Aaah! The trials and tribulations of choosing colleges to apply to

[TravelingChris]

Ok, I am frustrated at my dd. I did so much better with child 1 and I know child 3 who is seriously considered colleges even now at 12 will do fine too. Then there is child 2. Some of her main criteria is architecture. No, not as a degree, as a style of the college. Now I do need to say that both dh and I did like the architecture of our college (u of Chicago) but it wasn't the main attraction. It was a great extra. He went because of the great physics department and I went because of its wonderful reputation in economics. Then there is our daughter. Since she isn't decided on a major yet and her potential majors are very common: biology, poly sci, or psychology, she is tending to focus on idiotic things. Like two weeks after she told me she wants to be going to a school in or nearby a city where there are medical facilities for all her specialists (neurologist, cardiologist, orthopedist, and someone who sees and prescribes for ADHD people), she tells me that Sewanee looks wonderful and she wants to go visit. Talk about the opposite- 56 miles away from Chattanooga. Her complaints about places run from decent comments- college looks like it is for students who want to have a good time, not study; to this school is out because of its colors or its mascot (U. of Richmond since its team is named the spiders and she has arachnophobia). I mean I have no particular reason for her to choose U of Richmond or the schools she rejected because of colors but really. We are going to a college fair tonight and I hope she can stick to some important basic questions she has like are cars allowed for schools that are isolated (we will have to get her a car if she goes to a school that doesn't have medical facilities nearby or doesn't have transportation to them), are single rooms available, any additional requirements for homeschoolers, or do undergraduates get research opportunities (all of the previous colleges we visited kept emphasizing their opportunities for research and travel abroad which she is interested in). At least I can get her to show a bit of interest now but aaah. My youngest will be a joy after this. She is so methodical and systematic.

[JFSinIL]

Maybe she would like Vanderbilt.

 

My ds is about the same way - which is why he is ending up applying to 11 places, from Sewanee and Vanderbilt to state u's in Montana and Michigan to some private liberal arts places in Illinois....and one in Stockon, CA!!! Plus Gettysburg, lest I forget ("it is at the battlefield, mom. Cool!") Oh, adn Wooster because I wanted at least one form the Colleges that Changes Lives book ;-0

[TravelingChris]

WE survived the college fair but it was grueling. I am so surprised that we didn't see one other homeschool kid here. Not saying that none of them were there but both of us have actually met a lot of homeschoolers here since we are in a homeschool coop of over 500 people (and not an insignificant number of them are high schoolers) and we are also in a giant homeschooling soccer league where they play against other high schoolers. I do hope the homeschoolers are going to these. On the other hand, I teach two sections of a high school class and have three seniors in those two sections. Only one of the three is applying so far to competetive colleges. One other is just going community college and the third is not sure. I really hope that more homeschoolers who may not be classically oriented are looking at colleges for their kids. I haven't been impressed at all with the local community college and the tuition at the state universities here is not very high at all. We have some very good universities here and with instate tuition, grants they give to everyone now including homeschoolers, and other financial aid, it really should be something more people look into for their kids.

[8filltheheart]

William and Mary has an unusual setting. ;)

[Karen in CO]

She'll find just the right one. My ds had no idea what he wanted in a college. We visited 6. We went to college fairs. He looked at them online. He applied and was accepted, but couldn't really tell me what he did or didn't like about any of them - too hippie, too cowboy, too close to home, too much a party school, too big, too small. Then one day out of the blue (in March or April of his senior year when I was about ready to give up and just send him to the cc for a year while he made up his mind), he texted me the name of the place he wanted to go and has been happy about his choice ever since. I had thought he wasn't taking it seriously enough, but he was actually being very thoughtful and just holding out for something special that was laking in the other schools, but he knew what he wanted the minute he found it.

 

So maybe she has some internal criteria that she just can't really describe, some special something she is waiting for.

[readwithem]

My dd refused to look at Richmond for the same reason!

 

 

Here is a thread on College Confidential about this subject. WARNING - don't open the thread unless you have a lot of time (it's very long) and don't be drinking anything or you'll end up needing a new keyboard - parts are very funny ;)

[Kareni]

Here is a thread on College Confidential about this subject. WARNING - don't open the thread unless you have a lot of time (it's very long) and don't be drinking anything or you'll end up needing a new keyboard - parts are very funny ;)

 

You weren't kidding; this is a long thread indeed. It's so interesting to see what makes or breaks a campus for a visitor -- and how one individual's positive can be another one's negative.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[CO MOM]

I have been noticing that my dd, whom I would usually describe as quite articulate, seems to comment on what we think are rather "odd" aspects of likes/dislikes in colleges. We were tending to dismiss her reactions as not based on "important" things, but when we've revisited a few together (she did some on her own), we ended up with the same overall impressions - as in this is a "yes" or a "no". She couldn't seem to articulate what she liked/disliked very well, but the gut reaction was accurate and I could see what she meant after our joint visits. She, too, started wanting to look only at schools that were near or in major metropolitan areas (why I don't know, because she/we are not "city" people), but now on her list are all small LAC in fairly rural or small city areas. Anyway, I'm starting to realize that this is a process and they do have an idea of what they want even if they can't say it, but they do know it when they see it.