Where should daughter be looking?

Parents Forum
41

<p>Agree with those who say her uniqueness…along with her high test scores…may overcome her very good, but not “tippy top” GPA - if she’s interested in the very difficult LAC’s and Ivy’s. It will be critical to make sure her special interests show through…especially when it comes to her essay.</p>

<p>University of Vermont. Would likely be a safety. Although not an LAC…and in a small city…it’s a smaller school and close to everything outdoors.</p>

<p>

Cornell (Ithaca): might not meet the LAC criteria, it meets just about every other criteria, especially waterfalls! </p>

<p>Dartmouth: The other rural Ivy…had a very interesting dichotomy of heavily pre-professional students as well as those who are liberal leaning and want the rural environment.</p>

<p>Middlebury. Another Vermont school, “classic” LAC.</p>

<p>Perhaps some of the Maine schools like Bates and Colby…</p>

42

<p>Her problem for many of the schools mentioned will be her GPA. If she can put together two high-A semesters it would help. Unfortunately on a transcript not wanting to do “busy-work” is indistinguishable from not wanting to work at all. Essays and letters of recommendation can speak to the topic but won’t entirely remove doubts.</p>

<p>In many ways she sounds like a Reedie. And Reed is known for looking beyond the GPA at the intellectual potential of its admits. They have a kind of niche for high-ability students who are a little at odds with conventional high school evaluation. But Reed is intensely “purist” when it comes to academics. She would need to evaluate whether her applied science interests in ag/food would be supported there–or perhaps she could delay such interest until graduate school. They do have an environmental studies interdisciplinary major.</p>

<p>A possible good fit that is an easier admissions “get” is Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. They, too, are also known for non-conformist personalities but also feature studies in agriculture, environmental science, and sustainability studies.</p>

43

<p>hmmm… I wonder if we should introduce your DD to my DS… they sound amazingly alike. My S,who is also a Junior, is away this semster living, working and going to school on a rural organic farm in Vermont. He is also looking for schools with organic farms and sustanabilty. He will probably major in ES, but has some thoughts of Forestry. He wants to end up in med school working to become a rural ER doc. He thinks he wants a small LAC with intellectual discussions. He has almost the same GPA, but a little lower test scores. Hates busy work, LOVES learning,is a vorocious reader, but can become easily bored. He also doesn’t like school clubs, but is a leader in many ways outside of school. Over 1000 volunteer hours working on conservation all over US, and also has a job. Huge into outdoors… has climbed all the highest peaks in CA so far and volunteers for a mountain search and rescue team.</p>

<p>Here are some of the schools that he is looking at, liked, or have been suggested so far on this forum.</p>

<p>Whitman
Lewis and Clark
Colorado College
Reed( He visited and LOVED it)…me, not too sure about the academic intensity.
St. Lawrence
Bates
Colby
Oberlin
UVM
Carleton
Sewanee
MIdd.
Macalester
GC wants him to look at Cornell, but not sure about the size.
LOVED Dartmouth but with a 8% admit rate it looks very unlikely.
I thought he would like Warren Wilson but he thinks it’s TOO small…</p>

44

<p>I think if the 2390 is single sitting and she isn’t Asian the sky is truly the limit . . . provided she has two teachers who will gush about her. The 3.5 does not rule out HYPS.</p>

<p>Now . . . what will make her happy and help her develop? That is made only harder by her fantastic test scores because it gives her so many options.</p>

<p>Do NOT believe all the stuff on CC that perfect or near perfect SATs are rejected by the tippy top schools all the time. We believed that and found ourselves unprepared for the multitude of acceptances.</p>

<p>You need to stop right now thinking she is a hard sell anywhere.</p>

45

<p>I’d second Grinnell and many of the others here and add Beloit. I think Evergreen would be a great safety.</p>

46

<p>I also vote for Reed. It seems like a school that truly tries to avoid BS/facade/playing the game/form-over-substance. As but one example, they refuse to cooperate with USNWR. Academically very strong with tough workload, downplay grades (if I understand correctly, no one talks about them nor are they reported, but you can find them out if you visit your profs). And definitely a culture that celebrates ‘different drummers’ and in a part of the country that is big on organic and the outdoors.</p>

47

<p>Are you a full pay? Reed’s FA is not generous as other LAC for us.</p>

48

<p>I agree too with sewhappy. I find it hard to believe that her chances are hurt because she has an unweighted GPA of 3.5 when she has 8 APs, her very high test scores, and along else she has going for her (with evidence from multiple sources that she’s a strong intellectual with a special and interesting character). </p>

<p>Good lord-- I give top colleges far more credit than that. They would take this student in a heartbeat over a grinder who got a perfect GPA, mustered a 2300 SAT from three cramming attempts, and has a polished resume like reads like the “how to” manual for college admissions (and matches the 50% of kids on CC). If not, they might as well just just abandon essays and holistic admission processes and start pretending all highschool curriculums and grading systems are identical.</p>

<p>And if I’m wrong about this, and top schools fear that her resume reflects a slacker rather than an intellectual and brilliant kid with integrity and substance… well, your daughter wouldn’t want to go to such a school anyways.</p>

49

<p>Please don’t recoil in horror until you read this whole post.</p>

<p>What about a state university – preferably one with an agriculture school where she could take some courses in topics that interest her, even if she majors in something else?</p>

<p>Unlike many private colleges, most state universities let students use their AP credits to satisfy general education requirements, which means that a student who enters with a lot of APs has enormous academic freedom. And your daughter would be a good candidate for the honors programs at many state universities. Being part of a honors program, or other special interest program, can make a large campus seem much smaller.</p>

50

<p>Someone will probably say “too preppy,” but our S is premed at Davidson, and he spent this past weekend in DC with six fellow students at the Power Shift environmental activism conference - with financial support from the college. He’s a very good student but also marches to his own drummer, and has found all sorts of outlets for his eclectic interests at Davidson.</p>

51

<p>Thank you starbright… I couldn’t have said it better… My S has always had the attitude of “take me as I am, or leave me.” He has never been one to even think about what colleges want to see as an applicant. He has always beaten to his own drum. Personally, I think he will, if nothing else, stand out. So many kids that follow the “how to manual” end up looking all the same. </p>

<p>aagdad… lately I have been thinking that my S should add Davidson to his list. I’m thinking that he would jive with the intellectual and service minded philospohy of the school.</p>

52

<p>Maine! Colby, Bates or Bowdoin! Rafting, camping the great outdoors, etc.</p>

53

<p>@5boys</p>

<p>Those are two facets of Davidson that our S has been the most enthusiastic about.</p>

54

<p>Starbright, you nailed it. This kid is going to be absolutely thrilled and frankly quite flattered at any and all acceptances. As far as she’s concerned, if a school doesn’t want her as she is, then it’s not the right institution. Her biggest worry about anything related to college is leaving behind her puppy. I, OTOH, am a little more strung out!</p>

<p>Her teachers think the sun shines out of her butt, and D is familiar enough with them to know who might be a better writer or play up a particular aspect of her personality. She’s also buddies with the GC - great woman, D often goes to her office just to chat or help her with filing. Knowing D, essays will be thoughtful and out of the box and she won’t be shy about letting her personality shine through. I honestly believe the subjective areas will glow on D’s application. To be fair, that may be my horrible bias talking.</p>

<p>Reading CC stats is scaring me a bit, I have to admit. D was just confused when she looked at some chancing threads, haha.</p>

<p>We will not be full pay, but we’re in a good place financially and have already run through all the calculators. As long as the school meets full need, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.</p>

<p>Marian, D is very open to state universities. She’s already interested in UVM and W&M - both great schools and great fits, I think. I’m only concerned about paying OOS tuition.</p>

<p>D really likes Reed so far. Portland is fantastic - it’s kind of a bigger version of where we live now. I’m slightly concerned about the overall intensity of the place, but she’s not (yet).</p>

<p>She hasn’t come across a school she doesn’t like, but she’s only been whipping through a few .edus and glimpsing so far, so hopefully she’ll refine what’s good and what’s great soon. She also found this thread, LOL. Said to thank you all for your help again.</p>

<p>5boys, our kids need to meet! D is your son’s twin. He sounds like an amazing guy - lots to be proud of!</p>

55

<p>I’ll chime in for Davidson, too! People tend to put that small LAC in the Preppy category, when in fact, one of its strongest qualities is the extraordinary integration among all of the familiar social subgroups. One of the oft-repeated observations about Davidson is that, unlike so many other LAC’s, it’s hard to pin down a “Davidson type.” The students all seem to enjoy a very high level of learning (but don’t seem particularly competitive), having a good time, building their community-- And the professor-student comraderie and accessibility are absolutely unbeatable. Davidson Outdoors is a thriving student organization that leads many backpacking and hiking expeditions, kayaking, bicycling, etc etc.
Only thing is, if she lives close to Warren Wilson she must also be close to Davidson, so that may be a dealbreaker.</p>

56

<p>Your D sounds like many of the kids at Tulane. The emphasis on service, the close relationship with faculty, great academics, all sound like it would be a school she might like. Further, Tulane is known for providing great merit awards to students with excellent test scores.</p>

57

<p>

Run away from chancing threads! They are scary and often seriously misinformed. I feel quite optimistic about your daughter’s chances, but obviously much is going to be determined by how all the fuzzy parts of the application turn out.</p>

58

<p>monroev…LOL!! I had to laugh at a few of your descriptions because I couldn’t have said it better if I had to describe my S." teachers think the sun shines out of her butt"… My S also hangs with his teachers all the time. If it is after school and he doesn’t have to go to his EC’s you will usually find him in one of his teachers rooms. Every teacher he has ever had LOVES him and always has amazing things to say about him…although I laugh that it is usually after they are marking down his B+:-))) But this is going to, IMO, really be a big positive in his applications. His EC’s also get int hey way of higher grades, but he wouldn’t have it any other way… his Eagle Scout project was a GREEN ROOF…no easy project for him… took TONS of time.</p>

<p>idad… I keep thinking about Tulane for my S… tell me, is there some sort of outdoor club? One of my S’s important criteria. You mentioned close faculy relations, how big are the classes?</p>

59

<p>I think there’s a thread around here someplace about “Under 3.6 Applying Top 20 Schools” or something like that. It was the first thread I really started following on here. Those kids got into a lot of really great schools.</p>

<p>IMO, a lot of admissions committees would be wetting their pants to admit your daughter. Including those schools at the very highest selectivity level. It is a subjective process.</p>

<p>Now a brief hijack -
That said, just as it is annoying to me that people characterize students without perfect grades as “slackers”, it is equally annoying that people characterize kids with 4.0s as “grinders” , the implication being that they are mindless drones solely preoccupied with doing every bit of busy work and extra credit. It’s pretty insulting. There’s nothing pathological about trying to get good grades, just as there’s nothing wrong with marching to your own drummer. I’ve read the stats of enough kids on here to know there are many students capable of near perfect tests scores, unique and sincere ECs and perfect GPAs. BTW, this comment is not directed at the OP, it is directed at some subsequent posts.</p>

<p>And 3.5 UW with 8 APs are excellent grades anyway. If you want to see someone who really doesn’t care about grades at all you would need to take a look at my kid’s HS transcript.</p>

60

<p>How about Penn State? </p>

<p>I will always sing the praises for Cornell, but live 30 miles from State College. They have great ag programs, and a rural setting. I think that’s why I like Ithaca so much, it’s like home.</p>

<p>Penn State has tons of majors to choose from and a wonderful vibe. Certainly worth checking into…and I won’t even mention that State College is the 3rd largest city in PA on a home football game day - lol! </p>

<p>Again, best of luck!</p>