Homeschool applications in Georgia!

[amathis229]

As we are looking at colleges for our senior, I vacillate between optimism and despair! With the Zell Miller scholarship on the table, it makes it very difficult to look outside of the University System of Georgia. After spending the summer immersed in Russian language at University of North Georgia (Move On When Ready), son wants to add a Russian minor to his intended major of economics. He would prefer not to attend UNG which leaves us with Georgia Tech and UGA. UGA requires from home-educated students: 

 

• An SAT or ACT score in the top five percent of college-bound seniors nationally in order to satisfy the English and mathematics portions of the CPC.

 

I am waiting to hear from UGA if that top five percent designation refers to composite or individual math and English sub scores. If it's not composite, then we can strike UGA off the list. And Tech? They have no such stipulation on their website but have a much lower acceptance rate that UGA. 

 

I have heard that College of Wooster has a really good merit package. Looking at Trinity University as well. It's just hard to compete with in-state tuition...especially if your state will pay for most of it.

 

Any thoughts, suggestions, or words of encouragement?!! 

[plansrme]

I would urge you not to strike Ga Tech from the list if your son is interested in econ and Russian.  A year or so ago, Tech quietly introduced a program that I can't find any more but that I think is still in effect (the admissions office could tell you for sure) that essentially lowered the entrance requirements for students applying for non-STEM majors.  The rules were that it was for in-state students only, and, once accepted, you had to stay in one of the non-STEM majors.  The applications for CS majors there are so crazily-competitive that people were putting their major down as economics and transferring to CS after the first semester or before classes started.  The adcoms aren't stupid, and this was a great way to protect the non-CS, non-engineering departments (which are very strong) from being used as a back-door way to get into CS.  Even if this program isn't around any more, applying for econ and Russian (or whatever) with a bunch of related ECs and immersion programs in Russian is going to look good to the adcoms.  They know that someone applying for econ but whose ECs are all developing apps and robotics and such is not really interested in econ (and I have a neighbor who is one of their adcoms--this is exactly the example she used).  An econ applicant with related ECs stands a far better chance of being admitted to econ than a kid with the same stats and unrelated ECs. 

 

For what it's worth, my daughter has taken several econ classes at Tech for the technical elective component of her math major, and she's loved them.  

[amathis229]

That is so encouraging! He really wants to go to Tech. We visited their liberal arts college last year and were blown away by the students we met and the opportunities available. He is decidedly geared towards non-STEM majors. His major at GHP was social studies and his minor was song writing! When you look at Tech's website and listen to their admissions counselors, they tend to stress that all applicants are evaluated the same...for the reasons you mentioned. Glad to hear your daughter is having such a good experience at Tech! Did she homeschool thru high school? Were you able to add in STEM? Did she take many AP or dual-enrollment classes? Son took AP Human Geography and Lang/Comp last year. Taking AP Calc, Physics, and Macro/Micro Econ this year. I am thinking he should have taken the science and math courses last year for purposes of applying. Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

 

 

[plansrme]

 

That is so encouraging! He really wants to go to Tech. We visited their liberal arts college last year and were blown away by the students we met and the opportunities available. He is decidedly geared towards non-STEM majors. His major at GHP was social studies and his minor was song writing! When you look at Tech's website and listen to their admissions counselors, they tend to stress that all applicants are evaluated the same...for the reasons you mentioned. Glad to hear your daughter is having such a good experience at Tech! Did she homeschool thru high school? Were you able to add in STEM? Did she take many AP or dual-enrollment classes? Son took AP Human Geography and Lang/Comp last year. Taking AP Calc, Physics, and Macro/Micro Econ this year. I am thinking he should have taken the science and math courses last year for purposes of applying. Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

 

 

 

 

My daughter was homeschooled only through eighth grade and then went into a public STEM magnet.  She did two years' of DE at Tech, though, so her path was relatively unique and probably not much help to anyone else.  But definitely keep Tech on the table, and stress the econ/Russian (if they have Russian language available--surely they do?) interest in the app.  Transferring in from UNG might also be a good way to get in.  My daughter has a friend who graduated from Tech in CS after doing his freshman year at a not-very-competitive public U in GA.  He did well enough in CS at Tech to be accepted into their Ph.D. program and is now pursuing his Ph.D. there, so a year at a decidedly un-Tech-level school did not hurt him in the least.

 

Good luck, and I hope it works out for your son.  

[amathis229]

Thank you!

 

 

[GoodGrief]

I grew up in Atlanta and my husband is a UGA alum. My mouth is hanging open at UGA's requirement for homeschool students...top 5% SAT, really? Wow!! Things have sure changed since the 80s.

 

I hope Tech works out for your kiddo. My daughter came very close to attending there, and it really seemed wonderful.

[8filltheheart]

Well, I'll be the downer and say that it is really difficult to assess your ds's viability for acceptance to Tech with the little info posted. I would evaluate his odds against their posted info like "ADMITTED PROFILE FOR 2017

 

Average SAT: 1458

 

Average ACT: 33

 

Average Number of College-Level Courses: 10.6." http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/03/11/increased-interest-tech-prevails-2017-class. No need to share, but I would compare his strengths to that data.

 

For a less competitive option for Russian, I would look into Old Miss and their Croft program. USCarolina is where my dd chose. Trinity was also an early one she likedbut the cost was too high.

Edited August 16, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[plansrme]

This is not the program I was thinking of, but do you know about this?  It is a program for guaranteed (I think?) admission into the College of Liberal Arts (among others) after one year of college at any other accredited program.  it sounds like your son has the stats to get in as a freshman (if we're talking top 5% composite, he's certainly in the ballpark), but this could be a handy back-up.

[Penelope]

I was surprised to hear that any state flagship would be so restrictive.

 

Here is what the requirements are:

https://www.admissions.uga.edu/prospective-students/first-year/home-educated

"If a student is home-educated or attends a non-accredited high school, he or she must demonstrate very high academic ability by having earned an SAT or ACT score equal to or above the average scores of the first-year students admitted to UGA for the prior Fall term. The student must also be able to validate completion of all CPC subject areas through submission of the following:

 

Official scores from the SAT or ACT (for math and English only—see below), SAT II, International Baccalaureate (IB) and/or Advanced Placement (AP) exams;

Coursework for credit that appears on an official college or an accredited high school transcript; and/or,

An SAT or ACT score in the top five percent of college-bound seniors nationally in order to satisfy the English and mathematics portions of the CPC."

 

 

So according to this, a top five percent SAT score is just one of the ways to fill the requirements. If the student took a DE, AP, IB, or SAT subject test in English or math, then you do not need the scores to be that high.

 

It still seems like a huge pain compared to some other state schools, though.

[amathis229]

@Gr8lander - Yeah, UGA's requirements are a disappointment. My husband and I are both alums (UGA Vet School). Here's a snippet of my email conversation with a UGA admissions counselor:

 

 

 

Option 1: "transcript issued by an accredited high school or college and/or AP/IB exam scores." Students's transcript will not be from an accredited high school or college because we homeschool.AP Lang and Comp - yes - a 4 on the exam. AP Math - no - taking AP Calc this year, but scores will not be back until July.

 

Option 2:  "If a student does use SAT/ACT scores to prove math and/or English CPC areas, we are looking to see that their English and Math sub-scores fall in the top 5% nationally." ACT English - yes- 96 percentile, ACT Math - no - 91 percentile (superscore composite - 97 percentile)

 

Option 3:  "a student may use a combination of these options to prove that they have completed all necessary core academic requirements before graduating high school" Even using a combination of the above options, student will not satisfy the math requirement needed to be considered for admission to The University of Georgia as a home-educated student. 

 

Is this correct? There doesn't appear to be a need to spend the $75 to apply when the basic requirements for home-educated students cannot be met. 

 

Please confirm so that we can put this application aside (when it comes available September 1st) if we need to.

 

Thank you, Ashley! 

 

Best,

April Mathis

 

 

 

8FilltheHeart - Thank you for the resources!

 

​Plansrme - We will definitely be considering that route if he doesn't get in! Thank you!

 

​Penelope - Looking at the other options! Unless they are willing to accept his AP Calc coursework as a senior, we are out of luck, best I can tell. 

 

Thank you so much for the feedback! Your input, resources, and thoughts are appreciated. Feeling a bit like an island, and this really helps!

 

 

 

 

 

<script id="$th_texthelpReturn" type="text/javascript"> function $th_doReturn(a){var b=document.getElementById('$th_texthelpReturnValueID');b!=null&&(b.setAttribute('result',a),a=document.createEvent('Events'),a.initEvent('$th_texthelpReturnEvent',!0,!1),b.dispatchEvent(a))};</script>

 

 

[Penelope]

Could your student take the Math 1 or 2 SAT subject tests this fall?

[amathis229]

We should do that. I must admit, I have been prideful and not pushed SAT subject tests because it is one more hoop to jump through. I am realizing, though, that there are many different degrees of "homeschool friendly" in regards to colleges,  and one must be willing to play the game of the particular school one is interested in.  :nopity:

 

 

[Chanley]

Also in Georgia! UGA has become so much more selective. One of the kids on my daughter's dance team got in this year with a 23 on her ACT and a couple of 2s on APs. I was shocked but she has siblings that are there. It kinda irks me that kids who take more more rigorous homeschool courses are required to jump through higher hoops just because they are not part of an accredited school. Our local accredited school is a joke in regards to rigor and standards. But the requirements for Zell are the same, right? In order to get Zell Miller your scores have to be in the 97% or did I read that wrong? 

 

As far as Russian goes, look at Oberlin. I have a cousin who went there, fell in love with the Russian language, studied abroad in Russia and wound up in DC working a government job that he refused to talk about. We joke that he is in the CIA but that may not be a joke. Anyway...Oberlin seems to have a great Russian dept. 

[amathis229]

Best I can tell this is the current language regarding homeschool students and Zell Miller:

 

(iii) Having completed a home study program meeting the requirements of subsection © of Code Section 20-2-690 or having graduated from a high school which is not an eligible high school, having received a score in the ninety-third percentile or higher on the ACT, on the combined critical reading and math portions on a single administration of the SAT administered prior to March 1, 2016, or on the total score on a single administration of the SAT administered on or after March 1, 2016; 

 

​Will you be looking at schools in Georgia for your daughter? 

 

Oberlin sounds great! We'll check it out. Cool how that worked out for your cousin. I agree...probably not a joke!

 

 

[daijobu]

Regarding SAT subject tests, if it makes you feel better about those hoops, it is only one hour and all multiple choice, and you can take 1-3 of them at at time.  So compared to an AP maybe not so bad.  

[Melabella]

I was surprised to hear that any state flagship would be so restrictive.

 

Here is what the requirements are:

https://www.admissions.uga.edu/prospective-students/first-year/home-educated

"If a student is home-educated or attends a non-accredited high school, he or she must demonstrate very high academic ability by having earned an SAT or ACT score equal to or above the average scores of the first-year students admitted to UGA for the prior Fall term. The student must also be able to validate completion of all CPC subject areas through submission of the following:

 

Official scores from the SAT or ACT (for math and English only—see below), SAT II, International Baccalaureate (IB) and/or Advanced Placement (AP) exams;

Coursework for credit that appears on an official college or an accredited high school transcript; and/or,

An SAT or ACT score in the top five percent of college-bound seniors nationally in order to satisfy the English and mathematics portions of the CPC."

 

 

So according to this, a top five percent SAT score is just one of the ways to fill the requirements. If the student took a DE, AP, IB, or SAT subject test in English or math, then you do not need the scores to be that high.

 

It still seems like a huge pain compared to some other state schools, though.

 

Actually, the unaccredited homeschool student needs to score in the top 5% AND must also have DE, AP, IB, or SATIIs to validate Georgia's CPC (core curriculum) requirements.

 

However, there is wiggle room...see my next post. 

[Melabella]

amathis229, my daughter is a first-year student at UGA this year. I will share our experience.

 

As my husband's entire family and I graduated from Auburn University, my daughter never considered attending UGA or GA Tech. She really wanted to attend a private liberal arts school, but that was not to be as we do not qualify for financial aid and cannot possibly afford our EFC. Unfortunately, we didn't truly come to terms with this fact until late in the application process. I made several calls and sent several e-mails to UGA's admissions office and received conflicting answers and little clarity. At the very last minute, she applied to UGA and we weren't sure if she met the requirements or not.

 

Her ACT composite was in the top 5%, but her Math score alone was not. She had no AP, IB, or SATIIs (the reason she did not apply to Tech). However, she did do a year of full-time dual enrollment at UWG in their honors college. I was concerned she would be rejected though because she did not take a social science DE class until her second semester, so she did not have any CPC verification for that subject before applying. Obviously, she was admitted anyway.

 

I think if your son is in the top 5% and has some DE or APs in most of the core subjects, then he will likely get in. However, UGA is definitely much more selective than it was when I applied, or even just 5 or 10 years ago.

 

If your son does decide on UGA, be aware that the honors college application is due early in the fall and is very selective. Alternatively, he may be interested in the Franklin Residential College which is a program for students in a liberal arts major. The FRC students all live in Rutherford Hall and have special programs and extra access to and involvement with professors.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Melabella

[lmrich]

Students can transfer into UGA with 30 hours of college credits. However, they must have graduated from high school, AND those 30 credits must be completed a semester before the student starts.  I do not know anyone personally who has done this, but I have two friends who are going to try this route. Their student graduated a year early from high school. The student took advantage of the Dual Enrollment while in high school so was able to earn many college credits and is then taking 15 hours this semster.  

 

It might be something we look into for our youngest daughter. The Zell scholarship is hard to pass up. I think all my kids will need/want a master's degree so it is nice to save that money for later. 

[8filltheheart]

Don't dismiss scholarships outside of GA if you don't think he will qualify for either admission or the Zell. I would run NPC and see if schools like Oberlin are worth the effort of applying. I know Oberlin meets 100% need, but don't know about their scholarships. Most meets need schools either offer no scholarships or a handful of very competitive ones (like Robertson at UNC-CH.). If you can't afford your expected familial contribution, I would move on with a different focus. There are scholarships to be found, but you may have to look at schools not previously considered.

[amathis229]

amathis229, my daughter is a first-year student at UGA this year. I will share our experience.

 

As my husband's entire family and I graduated from Auburn University, my daughter never considered attending UGA or GA Tech. She really wanted to attend a private liberal arts school, but that was not to be as we do not qualify for financial aid and cannot possibly afford our EFC. Unfortunately, we didn't truly come to terms with this fact until late in the application process. I made several calls and sent several e-mails to UGA's admissions office and received conflicting answers and little clarity. At the very last minute, she applied to UGA and we weren't sure if she met the requirements or not.

 

Her ACT composite was in the top 5%, but her Math score alone was not. She had no AP, IB, or SATIIs (the reason she did not apply to Tech). However, she did do a year of full-time dual enrollment at UWG in their honors college. I was concerned she would be rejected though because she did not take a social science DE class until her second semester, so she did not have any CPC verification for that subject before applying. Obviously, she was admitted anyway.

 

I think if your son is in the top 5% and has some DE or APs in most of the core subjects, then he will likely get in. However, UGA is definitely much more selective than it was when I applied, or even just 5 or 10 years ago.

 

If your son does decide on UGA, be aware that the honors college application is due early in the fall and is very selective. Alternatively, he may be interested in the Franklin Residential College which is a program for students in a liberal arts major. The FRC students all live in Rutherford Hall and have special programs and extra access to and involvement with professors.

 

This is most helpful. Our situations are very similar. Thank you for sharing! I guess we'll go ahead and spend the application money and see where the chips fall. I like the idea of a residential college at a school of this size.

I am originally from South Carolina (did my undergrad at Clemson). The University of South Carolina looks to have excellent out-of-state aid and appears to be much more homeschool friendly than Georgia. I am added USC to the list as well. Unless my so is competitive for the top scholarships, though, waived out-of-state still won't compete with what Zell Miller will pay for.

To qualify for the Zell Miller scholarship, homeschool students just have to meet the following requirement: score in the 93rd percentile or higher on the ACT or on the combined critical reading and math portions on the SAT, correct? 

 

[Melabella]

 

This is most helpful. Our situations are very similar. Thank you for sharing! I guess we'll go ahead and spend the application money and see where the chips fall. I like the idea of a residential college at a school of this size.

I am originally from South Carolina (did my undergrad at Clemson). The University of South Carolina looks to have excellent out-of-state aid and appears to be much more homeschool friendly than Georgia. I am added USC to the list as well. Unless my so is competitive for the top scholarships, though, waived out-of-state still won't compete with what Zell Miller will pay for.

To qualify for the Zell Miller scholarship, homeschool students just have to meet the following requirement: score in the 93rd percentile or higher on the ACT or on the combined critical reading and math portions on the SAT, correct? 

 

 

 

Yes, I wish we had looked at USC earlier. My dd received about half price offers at all of the private schools to which she applied, but that was still significantly more than a state school since she qualified for Zell and we did not qualify for any other financial aid. Only University of Alabama-Huntsville was cheaper, but UGA had a better program for her major.

 

Yes, 93% was the qualifying mark for my daughter for Zell, which I believe was a 29 on the ACT. I'm not sure about the SAT as my Dd did not take it.  Here are a few tips...

 

1.) You will not be able to apply for Zell (or Hope) until your child has graduated from high school, which means the chosen school will not be able to include the Zell scholarship in your financial aid awards until after that time.  

 

2.) Be sure to check your chosen school's cut-off for receiving Zell/Hope verification and be sure your child graduates at least a month prior to ensure enough time for processing. 

 

3.) You will have to send in the student's official final high school transcript and their test scores directly from ACT or SAT.  SAT scores can be electronically submitted, but ACT scores must be mailed, so allow adequate time.

 

4.)  Zell pays for the full amount of tuition, but not fees. UGA has over $2000 in fees per year. 

 

5.) I found UGA's Net Price Calculator to be very accurate. 

[Caroline]

To piggyback on #4... My oldest had the Zell all four years at Georgia Tech. Between room and board, fees, and books, it still cost us close to $14k/year. (Tech housing and fees are more than UGA's. And we paid for the highest leve meal plan and nicest campus housing. I know it can be done cheaper.) Many people don't realize these costs are still there. And Georgia colleges are now known to raise their fees rather than tuition because of the Hope program.

 

Yes, I wish we had looked at USC earlier. My dd received about half price offers at all of the private schools to which she applied, but that was still significantly more than a state school since she qualified for Zell and we did not qualify for any other financial aid. Only University of Alabama-Huntsville was cheaper, but UGA had a better program for her major.

 

Yes, 93% was the qualifying mark for my daughter for Zell, which I believe was a 29 on the ACT. I'm not sure about the SAT as my Dd did not take it. Here are a few tips...

 

1.) You will not be able to apply for Zell (or Hope) until your child has graduated from high school, which means the chosen school will not be able to include the Zell scholarship in your financial aid awards until after that time.

 

2.) Be sure to check your chosen school's cut-off for receiving Zell/Hope verification and be sure your child graduates at least a month prior to ensure enough time for processing.

 

3.) You will have to send in the student's official final high school transcript and their test scores directly from ACT or SAT. SAT scores can be electronically submitted, but ACT scores must be mailed, so allow adequate time.

 

4.) Zell pays for the full amount of tuition, but not fees. UGA has over $2000 in fees per year.

 

5.) I found UGA's Net Price Calculator to be very accurate.

[8filltheheart]

To piggyback on #4... My oldest had the Zell all four years at Georgia Tech. Between room and board, fees, and books, it still cost us close to $14k/year. (Tech housing and fees are more than UGA's. And we paid for the highest leve meal plan and nicest campus housing. I know it can be done cheaper.) Many people don't realize these costs are still there. And Georgia colleges are now known to raise their fees rather than tuition because of the Hope program.

 

 

This pt is one that should be paid attention to by anyone who is concerned about costs and is seeking scholarships. Full tuition scholarships can leave anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 in remaining costs. Hidden fees can add up to thousands of $$.

[amathis229]

 

Yes, I wish we had looked at USC earlier. My dd received about half price offers at all of the private schools to which she applied, but that was still significantly more than a state school since she qualified for Zell and we did not qualify for any other financial aid. Only University of Alabama-Huntsville was cheaper, but UGA had a better program for her major.

 

Yes, 93% was the qualifying mark for my daughter for Zell, which I believe was a 29 on the ACT. I'm not sure about the SAT as my Dd did not take it.  Here are a few tips...

 

1.) You will not be able to apply for Zell (or Hope) until your child has graduated from high school, which means the chosen school will not be able to include the Zell scholarship in your financial aid awards until after that time.  

 

2.) Be sure to check your chosen school's cut-off for receiving Zell/Hope verification and be sure your child graduates at least a month prior to ensure enough time for processing. 

 

3.) You will have to send in the student's official final high school transcript and their test scores directly from ACT or SAT.  SAT scores can be electronically submitted, but ACT scores must be mailed, so allow adequate time.

 

4.)  Zell pays for the full amount of tuition, but not fees. UGA has over $2000 in fees per year. 

 

5.) I found UGA's Net Price Calculator to be very accurate. 

 

 

This is amazingly helpful! I can't thank you enough!

[amathis229]

To piggyback on #4... My oldest had the Zell all four years at Georgia Tech. Between room and board, fees, and books, it still cost us close to $14k/year. (Tech housing and fees are more than UGA's. And we paid for the highest leve meal plan and nicest campus housing. I know it can be done cheaper.) Many people don't realize these costs are still there. And Georgia colleges are now known to raise their fees rather than tuition because of the Hope program.

 

 

Yes - our ideal situation, next to paying nothing  :laugh:, would be to have tuition covered by Zell Miller (or other scholarship if out-of-state) and no more than $20,000/year in added fees. We have a second child coming behind this one who is profoundly dyslexic, so we want to be as conservative as possible with our spending on this first go-around in case we have to go the private school route sans aid or scholarships. Thank you for your help, Caroline!

 

 

[amathis229]

This pt is one that should be paid attention to by anyone who is concerned about costs and is seeking scholarships. Full tuition scholarships can leave anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 in remaining costs. Hidden fees can add up to thousands of $$.

Yes! We are hoping to keep added fees below $20,000. We are definitely going to look at USC-Columbia. It's the only school on our list that requires that all test scores be submitted! I read on CC that Yale (not applying here) requires only ALL the SAT or ALL the ACT. But USC requires all of both tests, correct? Thank you so much for your help!

 

[8filltheheart]

Dd only had sat scores, so I don't know. If call and ask. It is only a phone call.

[amathis229]

Follow-up: Ds got into Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia and just found out yesterday that he was accepted into UGA's Honors College! We are re-visiting Tech and University of South Carolina during spring break. He was accepted into Tech in Global Economics and Modern Languages. South Carolina - International Business and Honors College. If we look at things strictly from a financial perspective, he should choose Tech. South Carolina waived out-of-state tuition plus a $2000/year scholarship. Best I can figure, it would cost about $10,000 a year more for ds to go to USC - assuming he gets Zell Miller Scholarship and keeps it at Tech. I told him he could go to Carolina, but that he would have to take out the student loan amount of $5500 a year. Ugh - as I write this, I'm asking myself, "Why would we pay more???" I do feel like the honors college at USC would be a fantastic environment for him. 

 

I never did take him to UGA for an official visit. He said he didn't want to go there. He loves the University of South Carolina, though! He applied for but did not receive the bigger scholarships at USC which would have made it more financially comparable to Georgia Tech. 8FillTheHeart - if he had received Top Scholar like your dd did, it would be an easy choice! Even so, he's thinking that if he's interested in business - Carolina is where he should be. A business degree wasn't even on his radar until he visited Carolina. I've tried to find out more about the business school at Tech (Golbal Econ and Mod Lang is in the liberal arts school). I'm hoping his visit to Tech next week will shed some light on the programs there - liberal arts school is having a shadow day. He will be meeting professors, academic advisors, and students as well as sitting in on classes. Part of the problem is that he really doesn't know for sure what he wants to do! 

 

Anyways, I am happy that our state schools accepted him. One of his best friends - who is also homeschooled - was accepted to UGA, too! If ds goes in-state, I will be referring back to this post for all the helpful advice regarding the Zell Miller scholarship.

 

 

[Lilaclady]

Congratulations!!! He has wonderful options.

[omd21]

Congratulations! You must be so relieved and excited for him! I’m in GA as well. DD does not want to go to UGA but will probably be applying to Tech. (She’s entering 10th this year). I really hope everything works beautifully for your son with scholarships.

[amathis229]

Thank you, Lilaclady and omd21! Georgia state schools had me stressing! omd21 - good luck with your daughter - it won't be long!

 

 

 

[librarymama]

Congratulations to your son! My DH and I both graduated from Tech ages ago (I'm HTS '02, he's CS '03). I will say that while the school is heavily focused on engineering, my experience as part of the Ivan Allen College was incredible and I had many opportunities and loads of support. 

[amathis229]

Congratulations to your son! My DH and I both graduated from Tech ages ago (I'm HTS '02, he's CS '03). I will say that while the school is heavily focused on engineering, my experience as part of the Ivan Allen College was incredible and I had many opportunities and loads of support. 

 

I would love to hear more about your experience! I think he can be happy either place - as long as he can handle the math at Tech. He's struggling for a B in AP Calc but weirdly enough, he's enjoying it! He's taking the class through Georgia Virtual School and works with a tutor on a weekly basis. His tutor has a Phd in mathematics and spent one year at Tech in undergrad. Left after a year because he did not have the computer programming background that he needed to be successful at Tech (his words). The tutor doesn't think ds will be happy at Tech. Neither he nor I have discussed this with ds because we both agree it needs to be his decision. We also discussed how things have changed since tutor was there (and you and your husband. Freshman retention rate is much higher. Any thoughts regarding the math and liberal arts majors?

 

[librarymama]

I do believe that Tech wants all of their students to be successful and they have made changes to increase freshman retention. Tech is not for everyone, however I will say that a motivated student can be successful there. Just looking at your son's course load for his senior year he seems better prepared than I ever was to matriculate at Tech. 

 

I took higher level maths (goodness, I cannot even remember now what level I got to) because I was a CE major for my first year. I did have to take a programming course and a statistics course as a liberal arts major, but I don't remember them being particularly challenging.

 

Regarding the Ivan Allen College, my experience there felt very intimate and I formed a bond with others in my major and received a lot of support from the faculty. It is harder to get lost in the sea when you're one of a hundred verses one of thousands. After Tech I also had no problem being admitted to the highest ranked graduate school for library and information science. Tech more than prepared me and grad school was a breeze. Living in downtown Atlanta was such a treat as well. 

 

Good luck to your son in whichever school he chooses! I do think that if Tech admitted him, they know he can be successful there. 

[GoodGrief]

What a wonderful update! Sounds like he has some great choices.

[amathis229]

 

I do believe that Tech wants all of their students to be successful and they have made changes to increase freshman retention. Tech is not for everyone, however I will say that a motivated student can be successful there. Just looking at your son's course load for his senior year he seems better prepared than I ever was to matriculate at Tech. 

 

I took higher level maths (goodness, I cannot even remember now what level I got to) because I was a CE major for my first year. I did have to take a programming course and a statistics course as a liberal arts major, but I don't remember them being particularly challenging.

 

Regarding the Ivan Allen College, my experience there felt very intimate and I formed a bond with others in my major and received a lot of support from the faculty. It is harder to get lost in the sea when you're one of a hundred verses one of thousands. After Tech I also had no problem being admitted to the highest ranked graduate school for library and information science. Tech more than prepared me and grad school was a breeze. Living in downtown Atlanta was such a treat as well. 

 

Good luck to your son in whichever school he chooses! I do think that if Tech admitted him, they know he can be successful there. 

Thank you, librarymama. This is very reassuring. 

 

What a wonderful update! Sounds like he has some great choices.

 

 

Thank you, GoodGrief. Very pleased with the homeschool/college app outcome. It wasn't near as bad as I anticipated!

[amathis229]

We visited GT on Friday for a Liberal Arts Shadow Day and South Carolina on Monday for an admitted Honors College Students tour and business school info session.

Friday at GT eased any concerns I had regarding the liberal arts school - sharp students, outstanding advisors, small class sizes (1:5), and plentiful resources. If these two visits had not been scheduled so close together, we most likely would not have been making a second trip to South Carolina. But...we did, and ds wants to go to South Carolina. My husband believes that ds likes whichever school he visits last. I'm glad I canceled the visit to Tulane this Friday - lol!
 

It's going to come down to money. We just can't justify forking out the extra $10,000 a year for him to go to South Carolina when he has two great choices in-state and tuition-free. I am feeling guilty and sad and a little mad (at son). I thought this would be a happy time. He is so sick of school. Last night he said it doesn't really matter - he just wants to get his four years done and go to work. I believe he's resentful of me for encouraging him to look at South Carolina, and I'm resentful of him for being such an ass (can I say that here?) the last 12 months and not being more grateful for the amazing opportunities that he has!

Ugh - vent over.

 

[GoodGrief]

That's the tough part of casting the wide net! Sometimes you get more positive results than anticipated leading to hard choices to be made. It does sound like staying in-state makes the most sense at this point, but how were you to know it would all pan out this way? I hope all of you can come to a peaceful outcome.

[amathis229]

50 minutes ago, GoodGrief1 said:

That's the tough part of casting the wide net! Sometimes you get more positive results than anticipated leading to hard choices to be made. It does sound like staying in-state makes the most sense at this point, but how were you to know it would all pan out this way? I hope all of you can come to a peaceful outcome.

 

Thank you, GoodGrief1. Back when we started this process, GT was his dream school, but like you said, I wasn't sure that he would get in. I hope we get to that peaceful outcome soon.

[8filltheheart]

Don't take it personally. They all get sick of the process by this pt. It is so hyped and when they don't have complete control over the final decision, the lack of control stress just compounds an already stressful time.

Next yr he'll forget all about this and be happily doing his thing at GT. It will be fine.

[amathis229]

1 hour ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

Don't take it personally. They all get sick of the process by this pt. It is so hyped and when they don't have complete control over the final decision, the lack of control stress just compounds an already stressful time.

Next yr he'll forget all about this and be happily doing his thing at GT. It will be fine.

 

Trying! I've been way too invested in the process. Time to back off (okay, probably way past time). I appreciate your encouragement!

[plansrme]

7 hours ago, amathis229 said:

We visited GT on Friday for a Liberal Arts Shadow Day and South Carolina on Monday for an admitted Honors College Students tour and business school info session.

Friday at GT eased any concerns I had regarding the liberal arts school - sharp students, outstanding advisors, small class sizes (1:5), and plentiful resources. If these two visits had not been scheduled so close together, we most likely would not have been making a second trip to South Carolina. But...we did, and ds wants to go to South Carolina. My husband believes that ds likes whichever school he visits last. I'm glad I canceled the visit to Tulane this Friday - lol!
 

It's going to come down to money. We just can't justify forking out the extra $10,000 a year for him to go to South Carolina when he has two great choices in-state and tuition-free. I am feeling guilty and sad and a little mad (at son). I thought this would be a happy time. He is so sick of school. Last night he said it doesn't really matter - he just wants to get his four years done and go to work. I believe he's resentful of me for encouraging him to look at South Carolina, and I'm resentful of him for being such an ass (can I say that here?) the last 12 months and not being more grateful for the amazing opportunities that he has!

Ugh - vent over.

 

I don't know anyone at GT who regrets choosing it, if that's a comfort.  As to his being an ass, well, I've read multiple times that it's part of what seniors do, unconsciously perhaps, to make their transition out of the house more bearable.  I think you're probably in good company.

[amathis229]

1 hour ago, plansrme said:

I don't know anyone at GT who regrets choosing it, if that's a comfort.  As to his being an ass, well, I've read multiple times that it's part of what seniors do, unconsciously perhaps, to make their transition out of the house more bearable.  I think you're probably in good company.

Ha! He is making the transition very bearable!