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College Admissions Questions (1 Viewer)
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belljr
Footballguy
If you get Main Campus and you never been..... You must take Ina football game. One of the best underrated venues in the country....
GL
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
We went and she fell in love. It was in the fall, the leaves were perfect. Just an amazing place. If she gets in we’ll be going to a game this fall for sure.
belljr
Footballguy
It was my #1 back in 1989 lol.....
Been many times, have many friends that are alumni...we just couldn't afford the out of state tuition when we got the breakdown....
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
We are feverishly applying for every grant possible. She got in but it isn’t the main campus, which is a good thing. It won’t cost me the ~$54K/year
they estimated at the campus tour. Smaller classes, she can take her car. It’s a win, win, win for mom and dad.She can still get to the main campus after two years. Looking back it did seem that most of the students on the tour at University Park were older.
She also got accepted to Towson and Salisbury. The latter we’re visiting soon.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
How did you all help your kids start to narrow down the list of schools they might apply to?
I've got a pretty qualified junior who's actively trying to build a good resume (100% his choice, we're not pushing him on any of this) to go with good grades, etc and I want to head him off at the "apply to the top-X schools" pass.
I don't think he's got a shot at the true top tier stuff -- or at least not a good one. He's super motivated though, so I could be wrong, and I don't want to straight tell him not to apply to those anyhow.
We've seen UVA and Georgetown just as an intro to a couple campuses as we were passing through and will be hitting UMD, Hopkins, something in Philly, Princeton, Penn State, Carnegie Mellon and WVU on a spring break driving trip. Mostly just to help him figure out what kind of school he wants to go to. And he'll probably have a chance to see some of the NYC area stuff later.
What else should be doing (in addition to just visiting a ton of campuses) to help him? He literally doesn't know what he wants right now (other than something with status). City/rural, major, size, distance from home -- he has no idea.
Just leave it all to him and stay out of it unless he asks for help? Money will enter into it at some point too -- we couldn't afford some of the crazy expensive stuff.
I've got a pretty qualified junior who's actively trying to build a good resume (100% his choice, we're not pushing him on any of this) to go with good grades, etc and I want to head him off at the "apply to the top-X schools" pass.
I don't think he's got a shot at the true top tier stuff -- or at least not a good one. He's super motivated though, so I could be wrong, and I don't want to straight tell him not to apply to those anyhow.
We've seen UVA and Georgetown just as an intro to a couple campuses as we were passing through and will be hitting UMD, Hopkins, something in Philly, Princeton, Penn State, Carnegie Mellon and WVU on a spring break driving trip. Mostly just to help him figure out what kind of school he wants to go to. And he'll probably have a chance to see some of the NYC area stuff later.
What else should be doing (in addition to just visiting a ton of campuses) to help him? He literally doesn't know what he wants right now (other than something with status). City/rural, major, size, distance from home -- he has no idea.
Just leave it all to him and stay out of it unless he asks for help? Money will enter into it at some point too -- we couldn't afford some of the crazy expensive stuff.
bigbottom
Footballguy
I think as you visit more campuses, his ideas regarding what kind of college campus experience he wants will start to crystallize. And that will help narrow things down. Also, does he have a good college counselor at school that can help him determine which schools are reaches, targets and safeties? Reviewing student and admissions data specific to his high school (in the aggregate) will help with this process.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
We are finding ourselves in the same situation. In State school is 1/3 the price. In the end we can make it happen, but is it smart?
We’re going to sit down this weekend and run some numbers and apply for every grant and scholarship under the sun and take it from there.
A few updates and reality checks for us this past week.
The good (finally got to visit some campuses)
1-Visited WashU (still waiting to hear)-in a city, but it is really separated. Loved the look of the campus, but it looked a bit lacking in things to do outside the protected rectangle campus.
2-Visited Purdue and UIUC - I list them together because the campuses had a similar feel. It was spring break for both, so student activity was low. Both looked like a typical Big10 campus. I will say you can see the money they both have put into their engineering programs, both have INCREDIBLE new facilities!
3-Visited Michigan for an admitted student day- students were in session, and the campus was packed. Felt like a great place to go to school, and the students all seemed happy with their choice. Felt like a big city compared to UIUC and Purdue.
4-ACCEPTED TO UCLA yesterday (into their applied math track)- A bit surprised as he shines in stats and UC schools are test and school rank blind! I'd say it was his first non-BIG10 school, but that won't be true for long. Will need to get out there to visit, as the only place he's been to in Cali is Yosemite and Sierra NP
. I think an Oklahoma kid might be a bit shocked at LA.
The bad:
1-Rejected from MIT and Williams - not unexpected, but still stings.
2-Waitlisted from Amherst - I thought he had a shot here; I still would like him to get into a smaller college to compare to the likes of Michigan and UCLA, etc.
Two more weeks and seven more schools.....as an aside anyone has any opinions on UCLA vs. Michigan for Applied Math?
Good luck to all those still making decisions/waiting for responses!
The good (finally got to visit some campuses)
1-Visited WashU (still waiting to hear)-in a city, but it is really separated. Loved the look of the campus, but it looked a bit lacking in things to do outside the protected rectangle campus.
2-Visited Purdue and UIUC - I list them together because the campuses had a similar feel. It was spring break for both, so student activity was low. Both looked like a typical Big10 campus. I will say you can see the money they both have put into their engineering programs, both have INCREDIBLE new facilities!
3-Visited Michigan for an admitted student day- students were in session, and the campus was packed. Felt like a great place to go to school, and the students all seemed happy with their choice. Felt like a big city compared to UIUC and Purdue.
4-ACCEPTED TO UCLA yesterday (into their applied math track)- A bit surprised as he shines in stats and UC schools are test and school rank blind! I'd say it was his first non-BIG10 school, but that won't be true for long. Will need to get out there to visit, as the only place he's been to in Cali is Yosemite and Sierra NP
. I think an Oklahoma kid might be a bit shocked at LA.The bad:
1-Rejected from MIT and Williams - not unexpected, but still stings.
2-Waitlisted from Amherst - I thought he had a shot here; I still would like him to get into a smaller college to compare to the likes of Michigan and UCLA, etc.
Two more weeks and seven more schools.....as an aside anyone has any opinions on UCLA vs. Michigan for Applied Math?
Good luck to all those still making decisions/waiting for responses!
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bigbottom
Footballguy
A few updates and reality checks for us this past week.
The good (finally got to visit some campuses)
1-Visited WashU (still waiting to hear)-in a city, but it is really separated. Loved the look of the campus, but it looked a bit lacking in things to do outside the protected rectangle campus.
2-Visited Purdue and UIUC - I list them together because the campuses had a similar feel. It was spring break for both, so student activity was low. Both looked like a typical Big10 campus. I will say you can see the money they both have put into their engineering programs, both have INCREDIBLE new facilities!
3-Visited Michigan for an admitted student day- students were in session, and the campus was packed. Felt like a great place to go to school, and the students all seemed happy with their choice. Felt like a big city compared to UIUC and Purdue.
4-ACCEPTED TO UCLA yesterday (into their applied math track)- A bit surprised as he shines in stats and UC schools are test and school rank blind! I'd say it was his first non-BIG10 school, but that won't be true for long. Will need to get out there to visit, as the only place he's been to in Cali is Yosemite and Sierra NP
The bad:
1-Rejected from MIT and Williams - not unexpected, but still stings.
2-Waitlisted from Amherst - I thought he had a shot here; I still would like him to get into a smaller college to compare to the likes of Michigan and UCLA, etc.
Two more weeks and seven more schools.....as an aside anyone has any opinions on UCLA vs. Michigan for Applied Math?
Good luck to all those still making decisions/waiting for responses!
Great news on UCLA! Congrats!!! Our friend’s daughter is there currently and absolutely loves it, but she isn’t STEM, much less Math. Outside of Pepperdine, it’s about as beautiful a place to go to school in LA, imo. Great sports school as well, though football is a drag since the home stadium is a 45 minute drive from campus. I think it would be an awesome place to go to school with much better weather and easy access to skiing, beaches, hiking.
scorchy
Footballguy
Not sure if you've made the visit to Salisbury yet, but figured I should follow up given that it's my home town. When I was in HS, I wanted nothing more to escape where I grew up, but that was 30-plus years ago and the school (and even the town somewhat) have a changed a bunch for the better. I still visit a few times a year to see family and am always impressed by the growth in and around the campus.
I know parents of a bunch of current students and all seem to be really happy with it. The education is for sure similar to Towson but in a much smaller town. Basically, you are trading access to Baltimore for a more campus-focused community and a 30-minute drive to the beach. In contrast to the regional Penn State campus, you would also get the chance to spend four years in the same environment, for better or worse.
Anyway, if you have any questions about a visit, just let me know.
scorchy
Footballguy
What you're already doing plus BB's recs seem right in line. I loved taking my son on a ton of campus visits b/c I didn't really get to do any when I was in HS. To me the key is just working in a range of schools to help narrow things down. See if you can plan a trip to include urban schools like Penn/Columbia, college towns like Charlottesville/Chapel Hill, or more isolated schools like some of the small NY schools like Hamilton or Colgate that feel like a days drive from anywhere. Kids seem to hone in pretty quickly on what they like and don't.
Biggest thing to me is for your kid to find a safety school that your kid really likes. My son loved both Indiana and Pitt, which were both strong in his intended major, had students that seemed really happy, and would offer decent money to strong students. Best of all, with rolling admissions, he applied in August and had decisions by early October. Having those acceptances in his back pocket really helped temper the anxiety inherent to this whole process.
scorchy
Footballguy
Congrats on that - UCLA has turned into such a crazy hard admit from out of state. It was my son's first choice until the surprise Stanford admission dropped in REA. He kept his app in for UCLA though simply b/c of how much he loved the school and the strength of their program. He ended up on the waitlist, as did his two classmates who also had really strong profiles and other great acceptances. Such a crapshoot... Now I'm just nervous for him to get home from his Russian class's spring break trip to Kyrgyzstan so he can formally accept the Stanford offer before they change their mind.4-ACCEPTED TO UCLA yesterday (into their applied math track)- A bit surprised as he shines in stats and UC schools are test and school rank blind! I'd say it was his first non-BIG10 school, but that won't be true for long. Will need to get out there to visit, as the only place he's been to in Cali is Yosemite and Sierra NP
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Funny you say this. I was thinking about him as a person and a smart, kinda nerdy, northeastern kid is what came to mind. Plus he just started playing ultimate frisbee and I knew a crap ton of guys from Hamilton and other schools like that when I used to play. Was thinking we needed to hit a few smaller lib arts type schools along the way.
We're doing a big tour over spring break. UMD, Hopkins, Princeton, Penn, Nova?, Penn State, Carnegie-Mellon, Pitt, WVU. Anyone got a good rural, smaller school or two on that loop?
scorchy
Footballguy
In the Philly area, there's Haverford and Swarthmore, but neither really give you the isolation of Hamilton. Maybe Bucknell or Dickinson?
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
I’ll also say that while my wife and daughter are hung up on the idea of doing a tour- I have zero qualms about just visiting a state university unannounced and waking around the campus. Many of them have virtual tours and device led tours.
belljr
Footballguy
We just walked around many campuses on our own
rockaction
Footballguy
Can I say something quick as somebody who might have gone to a Hamilton or Colgate-type school? I'd go visit in winter because that's what the weather is going to really be like from late October-April, which is most of the school year. I was surprised by the weather, and the cold/greyness/snow/early nightfalls were bad for my temperament. I know everybody is different, but you really don't know a Hamilton or Colgate experience until you've experienced the long winter that is smack dab in the school year. I'd imagine the same goes for Bucknell.
Really, I'd stay away from pushing your kids to that area. It seems to breed a lot of drinking and a bunch of misery. Of course, some take to it like fish take to water, but I'd really be cautious about those small, cloistered schools that see tough winters.
Really, I'd stay away from pushing your kids to that area. It seems to breed a lot of drinking and a bunch of misery. Of course, some take to it like fish take to water, but I'd really be cautious about those small, cloistered schools that see tough winters.
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Shula-holic
Footballguy
Neat venue and experience. I went up there two seasons ago when Auburn played there.
I'd love an insider scoop on Salisbury if you get a chance! My daughter is being recruited there for volleyball, wants to go into nursing, and there aren't many schools in MD that offer a BSN (Salisbury does). We visited recently, liked it but didn't love it, now I'm trying to get her to at least consider it for undergrad and save the outrageous tuition bill at Villanova-types for grad school.
belljr
Footballguy
Have you checked out Widener....they have 4 year BSN
It's a very small private school but supposedly top notch BSN program
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STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
From what I remember of Salisbury - It was not great but that was 25 years ago. My neighbor's daughter went there I guess about 5 or 6 years ago and she had a great experience.
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Funny you mention that, they've e-mailed her and we drove right past it on the way to visit Nova but she doesn't want to go somewhere that small. I'm fine with it because that small school comes with a large price tag. Thanks though.
belljr
Footballguy
They do give away very large academic money
Yeah I'm trying to navigate through all that. Every sport has their own tendencies, but for volleyball they typically want you to commit before you even apply. The problem is you have no idea what your actual cost is going to be until you get the award letter, and with price tags of $80k+/yr for some schools, it can be a big factor.
scorchy
Footballguy
I can give a scoop on the town moreso than the school.
The area near the university caters a lot to college kids but no one will confuse it with a true college town. Still, plenty of places to eat (chains and locals) and a few nearby bars and a really good brewery (EVO). Ocean City being 30 minutes away has to be a pretty big draw, at least from May-September. The area north of the college gets dicey pretty quickly but there are plenty of cheap apartments in safer spots nearby - most kids seem to live off campus after freshman or sophomore years. 5-10 miles outside of Salisbury gets redneck pretty quickly - probably the main reason I hated growing up there. There are a lot more transplants though than back then and I certainly like it better than a bunch of the towns we visited during my sons college search. Just don't go in expecting State College, Bloomington, or Chapel Hill.
As for the school, like I said, most kids I know who are there seem to really like it (according to their parents). Seems pretty laid back/low stress for kids who are looking for an affordable-yet-good education at medium-size university in a smallish town.
belljr
Footballguy
Yep. We were able to do early action before making a final decision
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Funny, proximity to the beach is a common selling point, but the reality is unless she spends her summers there (which I don't expect at least the first couple of years) she'd miss the majority of the beach season. And yes, the campus was fine, but pretty bland. I don't put much weight in that myself but teenage girls are a different story. Would it have killed them to put a few hills or a small body of water in there somewhere?
Thanks again!
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Funny, proximity to the beach is a common selling point, but the reality is unless she spends her summers there (which I don't expect at least the first couple of years) she'd miss the majority of the beach season. And yes, the campus was fine, but pretty bland. I don't put much weight in that myself but teenage girls are a different story. Would it have killed them to put a few hills or a small body of water in there somewhere?
Thanks again!
This is my thinking too.
gianmarco
Footballguy
If you have a question about here, feel free to reach out.
If we hear a positive result I will! Major their would be Applied Math or Biomedical Engineering.
The_Man
Footballguy
Pennsylvania has a lot of good schools in that vein - Bucknell is on the bigger side, for smaller there's Gettysburg, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, also a school called Juniata that I don't know a lot about but its alumni are cult-like in their love for. Also mentioned were Swarthmore and Haverford, great schools but incredibly hard to get into.
El Floppo
Footballguy
My niece went to Muhlenberg for theater and comp sci (known for both)... but transferred to UWashington. supposed to be a great school- just not the right fit for my niece.
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
OK Penn State it is. There goes the beach house for a few years.
She chose Penn because of their alumni. Most CEOs at fortune 5oo companies, most graduates out in the wild. Essentially, almost anyplace in America you will likely find another Penn State Alum.
She chose Penn because of their alumni. Most CEOs at fortune 5oo companies, most graduates out in the wild. Essentially, almost anyplace in America you will likely find another Penn State Alum.
belljr
Footballguy
I worked with a couple die hard PSU alums, they were useless morons , so you got that going for you....
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
So what does this mean? They can do well there and get in or they can take your money and say they went there for the summer?
El Floppo
Footballguy
I've read the Yale one is more selective, so... dunno. others like Brown and Oxford are pretty much open to anybody that applies. but basically, I don't think either one does much of anything for getting in anywhere. gives the kid a chance to experience both campus in case lightning strikes. and maybe can be part of the essay when applying to one of them. he's getting a lot of money scholarship/fa so while not free, neither one is a killer for us. the most selective one he's most excited to hear from is the Grammy Camp.. finger's crossed for him for that one.
PIK95
Footballguy
My kid is all over the map. He got waitlisted to UNH, but still did a soccer visit. He got rejected to Vermont right before our soccer visit. We took that as a sign. Rejected from UMass Amherst, accepted to UMass Boston and Lowell. Got into UConn and Quinnipiac, but not enough aid. Haven't really touched base with the coaches there yet. We can't really afford to pay for any of the places he got into unfortunately. If he doesn't hook up with a scholarship, he will end up at a state school. Ironically some expensive D3 schools are recruiting him hard. Can't win.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
PIK95
Footballguy
It's still early, but we havemade some good progress. Don't want to jinx it. It is very stressful.
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Nice. Any way to search through these?
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
No. But that ensures no stone is unturned.
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
We toured 20+ small libs with my younger daughter. She knew that's what she wanted because her older sister had attended one and she loved the vibe when visiting her.
We saw several schools in PA and OH---Gettysburg, Bucknell, Lafayette, Allegheny, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Haverford, Denison, Oberlin, Kenyon.
Galileo
Footballguy
Holy Hell that's a lot. Where do you find the time for all of those? My oldest was looking during pandemic shut downs and we only managed to see 2 schools in person. When my second was looking we went to look at 4 places in addition to the 2 we visited when the oldest was looking.
Personally, I never went to visit the campus of the school I chose to attend. The first time I stepped foot on campus was the week before classes began for an orientation program. This was 1986, so it wasn't like there was anything in the way of online virtual tours either.
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
We started early when she was in 10th grade and gradually visited schools over 2 years time. Many of those schools are relatively close together so we'd take a spring break trip and visit several schools over 10 days. And my older daughter was in college in the vicinity so when we'd visit her for "family weekends" we'd add an extra couple days to the trip to visit schools in the general area. My wife and I loved touring campuses with our daughters. I'm envious of all of you who are getting to do this now. Enjoy it.
And, like you, I never toured my college campus until the day I arrived to move into my dorm room. It was 1985 and my school was a 5 hour drive away----that just was not a thing like it is now.
First kid going off to college next year. It’s been an interesting experience. Some things we didn’t expect was how big of a role being a legacy is with Ivy League schools. Also the disparity in cost between schools and what kind of money they give. Some of the better schools are actually cheaper which was a surprise. She got in to Tufts and waiting to hear from Brown and Dartmouth this upcoming week.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Best of luck!!!
