Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've just been through this & still am going through the process with my oldest who is a Sr. in HS.
My 17 year was accepted to a good, small, private college in Eastern Pa. Back in Sept. First kid in the history of the HS school (inception was back in the mid-1700's) to be accepted to a college so early. Set a record, according to the school.
Just got the official acceptance and tuition package from the college last week.
More than half off of the tuition ($55K is the tuition...including room/board/required frosh meal plan) in the form of the Presidential Elite Merit Scholarship Award. Guaranteed for 4 years, as long as he upholds his end of the deal.
Less expensive than one year of his private independent school tuition.
He was also asked to enroll as an "Honor Student". Would be given room & board in a dorm set aside for the same. Would also be offered early/first choice for selecting classes. Special programs to work one-on-one with Professors who are published, a chance to have his name put on a collaborative effort that might actually be published (he's going for bio/pre-med).
It's definitely not his first choice, but he's not paying the bill and he will be just fine SHOULD he choose to accept the offer. Education first, petty enjoyments that you think your 17 year old self can't live without at 17 years old? 15th and 16th. You can't always have it all...and you won't always get it all, and nothing will ever be "perfect".
He's applied to several other colleges. One Ivy. We'll see.
I'm not sold on the Ivy just because it is one.
My 17 year old's HS college counselor gave him a list of some website generated "matches" (that the college counselors use & the school pays for) for him at the end of his Jr. year. This college that he was accepted to was put in his "reach" category.
So there you have what they & their algorithms know.
I own a small business and I also own several rental properties. I can't work my income so the FAFSA response would tell me anything other than "Nothing for YOU...good luck applying for a Stafford Loan up to $5500".
What's your end game, what are you looking for?
No snark by any means. Just wondering what I might be doing wrong....
Sounds to me like you and your son are doing GREAT.
Assuming your son didn't apply early decision, you have until next May 1 to decide. Get all of the aceptances and financial aid offers in front of you, have him do second visits at all of the schools that interest him and are financially feasible (make sure he sits in on some classes, talks to students and professors on the "after the acceptance" visit), and talk to the financial aid offices a second time after you get all the offers. Once you've done that, everythng will become clear.
While kids change a lot between freshmen year and senior year, they change again between November of Senior year and May of Senior year. That's when they realize that their future is REAL and really start to envision what comes next.
You still have a ways to go, but it is great to have an excellent choice in the "done" column this early in the game.
Congrats to your son for being off to a good start in his admissions journey!
Math/Music combo--she needs to look at St. Olaf College. No, it's not on any Ivy list, however, it is well known for their strong math department along with an outstanding music department. You can catch their Christmas program on PBS every year. With her probably stats/test scores, she will be in line for some significant merit awards as well.
I would also have her looking at becoming an actuary if she likes math. It's a great field and for females in the field, she can pretty much write her own ticket. Average pay is better than most engineers and a lot more stable employment opportunities.
My 17 year old's HS college counselor gave him a list of some website generated "matches" (that the college counselors use & the school pays for) for him at the end of his Jr. year. This college that he was accepted to was put in his "reach" category.
So there you have what they & their algorithms know.
Puzzled by this statement...A reach school isn't meant to be one that a student has zero chance of getting into. Just because a student gets admitted to a more selective school doesn't mean it was really a match or a safety for them all along.
Math/Music combo--she needs to look at St. Olaf College. No, it's not on any Ivy list, however, it is well known for their strong math department along with an outstanding music department. You can catch their Christmas program on PBS every year. With her probably stats/test scores, she will be in line for some significant merit awards as well.
I would also have her looking at becoming an actuary if she likes math. It's a great field and for females in the field, she can pretty much write her own ticket. Average pay is better than most engineers and a lot more stable employment opportunities.
Thanks.... We'll look at St. Olaf. I know nothing about that school, but sounds like a great program. There is another small school we want to look at - Oberlin - that also may be good for a music/science double major. She has played with some of the teachers there and they are wonderful.
Not sure about career paths. She really loves numbers, statistics, and actuary has been mentioned before. But she also loves science, and working with people with disabilities through adaptive sports. So she has been talking about medicine lately, maybe orthopedic.
Btw, we are not stuck on an Ivy - I just mentioned she should have the student stats/resume for a selective school based on where I've seen her older HS peers go with similar stats. We are looking for schools with the best fit and challenging programs of study, wherever they may be...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 58,004,579 times
Reputation: 46171
Quote:
Originally Posted by Qwerty
Math/Music combo--she needs to look at St. Olaf College. No, it's not on any Ivy list, however, it is well known for their strong math department along with an outstanding music department. ..
I would also have her looking at becoming an actuary if she likes math. It's a great field and for females in the field, she can pretty much write her own ticket. Average pay is better than most engineers and a lot more stable employment opportunities.
I have a good friend who went the actuary root, tho had planned to be a college math prof.
She started to take her certs while a senior, then 'served' the required yrs to reach full certification. Actuary pays very well once you 'arrive' as experienced and certified ($xxx,xxx). That should cover St Olaf! (Which is quite a good choice).. Private U's can be a really sweet gig for staying engaged and recommended by alumni.
For the funding topic... friends who took their kids to Singapore for grade k-8, all scored 100% on both ACT and SAT, they got 'almost' free USA Ivy. Merit + grants + subsidized (missionary Parents were zip on income...). Being fluent in a few languages has also been a perk to their subsequent employment, Singapore math / study skills was a + too.
I have a good friend who went the actuary root, tho had planned to be a college math prof.
She started to take her certs while a senior, then 'served' the required yrs to reach full certification. Actuary pays very well once you 'arrive' as experienced and certified ($xxx,xxx). That should cover St Olaf! (Which is quite a good choice).. Private U's can be a really sweet gig for staying engaged and recommended by alumni.
For the funding topic... friends who took their kids to Singapore for grade k-8, all scored 100% on both ACT and SAT, they got 'almost' free USA Ivy. Merit + grants + subsidized (missionary Parents were zip on income...). Being fluent in a few languages has also been a perk to their subsequent employment, Singapore math / study skills was a + too.
Interesting... In K-8, I made sure my kids were taught the Singapore Math curriculum - actually moved them from a school system that used University of Chicago math ("New Math") to one of the few schools that administered an advanced, individualized Singapore math curriculum through its gifted program. We also supplemented a lot at home with Singapore materials.
I knew my kids would be competing in a global economy, and they'd need to be competitive academically with foreign students. My 16 y.o. just took his first practice ACT test through a testing service, and he also got a high score on the Math portion (a 34 taking the test cold - no prep), and he's not even my "math kid." I cannot say enough good things about the Singapore math program. All 3 of my kids went through it and all 3 are advanced math students now.
I highly recommend Oberlin, especially for music performance. Another school to consider is the University of Rochester which has some sort of association with Eastman School of Music or is it the other way around? In any event, contact both schools and find out if there is some sort of dual program. Eastman, IMO, is probably the most selective (and snobbiest) music conservatory, even more so than Julliard.
Your daughter might want to consider music therapy or perhaps combining music with neuroscience. But bioengineering and actuary science is probably a lot more lucrative and a more direct career route. I don't think that MIT is so male-dominated these days. Schools try to make a balanced freshman class and that means that many qualified applicants get rejected. Also speak with the high school guidance counselor. We are located in the most competitive part of the country, the densely populated northeast. It was quite an eyeopening experience. In the academic world, it is similar to the wheeling and dealing that student athletes go through getting on Big10 or SEC football or basketball sports teams. Our guidance counselor worked as our "agent."
Also forgot to add, look into John Hopkins. Great music program plus bioengineering plus math plus science. Look into the John Hopkins summer programs for high school students. If your daughter already took the SAT in 6th grade, she might be eligible for JH which is not just at JHU, but has a choice of colleges for study during the summer. Gives students a taste of college life. Also, if she is a HS freshman,make sure that she is taking a SAT II or SAT subject exam very soon. For example, in my area, HS freshmen take bio so my kid took the SAT in bio right away that year, before the material would be forgotten.
I highly recommend Oberlin, especially for music performance. Another school to consider is the University of Rochester which has some sort of association with Eastman School of Music or is it the other way around? In any event, contact both schools and find out if there is some sort of dual program. Eastman, IMO, is probably the most selective (and snobbiest) music conservatory, even more so than Julliard.
Your daughter might want to consider music therapy or perhaps combining music with neuroscience. But bioengineering and actuary science is probably a lot more lucrative and a more direct career route. I don't think that MIT is so male-dominated these days. Schools try to make a balanced freshman class and that means that many qualified applicants get rejected. Also speak with the high school guidance counselor. We are located in the most competitive part of the country, the densely populated northeast. It was quite an eyeopening experience. In the academic world, it is similar to the wheeling and dealing that student athletes go through getting on Big10 or SEC football or basketball sports teams. Our guidance counselor worked as our "agent."
Also forgot to add, look into John Hopkins. Great music program plus bioengineering plus math plus science. Look into the John Hopkins summer programs for high school students. If your daughter already took the SAT in 6th grade, she might be eligible for JH which is not just at JHU, but has a choice of colleges for study during the summer. Gives students a taste of college life. Also, if she is a HS freshman,make sure that she is taking a SAT II or SAT subject exam very soon. For example, in my area, HS freshmen take bio so my kid took the SAT in bio right away that year, before the material would be forgotten.
Thanks....such great advice. I don't know if you posters are college counselors or just really smart parents, but I'm getting some great info.
We have looked a little at some of the programs you mentioned. DD's music teacher is an Eastman grad and he gave us a college brochure. Eastman looks great. I'm not sure if she wants to go the music conservatory route, but we will look at the partnership with Rochester. She's auditioning for the Interlochen music program this summer, maybe Julliard the following summer, and maybe eventually auditioning for national youth orchestra in DC. That is her very tentative plan anyway. It's funny because around here people say that Northwestern music school is snobby -lol.
She does want a school where she has lots of opportunity to perform and get advanced instruction, but not sure if she'll be a music/STEM double major, or find a school that has lots of music opportunities for non-majors. She also talks about loving conducting and composing.... Maybe she'll want to major in music and then maybe apply to a medical school? I recently read an article about a medical school (Columbia?) that likes music majors... Lots to figure out, and it will probably change.
She does like MIT, not just for their STEM programs, but also because they happen to have a club hockey team. She does not want to give up hockey in college, but does not want to go for the NCAA teams due to her academic/music priorities. I think she could potentially make a NCAA Div. III college team (maybe even a lower ranked Div. I) if she worked at it. She has the size/speed and skates with some college players, and the ratio of female HS club players that go onto play in college is relatively high (esp. from competitive Northern leagues). But she think the time commitment would be too much, so now is just looking for a good club program. Not really sure how to advise her on this one.
She has also looked online at John Hopkins and Peabody music programs. JH summer science program looked great and she was going to apply last year, but ended up choosing Northwestern due to location. She'll look at JH program again for this summer, and also maybe a math camp (e.g. Stanford?).
Good advice on the SAT subject tests - will look into that. We messed up on that for our eldest, who should have taken a subject test last year when he finished a course. But that was the first year our state high schools converted over to the SAT. Most IL students just took the ACT.
Thanks.... We'll look at St. Olaf. I know nothing about that school, but sounds like a great program. There is another small school we want to look at - Oberlin - that also may be good for a music/science double major. She has played with some of the teachers there and they are wonderful.
Not sure about career paths. She really loves numbers, statistics, and actuary has been mentioned before. But she also loves science, and working with people with disabilities through adaptive sports. So she has been talking about medicine lately, maybe orthopedic.
Btw, we are not stuck on an Ivy - I just mentioned she should have the student stats/resume for a selective school based on where I've seen her older HS peers go with similar stats. We are looking for schools with the best fit and challenging programs of study, wherever they may be...
Oberlin is excellent, very liberal if that matters or not. Wooster is another one to put on the radar. I have several friends with kids there/graduated from there and they love it. Miami of Ohio would be another one to consider--again, great school and high likelihood of substantial merit aid. Dickinson in PA would be another one to look into. I love the Gettysburg (PA) campus, the school is good, not Harvard but for what she is considering, just fine. It's just such a cool setting.
For larger state schools, Iowa State is worth a look and one of my favorite campuses anywhere. I also really like University of Indianapolis if she wants to be in a big city but likes a smaller campus.
If she is considering medicine, I'd really suggest a smaller liberal arts school. Not that she can't get into medical school from larger schools, but the opportunities to meet and really get to know the profs at the smaller schools can be a huge boost for acceptance.
Puzzled by this statement...A reach school isn't meant to be one that a student has zero chance of getting into. Just because a student gets admitted to a more selective school doesn't mean it was really a match or a safety for them all along.
Yes, very good point.
Some schools are "reaches" for every student, no matter how talented they may be, simply because they are so highly competitive. Any school that rejects 90% or more of applicants should be considered a reach for everyone, even "top" students.
But even at schools with higher admissions rates, the only guarantee is when you are holding the acceptance letter in your hands. What a lot of people don't understand is that colleges are "shaping a class" when they read applications. Algorithms (and college counselors) don't know exactly what any particular college will need to "shape it's class" this year.
It could be a particular college needs a few more students who have a higher Expected Family Contribution (or who will be paying full freight and not needing any aid). All things being equal, a few of applicants who wont need as much money that the algorithms said won't get in will.
It could be that a particular college needs a few more minority students this year. All things being equal, a few of the applicants who are minorities that the algorithms said won't get in will.
It could be that a particular college needs a few more "legacy" or developmental admits (parents are alumnis who've given big $$ or are likely to do so if their kid gets in). All things being equal, a few of the applicants who are legacy or developmental earmarks that the algorithms said won't get in will.
It could be that a particular college needs a few more students planning to major in engineering, English, studio art, or another major. All things being equal, a few of the applicants who are strong candidates for those departments that the algorithms said won't get in will.
It could be that a particular college needs a few more athletes for a certain team, a few more musicians for the college band, a few more "Creative" types to balance out all the science applicants. All things being equal, a few of the applicants who fit that mold that the algorithms said won't get in will.
It could be that this year the college got too many applications from a particular state, city, or even a certain high school. All things being equal, a few applicants who are from under represented states, cities, or high schools will get in even though the algorithms said they wont get in.
It could be that this year the college decides, that based on how acceptance of offers of admission went last year, it will admit more students that applied early decision, or early action, or that the college's highly complex and automated computer model predicts will enroll. All things being equal, those applicants will get in, even though the algorithms said they wouldn't.
The reverse, of course, is also true: The college has one too many applicants that look *just* like your child, so, even though your kid is a great applicant and maybe fits something the school needs/wants, the dice rolls in another direction over something like a slightly better letter of recommendation from an English teacher or one extra AP class.
None of this takes away from anyone's acceptance. Every student (and parent) deserves to feel very proud of every acceptance they get because the truth is, no one can predict with 100% certainty how it's going to go for every student at every college. So, every acceptance is indeed an accomplishment.
But as I said, in my experience, most kids end up doing OK in the end, regardless of where they are admitted, or rejected. Most kids are pretty resilient and adjust and move on. Parents, on the other hand, sometimes have a harder time adjusting to the news but eventually come around when they see their kids doing well.
And, when kids arent doing well, there is nothing wrong with transferring.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
