College Selection Process - Dear Lord I have one going off to school.

[MacroGuru]

Greetings,

Here I am, a parent of a junior in high school that isn't in any athletic programs but has academic lettered the last 2 years, looks like she will this year. She has a 3.8 GPA and has scored just over 1400 on her SAT. She has 2 AP classes complete and tests passed and will be taking 3 more AP classes next year.

It is now college recruitment time for the juniors. She is getting the letters from schools all over, I know some of them but I don't know all of them. A lot of them are offering scholarships a couple are full ride offers.

I am looking to see if anyone has had personal experiences or family that has with some of the following schools :

Baldwin Wallace
Hofstra
Drexler
Roanoke College
University of Vermont
University of Hartford
St. Lawrence University
Brown University
Quinnipac
Le Moyne (We have a friend that has graduated from here, she wasn't like jump up and down excited, just stated it's a decent education)

The one we have both loved so far is Roanoke, right now we are taking into account atmosphere, dedication to students and doing research on several majors in each school. Just wondering if anyone has had experiences at any of these.

[Marc Vaughan]

First off congrats to you on being an awesome parent and helping her get this far and to her on the undoubted hard work required to get the offers.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about those universities - but just to let you know you're not alone I went through this very thing with my daughter 2 years ago, she got accepted into some very nice Universities - but we ended up selecting Florida State on the basis that it was a solid University ... but also one which wouldn't bankrupt us (we were in state for it and because of that she qualified for some good scholarships etc.) ...

Haley has been there two years now and is loving it

[MrBug708]

Isnt the SAT out of 2400? My brother scored a 2310 a few years ago

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hope you don't mind if I throw a reverse question at you.

I've got a HS sophomore who is making his first round of official contacts, gathering info for the schools he's interested in, getting on their mailing lists, etc.

Did she visit any places on their sophomore days (or whatever name they used) and if so, how much value did you find in those events?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Isnt the SAT out of 2400? My brother scored a 2310 a few years ago

This

[henry296]

I assume the third one is Drexel which is located in Philadelphia and is an urban campus. It is a good engineering school located right next to the University of Pennsylvania.

One of the first things I would try to discover is does she want an urban or more traditional college setting.

[Izulde]

I've heard Drexler has quality academics but the campus is a total dump.

One of my favorite and brightest professors ever got their PhD from Brown.

The general sense I've gotten of Hofstra is that it's overpriced and not worth it. I've literally never even heard of Baldwin Wallace, and I consider myself to be fairly up on recognizing college names.

[Lathum]

I thought the SAT was 1600?

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I thought the SAT was 1600?

2400 now...

[Lathum]

Brown is an Ivy LEague school, a full ride there would be pretty sweet.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I thought the SAT was 1600?

Originally Posted by Breeze

2400 now...

well shit then.

Apparently there are also only 8 planets and now there are 5 oceans. I can't keep up with this shit.

[Logan]

The only one I know much about is Hofstra, as I had a couple friends go there from 01-05. I thought it was more of a commuter school? If that's still the case, I'd cross it off. Those friends don't have a particularly strong connection to the school, but could be an anomaly.

And unless the academics have changed over the past 10 years, isn't Hofstra several notches down below a place like Brown?

Does your daughter have a particular major in mind already, or is she pretty open? If she's considering a few, is it more along the lines of sciences/math/computers etc or liberal arts/business? If it's the latter, or she's open generally, my own advice would be not to put too much focus on the majors offered at each school as long as they're not extremely limited, as her goals could change once she gets there and takes some other classes.

The popular saying is that college is what you make of it, and I think it's really true. If you go to a solid school and do very well there, you'll do very well coming out. I learned a good amount about business/finance at Rutgers but I really feel like what got me several job offers out of school and what has led to success in my career almost 9 years in are the experiences I learned from the social aspects of college, both in the classroom (group projects, presenting, communication) and out.

[vex]

My copy of TCY says the SAT goes to 1600.

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: 1600 vs 2400

It's not uncommon to hear students (and others) still refer to the 2-part score instead of the 3-part score. Even nearly a decade after it's introduction, not all universities consider the writing portion of the exam (where the extra 800 points come from) and many of those who do give it less than full weight even if they look.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Isnt the SAT out of 2400? My brother scored a 2310 a few years ago

I think it is, I am probably missing the writing score on top of it. She doesn't live with me, but I am the one helping her move forward in the process.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hope you don't mind if I throw a reverse question at you.

I've got a HS sophomore who is making his first round of official contacts, gathering info for the schools he's interested in, getting on their mailing lists, etc.

Did she visit any places on their sophomore days (or whatever name they used) and if so, how much value did you find in those events?

We had a lot of SUNY schools and a few of the local private schools there, not a ton out of state. The schools websites have been great, and then the AP testing and PSAT / SAT testing results has been the breath of fresh air for us.

She basically said to send her results out to the schools in the DB based upon her major selections and they did that and then some.

The SUNY schools won't recruit, we in essence have to pick, apply and focus. Less scholarship $'s there but a heck of a lot lower tuition.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I've literally never even heard of Baldwin Wallace, and I consider myself to be fairly up on recognizing college names.

Baldwin Wallace is outside of Cleveland, haven't heard much about them, it's why I wanted to ask.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Brown is an Ivy LEague school, a full ride there would be pretty sweet.

Exactly, they aren't a full ride offer right now, so I am freaking about costs as this is one of the schools she is leaning towards.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Lathum

well shit then.

Apparently there are also only 8 planets and now there are 5 oceans. I can't keep up with this shit.

Wait? There's a 5th ocean now?

SI

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Logan

The only one I know much about is Hofstra, as I had a couple friends go there from 01-05. I thought it was more of a commuter school? If that's still the case, I'd cross it off. Those friends don't have a particularly strong connection to the school, but could be an anomaly.

And unless the academics have changed over the past 10 years, isn't Hofstra several notches down below a place like Brown?

Does your daughter have a particular major in mind already, or is she pretty open? If she's considering a few, is it more along the lines of sciences/math/computers etc or liberal arts/business? If it's the latter, or she's open generally, my own advice would be not to put too much focus on the majors offered at each school as long as they're not extremely limited, as her goals could change once she gets there and takes some other classes.

The popular saying is that college is what you make of it, and I think it's really true. If you go to a solid school and do very well there, you'll do very well coming out. I learned a good amount about business/finance at Rutgers but I really feel like what got me several job offers out of school and what has led to success in my career almost 9 years in are the experiences I learned from the social aspects of college, both in the classroom (group projects, presenting, communication) and out.

She is 17 and like a teenager all over the board..the two choices she is trying to decide between are Psychiatry and History (She is a lot like me and WAY into History and wouldn't mine being a History professor)

Money doesn't drive her right now, she has sat back and looked at how I have had my hills and valleys with finances over the years and realized she doesn't really want to chase the almighty $ but wants to be happy in what she does.

I think she enters into college as a History major and then branches off of there into something close related.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

First off congrats to you on being an awesome parent and helping her get this far and to her on the undoubted hard work required to get the offers.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about those universities - but just to let you know you're not alone I went through this very thing with my daughter 2 years ago, she got accepted into some very nice Universities - but we ended up selecting Florida State on the basis that it was a solid University ... but also one which wouldn't bankrupt us (we were in state for it and because of that she qualified for some good scholarships etc.) ...

Haley has been there two years now and is loving it

Thanks, there are a few state schools we are looking at. She isn't a big fan of the SUNY system and is looking at some of the private schools. Niagara University is on her list and chances are she can probably get the bulk of the schooling paid for.

She isn't scared to work while she goes to school as she is doing that right now while maintaining her scores.

[Izulde]

If she's even remotely considering a career in academia, run, don't walk, to Brown. If you don't have an Ivy League degree in your portfolio and you're in the humanities academic job market, you better have a hell of a lot publications, stellar networking, or both.

[molson]

Does she have any idea what she wants to study? Even as broadly as humanities v. sciences?

My first reaction was that there seemed to be a big gap between Brown and the rest, and that maybe she should be aiming a little higher, but I don't really know what a 3.8 and 1400 means for today's high school student.

[DaddyTorgo]

I think if her HS counselors (or whoever) feel that Brown is within her wheelhouse, then everything else on your list is a "safety school" from an academic standpoint. If Brown is a reach then I'd still say you could probably slot in some more academically-challenging schools in the "wheelhouse." There's a ton in NY/PA. What about like a Hamilton, Vassar, Gettyburg, Swarthmore, Skidmore?

If finances/getting scholarships is an important criterion though then obviously that will weigh into things.

[molson]

Schools can surprise you with how much they offer in financial aid. And elite schools are worth some debt (for her), especially if she has a career plan going in.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by Izulde

If she's even remotely considering a career in academia, run, don't walk, to Brown. If you don't have an Ivy League degree in your portfolio and you're in the humanities academic job market, you better have a hell of a lot publications, stellar networking, or both.

+1 My cousin is in the running for a 1 year post doc at Harvard and said it would basically cut the time in half for her to become a professor. Her Phd is in history or philosophy of science.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

but I don't really know what a 3.8 and 1400 means for today's high school student.

Best I can tell from beginning the process what either of those mean varies wildly.

For example, that's the average GPA of incoming freshmen at UGA this year. (actually 3.83). If her writing score was average (and added to the 1400) then it's also be right on the average SAT score for that class as well.

BUT ...

this fact seems to loom very large at a lot of places

More than 90% were in their school's "advanced" or "most difficult" curriculum

The GPA's are definitely looked at based on rigor at most schools these days.
It seems to matter no so much what your level was (AP vs IB vs Honors) but rather that you took as much of the toughest your HS had to offer, whatever that happened to be.

edit to add: UGA mentioned that roughly half of admitted freshman had a GPA above 4.00 ... while at the same time it's known that they take every grade & class description on your transcript, reduce it to core classes, and then apply their own formula to it to compute their own version of your "GPA". (which is the 3.83 mentioned above).

[nol]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Best I can tell from beginning the process what either of those mean varies wildly.

For example, that's the average GPA of incoming freshmen at UGA this year. (actually 3.83). If her writing score was average (and added to the 1400) then it's also be right on the average SAT score for that class as well.

I think you're looking at honors program students or early applicants. This one (The University of Georgia :: Undergraduate Admissions :: A Closer Look) puts a 2060 SAT at the 75th percentile for incoming freshmen.

Macroguru, I have a younger cousin who's a freshman at Drexel this year. She'll be doing computer science or engineering, so her experience might not be totally equivalent, but I'll get in touch with her. She's from Texas and seemed to have spent all of last year visiting schools ALL around the country, so there must have been something that really stood out about Drexel.

Everyone I know who went to Brown really loved it - the financial aid's quite good as well, if I remember correctly.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - no way the overall average freshman at UGA has a 3.83. That's got to be honors program.

[nol]

That one does say 3.83 for the average, but like Jon said, all colleges compute high school GPA their own way in an attempt to standardize it for applicants. Expect significant bonuses/added weight for AP classes.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Yeah - no way the overall average freshman at UGA has a 3.83. That's got to be honors program.

Umm ...

The University of Georgia :: Undergraduate Admissions :: First Year Class Profile

High School Core Grade Point Average
Middle 50% of All Enrolled First-Year Students: 3.77 - 4.05
Overall Average of All Enrolled First-Year Students: 3.83
Middle 50% of All Enrolled Honors Students: 3.96 - 4.21
Middle 50% of All Scholarship Students: 4.00 - 4.17

The "enrolled" distinction appears to be covering the 5,000 or so that began in August 2013. The numbers would likely go down when you include those who were deferred until the next semester. (the link shows SAT/ACT ranges for those "admitted", which would include everybody)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by nol

That one does say 3.83 for the average, but like Jon said, all colleges compute high school GPA their own way in an attempt to standardize it for applicants. Expect significant bonuses/added weight for AP classes.

That's actually somewhat backwards to what they're doing with it (as I understand it). They normalize the AP/IB stuff to account for differing bonuses applied by different high schools.

There are bonuses the university applies but they're often less than what the HS add (another of the grade inflation tricks that let's half or more of a class graduate with a GPA over 4.00)

[britrock88]

Wait, she's still a junior, right? So she's just figuring out where to apply? You need to do two things to start with.

1) Buy the US News catalog. Select a wide swath of schools in 3 categories --
a) schools where her 1400 2-part SAT score (congrats) put her above the 75th percentile... this is the scholarship-mining sector, and a possible home for some in-state schools
b) schools where that SAT score is within the 25/75 band... realistic admit shots at in-state, out-of-state, and private schools
c) schools where that score is still below the 25th (are there any for >1400s? this may not be relevant, in which case you expand the size of group b.)

2) Once you've picked a fair amount of schools, just get on the ground and visit as many as you can. Walk around and get a feel for the campus, the main strip off the edge of campus, the town/city it's in. Tour if you want to, but know you're getting their best pitch. I know that the opportunity to visit lines up with breaks when students tend not to be around colleges in numbers, but it'll do.

After that, once your daughter has a gut feel for some of the places she's interested in, start asking around and narrowing the list down to a number of schools where you're comfortable she'll get into a school she will be happy to attend and that won't bankrupt you.

This is an imperfect process. But in matching a child with a school, mere exposure (in visits, in applications) is one of the best things you can get. As for intended fields of study, it's probably unnecessary to consider that unless you're locked into going into a specialized program that isn't necessarily offered everywhere... that would tend to be specialized STEM majors, so your daughter's interest in psychiatry/history could be accommodated most anywhere.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by britrock88

As for intended fields of study, it's probably unnecessary to consider that unless you're locked into going into a specialized program that isn't necessarily offered everywhere... that would tend to be specialized STEM majors, so your daughter's interest in psychiatry/history could be accommodated most anywhere.

Yes, I'm going to mine this thread for any insight I can find, hopefully it won't get too annoying.

This is very different than the approach we're taking. While programs are widely available, their reputation/perception or even actual quality vary.

That in turn leads me to another factor that hasn't been mentioned yet (afaik): location/reputation as it relates to eventual job prospects. For a prospective history teacher/professor it seems to me that looking at the bios of those working in places she can see herself working someday is a worthwhile venture. We've found definite trends/patterns/preferences exist within even larger school systems, a hiring bias (or at least applicant bias) that leads to seeing the same alma maters listed on a given faculty.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

re: 1600 vs 2400

It's not uncommon to hear students (and others) still refer to the 2-part score instead of the 3-part score. Even nearly a decade after it's introduction, not all universities consider the writing portion of the exam (where the extra 800 points come from) and many of those who do give it less than full weight even if they look.

While this is correct, I think many students incorrectly disregard the Writing portion. I work as an SAT/ACT tutor and I've found that the Writing section is the easiest place to get a huge score increase once they know the essay structure and the grammar concepts that the SAT focuses on.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

While this is correct, I think many students incorrectly disregard the Writing portion. I work as an SAT/ACT tutor and I've found that the Writing section is the easiest place to get a huge score increase once they know the essay structure and the grammar concepts that the SAT focuses on.

The other thing worth mentioning here is how important due diligence is during the process. Know what the schools you're interested in do or don't require. Don't get caught off guard. If you happen to know that all of your choices that are well within reach don't look at the writing portion or use a holistic approach to admissions then it's less critical. If they're all weighting it on the high end then bear down.

[nol]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That's actually somewhat backwards to what they're doing with it (as I understand it). They normalize the AP/IB stuff to account for differing bonuses applied by different high schools.

There are bonuses the university applies but they're often less than what the HS add (another of the grade inflation tricks that let's half or more of a class graduate with a GPA over 4.00)

Yeah, same thing. I was just looking at it from the perspective of my backwards high school

Not only were all classes equally weighted, but an A+ was 4.33 while an A was 4.0. I was probably 5th/6th in my class while taking more APs than all the people above me combined. For class rank purposes, I couldn't keep up with people getting two automatic A pluses each semester for participating in band and choir, so it was nice to be one of the rare students whose GPA needed to be inflated rather than deflated for colleges.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by nol

I couldn't keep up with people getting two automatic A pluses each semester for participating in band and choir,

Ooh, another good point. Know what your prospective college strips out/retains from your load. Seems a lot of them remove all of those things from your GPA now (not sure, maybe they always have) and consider only core academic grades.

Extra-curriculars may be helpful on the application but they may not be included in the GPA the school uses to slot you academically.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Isnt the SAT out of 2400? My brother scored a 2310 a few years ago

Pretty much no school cares about the Writing score, it's just a two-part score of critical math and reading that we care about.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Greetings,

Here I am, a parent of a junior in high school that isn't in any athletic programs but has academic lettered the last 2 years, looks like she will this year. She has a 3.8 GPA and has scored just over 1400 on her SAT. She has 2 AP classes complete and tests passed and will be taking 3 more AP classes next year.

It is now college recruitment time for the juniors. She is getting the letters from schools all over, I know some of them but I don't know all of them. A lot of them are offering scholarships a couple are full ride offers.

I am looking to see if anyone has had personal experiences or family that has with some of the following schools :

Baldwin Wallace
Hofstra
Drexler
Roanoke College
University of Vermont
University of Hartford
St. Lawrence University
Brown University
Quinnipac
Le Moyne (We have a friend that has graduated from here, she wasn't like jump up and down excited, just stated it's a decent education)

The one we have both loved so far is Roanoke, right now we are taking into account atmosphere, dedication to students and doing research on several majors in each school. Just wondering if anyone has had experiences at any of these.

Nice list. Such a wide range of institutions there from Ivies to very good privates to you know, schools that aren't nearly as high on the list.

First thing is:

1) What does she want to major in? Comparing programs between schools is going to be a huge factor in your decision?

2) Does size of school matter to her?

3) How much does cost (excluding any financial aid packages?) matter?

3b) I ask this because if she falls in love with one school v. another and there's a difference in how much one offers versus another, will this be a determining factor or is it more about other factors? Decide this early on, so there are no surprises later.

4) Is she hoping/looking to apply early action/early decision? Decide this before the fall, so she can have a sense of when she's going to start getting applications together.

5) No one will really give you a recommendation now, but when the end of the year starts to get here, it might be a good idea to hit up her favorite teachers, mention she's applying to college early action and is going to work on most of this stuff this summer; so she'd like a recommendation. Waiting until the fall is the alternative, but you want to hit them up when they're not as stressed, because EVERYONE will be hitting them up for recs and both common app and institutional apps require at least one (some as many as 3) teacher recommendations, so doing this is important.

Not now, though. They'll be annoyed and think it's too soon. But in May or June, it's worth a shot.

6) My suggestion would be to take a look at that list and start to really refine your decision-making, because there are so many random schools there between middle-of-the-road private schools, that you'll want to her to decide what makes the most sense. RANKING LISTS REALLY DON'T MATTER, but what they do help you do is find similar schools that might fit with her particular interests and/or might be interested in offering her money.

For instance, if you're looking at Brown, consider Washington University in St. Louis or Emory or Carnegie Mellon as they attract the same kinds of students. Though with a 1400 and a 3.8, without a lot of extra curriculars, she's going to find schools aren't going to throw a truckload of money at her.

Being out of state and going to UVM (Vermont) isn't really that special, because almost everyone there is out of state and it's really, really expensive. Burlington is awesome and it's a good state school, but...if she's looking for a flagship state school, there are better choices (unless she just falls in love with the location)

I've noticed almost all but UVM on your list are private schools, too. Is that intentional? One of the things you'll find those kinds of credentials that she has, that a state school (does said daughter live in NY State?) especially in NY would probably throw money at her depending on her major because those are the kinds of students they'd love to get.

Looking at privates, even a full ride from a liberal arts college might seem to glisten, but you have to choose wisely because if she gets there and ends up not liking it, transferring you won't get anything close to the money (if anything) she got to go there.

That should get you started. I obviously have more...but hit up college fairs if you haven't and really expand your search, because I think it'd be good for her to see the melange of schools out there that would be interested and to give you a sense of the opportunities that are out there.

Admissions counselors can tell you far more about their newer offerings since they are there everyday living this stuff and then you can use the internet/print materials to augment and visit places you'd like to check out if you see something that works.

But with that academic profile, I can think of a few SUNYs that'd offer a full ride for sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm not the target or the OP, but thanks for doing that. It was a good checklist for us on our own process as well.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'm not the target or the OP, but thanks for doing that. It was a good checklist for us on our own process as well.

Happy to help. Still in higher ed, just left admissions a month ago. So happy to share my .02 especially while it's still semi-relevant and while I might be able to connect you all with people who could be useful at different schools around the country.

[MacroGuru]

Guys,

This is all amazing, I have been away since my earlier answers today and it looks like it is help Jon out as well. She will be with me on Sat or Sunday this weekend and we will go over this thread as well then. But I will be reading throughout the rest of the day / tonight and responding.

I truly appreciate all the help and advice.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by vex

My copy of TCY says the SAT goes to 1600.

Its so outdated though its likely wrong now.

[nol]

(I think that's the joke)

[Young Drachma]

Also, the essay/writing sample that the Common Application requires is really, really important. I mean, it can get you into places you wouldn't get into. It's the only part of the application that's from the student themselves. So don't use it as a chance to talk about your dead grandfather and how he inspired you or your cat Fluffy unless it's really going to help someone give context to your grades/experiences,etc.

Like the essay will get someone to advocate for you, especially if it's your first choice or whatever. So it's an opportunity to tug the heartstrings or inspire, depending on your approach.

But your best source of information is always going to be the admissions counselors. They're the ones reading the applications and with a student with a solid profile, they're going to be interested and so, letting them know you're out there simply doesn't hurt.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Wait, she's still a junior, right? So she's just figuring out where to apply? You need to do two things to start with.

1) Buy the US News catalog. Select a wide swath of schools in 3 categories --
a) schools where her 1400 2-part SAT score (congrats) put her above the 75th percentile... this is the scholarship-mining sector, and a possible home for some in-state schools
b) schools where that SAT score is within the 25/75 band... realistic admit shots at in-state, out-of-state, and private schools
c) schools where that score is still below the 25th (are there any for >1400s? this may not be relevant, in which case you expand the size of group b.)

2) Once you've picked a fair amount of schools, just get on the ground and visit as many as you can. Walk around and get a feel for the campus, the main strip off the edge of campus, the town/city it's in. Tour if you want to, but know you're getting their best pitch. I know that the opportunity to visit lines up with breaks when students tend not to be around colleges in numbers, but it'll do.

After that, once your daughter has a gut feel for some of the places she's interested in, start asking around and narrowing the list down to a number of schools where you're comfortable she'll get into a school she will be happy to attend and that won't bankrupt you.

This is an imperfect process. But in matching a child with a school, mere exposure (in visits, in applications) is one of the best things you can get. As for intended fields of study, it's probably unnecessary to consider that unless you're locked into going into a specialized program that isn't necessarily offered everywhere... that would tend to be specialized STEM majors, so your daughter's interest in psychiatry/history could be accommodated most anywhere.

Thank you for this...we will definitely look into this.

[MacroGuru]

1) What does she want to major in? Comparing programs between schools is going to be a huge factor in your decision?

Right now, she is looking at psychiatry or history

2) Does size of school matter to her?

not really

3) How much does cost (excluding any financial aid packages?) matter?

We are definitely cost conscious outside of the financial aid packages but she is willing to work and I am willing to put forth some $ if we have to.

3b) I ask this because if she falls in love with one school v. another and there's a difference in how much one offers versus another, will this be a determining factor or is it more about other factors? Decide this early on, so there are no surprises later.

If she falls in love with a school it will be that school, I know how she is.

4) Is she hoping/looking to apply early action/early decision? Decide this before the fall, so she can have a sense of when she's going to start getting applications together.

Not necessarily, she could graduate early but I think she wants to make a decision as to who to apply to early. I know she could graduate in December if she wants to.

5) No one will really give you a recommendation now, but when the end of the year starts to get here, it might be a good idea to hit up her favorite teachers, mention she's applying to college early action and is going to work on most of this stuff this summer; so she'd like a recommendation. Waiting until the fall is the alternative, but you want to hit them up when they're not as stressed, because EVERYONE will be hitting them up for recs and both common app and institutional apps require at least one (some as many as 3) teacher recommendations, so doing this is important.

She already has her 3 letters of recommendation (AP Psych teacher, AP Spanish Teacher, AP Euro Teacher). Her ELA teacher is writing one as well.

6) My suggestion would be to take a look at that list and start to really refine your decision-making, because there are so many random schools there between middle-of-the-road private schools, that you'll want to her to decide what makes the most sense. RANKING LISTS REALLY DON'T MATTER, but what they do help you do is find similar schools that might fit with her particular interests and/or might be interested in offering her money.

I knew I forgot a school. Washington University in St. Louis was one of the first schools to reach out to her and they have been hitting her up quite hard. She met with an admissions counselor there last month.

SUNY schools won't recruit, they require you to submit to them, then the financial aid will go through. I think that is why you see more private schools on that list right now.

These are the schools that are offering some form of scholarship to her. One thing I failed to mention is she is in a couple of clubs, was just invited to join the NHS which she is doing and will be volunteering at a local hospital.

This kid is dedicated to get to school, dedicated to get it paid for and she is working her ass off at it. I am extremely proud of her for that.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by nol

Yeah, same thing. I was just looking at it from the perspective of my backwards high school

Not only were all classes equally weighted, but an A+ was 4.33 while an A was 4.0. I was probably 5th/6th in my class while taking more APs than all the people above me combined. For class rank purposes, I couldn't keep up with people getting two automatic A pluses each semester for participating in band and choir, so it was nice to be one of the rare students whose GPA needed to be inflated rather than deflated for colleges.

Yeah - I suppose the whole "GPA calculation" has changed since I was in HS.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I thought the SAT was 1600?

LOLOld

They changed that when I was still living in CA, so 5+ years ago.