Do you make your child appply to a safety school they don't want to attend?

[Mabelen]

I didn't make her but I strongly encouraged her to. Come April, although she had several really good choices, she ended up there. Happy as can be. She has thanked me repeated times for getting her to apply.

[Nan in Mass]

I have helped several independent adults apply to (and get started in) college now. There was a daunting amount of stuff that they didn,t know, despite holding adult jobs and dealing with many other adult matters. My children who applied directly from high school needed help also. The older ones had applications with a million pieces and the youngest applied to a number of colleges. It took the combined efforts of two parents, two grandparents, and the student to manage youngest,s seven applications. And a few were simple. There is no way any of these people could have managed on their own. They would have given up. Some of them have graduated and are working jobs where if they make a mistake, people will die. In my experience, how inependently the application process goes has nothing to do with how well the student does once in college. I am sure there are students out there who can do it on their own. Mine are not like that and that is just fine. Their world was ending. They had really mixed feelings about the whole college thing. Helping with the transition seemed natural to us.

 

Only youngest applied to multiple colleges. He was uninterested in picking safties for himself, so I did it. He was also uninterested in applying anywhere that he felt he would be unhappy. He nixed a number of the safeties. I kept looking until I found ones that were places where he thought he could be comfortable. Meanwhile, he dealt with his schoolwork and the applications he cared about. Plan C was the community college.

 

Perhpaps you can find a more palatable safety?

 

Nan

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I keep coming back to how complicated the admissions process is now.  

 

Maybe it's the combination of multiple service academies (each with their own application system and unique set of requirements), ROTC scholarship (which doesn't share the same requirements as the corresponding academy), five nomination requests for the academies (no two of which ask for the same things or have the same method of providing information), and civilian schools.  

 

It seems like there are over a hundred different transactions that have to happen, often requiring multiple steps for each.  DS was ordering CC transcripts over the weekend.  He needs something like 12 copies sent to different places.  And another 12 from the other CC.  He can order one set online, but can only request 5 per order.  It took logging into three different college log ins to get to the transcript ordering page.  Tedious, time consuming and something like $5 each (which is over $100 across the two CC systems).  

 

This doesn't count SAT score orders.  Or ACT score orders.  

 

It is a lot to keep track of.  I had to make a spread sheet just to track where I'd sent transcripts and provided counselor recommendations.

[Vida Winter]

I would have him apply to the safety even if it is unlikely or not a favorite. Sometimes when comparing actual costs (when factoring in scholarships, living expenses, etc. ) an undesirable school suddenly looks much more desirable.

[JanetC]

I would look into other possible safeties, such as a good community college or a smaller campus in your state university system. Smaller campuses in neighboring states can also be a good deal if there is a regional tuition compact.

[FaithManor]

I would look into other possible safeties, such as a good community college or a smaller campus in your state university system. Smaller campuses in neighboring states can also be a good deal if there is a regional tuition compact.

Yes, this. If you are in the Great Lakes Region, look at the Midwest exchange. The campuses that participate in this either heavily discount or guarantee that tuition for residents of participating states will not exceed 150% of in-state tuition and in many cases will come in very, very close to in-state. So, there may be some safeties that haven't been considered. On top of which, if you live in Michigan, understand that many Midwest/Great Lakes Schools are doing a little wooing because with our state system including a flagship that is in the top 30 in the world according to a couple of different rating systems and consistently in the top 30 for the US plus the reputation for "out of box" thinkers and agriculture at MSU, sometimes makes it hard for competitors to land a Michigan kid. U of Wisconsin and U of MINN both main campuses plus regional extensions are wooing ds pretty hard.

[Bootsie]

How soon does a decision need to be made?  Some large state schools allow for fairly late applications.  

 

Have you explored opportunities at the large school that might provide a small-school type experience.  Sometimes there will be an honors program or a special program within a major that will provide a student with the opportunity to be in small classes, get to know peers, and get to know professors.

[shawthorne44]

I keep coming back to how complicated the admissions process is now.  

...

 

That does seem true.  I remember applying to the scholarship at my dad's company because the application was long, there was an essay and there was money involved.  Thinking back, I'm not entirely sure I even applied to the two schools I was considering.   I'd checked the schools as ones that got my PSAT results as I was taking it.  I was a National Merit semi-finalist, and they both sent me offers to the honors college.  The end.  Today, I think a kid exactly like me, would have a lot harder time.  

[Mom22ns]

I very strongly (pretty much made) ds apply to a financial safety. He wanted to attend college locally. There are two universities that have his desired major and would have worked. He much preferred the small private U, but the price tag was prohibitive. I made him apply to the State U that we could afford as a safety because his scholarship $$ at small private U weren't released until after the application deadline for the State U. It turned out the scholarship was enough and he went to preferred private school and is very happy there. For those months of waiting, I'm glad we had a backup.