College Search for "Just Average" Student
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Anonymous
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DD is a bright kid, takes a few AP classes and generally gets decent grades. However, she is not a psychotic striver like some of you seem to believe is the only acceptable approach to life. She is not going to graduate having built orphanages on Mars or fed starving budgies in Dubuque. She's probably never going to win a Nobel prize, or a Pulitzer, or a Crackerjack (I know - The Horror, The Horror!). She's just a decent kid who works reasonably hard and generally keeps her head above water. The kind of behavior that got me into a decent college and landed me a decent job.
Now, I know some of you are going to suggest we stuff her in a sack and drown her in the millpond before it's too late, but we've grown kind of attached to the lil' blighter. And now that it's time to start thinking about the ol' college search, we find ourselves wondering: Where to start? What are good schools for average students, especially in the STEM fields? |
Anonymous
| State universities that have teaching hospitals. If engineering, they would probably be sting in that as well. Just don't limit to your state only. |
Anonymous
| Cool story bro. How about UMBC or George Mason? What about Penn State or Rutgers? RPI or Case Western? |
Anonymous
| strong ~ edited not sting |
Anonymous
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OP - we have five children. One has graduated from college. Three are in college. One is about to leave for college. They range from academically brilliant to just getting by. One is a National Merit Scholar. One graduated from high school with a 2.7 GPA. They all have one thing in common - They are doing great in college! They each found a college that was perfect for them. Don't stress about what people (especially the nuts you are surrounded by in D.C.) tell you their kids are doing. Focus on finding the best place for your child. Look at some solid state schools. Encourage your daughter to visit several schools. We turned college visits into little family vacations. Don't rule out the smaller, less-known schools. One of my kids ended up getting a full academic scholarship to a school I had never even heard of.
If you take the stress out of the search and let her have fun with it, I'll bet you'll be surprised by how easy the process can be. |
Anonymous
| Agree with the PP above. We have two her are National Merit Scholars who are at the top 10 colleges. We have another who struggles to maintain a 4.0 and will probably be looking at very different colleges. It really is about fit. There are so many great colleges out there -- the key is finding some that are great for your child and meet their social and academic needs. In addition to state schools, you may want to check out Colleges that Change Lives. |
Anonymous
Your child fits the description of most of the students out there. Just remember that the select schools are looking to have a diversified community. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss not applying to some of the really good schools. Being a hard worker with some AP classes are good attributes. I would also venture outside of the DMV area in your search. The college world has much to offer besides the constant pushing of 2 or 3 schools in this region by a couple of persistent posters in the college forum. Here's a good link to get you started. http://www.unigo.com/ |
Anonymous
| ^ sorry, that should say DC struggles to maintain a 3.0, not a 4.0. |
Anonymous
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GMU
U Delaware Clemson U South Carolina Miami (Ohio) College of Charleston |
Anonymous
| My kid is an underachiever. APs, great SATs but lousy grades. Got in to GMU, Mary Washington, Penn State, Drexel, Rensselaer, UConn. Just to let you know. Not the greatest list, but acceptable given the situation. |
Anonymous
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Read "Colleges that Change Lives" to learn about some schools where kids like your DD thrive and can find success.
Read the Fiske Guide for nice write ups of about 300 of the top colleges, including many that accept a large share of their applicants. Visit some local schools to help her think about whether she wants big, medium, small; urban or rural, etc. These discussions might be of interest to you: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767486-where-did-your-3-3-3-6-gpa-child-get-in.html http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767966-where-did-your-3-0-3-3-gpa-child-get-in.html P.s., bright kids who get decent grades in ap classes are not "average!" Don't sell her short. She will do fine. And it sounds like you know that. 
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Anonymous
I agree that large state universities can offer a myriad of programs and might be easier to get in then some small private colleges. U Illinois, U Wisconsin are a couple of really good state schools. Put in for financial aid. You don't know if you don't ask. A couple who are close friends received generous financial aid for DC who applied to the U of Illinois Urbana. Even the state schools (other than a UCLA) want a well rounded student body. |
Anonymous
+1. OP shouldn't sell her kid short. There are tons of schools where she would considered seriously. |
Anonymous
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Make her read:
"Second Machine Age" by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee (MIT) and "Average is Over" by Tyler Cowen |
Anonymous
| I was this kind of student and went to Virginia Tech, but I know times have changed and it's much harder to get into now. It's worth a look/try though. Penn State and GMU are other excellent suggestions. |