Applying - how much "variety" in types of schools

[Hoggirl]

I have been thinking about this topic lately. How much variety is there in the TYPES of schools your dc apply to when it comes down to the actual application process?

 

Ds is a junior, and our search is well under way. As I posted on here a couple of weeks ago, we are traveling to CA in mid-February to look at three of the Claremont Consortium schools. We have yet to visit any small, liberal arts colleges of this type. If ds decides he really likes the size/type of these schools then we will visit more of that "type." However, we have also visited (or at least been on campuses of) research U's and Big State U's and regional schools.

 

Ds will definitely apply to the local Big State U here, but what I am wondering is: when push came to shove, were most of the schools your children applied to of the same "type" other than perhaps a local in-state safety? I understand the need to visit/consider a wide variety of schools when searching, but should one do this in applying as well? I can understand it from a financial standpoint for sure. Different levels/types of school will offer different amounts of money. But, if your kid determines he/she really wants to be in a small LAC, do you still apply to other types of schools? If so, why (other than fin aid)? We will not qualify for any financial aid at all - only merit-based.

 

Just wondering if ds reaches the conclusion that he really wants a small school why would apply to anything but small schools.

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DD wanted a large uni and the three schools she applied to were all large in-state unies about 2-4 hours from home. Not much variety in her initial choices.

 

Had her plans worked out she would have attended one of those and been perfectly happy, I believe.

 

She is now enrolled at a small LAC about 20 mins from here and lives with us. She is not really happy with the school and believes she is missing out on her dreams. With merit and financial aid, though, we have managed the first year and will try the second.

[ThisIsTheDay]

The large universities appealed to my dd, so those were the schools we visited. But when we toured a "smaller" private school (5,000 students), she also liked that. She applied early admission to those schools, and I had planned to later tour some smaller LACs and have her apply regular admission to a couple. But she decided she was good with what she'd already done.

 

She liked the opportunities of a larger school. I didn't want her to float through somewhat anonymously (and I felt she would be happy to do that). She ended up being accepted into an honors college at a large university. She'll be part of a small group but at a large school. Both of us are happy.

[Gwen in VA]

The college my kids applied to were all over the place. Each had a reason for being on the short list, but there was no "type" that all of the schools fit into.

 

One of my kids applied to a small religious college, a top national university, a state school, a LAC, and a OOS state school.

 

One applied to an engineering school, two LAC's, a state school, and a OOS state school.

 

The list in process that my dd2 (a junior) currently has is a joke. I have given the list of 12 colleges to people just to see if they can find ANY common element between them all! No one has -- but the feedback is amusing!

[Hoggirl]

The college my kids applied to were all over the place. Each had a reason for being on the short list, but there was no "type" that all of the schools fit into.

 

One of my kids applied to a small religious college, a top national university, a state school, a LAC, and a OOS state school.

 

One applied to an engineering school, two LAC's, a state school, and a OOS state school.

 

The list in process that my dd2 (a junior) currently has is a joke. I have given the list of 12 colleges to people just to see if they can find ANY common element between them all! No one has -- but the feedback is amusing!

 

 

This makes me feel better, as I think ds may be all over the map as well.

[creekland]

Oldest wanted Christian and small and only applied to 3 Christian + small schools. He's happy where he chose.

 

Middle was more open to many varieties having seen the pros of different types. He didn't want super small (as oldest chose), but applied to an LAC, private research Us, state research Us, and a bit U (safety). He ended up choosing a private research U and is very happy where he chose. (He's a Christian, but didn't feel the need to only apply to Christian schools - no regrets there either.)

 

Youngest, right now, wants small and Christian. Since he's not likely to have the stats to get a bit of merit aid, we are also having him apply to two state schools in case he needs to choose one of them financially. I see no need to make him apply to large schools or anything that doesn't fit outside of a couple of safeties.

[lisabees]

DS applied to 10 liberal arts colleges and one super reachy university.

 

Ds knew from the beginning he wanted an LAC. We desperately needed merit aid, so we had to cast a wide net. I am very glad we did. :)

[Kareni]

My daughter also applied to a variety of schools though most of them were smaller liberal arts colleges.

 

She applied to our state university's honor college. (So, one large university)

She applied to liberal arts colleges in the South, Northwest, and Midwest, and East. One was a Catholic college, one was a women's college, one was an Ivy League college.

 

Her list was composed of schools that were known to have good or better Classics Departments (her intended major) as well as those known to give good financial aid (with one exception).

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

My son applied to four LACs, one state U (honors college), and one private uni. We are another family that required merit aid for private college tuition.. The private uni was known to give minimal merit aid--and they did. That school went off the table, much to my relief. I felt that my son would be better off in a smaller environment. The state U was the financial back up. My son really wanted to get out of NC.

 

My son's chose these colleges on the basis of their archaeology departments or archaeological opportunities/faculty in their anthropology departments. He knew in 11th grade that archaeology would be his field.

[Nan in Mass]

My oldest applied to one college. If he didn't get in, he wasn't going.

My middle one applied to one college early action, on the theory that if he didn't get, then he would figure out where to apply next. Fortunately, he got in and he never had to decide what else to do, since he had no ideas at all.

My youngest applied to a variety of engineering schools, but not to any that he wasn't willing to go to or that we thought he would be miserable at. For example, Northeastern's coop program was recommended to him by multiple people and he refused even to think about it, saying that he didn't want to go to school in Boston. That was fine with us. That knocked BU off the list also. He applied to two state uni's, one small state college, and four private schools. They all had something good about them. He applied to so many because I had NO idea if anybody would want him, and NO idea how the finances would work out. (Still waiting to hear from four, and waiting to hear about finances from all seven.) Continuing at the community college and then trying to transfer was the backup plan. It is interesting how much variety he had, considering that he was looking for a specific program in a specific region and had definate feelings about other factors.

 

Nan

[Penguin]

The college my kids applied to were all over the place. Each had a reason for being on the short list, but there was no "type" that all of the schools fit into.

 

 

Same here.