Yikes!!! I don't know what to do about Ds and college

[8filltheheart]

I don't think Ds will have a problem with MIT... he will have these (except the biology isn't in our plans so we need to add this) and more. The foreign language he will do one year high school and then do two years at CC.

 

 

It isn't as simple as looking at it that way. Those are bare minimum requirements. MIT is very, very competitive. Every applicant is going to have that and much, much more. Getting accepted into MIT is a big deal and definitely not a simple process.

 

Read the stats and resumes of kids who were admitted, rejected, and waitlisted this year. You will be shocked at the number of incredibly qualified students who were not accepted at elite institutions.

 

Absolutely! :iagree:

 

Here is an example of transcripts of students that have been accepted into MIT:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1559496&highlight=MIT#post1559496

[creekland]

OP, just a few general points about the college process:

 

--Columbia as part of the Ivy League does NOT offer merit scholarships, only need-based aid. Their idea of need may not be your idea of need! Schools like Columbia do not use the FAFSA EFC number but rely on the CSS Profile instead, then add their own spin.

 

--I recommend you start reading at College Confidental http://talk.collegeconfidential.com Stick with the Parents' Forum, the Financial Aid Forum and the individual forums for each school (kids who post in other areas can be very prestige-obsessed and snarky). Read the stats and resumes of kids who were admitted, rejected, and waitlisted this year. You will be shocked at the number of incredibly qualified students who were not accepted at elite institutions.

 

--Run estimated FAFSA and Profile calculations. You can find good calculators at finaid.org. You will want to use both the standard methodology (FAFSA) and the institutional methodology (Profile), but remember that schools do what they want with the numbers.

 

:iagree:

 

This is superb info for those looking at highly selective schools. What they list on their web site as recommendations are minimums... the vast majority of accepted applicants have quite a bit more.