Looking for tips on college search

[yorkiesmiles]

Hi, I'm in the midst of helping my 16 yr old daughter narrow down her college search. We're going in a few weeks - for spring break - to visit colleges in the south. Problem is my daughter also has a midwest list and an east coast list!! Trying to get her to narrow it down - I'm a single mom and overwhelmed with all that lays ahead before she graduates.

She is extremely bright - waiting to get her latest ACT scores - she last took the ACT as a freshman and scored 29 - so we figure she'll be in the 30s this time around. She also last took the SAT as a frosh but I can't remember the scores - high, though. Last yr, she took the PSAT for practice as a soph and would have been named a National Merit Scholar if she'd been a jr. - while we have her PSAT scores for this yr, we won't know for some time whether she is a scholar or not.

So perhaps she could go to an Ivy league school - but don't know if I would even want her to. She thinks it might be fun - but she has so many other interests

Maybe somewhere would she could either twirl the baton, cheer or be on a dance team - all things she does now. Or maybe be a sorority girl like her mom.

Or maybe go to a Christian school - as she has done so since preschool . She also spends more than half-the day in an advanced placement high school program offered through the public system - so she is used to the real world,

She wants to study biology or some form of bio - ultimately be a researcher or doctor.

So many decisions and trying to figure out how much time it is going to take to drive from college to college in different states.

I've been reading books, websites and been to a couple of meetings - but still wondering .....
Anyone been thru this college hunt? Or have any experience with Ivy league or select colleges?

[Tiger's Mom]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

Hi, I'm in the midst of helping my 16 yr old daughter narrow down her college search. We're going in a few weeks - for spring break - to visit colleges in the south. Problem is my daughter also has a midwest list and an east coast list!! Trying to get her to narrow it down - I'm a single mom and overwhelmed with all that lays ahead before she graduates.

She is extremely bright - waiting to get her latest ACT scores - she last took the ACT as a freshman and scored 29 - so we figure she'll be in the 30s this time around. She also last took the SAT as a frosh but I can't remember the scores - high, though. Last yr, she took the PSAT for practice as a soph and would have been named a National Merit Scholar if she'd been a jr. - while we have her PSAT scores for this yr, we won't know for some time whether she is a scholar or not.

So perhaps she could go to an Ivy league school - but don't know if I would even want her to. She thinks it might be fun - but she has so many other interests

Maybe somewhere would she could either twirl the baton, cheer or be on a dance team - all things she does now. Or maybe be a sorority girl like her mom.

Or maybe go to a Christian school - as she has done so since preschool . She also spends more than half-the day in an advanced placement high school program offered through the public system - so she is used to the real world,

She wants to study biology or some form of bio - ultimately be a researcher or doctor.

So many decisions and trying to figure out how much time it is going to take to drive from college to college in different states.

I've been reading books, websites and been to a couple of meetings - but still wondering .....
Anyone been thru this college hunt? Or have any experience with Ivy league or select colleges?

This is a daunting task that both parents and kid go through . . .I know we both did. My daughter too was a stellar student in HS and she went to private all the way. Because every application requires a fee I told her to limit to 5, making sure that she picks one safety school to ensure she ends up in one.

She had one back east, one midwest, and 3 in the northwest. 3 were private, one out of state and one in-state. As much as I would prefer for her to go to a private school, she ultimately chose to be close but not close enough. She ended up going to the U of WA. At the time, she told herself she wanted to go private and the only reason she will consider a state school is if she got accepted to the Honors program. It must have been fate as she did get it and that is where she is right now . . . Ultimately, they know deep down which school they want to go to . . . all we can do is guide and advise. She says college (at least state) is so hard because no one really teaches you . . you are practically on your own. She cried the first quarter and told me it was so hard and felt so dumb . . . now she is in her sophomore year and doinq quite well (in the dean's list). She has no regrets on her choice and loves her school and the city of Seattle.

Good luck on this short temporary journey . . . the hardest part is when they take off. I only have one child and we are very close so I was truly hearbroken when she left.

[StewiesMom]

My advice:

Everyone should go to the best school they could possibly get into. It does not hurt at all to apply - it may cost a $75-100 for an app, but acceptance into Ivy League will carry you far. The alumni association/contacts through these schools is amazing and the jobs are plentiful -- it's difficult to get a job w/ "only" a bachelor's nowadays unless you know someone. Graduate degrees are almost a must to make decent money.
I did extremely well on my ACT (30s) and went to a "crappy" state school. I have many regrets about that.

Best of luck to your daughter!

[yorkiesmiles]

Thank you Tiger's mom and Stewie's mom. Great advice.

I know she's got to be in charge of making the decision - I told her she was president of the college search committe and I'm the chief financial officer - with veto power if she doesn't get the financial aid pkg we'll need. But really I'd do just about anything for her to be where she wants!

We are so close, I will miss her horribly no matter where she goes. If she goes south I've thought about moving somewhere south, too - not too close though. It's just my brother, sister-in-law and brand new nephew live in Atlanta and my parents left here and moved to Sarasota several yrs ago.

Good pt. Stewie's mom about the contacts etc. - we have 2 of the best science schools in the country in Iowa - but they're both big state schools that she says are too big for her. And she is thinking what if she goes to some little school where she may be a stand out, but then will she be able to get in to a top grad or med school?

[nifer]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

And she is thinking what if she goes to some little school where she may be a stand out, but then will she be able to get in to a top grad or med school?

acceptance into grad/med school isn't just contingent on undergrad performance, admissions committees also take into consideration how extensive her professional experience (if she has any) is in her field. going to a larger, more well-known and reputable undergrad will most likely give her more opportunities to network and make contacts in her field of study. this will enable her to get much 'hands on' experience that many professional schools (esp. phd programs) like.

getting back to the orginal topic though, picking an undergrad can be tough since there are so many options because everything is so general at that level. you've said that she is interested in Bio/Med. i was a bio/psych major (as well as pre-med for a while) in undergrad and was able to narrow my career focus by working in my field. my undergrad program required co-ops so i was able to gain 'real life' experience in my subject of interest while still in school. maybe she too could benefit from this type of program.

what type of learning environment does she thrive in? does she prefer one-on-one learning or does she prefer to be able to 'do things on her own'? going to a larger university will not suit her if she requires constant personal attention.

going to an Ivy may sound like "fun", but there is also a lot of hard work involved. many of my friends went to UPenn and i remember them constantly worrying about their academic performance, more so than my non-Ivy friends. the pressure was not put on them by only their parents, but by themselves as well. on the flipside, going to a school such as UPenn gives you potentially more opportunities than going to a smaller school does. UPenn is the #1 employer in Philadelphia and this will enable you to network and make those professional contacts i mentioned earlier.

good luck in your search.

[sneri13]

We are currently in the waiting to hear where my son has been accepted to. His top pick is U Mass- Amherst. He wants to study landscape architecture and marine conservation.

Have you gotten the Princeton Review to Colleges? It is a great place to start making and narrowing down your list. It has size, ranking, majors, requirements, cost etc.

Since Landscape arch. is not offered at a lot of schools his list was limited. However, We did take into consideration what else they offered, since he plays varsity baseball and soccer this was also a big part of where to apply. Still it has been a very long process and the wait is nerve racking. The worst day will be when I send him off.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

[fasteddie]

Good luck to your daughter! You should be very proud of her!

Try to narrow her focus and ask what she expects or wants out of college, what kind of experience, what kind of learning, what kind of atmosphere she wants. Different personalities will thrive in different types of places. I've known brilliant people who have flourished (and been happy) going to a small liberal arts school. There are others that like the Ivy League life and do better in that atmosphere. I'd suggest having her visit a few different 'types' of schools (Christian, Ivy League, state school) and getting her impressions on that and then going from there. Try to visit as many as possible, sometimes it's hard to see what a program is all about without first being there.

Not that I could get into an Ivy League school or anything, but there are some good benefits from going to one, but there is also a lot of pressure as well put on a child when they do attend one as well. Make sure she gets to give a lot of input on what school she goes to, as this may be one of her most important decisions in her life.

[troubletb]

My daughter is in her first year at University of Central Florida, Here in Florida they have for residence, something called Bright Futures. If you receive a high score on ACT's and or SAT's you can get anywhere from 75% to 100% of tutuion paid. It was great, Jessica (my daughter) was/is also very smart and Her University also gave her $5500. to offset the costs. SHe loves the college. and is doing pretty good! My suggestion is for you to get started on looking for scholarships and a great website is www.fastweb.com. You put in the information and they send you scholarships that you could apply for. Good Luck!!

[LaviniaHyacynth]

Northwestern is a great midwestern school and it is not too big. I attended both Ivy and small private universities...the Ivy school is more impressive to most people;however,I recieved more attention to my work in the smaller school.

[d4nimal]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

Hi, I'm in the midst of helping my 16 yr old daughter narrow down her college search. We're going in a few weeks - for spring break - to visit colleges in the south. Problem is my daughter also has a midwest list and an east coast list!! Trying to get her to narrow it down - I'm a single mom and overwhelmed with all that lays ahead before she graduates.

She is extremely bright - waiting to get her latest ACT scores - she last took the ACT as a freshman and scored 29 - so we figure she'll be in the 30s this time around. She also last took the SAT as a frosh but I can't remember the scores - high, though. Last yr, she took the PSAT for practice as a soph and would have been named a National Merit Scholar if she'd been a jr. - while we have her PSAT scores for this yr, we won't know for some time whether she is a scholar or not.

So perhaps she could go to an Ivy league school - but don't know if I would even want her to. She thinks it might be fun - but she has so many other interests

Maybe somewhere would she could either twirl the baton, cheer or be on a dance team - all things she does now. Or maybe be a sorority girl like her mom.

Or maybe go to a Christian school - as she has done so since preschool . She also spends more than half-the day in an advanced placement high school program offered through the public system - so she is used to the real world,

She wants to study biology or some form of bio - ultimately be a researcher or doctor.

So many decisions and trying to figure out how much time it is going to take to drive from college to college in different states.

I've been reading books, websites and been to a couple of meetings - but still wondering .....
Anyone been thru this college hunt? Or have any experience with Ivy league or select colleges?

Hey,

I'm 23 and just finished college. From what I can gather, your daughter and I are very similar. I had a 1500+ SAT score and am a National Merit Scholar. I was also president of our school's National Honor Society and a concert violinist (I don't really like to put my background out there that much, but in this case I think it's germane). My junior year of highschool I went and looked at many colleges, including Ivy Leagues as well as state schools. I'm doing molecular biology research right now (coming off of a BS degree in microbiology and cell science) and trying to get into med school. This is what I have found when I visited schools:

The state schools I visited (FL) are all very big, including Univ. of Florida, where I ended up attending. I think the "vibe" of most state schools is generally the same; big schools, many big classes, always a party going on somewhere, but you can study if you want to. The Ivy Leagues and that flavor of college were definitely a different feeling, with each having it's own sort of flavor.

I almost ended up going to Duke, but what ended up making my mind up about UF was all the scholarships and difference in money. At Duke, I would have had to pay upwards of 30 grand a year. UF offered free tuition because of in-state residency, plus a National Merit stipend every semester, plus $2000 to buy a laptop anytime in college.

Looking back, I feel that going to Duke or an Ivy League would have resulted in a better overall academic challenge and the power of the name behind my degree, but I would not have had as much fun (I had a blast in college. I have a few friends who went to Duke and some Ivy Leagues). If money were not an issue, I would have come to UF again anyway and just studied harder my first few years (I had an issue with thinking I was smarter than I was and not studying ever for a while). If she has a good work ethic, she can really go anywhere and be successful. I think what you will find is that every school you go to will leave on you a different general impression, and go with that. Any more questions, feel free to contact me. Good luck, and take care.

Dan

[kara]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

Hi, I'm in the midst of helping my 16 yr old daughter narrow down her college search. We're going in a few weeks - for spring break - to visit colleges in the south. Problem is my daughter also has a midwest list and an east coast list!! Trying to get her to narrow it down - I'm a single mom and overwhelmed with all that lays ahead before she graduates.

She is extremely bright - waiting to get her latest ACT scores - she last took the ACT as a freshman and scored 29 - so we figure she'll be in the 30s this time around. She also last took the SAT as a frosh but I can't remember the scores - high, though. Last yr, she took the PSAT for practice as a soph and would have been named a National Merit Scholar if she'd been a jr. - while we have her PSAT scores for this yr, we won't know for some time whether she is a scholar or not.

So perhaps she could go to an Ivy league school - but don't know if I would even want her to. She thinks it might be fun - but she has so many other interests

Maybe somewhere would she could either twirl the baton, cheer or be on a dance team - all things she does now. Or maybe be a sorority girl like her mom.

Or maybe go to a Christian school - as she has done so since preschool . She also spends more than half-the day in an advanced placement high school program offered through the public system - so she is used to the real world,

She wants to study biology or some form of bio - ultimately be a researcher or doctor.

So many decisions and trying to figure out how much time it is going to take to drive from college to college in different states.

I've been reading books, websites and been to a couple of meetings - but still wondering .....
Anyone been thru this college hunt? Or have any experience with Ivy league or select colleges?

GO BIG TEN!!!!!!
Purdue Baby!!!!
Boiler up!!!
lol!!!!!!

She has to visit the colleges, make sure she likes it-that is very important. Then find out the employment rates and salaries of the graduates of her intended major at the particular college she is interested in. That helped me in my decisions of which college to attend. Also as Dan said the prestige of the name goes a long way-unfortunately it does-the name can get you in the door-make you stand out-that gives you the chance to get in there and impress them and show them you are the right one for the job. My salary and employment rates for when I graduated were of course very important. I wanted to know that I would be able to get a job and be payed well. and when in doubt go big ten!! lol just joking this is probably going to be one of the toughest dicisions she will ever have to make. Good luck to her and to you!

[yorkiesmiles]

Wow, thanks for all the good input. She did get her ACT scores last Thursday - she scored a 34 - she had 35 in science & english, a 34 in reading, but "only" a 31 in math.

She wants to get with a tutor and really work on the math and take the ACT again - she wants the 36!! (she's not really a perfectionist about most things, but she sees this as fun - and some great challange to meet )

So many decisions to make about colleges. I had her write out a description of her ideal college and its characteristics, so she can keep that in mind when we go on college visits.

Originally Posted by nifer

going to an Ivy may sound like "fun", but there is also a lot of hard work involved.

That's how I feel about the Ivy leagues - it sounds prestigious, but is that the best place for her? She knows she wants to be somewhere rigorous as she is used to that type of learning enviornment - but I also think college needs to be a good time.

The good news about applying to multiple schools now in this technology age is that many universities use what is called a common application - so it cuts down on the # to fill out and many colleges will wave the application fees if you apply online

To sneri13, yes we have the Princeton review guide - very helpful and we've been looking at US News and world Reports. I pray your son gets positive response to U of Mass- Amerherst. I'm hoping we can schedule a time to come to the east coast and look at schools while they are still in session.

We leave next week to visit Union University (Christian college in Tenn.), Vanderbilt, Emory, Mercer in Macon, Ga., Rice Univeristy, Baylor, Oral Roberts and Washington U in St. Louis - so you can see we are visitng a wide variety of schools - and putting too many miles on the car, and probably the mom - lol

Oh, troubletb, you sound like my mom!! My folks built a house in Sarasota about 6 years ago and moved down there full-time about 4 yrs - they expected my daughter and I to move too, and all my mom talks about is the tuition-incentives to live in Florida and go to college. I started filling out the fastweb info a couple of weeks ago - but I think my daughter needs to answer most of their questions. Were you able to get linked with scholarships that your daughter received because of fastweb?

Dan, wow congrats on all your accomplishments! My daughter is also interested, like you, in molecular biology, or perhaps bioethics. I appreciate what you have shared about your experience. My brother wants my daughter to look at Duke - just too many schools to choose from.

Of course we have two of the top science schools in the country right here in Iowa - Iowa State University (hey, did you all know that is where the computer was invented?!) and the University of Iowa ( yeah, go Hawks! ) She says they are both too big - I'm lucky if I can get her to look at a school in Iowa, because she thinks it would be fun to live somewhere else, then come back here.

Of course, I remind my daughter she can go to my undergrad alma matar - Drake University - big bonus (for me) we only live about 18 blocks away - lol

I really appreciate everyone who has posted - you all had valuable things to share. This is the first time I've really asked for advice on YT - or posted in off-discussion - so it is heart warming to read all the great things you had to say!


Yorkiesmiles

[nifer]

^^^

don't get me wrong, life at the Ivies can be fun as well, but the main focus is EDUCATION. isn't that what university is for though? from my experience with my own friends, there is a great deal of school spirit at the Ivies, much more than my own undergrad. if she does want to participate in activities outside of the classroon, there are many options for her. greek life, sports, culture, etc are not something exclusive only to the non-Ivies. sure, she may not "shine" at a school like that, but does it really matter? is being a "star" at a subpar school better than being "average" at a very rigorous school?

well, good luck.