NM

[Ann.without.an.e]

nm

Edited April 23, 2017 by Attolia

[snowbeltmom]

Does she have to maintain a certain gpa in order to keep the merit aid each year?  If so, would you be able to afford the school if for some reason she lost the merit award?  

 

Unless the merit schools had major "pros" over the other schools, I would select a school that met full need without the stress of maintaining a gpa.

 

Good luck.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Does she have to maintain a certain gpa in order to keep the merit aid each year?  If so, would you be able to afford the school if for some reason she lost the merit award?  

 

Unless the merit schools had major "pros" over the other schools, I would select a school that met full need without the stress of maintaining a gpa.

 

Good luck.

 

 

That is a great question!  I need to check into that more.  They are all actually full need met schools.  It would make a difference but not a huge, huge difference.  She has enough need based aid that all it did was reduce work study and a small loan at the schools where a loan was calculated.  I do need to keep this in mind though.  Thanks

[Starr]

Double check how much costs have been going up at Duke each year. We found that aide did not increase along tuition.

[KarenNC]

Davidson---great school, close to Charlotte, beautiful campus, on Lake Norman so there might be some recreational/PE type activities there she couldn't access elsewhere. I was very impressed with the at least stated interest and involvement the financial aid folks said they take with each student. Traffic from there into Charlotte is the pits. Small college town atmosphere. From the presentations at our visit it seems that the professors take a close interest and that many of them may live near campus, allowing things like classes at the prof's home. Charlotte's a big financial center, if that's important.

 

 

Wake Forest--my alma mater, in the middle of Winston-Salem, but felt quite sheltered (at least it did 30 years ago! We haven't visited as it doesn't seem a good fit for my daughter). I believe they have an anthropology museum on campus now. Reynolda Garden, adjacent to campus,  is beautiful. Smaller city than Charlotte, has Old Salem if she's interested in history. They've just added an actual engineering program, I believe, rather than a 3-2 program with State. I was not preppy, not upper income, but was able to find a good place and friends there.

 

[GoodGrief]

Great point about checking for the GPA required to keep the merit aid.

 

If you can do a revisit, that would be ideal. Now that she is accepted, she can really think about how she would feel living and studying there.

[creekland]

Honestly... once finances were in and we saw what was affordable, my kids did the picking.  I saw no need to interfere at any level.  We mainly listened to their thoughts as they talked them out.  We saw it as their life - their future - and they each came up with one they liked.  On top of that, had they not liked it... we wouldn't have been responsible.  ;)

[Ann.without.an.e]

Honestly... once finances were in and we saw what was affordable, my kids did the picking.  I saw no need to interfere at any level.  We mainly listened to their thoughts as they talked them out.  We saw it as their life - their future - and they each came up with one they liked.  On top of that, had they not liked it... we wouldn't have been responsible.   ;)

 

 

Man, that is the truth, right?  I don't want to be responsible for this decision.  I am not deciding, not at all.  DD wants to sit down this weekend and make a pros/cons list and I thought you guys would have thoughts to share.  I honestly don't have a preference for where she goes.  I want her in a healthy learning environment where she will be happy.  I feel like she has such a solid list of options, I am not worried about a "wrong decision" 

 

Thanks 

[Nan in Mass]

How long does it take to get there?  There is an uncomfortable distance between easy driving distance and easy flying distance and there are places that are flying distance but have no airport near them.  For our high strung boys, whether we could get to them or they could get home the same day of a major upset was/is important.  For youngest, being close enough to be able to go take him out to dinner was important.

 

How expensive is it to get back and forth?  My husband nixed anything involving airplane flights because of the added cost.  (We live where there are a million good colleges a car ride away so this was a reasonable thing to do.  If we'd had a child set on living in a different part of the country, he probably would have said ok.  He just did the first narrowing of the field based on a really easy financial decision.)

 

As others said, what strings are attached to the scholarship?  Is it all 4 years?  Does it go up with the cost of the uni?  GPA commitments?  Work study? Do teh scholarships stack or replace each other?  What happens if you need another semester or year?  What happens if you need to take a semester off, for health reasons or family emergencies or an internship or whatever?

 

How easy is it to graduate in 4 years?  Are classes only offered one semester so you have to wait a semester if you get off sync for health reasons or something?  Are there enough seats offered in the crucial classes or do you have to get on a waiting list, putting you behind.

 

What is the academic policy like?  This is really important.  What happens to your gpa if you flunk a class and retake it?  How does academic probation work?  What sort of support is offered?  How late can you drop a class or withdraw?  No matter how good the student, things happen - health problems, a bad professor, a relationship breakup, a death in the family, a suicidal friend, ...  Being able to drop a class late in the semester and lighten the load is really nice in these circumstances.  What happens if there is a dispute between the student and a professor?  What happens if you need to take a semester off?  Can you go back if you need to drop out for awhile?

 

What is the academic structure like?  Does Christmas break come between midterms and finals making you have to spend it studying?  Semesters?  Trimesters?  Are there summer sessions in case of mistakes?  How easy is it to study abroad for your major?  How does grading work?  Is there a capstone project?

 

What is the academic atmousphere like?  How easy is it to talk to professors?  How involved are the professors with the students?  How competitive are the students?  Do they steal each other's papers to cut down on the competition? Are there a ton of group projects?  Are the students allowed to work in groups?  (At youngest's school, they are encouraged to do this but every turned in paper has to have everyone's name on it.)  How easy is it to find a quite place to study?  Is the library open at night?

 

How much of a party school is it?  Is everyone going to be in a frat or sorority but you?

 

Are the students smiling and happy or frowning and stressed?

 

Where is the student compared to the rest of the students?  We wanted ours middle of the pack.  Too high and we were worried they would become arrogant or loose interest.  Too low and our high strung beasties would risk getting discouraged or burning out and they wouldn't have enough time to make friends or excersize or do any of the peripheral things that are so educational at college, like trying spelunking or being in a choral group or learning to fence.

 

How much support is there for finding summer internships?  Jobs after graduation?  Career counseling?

 

 

What are the chances of making friends easily?  How much support did the school have for this?

 

Those are some of the things we talked about with our students.

 

Nan

Edited March 31, 2017 by Nan in Mass

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I want to second everything Nan wrote.

[Ann.without.an.e]

How long does it take to get there?  

 

..............

 

 

Those are some of the things we talked about with our students.

 

Nan

 

 

Nan, so many good thoughts in that post.  Thank you so much for taking the time to give all of that wise information  :thumbup:

[Ann.without.an.e]

What if in her heart she wants to be an English Professor one day?  Which school do ya'll imagine being best for that?  

:001_cool:

[JanetC]

Read course catalogs to see what the general education requirements are (how many hoops and how many of those hoops would be enjoyable or painful). Read what is available in your major. Read professor reviews in ratemyprofessor to see how many are good teachers. Read random student comments on Niche and Unigo, but take with a grain of salt.

 

Try to narrow it down a little more before visiting. 5 schools in a short timeframe seems like a lot to me.

 

If you haven't done any values exercises or haven't looked at the results lately, remind yourself what is and isn't important to you in a college.

 

http://www.schoolbuff.com/qualities.asp

http://schoolbuff.com/values-assessment.asp

[8filltheheart]

You are in NC, right? Unless I am confusing your Dd with someone else, weren't you concerned about her being a long way from home? Is there any specific draw to Rice and Emory that would compel her to opt for them over the 3 closer options? If time is a concern, I would focus on revisiting those 3 with Emory as a possible 4th (but the closing of 85 might make Atlanta a nightmare). Unless Rice has some huge issue tipping the scales in its favor, I would consider eliminating it from the list of options.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I think it will come down between....

 

Davidson

Wake Forest

Emory

Rice

Duke

 

 

DD  is sitting down this weekend and making a pros/cons list.  I would love ALL thoughts on these schools... Pros/cons, good experiences/bad experiences, etc. They are all good for her majors. She thought finances would make it clear but because she has merit aid at #1-#4 they really are all very close financially. 

 

Duke is a little higher on the $ (Instead of being loan free, dd would need to take out about $4,000/year in a loan.  

 

Humor me with your thoughts  :lol:

 

She is going try to revisit them.

 

As DS is making his decision about colleges

 

We are pulling together a full cost of attendance, minus the various grants he received and figuring out what our annual cost would be.  

 

Searching for documents that describe degree requirements, so he can see exactly what sort of classes he would be taking.  Also looking for university graduation requirements (sometimes called distribution credits, diversity credits, university credits, curriculum for liberal education requirements, or core requirements.  These are requirements that every grad of the college has to meet, regardless of major.  They range from general requirements (have a math class, a writing class, a science class) to a specific core or particular courses.    I often search for "[university name] [degree name] sample degree plan" or similar terms.  I like it when I can find a spreadsheet or an advising form with all of the requirements laid out.

 

Once we have the degree requirements, we look at what courses will fill that requirement.  Is it a lockstep sequence, or are there various tracks within the degree?  Do they pull widely from other departments to use related courses that line up with ds's degree intentions?  

 

We have also been looking at actual course offerings for the last couple semesters and fall semester (if available).  Course catalogs will list all the courses in the department, even if they are only offered infrequently.  The course offerings lists can show you if there are courses offered fall only, if something only shows up every couple of years, or if there are several sections each semester.  For example, one college had 5 different sections of ds's foreign language, all at different times.  We could see that they were 20 person sections that had lots of registrations, but didn't seem to be completely full (and thus closed).  By contrast, another college only had 1-2 sections of lower level language and dwindled to a handful of students by 4th year.

 

What is the process for declaring a major?  At DS1's university, all engineers start as general engineering students and request a major change after completing 24 foundational courses within 3 semesters.  Computer science at this school is within the college of engineering.  Students with a 3.0 gpa get their first choice major automatically.  

 

What is the AP and transfer credit policy for the college?  For this you will probably want to look not only at the university AP credit policy, but also at the degree requirements.  At some of ds's schools, AP history or government credit is accepted as an elective (which might meet one of the university graduation requirements), but does not fill the requirement to take courses in those subjects in the related major.  Ex. AP US History does not fill all of the US History requirements for the history degree program.  Comparative Government does not meet the requirement for two comparative government courses in the Politics degree, but can fill a broader elective requirement within the degree.

 

One thing I like to see is a school where students live on campus all four years, or where it is at least an option (and one that a significant number of upperclass take).  This is partly because we live FAR from all of these colleges and I want ds to have the resources of the RA system and the housing office if issues arise.  Other families want a school where even freshmen can live off campus.  Figure out if this matters to your family and if the school meets what you are looking for.

 

We didn't really consider how DS1 would get to and from school.  He tends to fly into a small airport, then ride a bus down to school.  He has this down now, but I was a little concerned at the end of Christmas and spring breaks that the bus schedule would be snarled by snow.  His ride on Greyhound to get to his grandparents' house for Christmas was a disaster several times over (13 hour trip took 25 hours with one bus pulling out without him after taking his ticket and sending him to check his bag and a second bus breaking down on the side of the road).  

[Ann.without.an.e]

You are in NC, right? Unless I am confusing your Dd with someone else, weren't you concerned about her being a long way from home? Is there any specific draw to Rice and Emory that would compel her to opt for them over the 3 closer options? If time is a concern, I would focus on revisiting those 3 with Emory as a possible 4th (but the closing of 85 might make Atlanta a nightmare). Unless Rice has some huge issue tipping the scales in its favor, I would consider eliminating it from the list of options.

 

 

We are in NC and dd is worried about being too far.  She loved Rice and is having a hard time striking it from the list, but is heavily considered nixing it.  I was just wondering this morning if 85 is closed before or after we get off at Atlanta?  ugh, that could be a nightmare indeed.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Attolia

[creekland]

What if in her heart she wants to be an English Professor one day?  Which school do ya'll imagine being best for that?  

:001_cool:

 

Any of those would be respected enough to become an English Professor.  They are all good "name" schools.

 

One thing my middle son did to zero in on his thoughts was look to see what professors were specialized in - granted - they will all be in "English," but where do they dig deeper (like for their PhDs or current research) and which ones sound more appealing.  He's had super good relationships with his profs, so sharing an interest can add an extra star for a school when all else is equal.

[Hoggirl]

Ds came up with some sort of weighted spread sheet. After he narrowed the list to three, he listed all the factors that were important to him and assigned some sort of factor to them. Really not sure - he came up with this on his own. At any rate things that were *more* important got a heavier weighting. The problem with pro/con lists is that they don't allow for how significant each pro or con is. I'm not even sure what all was on his list of important factors. What is important or annoying to one person might be a total nonissue either way to another. But, some factors might be: proximity to home, access to undergraduate research, class size, cost, difficulty of maintaining scholarships, climate, grad school placements, calendar (semesters v quarters), school spirit, dorms, food, etc. It's easy to see why weighting is helpful - for most people cost will be a far more significant factor than school spirit. For someone with significant food allergies, "food" might be a hugely important factor.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Any of those would be respected enough to become an English Professor.  They are all good "name" schools.

 

One thing my middle son did to zero in on his thoughts was look to see what professors were specialized in - granted - they will all be in "English," but where do they dig deeper (like for their PhDs or current research) and which ones sound more appealing.  He's had super good relationships with his profs, so sharing an interest can add an extra star for a school when all else is equal.

 

This is a great idea.  I have an English degree, but it was a very old school literary analysis type program.  I only had one course that dipped into ideas like deconstructionism.  

 

It might be worth searching for the names of instructors to see what publications come up.  Some may have blogs.  I think you can tell a lot about a person by what they spend time writing about.

[Guest]

Rice = downtown Houston = heat + humidity

 

I'd eliminate it just based on that. Lol

Edited March 31, 2017 by Kinsa

[Hoggirl]

Rice = downtown Houston = heat + humidity

 

I'd eliminate it just based on that. Lol

But, flip flops in February! We did our college visit there in mid October, and the weather was gorgeous!!! Edited March 31, 2017 by Hoggirl

[Ann.without.an.e]

But, flip flops in February! We did our college visit there in mid October, and the weather was gorgeous!!!

 

 

I think I told you at one point that she keeps Houston weather on her phone app  :lol:

 

All winter I heard "it is  __ degrees in Houston" and it was usually 60's 70's.  

[Ann.without.an.e]

Any of those would be respected enough to become an English Professor.  They are all good "name" schools.

 

One thing my middle son did to zero in on his thoughts was look to see what professors were specialized in - granted - they will all be in "English," but where do they dig deeper (like for their PhDs or current research) and which ones sound more appealing.  He's had super good relationships with his profs, so sharing an interest can add an extra star for a school when all else is equal.

 

 

Ds came up with some sort of weighted spread sheet. After he narrowed the list to three, he listed all the factors that were important to him and assigned some sort of factor to them. Really not sure - he came up with this on his own. At any rate things that were *more* important got a heavier weighting. The problem with pro/con lists is that they don't allow for how significant each pro or con is. I'm not even sure what all was on his list of important factors. What is important or annoying to one person might be a total nonissue either way to another. But, some factors might be: proximity to home, access to undergraduate research, class size, cost, difficulty of maintaining scholarships, climate, grad school placements, calendar (semesters v quarters), school spirit, dorms, food, etc. It's easy to see why weighting is helpful - for most people cost will be a far more significant factor than school spirit. For someone with significant food allergies, "food" might be a hugely important factor.

 

 

 

I like both of these ideas a lot! 

 

The Hive is truly a brilliant place  :001_wub:

[GoodGrief]

The 85 closure will definitely affect getting into the Emory area. The side streets are also a nightmare right now from what I'm hearing from family there . I would not let that keep me from visiting, but I'd allow plenty of time and investigate all the alternate routes.

 

I'd try to arrive on a Sunday and depart after the visit in the late evening :-)

Edited March 31, 2017 by Gr8lander

[katilac]

How easy is it to graduate in 4 years?  Are classes only offered one semester so you have to wait a semester if you get off sync for health reasons or something?  Are there enough seats offered in the crucial classes or do you have to get on a waiting list, putting you behind.

 

Another aspect to this is how many total hours are required, both in major and for the degree overall. At some schools, 15 hours per semester gets you out in 4 years. At others, you may need some 18 hour semesters. An extra semester sucks hard at an expensive school.  

 

I was just wondering this morning if 85 is closed before or after we get off at Atlanta?  ugh, that could be a nightmare indeed.

 

It's going to affect traffic throughout the city no matter what. And Houston traffic is a nightmare to begin with. 

 

But, flip flops in February! We did our college visit there in mid October, and the weather was gorgeous!!!

 

You could have gone the next week in October and had a very different experience, lol.  They don't have a proper autumn for sure. 

 

I think I told you at one point that she keeps Houston weather on her phone app  :lol:

 

All winter I heard "it is  __ degrees in Houston" and it was usually 60's 70's.  

 

Tell her not to go there anticipating that it won't be hot as hell almost all of the time. Because it is very hot, and very humid. 

 

I'm not dissing Houston - we live a few hours to the east, and our weather sucks just as much is about the same. And dh is in Houston quite often. More days than not, you start to sweat just walking out to the car. It's hot, is what I'm trying to say. And humid. 

[madteaparty]

Well I will go against the grain (not having read the entire thread) and state that for 4K a year, I would encourage my child (also an English/French lit professor type, maybe) to go to the better ranked school.

Edited March 31, 2017 by madteaparty

[creekland]

I like both of these ideas a lot! 

 

The Hive is truly a brilliant place  :001_wub:

 

My guy found the info he wanted on each school's web page.  He went to departments, then to individual profs.  They had listed their specialties and any ongoing research projects.  Some had links he could look at with other info too.  He didn't just do this post acceptance, but also to pare his list down in where to apply to in the first place since he had oodles of options.  He did it again post acceptance though - re-comparing the schools that fit financially.

[creekland]

Well I will go against the grain (not having read the entire thread) and state that for 4K a year, I would encourage my child (also an English/French lit professor type, maybe) to go to the better ranked school.

 

I'd actually eliminate Duke based upon that 4K per year (unless the profs are really in line with what I wanted to study).

 

Here's what I came up with using US News (and other sources would give different numbers - even other years would give different numbers):

 

Davidson:  #9 LAC

Duke:        #8 National U

Emory:     #20 National U

Rice:        #15 National U

Wake:      #27 National U

 

I honestly see any differences in those numbers to be 100% insignificant and certainly not worth 16K on a number from one list when that number varies less than 20 spots out of hundreds of national universities.

 

The difference between Davidson and the others - an LAC vs National Us is significant - which type is she looking for?

 

But that's me.  If the 4K per year were still affordable to my family, my kids could still have it on their list and they still got to choose among affordable options.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'd actually eliminate Duke based upon that 4K per year (unless the profs are really in line with what I wanted to study).

 

Here's what I came up with using US News (and other sources would give different numbers - even other years would give different numbers):

 

Davidson:  #9 LAC

Duke:        #8 National U

Emory:     #20 National U

Rice:        #15 National U

Wake:      #27 National U

 

I honestly see any differences in those numbers to be 100% insignificant and certainly not worth 16K on a number from one list when that number varies less than 20 spots out of hundreds of national universities.

 

The difference between Davidson and the others - an LAC vs National Us is significant - which type is she looking for?

 

But that's me.  If the 4K per year were still affordable to my family, my kids could still have it on their list and they still got to choose among affordable options.

 

 

I thought that the LAC and the National U list were like two roads that don't cross so almost impossible to compare between.  Am I wrong?  Is there a significant difference between a National U and a LAC?

 

Help, I need y'all  :lol:

[8filltheheart]

I think most people would agree that that list of schools is top notch in all directions and would recommend ignoring ranking. It is creating a differential in the rankings that for all intents and purposes does not exist.

Edited March 31, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[lewelma]

I went to Duke. I loved it and got a great education, but here are some of my thoughts from back then

 

Issues (in no particular order):

Sororities had no housing.  They had chosen this.  However, the implications was that all partying happened at the Frats.

Strong Frat culture

There are 2 campuses. Back then, English was on East, so if you were living on West, you would have to bus everyday.

Parking. horrible. Very expensive to have a car there.

No AC in some of the dorms. Could be quite hot.

At the time, the medical care for students seemed substandard

I had way too many classes taught by TAs rather than professors

Watching male sports was a big part of campus life, so if you are not into BB or football, it could be annoying

Durham is very spread out, so without a car it is not really too accessible.  A bit available from East campus, but really only 1 street

 

Excellent:

Outstanding education

Liberal arts year was well designed to get to to dabble but also have courses that tied together over a year

Work hard, play hard attitude.  We had fun.

beautiful campus, spacious, well maintained

Lots of study space in the libraries.

Lots of activities and opportunities to create your own. I was in a vegetarian co-op that we got the university to allow us to take our 'points' out of the meal system and apply them to the co-op costs. DH got into caving and they had an entire locker of gear to borrow.

You could definitely get done in 4 years.  Courses were always available

Teachers were available during office hours

guaranteed housing for 4 years, including availability of apartments on campus

Probably not an issue for dd in English, but Duke has a Marine Lab that you can live on for a semester

Lots of overseas study semesters available, most people did them

Arts dorms and Language dorms available if you wanted to live with your own kind.

Lots of food options.  We could use our points at nice restaurants, bars, dominoes, cafe, cafeterias, campus grocery stores etc. very flexible

Excellent teaching certificate program, I got to do a semester of high school teaching at a local school in my last term

The gardens are amazing. We got married there.

My dh got very good advice from his academic adviser

 

Ok, I'm sure I could come up with more stuff, and am happy to answer any questions.  I graduated in 1997, obviously things will have changed, but perhaps these ideas will give you a jumping off point for things to look for.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

Edited March 31, 2017 by lewelma

[Julie of KY]

A consideration for some... If you are receiving a large amount of need-based aid that you have to re-qualify for yearly, is there anything in your circumstances that is likely to change in the next few years such as a large inheritance from aging parents. IF you are in this boat, then merit based scholarships might be more appealing than need-based.

[creekland]

I thought that the LAC and the National U list were like two roads that don't cross so almost impossible to compare between.  Am I wrong?  Is there a significant difference between a National U and a LAC?

 

Help, I need y'all  :lol:

 

No.  You're right.  They are two totally different types - which is why she needs to think of which she prefers when comparing Davidson to any of the others.  Both are valid options for education including a "going in" thought of becoming an English prof.

 

Two of my boys chose LACs and loved them.  Middle chose a National University and loved it.  It's a type difference.  

 

National Universities are larger with more options of things to do, but less "personal" feel of being "someone special."  That said, middle son "made" his National University personal for him - he purposely went out and cultivated relationships with the profs and others "in charge."  No one would have really noticed him if he hadn't - even with outstanding grades, etc.  I think the main reason he's winning (class-wide) awards at his school is because others know who he is - and nominated/voted for him to win.  With "just" grades, it's pretty unlikely.  

 

At an LAC, profs make an effort to get to know their students.  It's difficult to hide.  You're noticed when you're not in class - even as a freshman.  My LAC boys have loved it, and it certainly helped bring youngest out of his shell (that he was in due to being in the shadow of middle son here).  

 

At all three campuses my guys have been on, they've been known by name by many, many people who come up to greet us when we visit lavishing compliments on whichever son is there.  Middle son cultivated that for himself.  The other two didn't have to do that cultivation - they just had to respond to it.

 

Any student can diss an education and opportunities at either option too.  The student does have a part in it.

[Muttichen]

My ds is a sophomore at Duke, and we have appealed the financial aid offer both years and they have matched what my other dc are getting from Princeton.

[Ann.without.an.e]

My ds is a sophomore at Duke, and we have appealed the financial aid offer both years and they have matched what my other dc are getting from Princeton.

 

 

Wow, Seriously?  They said right in the financial aid letter that they don't match.  Hmmmm.....Maybe I need to look into this more  :tongue_smilie: I hate that they calculate loans.  That is the big difference between the schools.  Davidson doesn't calculate a loan, at Emory, Rice, and Wake she has merit aid to remove her loans, and then there is Duke...with loans.  

[plansrme]

I would lobby for Davidson just on the off chance that Steph Curry might show up for an alumni function.

 

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

I would lobby for Davidson just on the off chance that Steph Curry might show up for an alumni function.

Haha 😂

DH and I are secretly team Davidson or Wake Forest 😊

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

If she is already committed to a major/career path, have you looked at rates of graduate school placement?  Which graduate/PhD programs students are being accepted to?

[SeaConquest]

No. You're right. They are two totally different types - which is why she needs to think of which she prefers when comparing Davidson to any of the others. Both are valid options for education including a "going in" thought of becoming an English prof.

 

Two of my boys chose LACs and loved them. Middle chose a National University and loved it. It's a type difference.

 

National Universities are larger with more options of things to do, but less "personal" feel of being "someone special." That said, middle son "made" his National University personal for him - he purposely went out and cultivated relationships with the profs and others "in charge." No one would have really noticed him if he hadn't - even with outstanding grades, etc. I think the main reason he's winning (class-wide) awards at his school is because others know who he is - and nominated/voted for him to win. With "just" grades, it's pretty unlikely.

 

At an LAC, profs make an effort to get to know their students. It's difficult to hide. You're noticed when you're not in class - even as a freshman. My LAC boys have loved it, and it certainly helped bring youngest out of his shell (that he was in due to being in the shadow of middle son here).

 

At all three campuses my guys have been on, they've been known by name by many, many people who come up to greet us when we visit lavishing compliments on whichever son is there. Middle son cultivated that for himself. The other two didn't have to do that cultivation - they just had to respond to it.

 

Any student can diss an education and opportunities at either option too. The student does have a part in it.

I agree with all of this. I went to a national university (USC) and transferred to an LAC (Claremont McKenna), and loved my LAC experience. It was a great environment, and really set me up for the grad school admissions game. I am definitely Team Davidson. Edited April 1, 2017 by SeaConquest

[GoodGrief]

A consideration for some... If you are receiving a large amount of need-based aid that you have to re-qualify for yearly, is there anything in your circumstances that is likely to change in the next few years such as a large inheritance from aging parents. IF you are in this boat, then merit based scholarships might be more appealing than need-based.

 

Excellent point!

[Ann.without.an.e]

If she is already committed to a major/career path, have you looked at rates of graduate school placement?  Which graduate/PhD programs students are being accepted to?

 

 

I have wondered about this but how do I find information about this outside of med and law schools?  I only seem to be able to find info for those options. 

[8filltheheart]

I have wondered about this but how do I find information about this outside of med and law schools? I only seem to be able to find info for those options.

Not exactly the data you are looking for, but this site has some great info on physics depts. https://www.aip.org/statistics/undergraduate

 

As far as where individual UG's go, you can usually get the info from depts themselves. But, honestly, often the data is of limited value.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I have wondered about this but how do I find information about this outside of med and law schools?  I only seem to be able to find info for those options. 

I don't have a quick answer--dd was looking at 5 year programs that included a masters.  I do know some of the schools talked about this.  Might be a good question for the English department.

[Ann.without.an.e]

She's striking Rice.  It is her absolute favorite school.  She says that if is was closer to home, her school decision would be made.  DD feels like the distance from home will make it a miserable experience.  

I fear she will regret this decision, but she does have so many other awesome options that are within driving distance so I need to be quiet and let her go with her gut.  

I tried to talk her into at least visiting again and she said "it would be pointless, I would only realize how much I loved it all over again, but I still wouldn't feel like I could go so far away"   :crying:

[JanetC]

It's hard when kids strike a school off the list for what seems to be an odd reason, but she still has equally amazing schools on her list. And really, take what their exact wording with a grain of salt-- there's all the complicated feelings inside but only a small part of that gets articulated. Let her trust her gut.

[creekland]

She's striking Rice.  It is her absolute favorite school.  She says that if is was closer to home, her school decision would be made.  DD feels like the distance from home will make it a miserable experience.  

I fear she will regret this decision, but she does have so many other awesome options that are within driving distance so I need to be quiet and let her go with her gut.  

I tried to talk her into at least visiting again and she said "it would be pointless, I would only realize how much I loved it all over again, but I still wouldn't feel like I could go so far away"   :crying:

 

Really, at this point there's no bad reason to take any school off the list for any reason she wants.  Distance is as good of a reason as any.  She has terrific choices.  If she's like the majority of students I know, she won't regret her decision as she'll find she enjoys the school she's at.  She is more likely to end up being glad she cut the school once she finds she loves where she's at - special friends, profs, or whatever.  (She's likely to find those at any college she picks, but once she has them she'll realize she wouldn't have had those specific folks had she chosen elsewhere.  ;)  )

 

There are some students who end up having regrets, esp if the school they choose doesn't live up to their expectations or they get a bad experience somehow.  That's true.  It's just not the majority, so feel free to think on the positive side.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Is lack of communication a reason to strike a school?  I am honestly disappointed in Emory.  They sent her a packet of generic info and stickers that could have been packaged back in the fall.  They have not reached out, sent emails, called, etc like the other schools have.  She has two merit scholarships calculated in her package and we can't figure out any details on the second.  I have called and no one knows if it renewable, etc.  They gave me a contact to email and I emailed her 11 days ago and still no return.  DD emailed financial aid about something about a week ago...nada, no response.  Is that odd?  

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

It's hard when kids strike a school off the list for what seems to be an odd reason, but she still has equally amazing schools on her list. And really, take what their exact wording with a grain of salt-- there's all the complicated feelings inside but only a small part of that gets articulated. Let her trust her gut.

 

 

Really, at this point there's no bad reason to take any school off the list for any reason she wants.  Distance is as good of a reason as any.  She has terrific choices.  If she's like the majority of students I know, she won't regret her decision as she'll find she enjoys the school she's at.  She is more likely to end up being glad she cut the school once she finds she loves where she's at - special friends, profs, or whatever.  (She's likely to find those at any college she picks, but once she has them she'll realize she wouldn't have had those specific folks had she chosen elsewhere.   ;)  )

 

There are some students who end up having regrets, esp if the school they choose doesn't live up to their expectations or they get a bad experience somehow.  That's true.  It's just not the majority, so feel free to think on the positive side.

 

 

 

Ya'll are right.  Thank you for the reminder and truth.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[GoodGrief]

Is lack of communication a reason to strike a school?  I am honestly disappointed in Emory.  They sent her a packet of generic info and stickers that could have been packaged back in the fall.  They have not reached out, sent emails, called, etc like the other schools have.  She has two merit scholarships calculated in her package and we can't figure out any details on the second.  I have called and no one knows if it renewable, etc.  They gave me a contact to email and I emailed her 11 days ago and still no return.  DD emailed financial aid about something about a week ago...nada, no response.  Is that odd?  

 

Can you call the contact? I imagine financial aid and admissions offices are swamped right now. I didn't always have great luck with e mail.

 

FWIW, the daughter my second daughter is at was/is not one to send a lot of e mails. But they have been great to deal with once she accepted her offer of admission! So, it depends on the school.

[GoodGrief]

She's striking Rice.  It is her absolute favorite school.  She says that if is was closer to home, her school decision would be made.  DD feels like the distance from home will make it a miserable experience.  

I fear she will regret this decision, but she does have so many other awesome options that are within driving distance so I need to be quiet and let her go with her gut.  

I tried to talk her into at least visiting again and she said "it would be pointless, I would only realize how much I loved it all over again, but I still wouldn't feel like I could go so far away"   :crying:

 

It's really hard to break up with schools! This long admissions process really does feel like a relationship! I'm still a bit angsty about some of the schools my last graduate struck from the list, lol.