Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[robinb]

Robin, do any of the other UW schools appeal to her? I know she was not crazy about UW-La Crosse. What about Eau Claire?

La Crosse was too "small" for her and she's upset that the sororities can't have a house "with their letters on it". We just had another argument this morning about it because it has a kick-butt Exercise Science department which dovetails into the PT program. I was trying to get her to apply by the 2/1 deadline and then reach out to the PT department to talk to them directly about how many UWLX grads they take and to the Greek system to get the real lowdown on the houses but ended up in a big arguement. She flat out refuses. I know that she needs to be happy to do well, but her priorities in a college are so much different than mine. UWLX is a great school and less than half the cost of Iowa. I guess we could try Eau Claire. At least they have more of a Greek life there.

Have you guys looked into Iowa State? Its significantly less expensive than Iowa. I think your DD would qualify for a $5500/yr auto scholarship, bringing it down to the range of UMN. Its supposed to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and I've read Ames is a great college town and very safe.

I floated Iowa State by her last week and was told "No. I don't want to go there." When I asked why she wouldn't elaborate.

 

[mamacatnv]

La Crosse was too "small" for her and she's upset that the sororities can't have a house "with their letters on it". We just had another argument this morning about it because it has a kick-butt Exercise Science department which dovetails into the PT program. I was trying to get her to apply by the 2/1 deadline and then reach out to the PT department to talk to them directly about how many UWLX grads they take and to the Greek system to get the real lowdown on the houses but ended up in a big arguement. She flat out refuses. I know that she needs to be happy to do well, but her priorities in a college are so much different than mine. UWLX is a great school and less than half the cost of Iowa. I guess we could try Eau Claire. At least they have more of a Greek life there.

I floated Iowa State by her last week and was told "No. I don't want to go there." When I asked why she wouldn't elaborate.

I think our DD's are related by attitude! UGH UGH UGH

 

[robinb]

We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

Crap. I'm so sorry to hear that . What a disappointment.

 

[Sanchez]

I also think state schools are marketing more to students outside their region. I can't tell you the number of state schools my dd got requests to apply from over and over. Many highlighted scholarships she'd be eligible for.

I'm not including Clemson or Berkeley in this because they've always attracted applicants from all over.

I'm sorry for those getting NOs. It's hard when they're hurting.

Marketing is absolutely one of the main reasons. Schools love to present a ridiculously low acceptance rate. Additionally, students now are applying to a large number of schools. My son applied to seven and that seems to be an average number based on reading this thread. I wanted to limit the number to four or five but decided that the battle was not worth fighting.

Add in the mobility of the U.S. population (more students willing to go away from home) and the higher percentage of high school students choosing the college path and even the very best of students are subject to the random nature of admissions.

 

[robinb]

I think our DD's are related by attitude! UGH UGH UGH

Sometimes it's hard to remember that this is the start of their own journey in life.

 

[punkin]

Sometimes it's hard to remember that this is the start of their own journey in life.

It's not their journey until they're paying for it!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I *think* her order is: UW-Madison (deferred), UM-Twin Cities (waitlist), Iowa (admitted, but expensive), IUPUI (no response yet), Illinois State.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the deferred and wait list decisions change for your DD!!!! I am so sorry she's not getting the news she hoped for from the get go.

 

[punkin]

I'm in a bad mood! Just got a letter from a school saying they didn't get all the info they needed for financial aid. Niece has apparently been getting emails from them about it for several weeks and neglected to tell me. She said "I thought we filed everything". Yes, but they want additional information. I swear!!!!

 

[sk!mom]

I don't think people outside of the process realize the difficulty of gaining acceptance to some of these schools. Just guessing, but I would think that those with high achieving middle school students probably believe that their children will have no problem gaining acceptance to top 20 schools. By the time they get to be high school juniors the stark realization is that many high achieving students will not gain acceptance to large state universities.

In our state, it was once a given that a good student would be accepted to Clemson. This year Clemson received 23,500 applications for 4,000 spots.http://www.thetigernews.com/sports/...cle_4d96547e-df31-11e6-bd93-d7ce3b6b76fb.html

Very good students are not getting in and Clemson's U.S. News ranking is around #60. Someone above mentioned Berkeley (and really the entire UC system) where the numbers are even less forgiving.

We sat through two Duke presentations and the "brag" is that Duke denies acceptance to over 75% of high school valedictorians.

Very, very true. I think that we as parents don't always do a good job managing expectations. DD graduated in 2014 and of the students in the top 10%, I only know of one who was accepted to the Ivy league. Most went to state public Universities where they were auto-admits. Or to the couple of Texas privates that have a pretty big in state draw (TCU and Baylor- although maybe not as much going forward for Baylor.)

I see a lot of loans in DD's future A&M Corpus did not give her a dime.
Good luck on those scholarships!

Just makes me think "elitist" much?..........
I think the "big" schools have marketed themselves very well, when thousands of kids think their lives/educations are over because they didn't get in their marketing has succeeded. That is sad.
If kids are planning to pursue a higher degree don't spend the money on undergrad, prestige only goes so far but debt lasts a really long time. Been trying to get this into DD's head without much success

I don't think that it's elitist- they just have the luxury of being really really picky!

If getting scholarships is a big part of the college decision, then it really is a good idea to research schools where your student is a more attractive candidate. DD would have gotten zero from UT and A&M but tuition is about 75% covered at the mid tier school that she chose. In our view debt was to be avoided for under grad.

I wonder if anyone on this thread has used a private college counselor? We did not but my sister did this year for my nephew who is class of '17. She has advised and guided every step of the way- Proofed his essays and helped come up with his list of best fit schools. He was accepted to the College of Natural Science at UT, which is pretty competitive, so my sister feels that her fees were worth it. She also advised and encouraged him to apply at a couple of backups that she felt were not a reach. For my sister, it removed arguments. "We're paying her, so you will take her advice!"

 

[J'aime Paris]

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

Sorry to hear that, but it sounds like he still has some great options. Wishing him all the best at his auditions!

 

[mamacatnv]

Very, very true. I think that we as parents don't always do a good job managing expectations. DD graduated in 2014 and of the students in the top 10%, I only know of one who was accepted to the Ivy league. Most went to state public Universities where they were auto-admits. Or to the couple of Texas privates that have a pretty big in state draw (TCU and Baylor- although maybe not as much going forward for Baylor.)



I don't think that it's elitist- they just have the luxury of being really really picky!

If getting scholarships is a big part of the college decision, then it really is a good idea to research schools where your student is a more attractive candidate. DD would have gotten zero from UT and A&M but tuition is about 75% covered at the mid tier school that she chose. In our view debt was to be avoided for under grad.

I wonder if anyone on this thread has used a private college counselor? We did not but my sister did this year for my nephew who is class of '17. She has advised and guided every step of the way- Proofed his essays and helped come up with his list of best fit schools. He was accepted to the College of Natural Science at UT, which is pretty competitive, so my sister feels that her fees were worth it. She also advised and encouraged him to apply at a couple of backups that she felt were not a reach. For my sister, it removed arguments. "We're paying her, so you will take her advice!"

I was kind of being snarky - Elitist in the sense to brag about how many don't get to come to their school.

One of DD's friends has parents that insisted she apply to all the Ivy's - I'm not sure what all really meant but I do know they hired a college coach who like you said walked them thru the entire process, advised etc. The issue my DD had was the parents were dictating where she should apply, they didn't allow their daughter to voice much of an opinion and she was on house arrest until the multitude of essays/applications were completed. DD's friend is convinced that her Mom wants to brag that her DD got into all "the ivy's" although so far, she has not gotten into one. Still in a holding pattern. I know from what my DD and her friend said, this coach was a major influence on where to apply, what to submit etc.

DD's high school hired a college coach via a grant, and I think she has been a great resource to DD - in hindsight I wish I had utilized her a bit more in helping DD to choose where to apply but by the time I realized this was going to be such a big hassle, the time had come and gone for most of the application process.

 

[J'aime Paris]

La Crosse was too "small" for her and she's upset that the sororities can't have a house "with their letters on it". We just had another argument this morning about it because it has a kick-butt Exercise Science department which dovetails into the PT program. I was trying to get her to apply by the 2/1 deadline and then reach out to the PT department to talk to them directly about how many UWLX grads they take and to the Greek system to get the real lowdown on the houses but ended up in a big arguement. She flat out refuses. I know that she needs to be happy to do well, but her priorities in a college are so much different than mine. UWLX is a great school and less than half the cost of Iowa. I guess we could try Eau Claire. At least they have more of a Greek life there.

I floated Iowa State by her last week and was told "No. I don't want to go there." When I asked why she wouldn't elaborate.

Sounds like an 18 year old mind for sure, lol!

My DD should go to Marquette, as it has the only dental school in the state. And if she's fortunate enough to get into the dental honors program she will, as if gives you direct admit into the dental school after 3 years of undergrad. Cost wise, Marquette gave her good merit money. It almost evens the amount to Madison.

But she's hung up on Madison due to the football team and rooming with her BFF!! These are not solid criteria to pick a school!

Madison is great for sure, but not for the reasons she's considering it...

We are in limbo for the moment. She will see if she advances to the interview stage of the honors scholarship by mid-February. If she gets an interview, she will have a decision by mid/late March.

 

[Tinijocaro]

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

A musician here. What's your ds's instrument/voice?

 

[sk!mom]

I was kind of being snarky - Elitist in the sense to brag about how many don't get to come to their school.

One of DD's friends has parents that insisted she apply to all the Ivy's - I'm not sure what all really meant but I do know they hired a college coach who like you said walked them thru the entire process, advised etc. The issue my DD had was the parents were dictating where she should apply, they didn't allow their daughter to voice much of an opinion and she was on house arrest until the multitude of essays/applications were completed. DD's friend is convinced that her Mom wants to brag that her DD got into all "the ivy's" although so far, she has not gotten into one. Still in a holding pattern. I know from what my DD and her friend said, this coach was a major influence on where to apply, what to submit etc.

DD's high school hired a college coach via a grant, and I think she has been a great resource to DD - in hindsight I wish I had utilized her a bit more in helping DD to choose where to apply but by the time I realized this was going to be such a big hassle, the time had come and gone for most of the application process.

I wish DD's school had provided that. Her counselors were of minimal assistance so I felt like I had to do a ton of research to help her.

The private Counselor that my sister used wasn't overly pushy. She met with my nephew and parents to see what their criteria was. Their major qualifier was that he HAD to stay in state due to his dad's Hazelwood. Since that was such a strong criteria, I questioned the need of the paid counselor but my sister felt that she was valuable and the acceptance to his first choice program makes her feel better about the money spent.

This counselor was used by a couple of friends, as well. She did guide them on nationwide searches that included the Ivy's. One is at Baylor and the other TCU. The one who really wanted Ivy wasn't accepted and the one who wanted UT Honors wasn't accepted to Honors. Their experiences made me question the value but all three sets of parents speak very highly, and if nothing else, enjoyed having someone else pushing to get those apps in and deadlines met.

 

[mamacatnv]

I wish DD's school had provided that. Her counselors were of minimal assistance so I felt like I had to do a ton of research to help her.

The private Counselor that my sister used wasn't overly pushy. She met with my nephew and parents to see what their criteria was. Their major qualifier was that he HAD to stay in state due to his dad's Hazelwood. Since that was such a strong criteria, I questioned the need of the paid counselor but my sister felt that she was valuable and the acceptance to his first choice program makes her feel better about the money spent.

This counselor was used by a couple of friends, as well. She did guide them on nationwide searches that included the Ivy's. One is at Baylor and the other TCU. The one who really wanted Ivy wasn't accepted and the one who wanted UT Honors wasn't accepted to Honors. Their experiences made me question the value but all three sets of parents speak very highly, and if nothing else, enjoyed having someone else pushing to get those apps in and deadlines met.

Right here worth the price! LOL
DD says the college adviser is on a grant, she has asked the kids to please keep her updated on where they apply and where they get in - the thought is to continue to justify the position. I believe this is a newly created thing and I wish in hindsight I had utilized her more but DD does tell me she has met with her several times (I had no idea)
I'm just curious, what do these coaches cost?

Also, dumb question, what is Hazelwood?

 

[teller80]

For those who have used, or know somebody who has used, a college adviser - are they honest about your chances of getting into a school? For instance my children are not Ivy material. If I wanted them to apply anyway, would the adviser tell me not to bother? Or would they just help me fill out the application and write an essay?

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We didn't but my son's friend did use an advisor
He was accepted to Boston College.
That was his #1 pick

 

[sk!mom]

The adviser that my sister and friends have used, yes, she was realistic in setting expectations with them. In all 3 cases, she helped them with the reach but also helped them come up with a list of choices that were safeties.

In my nephew's case, his first choice was University of Texas where he was an auto-admit but only if he was accepted into the Department of Nat. Science/ Biochem. She felt that this department is very competitive and was a reach for him and told him that. She had him visit a couple of schools that she was confident would accept him, and he applied to and was accepted in the Fall to TAMU into the Science department (don't remember what they title it there.)

She also advised him to apply to internships last Summer that would strengthen his applications this Fall. He was originally wait listed for an internship at UT last Summer so she advised him to contact the department expressing just how much he wanted to participate. They accepted him and he was in Austin for 5 or 6 weeks last summer working on an Internship in the Biochem department.

Who knows if her advice made the difference but he's in so it seems like it was worth it.

 

[sk!mom]

To add- we live in a smaller city- not metropolitan. About 800-900 grads each year so if her advice wasn't realistic and successful, I don't think her business would last for long.

 

[Sanchez]

We retained an advisor/consultant and regardless of the outcome I believe it was worth it. She is a retired college administrator with an excellent reputation and is not part of a commercial business. She works out of her home in our neighborhood.

Our son wanted to apply to several top schools and we felt that she could provide guidance as well as an honest assessment of his chances. I met with her (along with him) the first time and after that have not been a part of any discussions. They dealt with essays, deadlines, applications and our only decision was whether to agree to pay certain application fees. They would meet at her house and often met via Skype on Sunday mornings.

He work is now complete and depending on acceptances/rejections/finances we will make the final decision.