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I was just giving out some information about the U of CO's engineering school. I will say, it is possible the OP's son will change his goals in the next 3-4 years. AFAIK, one cannot apply to college until the beginning of senior year, so there's a lot of water to go over the dam, so to speak.
It is true that doctors usually decide at fairly young ages that they want to go into medicine, however, "many are called but few are chosen" in that profession. In other words, many change their minds somewhere along the line, even into college and beyond.
My oldest daughter decided she wanted to be a physical therapist some time in high school. She went to college focusing on the PT school pre-reqs, applied to PT schools during her senior year in college, got accepted, went to PT school and became a physical therapist. My younger daughter spent more time deciding on her career goals, which included medicine at one time. She now has a master's in public health, something she was not planning to do when she graduated from college (CU!). I tell these stories to show it's not always a straight path. I imagine engineering is the same.
I was just giving out some information about the U of CO's engineering school. I will say, it is possible the OP's son will change his goals in the next 3-4 years. AFAIK, one cannot apply to college until the beginning of senior year, so there's a lot of water to go over the dam, so to speak.
It is true that doctors usually decide at fairly young ages that they want to go into medicine, however, "many are called but few are chosen" in that profession. In other words, many change their minds somewhere along the line, even into college and beyond.
My oldest daughter decided she wanted to be a physical therapist some time in high school. She went to college focusing on the PT school pre-reqs, applied to PT schools during her senior year in college, got accepted, went to PT school and became a physical therapist. My younger daughter spent more time deciding on her career goals, which included medicine at one time. She now has a master's in public health, something she was not planning to do when she graduated from college (CU!). I tell these stories to show it's not always a straight path. I imagine engineering is the same.
I agree with the above... I do also know people outside the medical field who felt they were "called upon" to a profession at a younger age (whether engineering, nursing, teaching, art, music, religion, etc.). My sister wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school I think. Every person is different and, of course, it's not always a straight path..
My son might be posting on C-D two years from now asking "What are some good business schools in New York" or whatever... There are things, places, fields, topics he is just beginning to explore. He could fall in love with a completely different field - physics or economics or teaching... Who knows?
He wanted opinion about the various schools, which you and others graciously gave. He has been reading these posts and doing some beginning research on colleges/fields of study. They are also doing that at his school as well - does that poster think that's "helicopter schooling?" For the last few years he has attended summer camps at various college campuses around the U.S.- is that "helicopter camping?" Good lord, if your child communicates some ideas/goals and you help him start a little research, someone here may just accuse you of "helicoptering."
I was not really looking for judgment or opinion on parenting style or whether it was officially the "right time" to seek this information. He is not planning his entire life from a CD thread - just thinking about some things as part of his journey.
Thank you again Katiana for your objective, non-judmental input.
I know that the OP requested Western schools, but now that I( read that the boy is only in 8th grade, it might be well to consider some the of Eastern Schools that are strong engineering possibilities and also have a skiing team and a skiing cultur, though perhpas not as strong as the U of Colorado. But the engineering at these schools is certainly top-notch is certainly top notch at
U of Rochester
Cornell
Dartmouth
UPstate NY does have snow and mountains. And has hosted two Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Since it is early in his academic career, perhaps you can put these on the radar screen too.
I agree with the above... I do also know people outside the medical field who felt they were "called upon" to a profession at a younger age (whether engineering, nursing, teaching, art, music, religion, etc.). My sister wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school I think. Every person is different and, of course, it's not always a straight path..
My son might be posting on C-D two years from now asking "What are some good business schools in New York" or whatever... There are things, places, fields, topics he is just beginning to explore. He could fall in love with a completely different field - physics or economics or teaching... Who knows?
He wanted opinion about the various schools, which you and others graciously gave. He has been reading these posts and doing some beginning research on colleges/fields of study. They are also doing that at his school as well - does that poster think that's "helicopter schooling?" For the last few years he has attended summer camps at various college campuses around the U.S.- is that "helicopter camping?" Good lord, if your child communicates some ideas/goals and you help him start a little research, someone here may just accuse you of "helicoptering."
I was not really looking for judgment or opinion on parenting style or whether it was officially the "right time" to seek this information. He is not planning his entire life from a CD thread - just thinking about some things as part of his journey.
Thank you again Katiana for your objective, non-judmental input.
You know, for several years I was an interviewer for a fairly lucrative scholarship.
Before I'd speak to the kid (alone), I'd talk to the kid and their parents, if they came.
It was always very telling when I'd ask, "so what major are you interested in?" and the parent responded. It was incredibly telling when the parent set up the interview and the parent asked 90% of the questions before I cut the kid out from the herd. Most of those times when I later asked the kid, alone, why they wanted to study "x", the answer was something along the lines of, "I'm not sure...Mom/Dad thinks it's something good."
Not to make you defensive, but I'm just pointing out: if your son is reading C-D, why isn't he asking these questions?
Not to make you defensive, but I'm just pointing out: if your son is reading C-D, why isn't he asking these questions?
Well, for one thing, maybe because the OP's son is 14 and according to TOS you must be 16 years old to post.
I think you are jumping to huge conclusions from the OP just asking some pretty basic questions regarding schools which people do on here all the time.
Well, for one thing, maybe because the OP's son is 14 and according to TOS you must be 16 years old to post.
I think you are jumping to huge conclusions from the OP just asking some pretty basic questions regarding schools which people do on here all the time.
Thank you! I was just about to write about this, until I saw your post. I do not allow my kids (12-14) unlimited access to post/reply on forums, with mainly adults who are strangers, some of whom may be bullies or worse. I need to oversee/buffer all of this. I am sure this may also be construed as "helicoptering."
We asked about 20 or so western schools (since I only have experience with EC, midwest, Big 10 schools), noting my son's interests/possible majors. Can this really be equated to sitting in on scholarship meetings and answering every single question for your child?
FWIW, I don't plan on attending any type of scholarship/college interview. I plan on dropping my kid off at the front door (or the airport)... Can't I just do that? Shows what I know...
GT is free to generalize however he/she wants - just really wish they could stick to the topic and provide some useful info. Instead, they bait/attack, on three separate posts - that has been their only contribution to this thread.
If I really wanted to properly "helicopter," would I really be supporting his wish to be a ski bum in a state with legalized marijuana. Don't you think if it were all about my plan, my proper "helicopter" college list would read MIT, CalTech, any Ivy, maybe even Big 10 engineering school, etc.... Not some western colleges I know nothing about.
I don't see anything wrong with thinking of colleges per se, but I think at this stage of the game it should be more about the major and making sure that the student lines up the right classes so that he will be a qualified and sought after candidate for whatever college he wants, whether that's CSU, UVM (an east coast college that also takes skiing seriously!) or Cal Tech.
Colleges really don't want to see kids visiting before they are going into Junior year, because it can be a waste of their time. Not that you can't do self guided tours or take a side trip to a college on the way to someplace, but official tours are meant for students just a couple of years before attendance.
Some here are being a little hard on the OP. It's great to teach your kids that habits need to mature early in order to get into top programs. That includes getting A's in the arts and humanities; the reality is that B's are not good enough. Being in the top 99 percentile in math and science is wonderful but as others have mentioned, it may not be good enough in today's competitive programs / schools.
I put a bug in my kids ear early on to strive to out perform their top peers because doors open when you do. I discussed early on how brutally competitive it was to get into top colleges especially to get into dental or medical school. Those conversations started in 6th grade and still continue today even while they are in college to a far lesser degree.
I know some called me a "helicopter parent" behind my back. I'm o.k. with that. My DD is at dental school right now (3000 applicants for 150 spots) and my son is at a service academy (1000 spots for 14,000 applicants). My son wants to be a surgeon and his dream is to go to a top ranked med school. That rule is only 2% at a service academy student body will get the nod to go (and get paid $3600 a month while they attend medical school for free). Again, that is a brutally competitive program and even more competitive to get into a top med school. I therefore propose our parenting style worked.
This "helicopter parent" has put him in touch with my doctor customers that have helped him understand the politics of getting into the better medical colleges. Others on the forum take the approach of "let kids be kids". Never mind high school starts just one year away for the OP (9th grade). For those who say "let them be kids", I say perfect! I'd much rather compete with families using that laid back approach! Go ahead, wait until 11th grade until after your bed is made.
There really are helicopter parents out there. Then there are those who use the opposite approach and let their kids plow their course in life. I certainly didn't read that the OP was a "helicopter parent". She recognized that her son has a gift and she is trying to help him understand early how competitive it is and let him dream so that her son digs deeper to achieve his goals.
Also, to assume you cannot be a heavily involved athlete and take an engineering degree is completely false for the most talented students. Statistically it extremely rare. But I can promise you that there are over a hundred service academy D1, IC students that are also engineering students. But most talented students cannot hack that pace. But it can be done if you are on of the brightest, HEAVILY DETERMINED, and (verty important) grasp concepts fast. Back when I was in engineering classes 30 years ago, I needed to study my a_ss off to get a B in engineering classes while others got it almost immediately. There is a wide gap in engineering brain power.
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 11-04-2013 at 04:54 AM..
Some here are being a little hard on the OP. It's great to teach your kids that habits need to mature early in order to get into top programs. That includes getting A's in the arts and humanities; the reality is that B's are not good enough. Being in the top 99 percentile in math and science is wonderful but as others have mentioned, it may not be good enough in today's competitive programs / schools.
I put a bug in my kids ear early on to strive to out perform their top peers because doors open when you do. I discussed early on how brutally competitive it was to get into top colleges especially to get into dental or medical school. Those conversations started in 6th grade and still continue today even while they are in college to a far lesser degree.
I know some called me a "helicopter parent" behind my back. I'm o.k. with that. My DD is at dental school right now (3000 applicants for 150 spots) and my son is at a service academy (1000 spots for 14,000 applicants). My son wants to be a surgeon and his dream is to go to a top ranked med school. That rule is only 2% at a service academy student body will get the nod to go (and get paid $3600 a month while they attend medical school for free). Again, that is a brutally competitive program and even more competitive to get into a top med school. I therefore propose our parenting style worked.
This "helicopter parent" has put him in touch with my doctor customers that have helped him understand the politics of getting into the better medical colleges. Others on the forum take the approach of "let kids be kids". Never mind high school starts just one year away for the OP (9th grade). For those who say "let them be kids", I say perfect! I'd much rather compete with families using that laid back approach! Go ahead, wait until 11th grade until after your bed is made.
There really are helicopter parents out there. Then there are those who use the opposite approach and let their kids plow their course in life. I certainly didn't read that the OP was a "helicopter parent". She recognized that her son has a gift and she is trying to help him understand early how competitive it is and let him dream so that her son digs deeper to achieve his goals.
Thanks so much for the input... I prefer your style of parenting too! I guess we'll just be accused of helicoptering because of it.
The above bolded is truly how I feel - could not have said it better. I tell DS that, if his ultimate dream is to go to school/live/work/have a business in the ski mountains, he'll need the grades/classes/plan to get there. I did not realize this was "helicopter" thinking. I thought this was just the way parents help their kids set goals.
FWIW, my son is getting A's in all his Language Arts classes, but I am concerned about his natl. test results which have dropped in that area. His LA test scores have dropped to below 90%, while his Math has gone through the roof at 99%+. I do not know if this is typical (strong growth in one area, while another area drops). He says it's ok because he wants to be an engineer.. But he is starting to get the picture (this thread helps too).
Math comes easy for him, LA not as much. He is now in the midst of massive studying for Explore/ACT testing that is used for H.S. placement. He is really only studying for the LA portion as that is his weak area, particularly grammar. He has been working on grammar worksheets every night. His English teacher told me she will still recommend him for Honors Engl. based on his class performance, but he does not yet know this (I did not mention that conversation to him).
His Freshman schedule will likely look like this:
- Honors Algebra II
- Honors Chemistry
- Honors English
- Honors Global Studies
- Honors French II
- Pre-engineering elective (Project Lead the Way)
- Req. Arts elective (maybe a music course)
Help... My son wants to move out west and be a ski bum!
He has a life plan - attend a college out west (where he can ski), and then start a business at a location where he can ski. He wants to make good money and ski - that's about it... LOL. For awhile he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon (because he talked to one while riding up on a chair lift, and learned business is good for orthopedic surgeons in ski towns), but now he is leaning towards engineering and business.
He has identified some colleges he wants to look at. How would you rank/describe (academics, environment, student body, vibe, etc.) any of the following colleges which are on his list (because they have freestyle ski teams he could join)? Which have well-regarded engineering programs?
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Western State Colorado
- University of Southern California
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Irvine
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, San Diego
- California State, LA
- California State, Sacramento
- California State, Fresno
- California State, Fullerton
- California State, Long Beach
- California Polytechnic U
- San Diego State U
- College of Idaho
Some more background -
He is an honors/AP student with 3.5 (unweighted) GPA, and exceptionally strong at math. He currently competes nationally in freestyle skiing, in Slopestyle and SkiCross events. He is ranked nationally (USASA) and will be competing with his team at nationals in CO this winter.
I know next to nothing about western schools, so would appreciate any insights. Thanks!
**Also, do you think his skill/ranking in freestyle skiing (a relatively new club, non-NCAA sport - but it is an Olympic sport), would have any bearing on his admittance? And how would being an out-of-state student affect his admittance to some of these schools?
I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad and UC Davis for grad (both in Engineering) so I'll comment on those.
Berkeley
Academics: Highly competitive in the STEM fields.. workload may depend on class or professor but exams are generally tough and not that many people receive A's.
Environment: The immediate area near campus is pretty nice but some parts of Berkeley aren't so great (especially near Oakland.) I've never felt dangerous in any of the areas students frequent. Also, it can be quite expensive living here (esp for housing.)
Student Body: It's a big school and most students are from California.. which means a good number will still be hanging around their high school cliques. As an out of state student, it was a little tough but not impossible to make new friends, especially the first month.
Davis
Academics: A bit less competitive than Berkeley for sure.
Environment: It's in a safe rural/suburban community but with little to do on the weekends. However, the Bay Area is only about an hour away. It may be easier to have a car in Davis than Berkeley although biking will probably be your main mode of transportation.
Student Body: Similar to Berkeley.. most students are CA residents and tend to congregate with their high school friends if they also attend Davis.
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Don't you think if it were all about my plan, my proper "helicopter" college list would read MIT, CalTech, any Ivy, maybe even Big 10 engineering school, etc.... Not some western colleges I know nothing about.
But he is starting to get the picture (this thread helps too). 
