What do you know about the following schools?

[Ann.without.an.e]

Ok so here we go...narrowing down our college visit list.

 

I asked about Emory and got some thoughtful replies.

 

Here is where dd wants to visit.  I would love to know any thoughts - the good, the bad, and the ugly for a homeschooler trying to get in. 

She wants to stay within 3-4 hours of home so our options are limited.  She says she may apply to Harvard, Dartmouth, or Princeton just to see.  If she were to get in I could see her taking the bait because there is this tiny part of her that wants to go somewhere big and far ;)  There is also this part of her that needs to stay close to mama.  She is torn.

 

Duke

UNC Chapel Hill

Furman

Elon

Washington and Lee (we know very little about this school and I would love to know more?)

Emory

Wake Forest?

 

Is there a college we should add? 

 

 

ETA:  I know she is just a sophomore but my schedule will be crazy next year.  I will begin working part-time again this fall.  I would like to visit as many options as we can this Spring :)

 

[Penguin]

I have at least a passing familiarity with the NC schools on your list. Does she know what she wants to major in?

[Ann.without.an.e]

I have at least a passing familiarity with the NC schools on your list. Does she know what she wants to major in?

 

 

No.  She is good at and loves so many things and she cannot decide.  It torments her ;)  I think her heart is in the English Lit/Creative writing corner but she fears the lack of job opportunity.  If she could choose her career without worrying about finances I think she would be a writer, publisher, or editor.   She's also a math girl who loves numbers so that seems more practical to her (accounting or finance, maybe?).  She leans away from anything Science and medical.  She is a very gifted artist, but she wants to keep that as a hobby because of the lack of art centered careers.  So, long story short....no.

[nancy in nj]

Lol.....with the exception of W & L and Elon, these schools were my dd's college visit list...oh, plus we added Davidson!  The nice thing about your list is that they represent small, medium and large schools.  Some are preppy (Wake and I think W & L) and others not so much!  By visiting this list, your dd is going to get a really good feel as to the size of school and atmosphere that she is looking for.  I believe W & L requires 5 specific SAT II's from homeschoolers (math, english, history, science and foreign language!!! ) which was not going to happen, so we did not visit.  I would suggest visiting Davidson, Furman and Wake, and if your dd really wants a small school then have her jump through the W & L SAT II hoop during her junior year.   My dd initially  liked Wake and wanted to see more smaller schools during the spring of her junior year and absolutely hated Chapel Hill.  During the summer between before her senior year, she spent a week in Washington DC and came back a different person.  It was clear that the schools she loved her junior year would be much too small for her and late that summer she visited Emory and fell in love.  Figured that if she liked Emory, she would like Duke, which is similar in size and is better with financial aid.....but she had a visceral negative reaction to Duke (everything from the snotty admissions person to the tour guide who used the word "like" 24 times in 2 minutes--my dd counted), would not even consider applying....I know many kids in NC and a lot who end up at Chapel Hill who have the stats to get into Duke, but just hate everything about it and don't apply.  Luckily, my dd visited Chapel Hill for the 2nd time after a morning at Duke and liked it much better.  My dd's ended up applying to Chapel Hill and Emory and added NC State as a safety,safety (Chapel Hill was pretty much a safety for my dd, hence the low number of app's).

 

The one huge benefit to Chapel Hill over the others on your list is the large number of AP and dual enrollment credits they accept.  It has allowed my dd to explore a lot of different areas and have great flexibility in her schedule without any risk of not graduating in 4 years.

[Jen in NY]

 

 

Is there a college we should add? 

 

 

ETA:  I know she is just a sophomore but my schedule will be crazy next year.  I will begin working part-time again this fall.  I would like to visit as many options as we can this Spring :)

 

LOL.... I may be a bit partial, but if she is interested in HPD, maybe Cornell would interest her as well. The motto is "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study." Plus, it's beautiful there! (Or should I say "gorges!?")

 

http://www.cornell.edu/about/

[Pawz4me]

DS is at Chapel Hill.  I can take a stab at any questions you have about it.  But he entered from public high school, so I can't address much from the homeschool perspective.

 

He also applied to Duke (rejected), Washington and Lee (deferred) and Wake Forest (accepted).  So I have some limited knowledge about those.

 

Washington and Lee is IMO a beautiful campus.  But I admit to being prejudiced because I love the Shenandoah valley area.  Lexington is a very quaint little town.  "Little" being the operative word, 'cause there's really not much around it.  VMI is right down the street from W&L, so it's very much a college town. W&L is very big on their honor code, and that appealed to DS.  One weird quirk I remember is that students have to pass a swimming test before they're allowed to graduate.  Apparently a wealthy couple made a very large donation to the school many years ago with the stipulation that all students be required to pass a swimming test.  The couple had lost a son to drowning and didn't want that to happen to anybody else.

 

Wake Forest -- Another very beautiful campus IMO. They're test optional now and seem very proud of it, but I'm not sure if that's true for homeschoolers, too.  When we visited I got the impression that it applied to everybody, but I'd want to check on that.  It probably won't matter much since your DD will need test scores for other schools.  An in person interview is required.  DS said it wasn't a big deal and that his interviewer really tried to make him feel at ease.  Neither DS nor his friends who were accepted there were offered much merit money.

 

Duke--- Ehh.  It's Duke.  I guess most high achieving kids in the area apply there?  DS hated the campus.  He hated the fact that freshman housing is a bus ride away from the main campus.  He hated the architecture.  Appealing to the eye it is not (in our opinions, of course).  Even if he'd been accepted I don't think he would have gone there.

[Penguin]

Once you are in the area, it should be easy enough to swing through Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Elon, and Wake Forest.  They are all fairly close to each other.  Durham to Winston-Salem should only be about an hour and a half drive.

 

 

Are you a North Carolina resident?  UNC Chapel Hill has an 18% cap on out-of-state admissions, which of course should not discourage a qualified out-of-state applicant.

 

How about Davidson?

 

 

 

[Gwen in VA]

Washington & Lee -- I have two students who graduated from there. Fantastic education and CARING profs. The profs opened lots of doors for my kids, ones that they didn't even dream were options. Dd is pursuing her Ph.D. right now thanks to the encouragement of a chemistry prof there. Ds spent his junior year at Oxford. A real dream education.

 

W&L has lots of merit aid available -- one of my kids (before the Johnson was available) was given full-tuition (which scales with tuition every year), and one of my kids was a Johnson winner and not only had a full ride but received enough additional moneys to cover not only the taxes but a bit. (Ds saved about $5K per year during college because of the Johnson in addition to what he earned.) W&L also has lots of summer internship grants available.

 

Only downside of W&L -- it's fairly Greek-centered.

 

Furman -- Don't get me started. Apparently they have a reputation for giving generous merit aid that has requirements that preclude the kid actually graduating in four years. There was a scandal about it a few years ago, and given my dd's experience last spring, not much has changed. Definitely visit the campus. It's beautiful, but the students and profs make up the experience, not the campus. WARNING -- Furman does NOT accept any college classes taken during high school for college credit no matter what, even Calculus I taken at William & Mary!!!!! Also, check out the gen ed requirements -- the word "convoluted" is putting a positive spin on them.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Lol.....with the exception of W & L and Elon, these schools were my dd's college visit list...oh, plus we added Davidson!  

 

Thank you for such great info.  If the Sat Subject expectation is the same for W&L then we will need to cross it off the list too. ugh

I just keep hearing that Davidson is not HS friendly.  This wasn't your experience?

[Ann.without.an.e]

I don't know why William and Mary is off the list. Elon isn't a school for intellectual achievers imo

 

 

I will look into William and Mary.  I'm open to all suggestions :)

Elon was just kind of thrown in there last minute.  I need to look into it more.  Maybe I'll reconsider after reading more :)

[Ann.without.an.e]

Once you are in the area, it should be easy enough to swing through Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Elon, and Wake Forest.  They are all fairly close to each other.  Durham to Winston-Salem should only be about an hour and a half drive.

 

 

Are you a North Carolina resident?  UNC Chapel Hill has an 18% cap on out-of-state admissions, which of course should not discourage a qualified out-of-state applicant.

 

How about Davidson?

 

 

We are NC Residents.  We were recently in Chapel Hill (not to visit the campus though).  We had to drive through the downtown/university area and she found it very appealing.  I could see her liking it. 

 

Thanks :)

[Ann.without.an.e]

From the W&L website

 

"We recommend submitting results from five SAT Subject Tests, preferably mathematics, history, science, foreign language and literature"

 

 

So by "recommend" ya'll are saying...don't apply unless you can make that happen?  As I've mentioned, dd really hates foreign language.  What if she did 5 SAT sub tests but no foreign language.  Would that fly?  I'm thinking she really will ditch the school if she has to take a subject test for Latin.  ugh

[Ann.without.an.e]

I don't know why William and Mary is off the list. Elon isn't a school for intellectual achievers imo

 

 

I have never considered applying to another state's public school a wise decision financially.  The out of state tuition is high so unless they offer some great scholarships, she would probably rather go to a NC school if she were going to a state school.  Maybe I am missing something though?  I'm so new to all of this   :blushing:

[Jen in NY]

Have you done some EFC calculators yet? Depending on your EFC, some of the more selective schools might be affordable because they guarantee to meet a student's EFC. (Sorry if I missed part of the discusson......) It may be worth plugging in your numbers to see how it comes out for your family.

 

William and Mary is not on this list, but some of the others you listed are:

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

Have you done some EFC calculators yet? Depending on your EFC, some of the more selective schools might be affordable because they guarantee to meet a student's EFC. (Sorry if I missed part of the discusson......) It may be worth plugging in your numbers to see how it comes out for your family.

 

William and Mary is not on this list, but some of the others you listed are:

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/

 

 

One of the reason we are looking at more selective schools (Duke, etc) is because we are relatively low income.  State schools are not so generous with aid.  For example, Duke will probably be far more affordable for us than Chapel Hill if dd can get into Duke ;)

[Ann.without.an.e]

Have you done some EFC calculators yet? Depending on your EFC, some of the more selective schools might be affordable because they guarantee to meet a student's EFC. (Sorry if I missed part of the discusson......) It may be worth plugging in your numbers to see how it comes out for your family.

 

William and Mary is not on this list, but some of the others you listed are:

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/

 

 

 

Wow, what a great list.  Thanks for sharing.  Something to think about :)

[Gwen in VA]

W&L at least USED to be relatively open to using other means of gauging a student's academic skills other than SAT-2's. A homeschooled member of the class of 2012 submitted community college grades and AP scores in lieu of SAT-2's, and he was not only accepted but offered a full-tuition scholarship. Hopefully W&L is still that flexible. Asking won't hurt!

 

At least in 2007 Davidson was extremely homeschooler-unfriendly. There was an amusing / sad thread on College Confidential about homesschoolers with 2400 SAT's and Davidson rejections. There were eight homeschoolers from that year alone who had both the perfect SAT score AND a Davidson rejection.

 

My dd2 is currently attending William & Mary, and she can't say enough good about it. She is having by far the most positive college experience out of our four kids. I am seriously impressed by the college! :hurray: (Translation -- I can't recommend it highly enough!)

[Ann.without.an.e]

W&L at least USED to be relatively open to using other means of gauging a student's academic skills other than SAT-2's. A homeschooled member of the class of 2012 submitted community college grades and AP scores in lieu of SAT-2's, and he was not only accepted but offered a full-tuition scholarship. Hopefully W&L is still that flexible. Asking won't hurt!

 

At least in 2007 Davidson was extremely homeschooler-unfriendly. There was an amusing / sad thread on College Confidential about homesschoolers with 2400 SAT's and Davidson rejections. There were eight homeschoolers from that year alone who had both the perfect SAT score AND a Davidson rejection.

 

My dd2 is currently attending William & Mary, and she can't say enough good about it. She is having by far the most positive college experience out of our four kids. I am seriously impressed by the college! :hurray: (Translation -- I can't recommend it highly enough!)

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts - great to know about W&L allowing other means.  DD is planning to take 2-3 SAT 2's but she won't take 5.

 

Are you in VA?  I think W&M is beautiful and I would love to visit.  I just can't see W&M being a good financial option for us since we aren't VA residents.  Again, maybe I am missing something or lack understanding somewhere...this is entirely possible ;)  Aren't public schools of other states always far more expensive and offer less aid for out of state applicants?  I know the website says they meet 100% of demonstrated need for in state and only 25% for out of state.  We can't pay 75% of the sticker price, especially the out-of-state sticker price:(

[creekland]

Furman is NOT good with need-based aid.  They used to be better, but a couple years back made the decision that they wanted to cut back off of that - presumably to get more students of the "type" they wanted.  This isn't a "made-up" conjecture.  It was in print in their alumni publication.  I was kind of stunned when I read it as most schools are heading the other way (decreasing merit aid and increasing need-based aid).  Apparently, those not making sufficient income to pay are not their type.  I think they had exceptions for a couple of geographical areas.

 

My guy got merit aid from them, but not a dime of need based aid (except loans).  We tossed their offer the day it arrived.  He had higher rated schools with FAR better offers.

[Gratia271]

Lol.....with the exception of W & L and Elon, these schools were my dd's college visit list...oh, plus we added Davidson!  The nice thing about your list is that they represent small, medium and large schools.  Some are preppy (Wake and I think W & L) and others not so much!  By visiting this list, your dd is going to get a really good feel as to the size of school and atmosphere that she is looking for.  I believe W & L requires 5 specific SAT II's from homeschoolers (math, english, history, science and foreign language!!! ) which was not going to happen, so we did not visit.  I would suggest visiting Davidson, Furman and Wake, and if your dd really wants a small school then have her jump through the W & L SAT II hoop during her junior year.   My dd initially  liked Wake and wanted to see more smaller schools during the spring of her junior year and absolutely hated Chapel Hill.  During the summer between before her senior year, she spent a week in Washington DC and came back a different person.  It was clear that the schools she loved her junior year would be much too small for her and late that summer she visited Emory and fell in love.  Figured that if she liked Emory, she would like Duke, which is similar in size and is better with financial aid.....but she had a visceral negative reaction to Duke (everything from the snotty admissions person to the tour guide who used the word "like" 24 times in 2 minutes--my dd counted), would not even consider applying....I know many kids in NC and a lot who end up at Chapel Hill who have the stats to get into Duke, but just hate everything about it and don't apply.  Luckily, my dd visited Chapel Hill for the 2nd time after a morning at Duke and liked it much better.  My dd's ended up applying to Chapel Hill and Emory and added NC State as a safety,safety (Chapel Hill was pretty much a safety for my dd, hence the low number of app's).

 

The one huge benefit to Chapel Hill over the others on your list is the large number of AP and dual enrollment credits they accept.  It has allowed my dd to explore a lot of different areas and have great flexibility in her schedule without any risk of not graduating in 4 years.

Could you share your experience with Davidson?  It is on my daughter's list to consider.  She will be majoring in Classics.  She is considering a double major, pairing Classics with Math or Chem but realizes she may need to minor in them instead depending on the school she attends.

 

ETA: She will have multiple AP classes and will complete 5 SAT2's by end of Sophomore year/beginning of Junior year.

 

[Pawz4me]

Thanks for your thoughts - great to know about W&L allowing other means.  DD is planning to take 2-3 SAT 2's but she won't take 5.

 

Are you in VA?  I think W&M is beautiful and I would love to visit.  I just can't see W&M being a good financial option for us since we aren't VA residents.  Again, maybe I am missing something or lack understanding somewhere...this is entirely possible ;)  Aren't public schools of other states always far more expensive and offer less aid for out of state applicants?  I know the website says they meet 100% of demonstrated need for in state and only 25% for out of state.  We can't pay 75% of the sticker price, especially the out-of-state sticker price:(

 

No, not always.

 

We're lifelong NC residents.  DS applied to the University of South Carolina as a safety school.  They offered him enough merit aid that it would have been less expensive for him to go there than to Chapel Hill.

 

And I believe the Alabama state universities are well known for offering very good merit awards to high achieving OOS students.

[Kareni]

My daughter was accepted at Wake Forest in 2009 though she never had the opportunity to visit. She applied based on the strength of their need-based financial aid and their Latin/Classics program. This was not a school that did much communicating; her application was never acknowledged, and she was quite surprised to get that acceptance come April 1.

This school offered the best financial aid package of any of her eight acceptances; however, I felt at the time that some of their advertising as regards financial aid was questionable.  Things may well have changed since that time.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Muttichen]

Has she considered Vanderbilt?  It is similar to some of the schools on your list.  My middle dd was accepted there and they offered her decent financial aid (much better than oldest dd was offered as an out-of-state student admitted to William and Mary.)

[katilac]

I have never considered applying to another state's public school a wise decision financially.  The out of state tuition is high so unless they offer some great scholarships, she would probably rather go to a NC school if she were going to a state school.  Maybe I am missing something though?  I'm so new to all of this   :blushing:

 

The one sure thing I have discovered in our college research is that you can NOT generalize. Not about private schools, not about public schools, not about in-state vs OOS, not about aid or admissions or anything. 

 

You just have to make a list of schools (based on interest, location, etc) and then look at each one individually. It's time-consuming but I really don't think there's another effective way of doing it, if you really want to keep your options open. 

[nancy in nj]

Charleigh,

 

You mention relatively low income.  Have you looked at the Carolina Covenant program at Chapel Hill?  They do no-loan need-based financial aid for low income families...Also, if your dd is a first-generation college student, they have other programs as well.  It would not be out of the question for your dd to get a full ride based on need.  You really won't know whether UNC or private schools will be better financially until the aid packages are in hand.  

 

The reason that I suggest you look at Davidson is to get a feel for the size of the school and whether it would be too small for your dd.  My dd did not bother applying to Davidson because she determined that it was just too small after visiting--since Davidson and W & L are relatively similar in terms of size, close interactions with professors etc, it would give you a feel as to whether a trip to W & L makes sense.  Furman is also small, although not as academically selective, and can be used as a safety for Davidson and W & L, if your dd prefers a small school.    I know that Davidson has a reputation for not being homeschool friendly, but it is not too far from Wake and more convenient logistically to check-out than W & L.  I had heard they were getting better with homeschoolers subsequent to Gwen in VA's experience, for example, I had heard that they now have an admission person assigned to homeschoolers.  However, I know of a high-stats homeschooler who called last year to inquire about how homeschoolers go about applying for special scholarships (since they don't have a school to nominate them) and she was told that homeschoolers shouldn't bother to apply for the big scholarships because they are looking for well-rounded students who can contribute to campus life beyond academics!!!!  

 

I agree with Muttichen that if your DD likes Duke and Emory based on campus visits, then Vandy should also be on the list to consider, although I believe it is more of an urban environment.

 

BTW....I was laughing at PAWZ4ME's response above about Duke....I told you that a lot of high stat's NC kids at Chapel Hill truly were not impressed with Duke and didn't seriously consider it.  Sterile, yet pretentious at the same time, were the words my dd used.  My dd does know of a few homeschoolers at Duke (from out of state) who were in her PAH AP classes with her, so they definitely admit homeschoolers and give good financial aid.

 

I would suggest that you do the NC visits first to get a feel whether your dd prefers a big, medium or small school, it will really help you fine-tune your college search.  For example, if she loves the big school vibe, then she can expand her list to include University of South Carolina and others that are less selective than UNC, so that she has choices once all decisions and financial aid packages arrive.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Charleigh,

 

You mention relatively low income.  Have you looked at the Carolina Covenant program at Chapel Hill?  They do no-loan need-based financial aid for low income families...Also, if your dd is a first-generation college student, they have other programs as well.  It would not be out of the question for your dd to get a full ride based on need.  You really won't know whether UNC or private schools will be better financially until the aid packages are in hand.  

 

The reason that I suggest you look at Davidson is to get a feel for the size of the school and whether it would be too small for your dd.  My dd did not bother applying to Davidson because she determined that it was just too small after visiting--since Davidson and W & L are relatively similar in terms of size, close interactions with professors etc, it would give you a feel as to whether a trip to W & L makes sense.  Furman is also small, although not as academically selective, and can be used as a safety for Davidson and W & L, if your dd prefers a small school.    I know that Davidson has a reputation for not being homeschool friendly, but it is not too far from Wake and more convenient logistically to check-out than W & L.  I had heard they were getting better with homeschoolers subsequent to Gwen in VA's experience, for example, I had heard that they now have an admission person assigned to homeschoolers.  However, I know of a high-stats homeschooler who called last year to inquire about how homeschoolers go about applying for special scholarships (since they don't have a school to nominate them) and she was told that homeschoolers shouldn't bother to apply for the big scholarships because they are looking for well-rounded students who can contribute to campus life beyond academics!!!!  

 

I agree with Muttichen that if your DD likes Duke and Emory based on campus visits, then Vandy should also be on the list to consider, although I believe it is more of an urban environment.

 

BTW....I was laughing at PAWZ4ME's response above about Duke....I told you that a lot of high stat's NC kids at Chapel Hill truly were not impressed with Duke and didn't seriously consider it.  Sterile, yet pretentious at the same time, were the words my dd used.  My dd does know of a few homeschoolers at Duke (from out of state) who were in her PAH AP classes with her, so they definitely admit homeschoolers and give good financial aid.

 

I would suggest that you do the NC visits first to get a feel whether your dd prefers a big, medium or small school, it will really help you fine-tune your college search.  For example, if she loves the big school vibe, then she can expand her list to include University of South Carolina and others that are less selective than UNC, so that she has choices once all decisions and financial aid packages arrive.

 

 

 

Thank you.  We really need to visit for her to get the feel of small vs big.  She thinks she wants to be somewhere with big things happening but we live in a small city and she hasn't been many places or done much so she might find it overwhelming.  She keeps eyeing Columbia because the idea of NYC excites her, lol.  I have no idea what she'll decide.  We can't really afford to visit Columbia, Harvard, Dartmouth, etc.  I wish we could!  I am hoping that Emory (being in Atlanta) and Chapel Hill will give her enough of a feel for big ;)

[creekland]

I know of a high-stats homeschooler who called last year to inquire about how homeschoolers go about applying for special scholarships (since they don't have a school to nominate them) and she was told that homeschoolers shouldn't bother to apply for the big scholarships because they are looking for well-rounded students who can contribute to campus life beyond academics!!!!  

 

Wow!   :banghead:

 

I shall have to remind middle son - currently a junior at URoc - that he'd best quit his dance troupe, American Sign Language club, Christian club, and give up his RA and TA jobs.  Does he need to give up working in the research lab too or is that considered academic?  How about volunteering at their hospital?  Tutoring is probably ok.  That's academic - or is it when he needs to work with other students?

 

I'm glad URoc welcomes homeschoolers who have demonstrated they can do things outside the house.  And they (can) offer them merit aid too.  :coolgleamA:

[TechWife]

 I am hoping that Emory (being in Atlanta) and Chapel Hill will give her enough of a feel for big ;)

 

You could easily visit NCSU for another go at a "big" school. It's very different than UNC to me. It's much more city oriented. 

 

[Sunshine State Sue]

Aren't public schools of other states always far more expensive and offer less aid for out of state applicants?

 

I know that it was cheaper for my brother in IL to send my niece to a CO state school due to merit aid.  

[Laura in CA]

I know that it was cheaper for my brother in IL to send my niece to a CO state school due to merit aid.

Same here ... My older son is attending college in Utah on a full-tuition (merit) scholarship -- something he wouldn't have qualified for here in CA. :)

[plansrme]

You may want to check out the College Confidential forum on W&M before you bank on their providing need-based aid.  I haven't checked it in a while, but my recollection is that there is a good bit of bitterness from some OOS posters about this.  

 

As for your daughter's just being a sophomore, I took my daughter on her first college trip as a freshman, and no one batted an eye.  

 

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

You could easily visit NCSU for another go at a "big" school. It's very different than UNC to me. It's much more city oriented.

 

She will probably apply as a safety. My younger brother is currently at NCSU as a Park Scholar so we are very familiar with the campus (not the school). She is not completely opposed to it and she will probably apply. With the Park scholar program there is a ton of extra support. They have gotten my brother into some good summer internships.

[TechWife]

She sees it as one of those large, nominal schools that you could grad from and possibly not get a job offer after completion.  

 

It would seem that she is misinformed on this - NCSU is  not generally known as a "nominal university." Of course, knowing what you want to major in is really the key to finding a good fit for a college experience. 

[plansrme]

It would seem that she is misinformed on this - NCSU is  not generally known as a "nominal university." Of course, knowing what you want to major in is really the key to finding a good fit for a college experience. 

 

I completely agree with TechWife and am a little baffled by this comment.  NCSU is hardly a "nominal" university.  They have an acceptance rate in the 40% range, which is low, especially for a state school.  It is actually lower than Elon's, I believe.  It is hardly a "diploma mill," of which I am sure that we all could name at least one example, but perhaps that is not what you mean by "nominal."  It may not be a good fit for your daughter, whose list  skews towards pricey private schools that are out of reach for many families in the financial aid doughnut hole, but a student in or out of the doughnut hole could certainly do worse than NCSU.

[Pawz4me]

I agree with the last two posts.  NCSU is very well regarded.

 

And I'll also add regarding your comment earlier in the thread about applying to UNC as a safety school -- Unless your DD's stats are truly, truly stellar, I would urge caution about thinking of UNC as a safety.  Admissions there has gotten so iffy the past few years that I don't know of anyone who thinks of it as a safety.  Just as one example, we know a young man who was the valedictorian of a large, well regarded local high school a couple of years ago.  He did NOT get accepted at UNC.  He was offered a full ride at Duke.

[TechWife]

I agree with the last two posts.  NCSU is very well regarded.

 

And I'll also add regarding your comment earlier in the thread about applying to UNC as a safety school -- Unless your DD's stats are truly, truly stellar, I would urge caution about thinking of UNC as a safety.  Admissions there has gotten so iffy the past few years that I don't know of anyone who thinks of it as a safety.  Just as one example, we know a young man who was the valedictorian of a large, well regarded local high school a couple of years ago.  He did NOT get accepted at UNC.  He was offered a full ride at Duke.

 

I agree with the info about UNC as well. It is not an easy school to get into. Basically, for North Carolina, the two largest universities also happen to be nationally ranked colleges that have competitive admissions. Neither UNC - Chapel Hill nor NCSU can be thought of as safety schools. 

 

Are you familiar with class profiles? If you do a search for "name of university freshman class profile" you will be able to pull up statistics on the different schools that will give you some information to compare the universities with each other and will help you see where your daughter's skills might fit the best. 

 

As I said before though, having an idea of a major is important when searching for a college. A future engineer would rather go to NCSU than Elon, a future surgeon would rather go to UNC than NCSU, just as an example. Even when it comes to careers such as communications, the difference between universities can be striking, with one having a great department in radio broadcasting while another has a the best television broadcasting department. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

We honestly haven't looked at NCSU closely.  We've been on campus a few times only because my brother goes there.  I guess we made bad assumptions?  I was thinking their acceptance rate was more in the 70% range, I have no idea why I thought that :confused1:   We will look more closely. 

I know that Chapel Hill can never truly be looked at as a safety.  We were just thinking that the acceptance rate is higher than Duke.  That is all.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Edited post #36.

 

I looked up the stats and y'all are right - it is far more selective than I imagined! I always got the impression that if you aren't in engineering, State is a bad choice. Oh well, live and learn.

[Orthodox6]

Although I was graduated from Duke, I don't recommend the place, for my own subjective reasons.

 

With respect to NC schools, a young cousin, now in her mid-twenties, was graduated from Davidson and was really happy there. (She then went to Duke Law.)

 

Have not read all replies. UNCCH has quota for out-of-state still?

[Gratia271]

Although I was graduated from Duke, I don't recommend the place, for my own subjective reasons.

 

With respect to NC schools, a young cousin, now in her mid-twenties, was graduated from Davidson and was really happy there. (She then went to Duke Law.)

 

Have not read all replies. UNCCH has quota for out-of-state still?

 

Given varying comments on the boards about Davidson in relation to homeschoolers, can you share about the environment there and their reception of homeschoolers?

[Orthodox6]

I wish I could help address that, but I don't know. Our cousin attended an expensive private school for her K-12 years.

[Ann.without.an.e]

My husband is convinced that Davidson is simply weeding out certain classes of people.  He works for a lot of really, really big money people and they all went to the super expensive private school for k-12 and then to Davidson for college.  That is what their kids are also doing.  He thinks that turning away HS kids is just one more way of deciding what type of person goes there?  Just his theory :/  Not sure what I think about his theory.

[Gratia271]

Thanks, Charleigh.  We will just mark it off the list. It's kind of humorous that they only want kids from expensive private schools.  We only started homeschooling because the elite private school for high ability kids in our state could not address our children's academic needs.  Maybe it's the prestige factor or financial aspect of schools like these. Go figure.

[nancy in nj]

Just wanted to say that I agree with the posters above that NCSU is not a slouch school and is very well regarded in engineering and other stem fields.  My neighbor's son had a great experience as a math major at State.  The only reason my daughter used it as a safety  to Chapel Hill is because of her very high stats and she was not applying as a stem major. The other thing about NCSU is that they do not use the common app and their application is very streamlined---the space provided for any open-ended questions is very small, so the common app/Chapel Hill-type personal essays cannot possibly be expected.  My impression is that State is a lot more test score/GPA focused admission process than Chapel Hill, so the admission results are a lot more predictable.

 

At Chapel Hill, they truly do a complete holistic review of every applicant, and the essays, recommendations and the whole package matters a lot.  That is why it takes so long for them to announce their EA decisions--their admissions review is time-intensive. Sometimes the results appear arbitrary on the surface, such as the case noted above about the valedictorian.  Assuming that valedictorian's SAT/ACT were in line or his course schedule (including senior year) was rigorous, I would bet that there was some GLARING problem with the kid's essays (or recommendations, but that seems unlikely based on the full ride to Duke).  I can absolutely see how a pompous, bragging essay would not play well at Chapel Hill....it's not the personality of the place or student body or maybe he just didn't put the effort into the Chapel Hill supplement essay and it showed.  I can only imagine that their holistic process yields very interesting results for the instate kids in that middle 50% test score range, and it must be really difficult/confusing for kids in traditional schools where the relative class rank and SAT scores don't necessarily line up with the Chapel Hill's admissions decisions.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Thanks, Charleigh.  We will just mark it off the list. It's kind of humorous that they only want kids from expensive private schools.  We only started homeschooling because the elite private school for high ability kids in our state could not address our children's academic needs.  Maybe it's the prestige factor or financial aspect of schools like these. Go figure.

 

 

I hate it.  There was a part of me that thought, at first, that maybe the HS kids getting turned away simply didn't have the academic rigor, etc to meet Davidson's standards but I just keep hearing story after story of HS students who are stellar getting turned away or getting no financial aid (even if they are very low income).  I have crossed it off my list. 

[Kathy in Richmond]

You may want to check out the College Confidential forum on W&M before you bank on their providing need-based aid.  I haven't checked it in a while, but my recollection is that there is a good bit of bitterness from some OOS posters about this.  

 

And in-state need based aid isn't so hot, either!

 

My daughter was accepted as a Monroe Scholar in-state at W&M, but they didn't offer her anything but loans. It was cheaper (by far) to send her to Stanford.

[EmilyK]

I wanted to chime in since we are planning a very similar trip in a few months and I have a bit of knowledge about some of the schools (but would love to test my assumptions).

 

My DS has visited Emory previously. This trip, we are going to look at Vanderbilt, Davidson, Chapel Hill, Duke, Wake Forest, W and L, W and M, U of Virginia. When I first read this thread, I thought of adding Elon and Furman, but now probably not. Also, someone else suggested adding James Madison and Lynchburg. I think our biggest concern (other than getting in etc) is to find some place that our son will make lifelong friends as well as being academically challenged.

 

On the schools:

-- Duke. My husband and I went there for grad school. I wouldn't count it out (my husband was one of those Chapel Hill grads who disdained Duke while we were there and for sometime thereafter, now thinks it was a somewhat irrational view). It is the same size as Emory. That said, it is incredibly hard to get in (as are other schools on the list) and I'm worried about my son attaching to things that are out of his likely range academically. (I know he would do fine if admitted, but I'm not sure his stats will show it.)

-- Chapel Hill. Absolutely lovely campus. My husband and I worry it will be too big for him; we see him at more of a liberal arts college. My big question on Chapel Hill is whether it is hard to fit in etc if you are from out of state, in our case from across the country. My husband went there as out of state, but from a neighboring state. He loved it while there (and still does) but I think he has concerns about our son breaking in to the social scene, when so many kids will be attending with folks they know from high school. Great place to go if you plan to stay in North Carolina. (Same questions about U of Virginia.)

-- Davidson. We have various family members who went there. A generation or so ago, I think it was pretty insular, but I hear it is better from that perspective now.

-- Wake Forest. I have some recent grads in my family and my work mentor sent several of his grandchildren there. His only negative on WF is that he felt it was too business focused. He is a believer in doing business in grad school and having a broader undergrad education, and he felt his grandkids followed the trend of (most?) of the kids to be a business major. That was true of the kids in my family too, but maybe they selected it because of the business focus?

 

Sounds like the OP is (like us) taking a sophmore. For us, we aren't trying to eliminate (at this point) based on application nuances. The main thing I'm hoping to get out of this trip is a bit more focus on big/small, urban/small town, etc. But of course if some place doesn't seem at all like a fit, then it isn't worth spending half a day plus on it.

[Pawz4me]

-- Chapel Hill. Absolutely lovely campus. My husband and I worry it will be too big for him; we see him at more of a liberal arts college. My big question on Chapel Hill is whether it is hard to fit in etc if you are from out of state, in our case from across the country. My husband went there as out of state, but from a neighboring state. He loved it while there (and still does) but I think he has concerns about our son breaking in to the social scene, when so many kids will be attending with folks they know from high school. Great place to go if you plan to stay in North Carolina. (Same questions about U of Virginia.)

Based on what I know from DS and my niece, I would say that your DS likely wouldn't have any trouble at all making friends.  Chapel Hill tends to be a very friendly campus and town.

 

Regarding big/small schools -- When DS was in tenth grade and we started looking at universities he was positive that he wanted to go to a big school.  But visiting W&L and Wake Forest really made him second guess that.  He figured out (to his surprise, I think) that both big and small campuses could be good fits for him.  Unfortunately, liking elements of both made it even harder to make a final decision!