The B+ student parents' thread

Parents Forum
1141

<p>OK, folks, here are a few more NY area B+ schools with good theater programs but whose academics aren’t as familiar, at least to me. Anyone know anything about them?</p>

<p>Wagner (got a nod in Princeton Review’s “371 Best”, anyway)
Pace
Manhattan Marymount</p>

<p>So many excellent theater programs are in schools where people primarily attend for business, health care, and education degrees, and I wonder what it’s like for a student who might not have been stellar in HS but does care about academics and is more of an intellectual. Also they tend to be suitcase schools, although again it’s often different for the arts kids who are in a more contained program.</p>

<p>Any input welcome. Thanks!</p>

1142

<p>Emmybet, send a PM to Zoosermom about Wagner. She may be able to tell you some things about it.</p>

1143

<p>I would check suitcase issues on all 3.</p>

1144

<p>Thank you, thank you!</p>

1145

<p>What’s a “suitcase school”, what are “suitcase issues”?</p>

1146

<p>Suitcase schools are schools where kids often go home on the weekends. It may be an NJ/PA area term.</p>

1147

<p>I think the term we use around here is “commuter colleges”</p>

1148

<p>I think of a communer college more as one where few students live on or near campus.</p>

1149

<p>Sorry to use a slang term so loosely! I don’t know where I first heard it, but schools where a majority of students go home, or to an exciting city nearby, are everywhere. Often they are full of locals who have cars and find it easy to go home, so a high number of locals attending can be a flag. Also if there is a lack of campus activity obvious on the school’s calendar, it’s important to check if the students stick around on weekends.</p>

<p>The important issue is that for kids who want to have a college life, especially if they are from too far away to go home, these schools can be very empty and lonely. Except I have heard that in specialized programs it can be very different than among the regular undergraduates. And schools that are in or near cities that have lots of entertainment don’t always have to offer so much of their own. So it’s not a simple question. Usually you can get an idea from kids who go there whether it clears out on weekends to an uncomfortable degree. Many kids don’t mind.</p>

<p>Schools with commuters are a different issue - while there are colleges that are designed for a large proportion of commuters (and thus don’t have some of the campus activity that some people would want, or don’t have many dorms or a cohesive resident life), lots and lots of schools that we think of as “regular” colleges also have commuter students. </p>

<p>The main question is whether an applicant wants a certain college atmosphere. In our case, my D would like a school with a strong identity, a strong spirit (even if it’s an unconventional one), and assurance that she’ll have people around 7 days a week, particularly at one of these schools where she will be very much an out-of-towner. </p>

<p>On the other hand, she wouldn’t mind having friends who are locals, and being able to visit with them and their families, and enjoy the area outside of campus more intimately.</p>

1150

<p>FYI, here is the list of college acceptances/waitlist for my B+ D</p>

<p>D is a hs senior from Maryland with 3.54 GPA.
Planned major: Communications/Film</p>

<p>SATs 1240/1600, 1870/2400
Is enrolled in an honors-level Communication Arts
Has taken 5 AP courses, and a few regular level courses. The remainder has been honors-level courses</p>

<p>ECs
National Honor Society
Mentor Program
Year book (Asst editor)
Girl Scouts (Gold, Silver, Bronze Awards, President of troop)
300+ volunteer hours
Recreational level soccer (since early elementary school)</p>

<p>Accepted to (EA):
Northeastern University
Emerson College
UNC Wilmington
Towson University
University of Maryland (spring semester)</p>

<p>Waitlisted (EA) at:
Elon College</p>

<p>Waiting to Hear (RD)
American University</p>

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<p>^ ^</p>

<p>Wow, ljb, those are great results!!! Congratulations to D and you! One of my D’s best friends was dying to go to Emerson, and she was also admitted EA.</p>

1152

<p>Hey, just wanted to let our CC friends know that my D got her letter inviting her to apply for National Honor Society! At our school, they used to just pick the top whatever number of kids at a certain GPA, so B+ kids used to know it was useless to hope. But in the last couple of years they’ve switched to the more “real” mixed criteria of grades, community service, teacher recs, etc. Their starting cut-off is a 3.5 GPA or above, and she’s maintained about that. She has a good shot, since she’s done good ECs, has some nice volunteering (not a crazy amount, but respectable), and teachers generally like her. It’s a huge thing for us, since she’s always assumed she isn’t “that kind of kid” (and you may remember she has a big sister who “was”). Also being from a small Midwest town and trying to go some reputable schools in the east, this could be a nice little flag on her application. She still has to jump through some hoops, but we think she has a good shot.</p>

<p>Again, a way for a kid without a 4.0 or stellar test scores to know that she can be considered academically commendable. Hurray for these kids! Hurray for a few thoughtful adults who know they need a chance for recognition!</p>

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<p>Congrats!
At our HS, it is strictly on GPA. Then, as if those kids do not have enough resume material already, they elect officers–even though the NHS has no activities–so a bunch of kids can pad their resumes with that.</p>

1154

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<p>A couple of years ago our school had a bit of an “academic dishonesty” issue involving a few top of the class kids…their punishment? They could no longer serve as NHS officers or *wear the NHS t-shirt *all of first semster. Oh, the pain of it all…</p>

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<p>In our school it is based on grades, EC’s “leadership” etc. Last year our valedictorian wasn’t a member of NHS!!</p>

1156

<p>Thanks for the comments, folks! It does seem like a crazy game. I am happy that they changed the criteria at our school a couple of years ago. It seems like a real “honor” if you’ve actually shown character, effort, etc. It felt like just a piece of paper for my D1; she would have met the other requirements for it happily, but wasn’t given the chance.</p>

<p>I suppose there’s a possibility D2 will get dinged for some reason - I hope not, because it would break her heart, after being offered the carrot. Here’s a story to add to the others: I was in the top 10% of my class in HS, applying to Ivies, etc., but wasn’t in NHS. At our school, it was pretty much left to the discretion of ONE teacher, who basically picked kids she liked. I was academically rebellious, especially in the department she taught in - successful, but definitely a nonconformist. So I figured she’d deny me, but then she also denied 2 other girls who were absolutely sweet, lovely, intelligent and cooperative kids. As a reaction, 2 of the top girls in my class (who went to Harvard and Princeton eventually) resigned publicly on our behalf and made it known very clearly in the newspaper how they felt. </p>

<p>My mother still contends this is why I was only waitlisted at Ivies, even though I was a mega-legacy at Harvard and Brown. Hey, being the intellectual rebel that I was, I was very happily committed to UChicago by the time all this happened, so I never gave it a second thought.</p>

<p>But D2 thinks it’s funny that she might be in NHS and I wasn’t (the only one of the 4 of us!).</p>

<p>Seriously, though, is this really anything to get hyped up about (I just love using that expression on CC!)? I can’t help thinking it would boost a B+ kid - yeah, like the 4.0s really need it. Maybe it’s not such a big deal to schools, or maybe it is, when the school does insist on meeting the real requirements.</p>

<p>I think she’s going to need it … just got the PSATS, not good, just not her place to shine. SO glad many of her favorites are test-optional schools …</p>

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<p>emmybet: you JUST got the PSAT scores?? why the delay?? and yes, I agree…SO glad many of my daughter’s favorites are test-optional…</p>

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<p>If you can, make sure that the counselor rec explains that the school does have “real requirements” for NHS. At my school, 40% of seniors qualify because they invite everyone over a 3.300 GPA and the commitment is minimal. But I suppose that’s better than leaving it to teachers to arbitrarily decide who has the most “character.”</p>

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<p>For some reason at our school they wait until February. I do know the kids who did really well got pulled aside and told in December. I could have asked for them, but since they didn’t call us, I didn’t call them … if you know what I mean. Really I just had her take the test for the experience -and in hope that she was an “SAT-type,” since she hasn’t seemed to be an “ACT-type” (clearly that didn’t happen). We’ll just take it from here; she has ACT in April, will do some prepping, and if the score isn’t reasonable (25+) we’ll decide whether to hit it harder, take the SAT and see if that is any better, or something entirely different … like apply to ALL test-optional schools!</p>

<p>It doesn’t really matter when we get the scores, and it’s not a big deal at our school - we get a semi-finalist maybe once every 5 years, and I only know of one person who got a scholarship in the past 8 years. It wasn’t something I was really hanging on for this D, obviously. </p>

<p>rodney - so glad we’ll be pals this coming year! I think we’ll have lots to talk about!</p>

1160

<p>Good point about the GC. He’s awesome and really knows her. I think he’s going to write a terrific letter explaining this unusual, creative and confusing kid, and make her look wonderful! I think he’ll even make her look good if she doesn’t get into NHS - turn it into a good thing, like how hard she worked for it, how much more mature she was as a junior, how she’s learned so much about priorities, quality of experience, making her own way regardless of what others think. He’s a great guy, and we’re really, really lucky. He’s not the most savvy about schools all over the country, and he’s learned a lot about applying out-of-state by helping our girls. But he doesn’t seem to think it’s a chore - he says it’s been exciting and enlightening. </p>

<p>I won’t describe the people who’ve done all they can to RUIN my D’s HS experience. Unfortunately there have been several. But this guy in a lot of ways will have the final say to colleges, and he’s worth 10 of the others, in the end.</p>

<p>Our B+ers need GCs like this. He didn’t have much he needed to say about D1, couldn’t help her much, nor hurt her (except not getting the paperwork done, and he was awesome with that). But he’s going to be a major player for us next year, in this gray zone of stats. I just wrote him a long thank you e-mail today. He’s a prince!</p>