College Admissions Questions (2 Viewers)

[Oracle]

As I said, have her focus on the research topics and the personality of the professors whose topics she's interested in. For a PhD in the hard sciences you're selecting a professor and research topic area as much as you are selecting a university. She'll be working with her advisor for the next 4-6 years so that relationship is critical. Once she has a short list, she should ask for descriptions of the upcoming research topics she'd likely work on and the name of at least 1 current PhD student, preferably one that came directly from undergrad and not from industry, and one that has 3 or more years in the program. Then she should set up a phone call with that student to understand the program and professor and what the lab is like. She should ask that student for the name of another student or try to find one on FB or LinkedIn. Getting multiple perspectives about a potential advisor is crucial. Picking a good one that is supportive and not terrible might be the most important aspect of doing a PhD in the hard sciences. The other is staying motivated on the topic area throughout the 4-6 years of work that lie ahead. Lots of life to be had and learned between 22 and 27.

You have been immensely helpful. I have copied your posts and texted them to her. She was very excited to have such a well thought out/helpful advice. Thank you!

Update…

“Massachusetts Institute of Technology




April 12, 2023
Dear Piper,

This letter is to confirm that we have received your acceptance regarding our offer of admission. Congratulations on your admission! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Best,
MIT Graduate Admissions”

She was initially somewhat intimidated by the professors she wants to work with as one is currently on the space station and the other is a MacArthur grant recipient.

Congrats! Which department?

Department of Chemistry

Although she is eligible to take classes in other disciplines/may take classes in other disciplines through the interdisciplinary doctoral program. She has mentioned interest in AI/ machine learning.

Dear Piper,

I am writing to congratulate you on your success in gaining admission
to the graduate program in MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

We were happy to learn of your interest in the Program in Polymers
and Soft Matter (PPSM) which is MIT's interdisciplinary doctoral
program in soft matter that involves the teaching and research activities
of more than thirty faculty members across the Institute. Five
departments (Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Materials Science and Engineering, Biological Engineering, and
Chemistry) cede to PPM faculty the responsibility of qualifying
carefully-selected students for doctoral candidacy. These qualifying examinations, both oral and written, are given in May of each year,and they are based on the core PPSM curriculum comprising foundational subjects in soft matter, polymer science and engineering
This interdisciplinary path to doctoral candidacy provides an
opportunity for immediate graduate-level focus on polymers and soft
matter for those students who have developed an interest in the field in
their undergraduate years. Disciplinary overlap with the curricular
experience of graduate students in the home department (in your case
Chemistry) is obtained in the second year of residence in PPSM
through the department-centered minor requirement. More details
appear on the PPM website [http://polymerscience.mit.edu].

I am the current faculty director of PPSM, and among my
responsibilities is the oversight of the PPM review of folders of
accepted students who have expressed interest in the Program. I am
very pleased to inform you that this review process is now complete
and that you are now accepted into PPSM. For planning purposes,
please contact Gregory Sands by email (gsands@mit.edu) by Friday
April 14'* to accept or decline the offer to join the program this fall.

Congratulations again on your outstanding record of accomplishment at
Virginia Tech, and on your success in the highly competitive MIT
graduate admissions process. I will look forward to the possibility
of welcoming you to MIT for this new chapter in your academic
journey in the Fall.

 

[((Morpheus))]

As I said, have her focus on the research topics and the personality of the professors whose topics she's interested in. For a PhD in the hard sciences you're selecting a professor and research topic area as much as you are selecting a university. She'll be working with her advisor for the next 4-6 years so that relationship is critical. Once she has a short list, she should ask for descriptions of the upcoming research topics she'd likely work on and the name of at least 1 current PhD student, preferably one that came directly from undergrad and not from industry, and one that has 3 or more years in the program. Then she should set up a phone call with that student to understand the program and professor and what the lab is like. She should ask that student for the name of another student or try to find one on FB or LinkedIn. Getting multiple perspectives about a potential advisor is crucial. Picking a good one that is supportive and not terrible might be the most important aspect of doing a PhD in the hard sciences. The other is staying motivated on the topic area throughout the 4-6 years of work that lie ahead. Lots of life to be had and learned between 22 and 27.

You have been immensely helpful. I have copied your posts and texted them to her. She was very excited to have such a well thought out/helpful advice. Thank you!

Update…

“Massachusetts Institute of Technology




April 12, 2023
Dear Piper,

This letter is to confirm that we have received your acceptance regarding our offer of admission. Congratulations on your admission! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Best,
MIT Graduate Admissions”

She was initially somewhat intimidated by the professors she wants to work with as one is currently on the space station and the other is a MacArthur grant recipient.

Congrats! Which department?

Department of Chemistry

Although she is eligible to take classes in other disciplines/may take classes in other disciplines through the interdisciplinary doctoral program. She has mentioned interest in AI/ machine learning.

Dear Piper,

I am writing to congratulate you on your success in gaining admission
to the graduate program in MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

We were happy to learn of your interest in the Program in Polymers
and Soft Matter (PPSM) which is MIT's interdisciplinary doctoral
program in soft matter that involves the teaching and research activities
of more than thirty faculty members across the Institute. Five
departments (Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Materials Science and Engineering, Biological Engineering, and
Chemistry) cede to PPM faculty the responsibility of qualifying
carefully-selected students for doctoral candidacy. These qualifying examinations, both oral and written, are given in May of each year,and they are based on the core PPSM curriculum comprising foundational subjects in soft matter, polymer science and engineering
This interdisciplinary path to doctoral candidacy provides an
opportunity for immediate graduate-level focus on polymers and soft
matter for those students who have developed an interest in the field in
their undergraduate years. Disciplinary overlap with the curricular
experience of graduate students in the home department (in your case
Chemistry) is obtained in the second year of residence in PPSM
through the department-centered minor requirement. More details
appear on the PPM website [http://polymerscience.mit.edu].

I am the current faculty director of PPSM, and among my
responsibilities is the oversight of the PPM review of folders of
accepted students who have expressed interest in the Program. I am
very pleased to inform you that this review process is now complete
and that you are now accepted into PPSM. For planning purposes,
please contact Gregory Sands by email (gsands@mit.edu) by Friday
April 14'* to accept or decline the offer to join the program this fall.

Congratulations again on your outstanding record of accomplishment at
Virginia Tech, and on your success in the highly competitive MIT
graduate admissions process. I will look forward to the possibility
of welcoming you to MIT for this new chapter in your academic
journey in the Fall.

Very cool

Alas, I don't recognize any of the PPSM faculty (I'm getting old and the only Chemistry class I took was with Prof. Sadoway) but the program looks awesome. You should both be very proud.

 

[The Z Machine]

Very cool @Oracle.

I have an undergrad degree in Materials Science, so it's neat to see where they are pushing that these days.

 

[Oracle]

As I said, have her focus on the research topics and the personality of the professors whose topics she's interested in. For a PhD in the hard sciences you're selecting a professor and research topic area as much as you are selecting a university. She'll be working with her advisor for the next 4-6 years so that relationship is critical. Once she has a short list, she should ask for descriptions of the upcoming research topics she'd likely work on and the name of at least 1 current PhD student, preferably one that came directly from undergrad and not from industry, and one that has 3 or more years in the program. Then she should set up a phone call with that student to understand the program and professor and what the lab is like. She should ask that student for the name of another student or try to find one on FB or LinkedIn. Getting multiple perspectives about a potential advisor is crucial. Picking a good one that is supportive and not terrible might be the most important aspect of doing a PhD in the hard sciences. The other is staying motivated on the topic area throughout the 4-6 years of work that lie ahead. Lots of life to be had and learned between 22 and 27.

You have been immensely helpful. I have copied your posts and texted them to her. She was very excited to have such a well thought out/helpful advice. Thank you!

Update…

“Massachusetts Institute of Technology




April 12, 2023
Dear Piper,

This letter is to confirm that we have received your acceptance regarding our offer of admission. Congratulations on your admission! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Best,
MIT Graduate Admissions”

She was initially somewhat intimidated by the professors she wants to work with as one is currently on the space station and the other is a MacArthur grant recipient.

Congrats! Which department?

Department of Chemistry

Although she is eligible to take classes in other disciplines/may take classes in other disciplines through the interdisciplinary doctoral program. She has mentioned interest in AI/ machine learning.

Dear Piper,

I am writing to congratulate you on your success in gaining admission
to the graduate program in MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

We were happy to learn of your interest in the Program in Polymers
and Soft Matter (PPSM) which is MIT's interdisciplinary doctoral
program in soft matter that involves the teaching and research activities
of more than thirty faculty members across the Institute. Five
departments (Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Materials Science and Engineering, Biological Engineering, and
Chemistry) cede to PPM faculty the responsibility of qualifying
carefully-selected students for doctoral candidacy. These qualifying examinations, both oral and written, are given in May of each year,and they are based on the core PPSM curriculum comprising foundational subjects in soft matter, polymer science and engineering
This interdisciplinary path to doctoral candidacy provides an
opportunity for immediate graduate-level focus on polymers and soft
matter for those students who have developed an interest in the field in
their undergraduate years. Disciplinary overlap with the curricular
experience of graduate students in the home department (in your case
Chemistry) is obtained in the second year of residence in PPSM
through the department-centered minor requirement. More details
appear on the PPM website [http://polymerscience.mit.edu].

I am the current faculty director of PPSM, and among my
responsibilities is the oversight of the PPM review of folders of
accepted students who have expressed interest in the Program. I am
very pleased to inform you that this review process is now complete
and that you are now accepted into PPSM. For planning purposes,
please contact Gregory Sands by email (gsands@mit.edu) by Friday
April 14'* to accept or decline the offer to join the program this fall.

Congratulations again on your outstanding record of accomplishment at
Virginia Tech, and on your success in the highly competitive MIT
graduate admissions process. I will look forward to the possibility
of welcoming you to MIT for this new chapter in your academic
journey in the Fall.

Very cool

Alas, I don't recognize any of the PPSM faculty (I'm getting old and the only Chemistry class I took was with Prof. Sadoway) but the program looks awesome. You should both be very proud.

I think she will be working with Jeremiah A. Johnson.

 

[chet]

Dear Piper,

I am writing to congratulate you on your success in gaining admission
to the graduate program in MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

Awesome offer for your daughter but I am more than a little surprised to see the above from MIT.

 

[Oracle]

…MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

Awesome offer for your daughter but I am more than a little surprised to see the above from MIT.

Nah…that’s on me. I did not delete the script arrow when copying/pasting. ” Interdepartment” is supposed to be “interdepartmental“ as well…

 

[NutterButter]

Wanted to get the advice of the ffa here. Daughter wants to go to out of state school A. Its an ok school, but certainly would be considered a very safe school for her based on their credentials . We travel up to that state frequently for outdoor activities and she's gone to camp there (as a camper and now a counselor this year for the entire summer) so she has friends that will be going to that school. She just enjoys the more laid back, outdoorsy vibe that the state and school offers. Then there's school B which is our state school. She's not thrilled with the idea of going there, but its a better school and almost half the cost (62k vs 32k). I have no problem paying the higher cost. I've saved up for it and its actually lower than the worst case I was planning for. But at this stage of my life, I've become very value driven in my personal finances so the idea of paying $120K more for what appears to be an inferior product is not something I'd ever consider personally. I'd rather her just save that money and use it later in life for another big purchase where she'd get a much higher ROI, ie grad school or a home purchase. As far as the college experience itself, I feel that my daughter will have a memorable one no matter where she goes as she's just that type of person; my youngest daughter is another story. I still want her to make this decision for herself and to feel ownership of it, but the two choices I think I'm facing is to let her follow her heart to school A or to try to gently persuade her to school B. WWYD?

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Offer her a car if she goes to the cheaper school? Will cost you a bit but not nearly as much as the cost savings you get from getting her to go there.

She needs to understand the value of money at some point also.

 

[pmedina]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

 

[pmedina]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

Two weeks in and he loves it there so far

 

[NutterButter]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

 

[pmedina]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

University of Nebraska (After the academic scholarship they offered him that even covers half room and board). Other schools were full pay.

 

[pmedina]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

Funny my preference was the higher ranked schools. I felt (and still do to some degree) tremendous guilt that he didn’t go to the better school when we could “afford” it.

 

[NutterButter]

Offer her a car if she goes to the cheaper school? Will cost you a bit but not nearly as much as the cost savings you get from getting her to go there.

She needs to understand the value of money at some point also.

I'd probably wind up getting stuck with the car cost and the higher priced school. The car discussion is a separate thing. I told her I'd give her X dollars already. She can choose whatever car she wants, but its up to her and her mother to come up with the difference. I'm divorced btw so its usually her and her mother making these decisions with me finding out after the fact. College is such a huge cost with long term consequences for her that I need to inject myself in the conversation more than normal.

 

[NutterButter]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

Funny my preference was the higher ranked schools. I felt (and still do to some degree) tremendous guilt that he didn’t go to the better school when we could “afford” it.

Gotcha. Same here actually. There is a pretty prestigious school in the mix that's gonna be her early decision. If she gets into that, then this discussion is all moot. But like you said, there are financial implications down the road. Having a nice chunk of money waiting for you down the road gives you some options career wise if you decide to go down a less lucrative path.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'd appreciate if folks could share what kind of loan terms they are getting this fall and which programs are best for parents. My son was only able to borrow about $4,500 for the year ($2,700 per semester). This was probably the biggest shock for us in comparison to when we went to college - it seems the student can no longer borrow much if anything, even with a parent co-sign. I am planning to fund his first year through our savings, his 529 and maybe some borrowing on my HELOC, but would like to know what kind of interest/payment terms are market.

thanks dudes

 

[dschuler]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

Funny my preference was the higher ranked schools. I felt (and still do to some degree) tremendous guilt that he didn’t go to the better school when we could “afford” it.

Gotcha. Same here actually. There is a pretty prestigious school in the mix that's gonna be her early decision. If she gets into that, then this discussion is all moot. But like you said, there are financial implications down the road. Having a nice chunk of money waiting for you down the road gives you some options career wise if you decide to go down a less lucrative path.

How much of a better school do you actually think will benefit her in getting the job she desires vs the other school?
Sounds like both colleges are fairly recognized and accredited based on the price. With a few exceptions, it seems like the importance of an elite school is a boomer mentality that’s losing its relevance throughout the 21st century. Also recognize her education will probably pick up again later in pursuit of a masters or doctorate and she will have some experience and knowledge of where she would want to attend.

If you think there is a significant chance she would have a better chance of graduating from one vs the other through external factors (environment, friends, family, culture, lifestyle) I would recommend considering that more heavily than one school being perceived to be more prestigious than another. Anyways just wanted to share my perspective as someone who counsels young adults entering the job force every month, although someone could have a completely different opinion. Good luck.

 

[El Floppo]

Floppinho took the SAT last week right before his junior year is about to start. We're all hoping, but not expecting, a one and done for him so he can chill about that part of things and focus on the rest. I think we find out this week. Digits crossed.

 

[belljr]

Floppinho took the SAT last week right before his junior year is about to start. We're all hoping, but not expecting, a one and done for him so he can chill about that part of things and focus on the rest. I think we find out this week. Digits crossed.

My daughter far exceeded what I thought she was going to get so she took it again to try and cross the next thresh hold. She didn't but that is the only reason we tried again

 

[Nick Vermeil]

…MIT's Department of Chemistry, and to ad
my congratulations on your admission to the interdepartment
Program in Polymers and Soft Matter.

Awesome offer for your daughter but I am more than a little surprised to see the above from MIT.

Nah…that’s on me. I did not delete the script arrow when copying/pasting. ” Interdepartment” is supposed to be “interdepartmental“ as well…

Whew. I was thinking you maybe meant the Montana Institute of Taxidermy.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

Whew. I was thinking you maybe meant the Montana Institute of Taxidermy.

Years ago I had to spend some time at an electronics plant in Mexico. On your way there you passed the Instituto Tecnologico de Matamoros. Lots of MIT jokes ensued among us gringos.

 

[NutterButter]

We had a similar decision. What I did was lay everything on the table. School A would cost 320-360 and school B 15 (yes, over 300k difference).

Overall, schools A were much higher ranked, but school B admitted him to a special program with similar outcomes.

I let him know I’d support either school (I would not let him apply to a school that I wouldn’t support), but the finiancial implications down the road (down payment help, inheritance, etc). He chose B on his own and said it’d be silly to pay that much for undergrad .

At least in your case, school A was higher ranked although that is a crazy price difference. I wouldn't have an issue if I at least felt we were getting something from the higher cost. Glad you got your preference in the end. Out of curiosity, what school is 15 total when room and board alone is 60 from what I've seen?

Funny my preference was the higher ranked schools. I felt (and still do to some degree) tremendous guilt that he didn’t go to the better school when we could “afford” it.

Gotcha. Same here actually. There is a pretty prestigious school in the mix that's gonna be her early decision. If she gets into that, then this discussion is all moot. But like you said, there are financial implications down the road. Having a nice chunk of money waiting for you down the road gives you some options career wise if you decide to go down a less lucrative path.

How much of a better school do you actually think will benefit her in getting the job she desires vs the other school?
Sounds like both colleges are fairly recognized and accredited based on the price. With a few exceptions, it seems like the importance of an elite school is a boomer mentality that’s losing its relevance throughout the 21st century. Also recognize her education will probably pick up again later in pursuit of a masters or doctorate and she will have some experience and knowledge of where she would want to attend.

If you think there is a significant chance she would have a better chance of graduating from one vs the other through external factors (environment, friends, family, culture, lifestyle) I would recommend considering that more heavily than one school being perceived to be more prestigious than another. Anyways just wanted to share my perspective as someone who counsels young adults entering the job force every month, although someone could have a completely different opinion. Good luck.

Thank you for your insight. Personally, I'd rather her just go to the state school. I might even feel worse about the early decision school compared to the mid priced out of state school. Its a pretty good state school and I think she'd get a lot more bang for her buck putting the difference (when comparing to the early decision school would be closer to $200k ) to a prestigious graduate program. The impression I get is that's the more lucrative approach. I don't think she'll have a problem graduating from any of them.

 

[soothsayer]

Am sure this has been covered, but I have been reading about changes to the FAFSA and the EFC. In fall of 2024 I will have a Junior and a Freshman in college - these changes crush me, right?

Well, I should probably be honest about what is crushing me. My 2024 this week will be visiting Point Loma, Biola and Azusa Pacific in SoCal. And he's going to be comparing those to Regis University in Denver. He isn't exactly looking at inexpensive schools. Thankfully there will be some academic and athletic money but still.

 

[belljr]

Am sure this has been covered, but I have been reading about changes to the FAFSA and the EFC. In fall of 2024 I will have a Junior and a Freshman in college - these changes crush me, right?

Well, I should probably be honest about what is crushing me. My 2024 this week will be visiting Point Loma, Biola and Azusa Pacific in SoCal. And he's going to be comparing those to Regis University in Denver. He isn't exactly looking at inexpensive schools. Thankfully there will be some academic and athletic money but still.

Could you be more specific? EFC?

 

[soothsayer]

Could you be more specific? EFC?

EFC - Expected Financial Contribution. The summary I read pointed out two specific things:
1 - That having multiple kids in school at the same time will no longer split the EFC in half (how much we're expected to pay for each kid).
2 - That the way assets are viewed is changing in a way that does not favor the student/family - that assets are generally considered liquid (even if they aren't).

It also seems the FAFSA won't be available until December this year.

"When will the new FAFSA be available? The redesigned FAFSA is expected to launch in December 2023 for the 2024-25 academic year — a delay from the typical Oct. 1 release date. You can still submit the 2023-24 FAFSA until June 30, 2024."

When Is the 2023-24 FAFSA Deadline? - NerdWallet

FAFSA typically opens Oct. 1 each year for college students to apply for financial aid for the next school year. You have until June 30 the next year to submit.

www.nerdwallet.com

 

[belljr]

i only fill it out so my kid can get a loan but that does stink

 

[El Floppo]

16 yo, HS Jr floppinho just got the SAT score he's been hoping for... Very proud of him. All done with that!

 

[belljr]

16 yo, HS Jr floppinho just got the SAT score he's been hoping for... Very proud of him. All done with that!

Belljr was 20 points away from a level so she took them one more time. Didn't help lol

 

[El Floppo]

16 yo, HS Jr floppinho just got the SAT score he's been hoping for... Very proud of him. All done with that!

Belljr was 20 points away from a level so she took them one more time. Didn't help lol

Lol... I took it 3 times- decent first time, 20 points less the next. I got hammered the night before my 3rd and last attempt..crawled into that thing in agony but ended up 30 points higher than the 1st time. So I told flopoinho to approach this as hungover as humanly possible. You might advise Belljr the same. Lol.

As a Jr, I imagined him taking it a few more times, even into Sr year. He was 30 points under his target when he took it over the summer (with a couple boneheaded oops didn't read the question issues) but ended up 30 points over target this last time. To his credit, the kid actually prepared well- worked hard doing practice tests and learning different approaches. Very very proud that his work paid off and that he has one less thing to deal with.

 

[Battersbox]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

 

[El Floppo]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

 

[belljr]

16 yo, HS Jr floppinho just got the SAT score he's been hoping for... Very proud of him. All done with that!

Belljr was 20 points away from a level so she took them one more time. Didn't help lol

Lol... I took it 3 times- decent first time, 20 points less the next. I got hammered the night before my 3rd and last attempt..crawled into that thing in agony but ended up 30 points higher than the 1st time. So I told flopoinho to approach this as hungover as humanly possible. You might advise Belljr the same. Lol.

As a Jr, I imagined him taking it a few more times, even into Sr year. He was 30 points under his target when he took it over the summer (with a couple boneheaded oops didn't read the question issues) but ended up 30 points over target this last time. To his credit, the kid actually prepared well- worked hard doing practice tests and learning different approaches. Very very proud that his work paid off and that he has one less thing to deal with.

She's already in college. we almost didn't take it a second time because she did so much better than expected her first time. Both junior year ..... Not a brag or what did you get ask but she was at 1380 and wanted 1400 bad!!! Then when she did worse she was like I'm good she actually studied for it the second time smh lol

 

[El Floppo]

16 yo, HS Jr floppinho just got the SAT score he's been hoping for... Very proud of him. All done with that!

Belljr was 20 points away from a level so she took them one more time. Didn't help lol

Lol... I took it 3 times- decent first time, 20 points less the next. I got hammered the night before my 3rd and last attempt..crawled into that thing in agony but ended up 30 points higher than the 1st time. So I told flopoinho to approach this as hungover as humanly possible. You might advise Belljr the same. Lol.

As a Jr, I imagined him taking it a few more times, even into Sr year. He was 30 points under his target when he took it over the summer (with a couple boneheaded oops didn't read the question issues) but ended up 30 points over target this last time. To his credit, the kid actually prepared well- worked hard doing practice tests and learning different approaches. Very very proud that his work paid off and that he has one less thing to deal with.

She's already in college. we almost didn't take it a second time because she did so much better than expected her first time. Both junior year ..... Not a brag or what did you get ask but she was at 1380 and wanted 1400 bad!!! Then when she did worse she was like I'm good she actually studied for it the second time smh lol

I'm telling you... Hungover is the key.

 

[Battersbox]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

 

[scorchy]

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

Not sure where you live, but I've had a few friends' kids get an in-state rate for South Carolina as part of the academic common market program. They just needed to pick a major that wasn't offered at a public school in Maryland (and of course get accepted to SC).

Southern Regional Education Common Market

 

[El Floppo]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

Your son sounds amazing! What kind of music is he making or interested in making?

And thanks for the school description- sounds like a cool program. I'll pass it on to my kid for next year.

 

[Battersbox]

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

Not sure where you live, but I've had a few friends' kids get an in-state rate for South Carolina as part of the academic common market program. They just needed to pick a major that wasn't offered at a public school in Maryland (and of course get accepted to SC).

Southern Regional Education Common Market

We're in Illinois, so likely not eligible for that. But thanks GB

 

[Battersbox]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

Your son sounds amazing! What kind of music is he making or interested in making?

And thanks for the school description- sounds like a cool program. I'll pass it on to my kid for next year.

Thanks for the kind words.

He currently is mostly into rap, somewhat to my chagrin. I'm not a hater of rap, but I feel it limits him vocally. He is self-taught with a guitar and piano, though he's not super proficient in either. He can do enough to create his own riffs for his music, and I think that's enough for him. He has an impressive enough range (to my untrained ear) to record several takes and overlay himself to create harmonies via the software he uses on his pc. He has his own spotify channel and a you tube with a fair amount of subscribers which he started a few years ago when he was 14 or 15. Many of his lyrics tend to shade toward the R-rated category, which is unsurprising considering the music that influences him most is contemporary rap. Again, that's fine but it's kinda hard to show grandma his newest creations when he's spitting rhymes about...well you get it.

He has done musical theater in high school and my biased opinion is that he's great, but he says he likely won't pursue that at the next level.

Thanks for the question. What type of music would your kid want to pursue?

 

[Lehigh98]

I've been following this thread for a while and I'm now square in the middle of it. My son is a senior and pretty laid back, low key, does pretty well in school, participates in some activities for fun but not really driven to excel (track - hurdles, chess club, NHS, etc). We started looking around at schools a year or so ago and he has not really fallen in love with any in particular.

He's shown an interest in science and chemistry in particular. We asked if he wanted to be a chemical engineer like his mom but he was more interested in the science / health / medical side. We pretty much forced him (he went along eventually) to do a weeklong biomedical science camp on campus at a small local school where he also stayed in a dorm room. The idea was to see if he could see that as a potential major (or rule it out) and also to get a little experience in a college environment. He said he liked it enough to list it as a major (will probably be something like "Biotech")

We've tried to get him to investigate other schools more but since they're not too far away and tuition is less expensive, he said he's cool with PSU and Pitt so we applied to those right away. He's already accepted at Pitt with their rolling admissions (me and my wife saw in the student portal, but I don't think he even realizes yet). We were also looking at Ohio State because it's another R1 research school that looks like it has a good BioChem program and it's not super far and it looks like they also have some automatic merit-based aid (although details not listed like Alabama, etc). At this point I should mention, he went to a pretty big high school and has preferred larger schools to smaller ones in our visits.

He's "fine" with and would probably end up at one of the above so I don't know whether to even bother to have him look at / apply to other schools. I feel like we should at least apply to a couple of "stretch" schools but not sure if that just muddies the waters with other more expensive options that he's not even considering at the moment.

What would you guys recommend at this point? Still apply / visit some "stretch schools" in his area of (career and geographical) interest? UPenn? Johns Hopkins? Other ideas? Don't force it and just be happy that he's happy with a state school?

I personally just don't want him to miss out on opportunities that he doesn't even know are there at this point. For me, first in my family to go to college, I just went to a nearby engineering school (can you guess which one?) without looking much further than about 2-3 hours away. Then I went to visit my little brother at USC and met a couple actresses at his fraternity party and was like, "holy ####, I didn't realize schools could be like this!" So I want him to investigate more but don't want to bring in any unnecessary stress.

Yeah, I'm a little bit all over the place, what do you guys think?

 

[Battersbox]

I've been following this thread for a while and I'm now square in the middle of it. My son is a senior and pretty laid back, low key, does pretty well in school, participates in some activities for fun but not really driven to excel (track - hurdles, chess club, NHS, etc). We started looking around at schools a year or so ago and he has not really fallen in love with any in particular.

He's shown an interest in science and chemistry in particular. We asked if he wanted to be a chemical engineer like his mom but he was more interested in the science / health / medical side. We pretty much forced him (he went along eventually) to do a weeklong biomedical science camp on campus at a small local school where he also stayed in a dorm room. The idea was to see if he could see that as a potential major (or rule it out) and also to get a little experience in a college environment. He said he liked it enough to list it as a major (will probably be something like "Biotech")

We've tried to get him to investigate other schools more but since they're not too far away and tuition is less expensive, he said he's cool with PSU and Pitt so we applied to those right away. He's already accepted at Pitt with their rolling admissions (me and my wife saw in the student portal, but I don't think he even realizes yet). We were also looking at Ohio State because it's another R1 research school that looks like it has a good BioChem program and it's not super far and it looks like they also have some automatic merit-based aid (although details not listed like Alabama, etc). At this point I should mention, he went to a pretty big high school and has preferred larger schools to smaller ones in our visits.

He's "fine" with and would probably end up at one of the above so I don't know whether to even bother to have him look at / apply to other schools. I feel like we should at least apply to a couple of "stretch" schools but not sure if that just muddies the waters with other more expensive options that he's not even considering at the moment.

What would you guys recommend at this point? Still apply / visit some "stretch schools" in his area of (career and geographical) interest? UPenn? Johns Hopkins? Other ideas? Don't force it and just be happy that he's happy with a state school?

I personally just don't want him to miss out on opportunities that he doesn't even know are there at this point. For me, first in my family to go to college, I just went to a nearby engineering school (can you guess which one?) without looking much further than about 2-3 hours away. Then I went to visit my little brother at USC and met a couple actresses at his fraternity party and was like, "holy ####, I didn't realize schools could be like this!" So I want him to investigate more but don't want to bring in any unnecessary stress.

Yeah, I'm a little bit all over the place, what do you guys think?

I'm no expert, but there are certainly many people in here who appear to be well versed in this arena. What I will say is I relate to you regarding your son's ambivalence. When we went through this with my daughter, she was interested, driven, and a real-self starter. She wanted to find the best school that fit her needs and comfort level. My son is far more chill about the whole process. I'm sure that's somewhat typical between boys/girls in high school and is largely representative of the simple fact that girls are usually more mature at that age. But, like you, I don't want him to miss out on opportunities. He doesn't know what he doesn't know, you know?

Best of luck to you!

 

[bigbottom]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

Your son sounds amazing! What kind of music is he making or interested in making?

And thanks for the school description- sounds like a cool program. I'll pass it on to my kid for next year.

Thanks for the kind words.

He currently is mostly into rap, somewhat to my chagrin. I'm not a hater of rap, but I feel it limits him vocally. He is self-taught with a guitar and piano, though he's not super proficient in either. He can do enough to create his own riffs for his music, and I think that's enough for him. He has an impressive enough range (to my untrained ear) to record several takes and overlay himself to create harmonies via the software he uses on his pc. He has his own spotify channel and a you tube with a fair amount of subscribers which he started a few years ago when he was 14 or 15. Many of his lyrics tend to shade toward the R-rated category, which is unsurprising considering the music that influences him most is contemporary rap. Again, that's fine but it's kinda hard to show grandma his newest creations when he's spitting rhymes about...well you get it.

He has done musical theater in high school and my biased opinion is that he's great, but he says he likely won't pursue that at the next level.

Thanks for the question. What type of music would your kid want to pursue?

Just my opinion, but I think a music production degree is way more valuable than a vocal performance degree. And he will still have endless opportunities to record and perform within the production curriculum (with access to a ton of great equipment), and it is more likely to be stuff he likes. Go with vocal performance and he'll probably have to perform classical at some point.

 

[Battersbox]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

Your son sounds amazing! What kind of music is he making or interested in making?

And thanks for the school description- sounds like a cool program. I'll pass it on to my kid for next year.

Thanks for the kind words.

He currently is mostly into rap, somewhat to my chagrin. I'm not a hater of rap, but I feel it limits him vocally. He is self-taught with a guitar and piano, though he's not super proficient in either. He can do enough to create his own riffs for his music, and I think that's enough for him. He has an impressive enough range (to my untrained ear) to record several takes and overlay himself to create harmonies via the software he uses on his pc. He has his own spotify channel and a you tube with a fair amount of subscribers which he started a few years ago when he was 14 or 15. Many of his lyrics tend to shade toward the R-rated category, which is unsurprising considering the music that influences him most is contemporary rap. Again, that's fine but it's kinda hard to show grandma his newest creations when he's spitting rhymes about...well you get it.

He has done musical theater in high school and my biased opinion is that he's great, but he says he likely won't pursue that at the next level.

Thanks for the question. What type of music would your kid want to pursue?

Just my opinion, but I think a music production degree is way more valuable than a vocal performance degree. And he will still have endless opportunities to record and perform within the production curriculum (with access to a ton of great equipment), and it is more likely to be stuff he likes. Go with vocal performance and he'll probably have to perform classical at some point.

Yes, you are correct. When I said I hope he focuses more on his vocals, I meant I hope he decides to still participate in musical theater at whichever school he attends. Sort of as a hobby. It's really a self-serving hope because i love to watch him perform. I definitely prefer he studies something more relatable to the real world, which music production would. It's scary enough to send your child away and spend all that money and not have him focused on something STEM related or accounting related or anything that the data tells us is more likely to make him employable. We've saved hard for a long time to send him to a good school, and coming from a very middle class background I shudder at the stories of folks who spend all that money for a degree that doesn't yield much monetarily.

 

[Battersbox]

I've read several places (including via a search in this thread) that South Carolina offers quite a bit of merit aid to out-of-state students. My son is interested in their Music Industry Studies program, which we learned was a new program launched in 2021. It feels like it was crafted with my son's interests in mind, so suddenly he wants to be a Gamecock. I partially think he likes the 'Cocks' logos as well, but he's a high school kid, what can you do?

My wife and I agreed we're willing to spend for out-of-state within reason. Effectively, we told our son that if the package is equivalent to what our daughter got at Iowa for out-of-state we'd be willing to send him there. Anyway, wondering if anyone has recent experience with merit-aid offers from there? For reference, my son is a good student but not exemplary: 4.3 gpa, several AP's, lots of extra-curricular from chior, theater. SAT was somewhat meh at 1270, skewed toward strong verbal but weaker math. Will that win him some merit aid?

I don't want to get his hopes up if that's not up to snuff to get something near an in-state deal. Thanks in advance for any color.

My kid is interested in music too... So I'm curious for us too. What is that program about and what about it interested your son?

My son is interested in music production and he is a vocalist. He spends the bulk of his free time mixing, creating, recording music. He has a portfolio of music he's now submitting to a few schools and I think he's more interested in production than performance at this point. As his parent I'm hoping that changes because I love hearing/watching him sing.

The program put out a nice video which was about 7 minutes long and for the life of me I'm having a hard time locating it. In any case, a brief summary of this program from the website:

The University of South Carolina School of Music is excited to reveal a new degree program focused on studies within the music industry. Created in cooperation with the nationally renowned Darla Moore School of Business and the University’s Sport and Entertainment Management program, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies is a liberal arts degree with a major in music industry studies featuring coursework intended to provide students desiring a career in the $12.8 billion music industry with the skills and dispositions that can make the dream a reality. Along with classes focused in the various music industries, business, marketing, and recording skills, students will also acquire an education in musical theory, history, and performance, creating well-rounded graduates able to speak the language of music as well as navigate the myriad aspects of the music industry.

To enhance learning in the classroom, students will have ample opportunities for experiential learning with local and regional music venues, artists, artists managers, promoters, recording studios, musical instrument producers, and music retailers of all kinds. Unique to this degree is the lack of traditional audition; prospective students will instead complete a portfolio and interview process for acceptance into the program.

Your son sounds amazing! What kind of music is he making or interested in making?

And thanks for the school description- sounds like a cool program. I'll pass it on to my kid for next year.

Thanks for the kind words.

He currently is mostly into rap, somewhat to my chagrin. I'm not a hater of rap, but I feel it limits him vocally. He is self-taught with a guitar and piano, though he's not super proficient in either. He can do enough to create his own riffs for his music, and I think that's enough for him. He has an impressive enough range (to my untrained ear) to record several takes and overlay himself to create harmonies via the software he uses on his pc. He has his own spotify channel and a you tube with a fair amount of subscribers which he started a few years ago when he was 14 or 15. Many of his lyrics tend to shade toward the R-rated category, which is unsurprising considering the music that influences him most is contemporary rap. Again, that's fine but it's kinda hard to show grandma his newest creations when he's spitting rhymes about...well you get it.

He has done musical theater in high school and my biased opinion is that he's great, but he says he likely won't pursue that at the next level.

Thanks for the question. What type of music would your kid want to pursue?

Just my opinion, but I think a music production degree is way more valuable than a vocal performance degree. And he will still have endless opportunities to record and perform within the production curriculum (with access to a ton of great equipment), and it is more likely to be stuff he likes. Go with vocal performance and he'll probably have to perform classical at some point.

Yes, you are correct. When I said I hope he focuses more on his vocals, I meant I hope he decides to still participate in musical theater at whichever school he attends. Sort of as a hobby. It's really a self-serving hope because i love to watch him perform. I definitely prefer he studies something more relatable to the real world, which music production would. It's scary enough to send your child away and spend all that money and not have him focused on something STEM related or accounting related or anything that the data tells us is more likely to make him employable. We've saved hard for a long time to send him to a good school, and coming from a very middle class background I shudder at the stories of folks who spend all that money for a degree that doesn't yield much monetarily.

My son also has a meh SAT, 1230. ~4.3 GPA. As far as I can see, this is right in the middle of what S. Carolina says their students average for the SAT.

With that in mind, does anyone know if he should submit his score or decline to submit his SAT? Are their theories as to what makes more sense?

 

[El Floppo]

My son also has a meh SAT, 1230. ~4.3 GPA. As far as I can see, this is right in the middle of what S. Carolina says their students average for the SAT.

With that in mind, does anyone know if he should submit his score or decline to submit his SAT? Are their theories as to what makes more sense?

I went to a college panel with my son yesterday... Columbia, Brown, Vanderbilt and U Chicago, who all apparently share an approach to admissions.

They said every part of the submittal should reflect what your kid thinks best represents them. If SAT optional and the score doesn't represent the kid, they say not to submit.

That said, if your kid is hitting the median score and has great grades, can it hurt?

 

[Battersbox]

My son also has a meh SAT, 1230. ~4.3 GPA. As far as I can see, this is right in the middle of what S. Carolina says their students average for the SAT.

With that in mind, does anyone know if he should submit his score or decline to submit his SAT? Are their theories as to what makes more sense?

I went to a college panel with my son yesterday... Columbia, Brown, Vanderbilt and U Chicago, who all apparently share an approach to admissions.

They said every part of the submittal should reflect what your kid thinks best represents them. If SAT optional and the score doesn't represent the kid, they say not to submit.

That said, if your kid is hitting the median score and has great grades, can it hurt?

Agree, I lean toward submission, but I don't pretend to have any real insight.

I had my son lob off an email to his college counselor at his high school to see if she had any guidance. Ty.

 

[Battersbox]

Wow, bright kid El Floppo. Good for him/her.

 

[El Floppo]

Wow, bright kid El Floppo. Good for him/her.

Thanks

(I think anybody can go to these... No application needed!)

 

[El Floppo]

My son also has a meh SAT, 1230. ~4.3 GPA. As far as I can see, this is right in the middle of what S. Carolina says their students average for the SAT.

With that in mind, does anyone know if he should submit his score or decline to submit his SAT? Are their theories as to what makes more sense?

I went to a college panel with my son yesterday... Columbia, Brown, Vanderbilt and U Chicago, who all apparently share an approach to admissions.

They said every part of the submittal should reflect what your kid thinks best represents them. If SAT optional and the score doesn't represent the kid, they say not to submit.

That said, if your kid is hitting the median score and has great grades, can it hurt?

Agree, I lean toward submission, but I don't pretend to have any real insight.

I had my son lob off an email to his college counselor at his high school to see if she had any guidance. Ty.

Can your kid just stop by and ask? Good way to get a relationship/communication going I think.

And I don't think I made it clear- they specifically said not submitting wouldn't be counted against you.

 

[Battersbox]

My son also has a meh SAT, 1230. ~4.3 GPA. As far as I can see, this is right in the middle of what S. Carolina says their students average for the SAT.

With that in mind, does anyone know if he should submit his score or decline to submit his SAT? Are their theories as to what makes more sense?

I went to a college panel with my son yesterday... Columbia, Brown, Vanderbilt and U Chicago, who all apparently share an approach to admissions.

They said every part of the submittal should reflect what your kid thinks best represents them. If SAT optional and the score doesn't represent the kid, they say not to submit.

That said, if your kid is hitting the median score and has great grades, can it hurt?

Agree, I lean toward submission, but I don't pretend to have any real insight.

I had my son lob off an email to his college counselor at his high school to see if she had any guidance. Ty.

Can your kid just stop by and ask? Good way to get a relationship/communication going I think.

And I don't think I made it clear- they specifically said not submitting wouldn't be counted against you.

Did some reading, we're going to submit. I don't really have any concerns about him being admitted, I'm just eyeing those sweet, sweet merit aid dollars.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Did some reading, we're going to submit. I don't really have any concerns about him being admitted, I'm just eyeing those sweet, sweet merit aid dollars.

My daughter was in a similar position back when we applied. She had an excellent application except for SAT's which while not bad, did not match her other stats.

SAT optional was still kind of newish back then and I thought it was going to be a terrible idea to not submit. Her counselor changed our mind and I was shocked. Every single college that she applied to that was test optional gave her a lot of merit money, including a full ride at Trinity as a Presidential Scholar.

When we visited Trinity before accepting, she was invited to a gathering with other kids who got the same scholarship (there were ten others I think). I got some time alone with the head of admissions and asked him about how they handled test optional kids. He said that the schools have decades of data to sort through and the one item that had the least correlation to a students success in college and beyond was test scores. That always stuck with me.