be at a less competitive program.
My kid is very laid back and would be fine among the social justice-y types, even if he didn’t exactly join in. He would definitely prefer that crowd to preppy kids.
Okay, thinking ahead a bit here thanks to S19 opening his Common App account and my now understanding how it works.
S19 has seven schools on his list:
One local private college commuter option
One in-state "he loves it" financial safety
Five small LACs
Three, including his first choice, have rolling admissions. The rest have EA. S19’s first choice is one of the small LACs which is a well-regarded regional but not super competitive.
All but the in-state safety are Common App. He would need one essay and one teacher rec along with counselor.
So, does he just apply to all seven early? Or is there any benefit to staggering? For example, applying to the first choice LAC (where he would go if accepted and financials work), alternate LAC, commuter option, and in-state financial safety rolling/EA first. We would have all acceptance/aid info on the two LACs by December. If things don’t work out with the top two LACs, he could apply RD to the remaining three LACs.
Or does he just apply to all of 'em rolling/EA?
I’d ask if I’m overthinking this. But I’m on CC so the answer is yes, I’m overthinking.
If it is not too much of a financial burden, I think I would have him apply to everything as early as possible. My D18 applied summer to rolling state school and some EA, but with deferrals,delays in scores/LOR, and scholarship applications, the earlier you can complete things the better. If you have all your answers back earlier it makes comparing financial packages and admitted students days less stressful overall. Best of luck!
There is a lot to be said for having all of the applications out of the way as soon as possible so that you can enjoy senior year. Also with rolling admissions, the earlier you apply the earlier you hear, isn’t that right?
I wish I were so lucky. Most of my kid’s list is ED or RD only. There’s one SCEA and one that has EA but notifies in February. I was really hoping for a nice rolling admissions school so we could have an early win in the pocket, but kid keeps shooting those down.
@MPT3D Thanks for the insight from your D18 experience. It is not a financial burden as only three of the seven have an app fee.
@ninakatarina Your comment about rolling admissions is why I asked the question! His top choice LAC is rolling with a decision provided within two to three weeks. So he could know about admission very early. The financial info, however, would not be complete until the beginning of December.
This means that, even if accepted early on, we would not know for sure about the top choice until after the EA deadlines for the other LACs.
Sounds like the best course of action to apply to all of 'em as early as possible. Kinda liking that Common App thing now. I applied to six schools, by hand, after walking uphill to school both ways, in the late 80s.
Kids today and the convenience of the internet and Common App!
S19 has two EAs and ten (10!) RD schools on the list. He will get all apps in by 12/1. A handful of these ask that the RD candidates who want to be considered for merit get their apps in by then. Honestly, we will be one of those families running around like crazy in March 2019 trying to figure it all out after all decisions have landed. I will be jealous of anyone who is done by Jan.
I would have your kid apply to every school on his list at the earliest time, if he has good grades and test scores lined up already. You should here back by mid-Dec on most of them and it makes the rest of senior much less stressful. He could also add a few schools to his list for RD, after the EA results come in.
My son, unless he commits somewhere for athletics in early Fall, will apply to some schools that offer EA, and he has a few that only offer Regular Decision. I’d prefer if everything was wrapped up early, but I don’t think that’s how it’s going to play out for him. Its going to be a long next 13 months!
@InfiniteWaves I would do everything as early as possible unless you are trying to see money on the application fees! Of course D19 is my first so that could be totally wrong!
@eh1234 We are in the same boat, still have zero schools on our list. Just booked a trip to go visit Clemson in the spring but I decided we would go check it out, don;t know if D has any interest.
I’m hoping that kiddo will be able to finish at least the two early applications before the end of September. He’s always insanely busy in late October - end of November with the fall play and the one-act. I’m hoping that he gets more done but if he doesn’t, he doesn’t.
I have to admit that saving money on the application fees is a consideration. Test score reporting fees, transcript fees, application fees, it adds up. I’m going to have to research that application fee waiver and see if we can wheedle it out of some of the match schools.
In 1982, I applied to four schools and that was considered a bit of overkill by some of my classmates. I had one safety (state flagship), two matches, and a reach. I got into the safety and the reach, which surprised the heck out of my parents. We had thought I was a lock for one of the matches and I really wanted to go there, but I flubbed the interview because I was so nervous and it was day 9 of a 10 day college tour trip. Interviews counted more in those days.
I don’t even remember what the word was, I just remember that I butchered the pronunciation of a complicated word that I forced into the conversation in an attempt to sound more erudite. I had only seen it written, never heard it spoken.
I had forgotten about that moment until just now. Strange, what memories lurk in your subconscious.
I’ve visited Case twice and am a Oberlin alum so have my 2 cents…Oberlin - it’s definately a unique vibe school - strong academics and sciences in the College and strong music in the Conservatory. Not everything is music focused as someone said up thread. Very few (I knew one guy) double major in both college and con - it is a difficult proposition as the entrance bar is very high on the Con side. But I agree having an edge, a cause or a liberal viewpt on everything and anything is very helpful in getting along. You could be anything you wanted to be - but I found being a simple straight white girl from the suburbs was a bit difficult socially.
On Case Western - it is in a pretty good area of Cleveland, near Coventry and a small little Italy but bordered by some less desirable areas. Campus was nice, not completely contained or walled off, but nice. Bordered by the hospital. There was a new student center a couple years back and that is very interesting. What I was turned off by at Case was 1) old buildings with mobile carts they called “lab” space. So basically if you were doing research, they didn’t have enough space to have permanent spots for it. Your stuff would be piled on a cart and you would bring it out to work on Did not come across like state of the art facilities. 2) Undergrad dorms were basic ugly 1970s. 3) There was no joy on campus - which ok, they are serious, it’s a serious place…but it was quiet, too quiet. And we walked all over - even the new apts with the fields in the middle, you didn’t hear a soul. Walk past the frats, noone. The most joyful guy was a crossing guard who greets everyone loudly - he’s so unusual that they put him in their videos as “and don’t miss this…” At admitted students day, the admissions staff appeared to be pissed off. Something with the tours flipped some adcom out and she was screaming at the parents/students (admittedly she had just finished screaming at the staffers too). And finally 4) Odd dismissive conversation with the head of my daughter’s intended dept. Definately he thought his dept compared to MIT and I didn’t see that in facts/figures. Ymmv. I did appreciate the merit aid from Case.
Oh, and I didn’t want to step on @homerdog question - I too would love to know when the colleges usually update their essay prompts! I am guessing that they probably do it after they finish reading all of the applications and selecting their incoming class, so maybe after May?
@amandakayak when we visited, the non-conservatory kids on the panel kept talking about music as an EC for them as well as what they did for fun (like go to concerts). One prospective student asked how many kids in the college continued to play an instrument at Oberlin for fun or in a band. One of the students guessed that probably half (half!) of the college students still did something musically. He was talking about the non-conservatory kids. Obviously it’s just one opinion but none of the other students disagreed. No one trip tells the whole story of course. This is just what happened at our visit.
Thank you @amandakayak for your take on Case! Disappointed to hear though. We also have very few schools on D’s list. Maybe 2 reaches, and maybe 1 match/safety. I was just looking up Case this week, but I am not thrilled with what you have to say and I think it may be slightly out of our price range anyway. I read the word ‘dreary’ in several reviews
:))
