College help for Junior
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Anonymous
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We have an unmotivated Junior that does not know what he's interested in. He was an A student up through middle school and dropped to an A- average in HS freshman year. Sophomore year was a disaster which continues into Jr. year. Assignments not turned in, bad grades in tests, etc. Overall GPA is now closer to a B. We expect him to be at about a B+ average (unweighted) at the end of Jr. year. To provide context on his abilities, he was smart enough to get into TJ (no prep; decided to apply, got in and subsequently decided not to go). He's not really that big into ECs or sports and does not do any of them consistently. He's been doing reasonably well in math (A- avg.) and is currently on Calc BC. Seems more interested in STEM subjects.
As we approach college selection, we'd like to pick a school that is strong in STEM where he stands a reasonable chance of getting in but at the same time will stay on him to get the work done. I've read that SLACs/LACs are the best for this as opposed to public colleges. Can someone recommend a few good schools where he stands a chance? He will have AP CS, BC Calc and AP Physics C or AP chem done by senior year along with the other usual APs (English, History, etc.). Money is not an issue. Don't expect any aid. To address the obvious comment that will pop up.. We did considered Community College but based on our experience with him, I'm concerned that the cohort will make things worse for him and the teachers/staff won't really care. |
Anonymous
| Has he visited colleges? Just thinking that could be motivating if it sparks some interest. If not, at least he is showing interest, which is important for SLACs. |
Anonymous
| And just adding that’s he’s taking super tough classes that most kids couldn’t hack. |
Anonymous
Not yet. We will be starting those soon but wanted to create a list before we do so. For additional context.. We are somewhat familiar with the college process when we did that for his older sister who is now at a top 20 school in CA. We only looked at T25 schools for her and none were SLACs. However, most of it was remote given the pandemic. As well, we are not a SLAC family and have no idea how good or bad they will be for someone like DS. |
Anonymous
| St. Olaf has an outstanding math department and much more relaxed admissions standards than a place like Williams. |
Anonymous
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Some SLACs can be good for STEM if not engineering as they rarely have that (with a few exceptions). There are some SLACs with strong CS programs if that's his interest. So clarify what aspect of STEM you think he's leaning to for better advice. Also, note, he's been through a pandemic and is taking really hard classes--he may not have a T20 school application, but he should be able to get into a decent school for engineering or CS if he wants that and the jobs are plentiful. Consider smaller universities where he would be in the top 25-50% too.
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Anonymous
| Maybe visit some of the Pennsylvania schools like Lehigh, Lafayette and Franklin & Marshall? |
Anonymous
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This stood out to me:
" a school that is strong in STEM where he stands a reasonable chance of getting in but at the same time will stay on him to get the work done." If you mean that you want the professors to "stay on him," I'd caution you that this is not their job and you shouldn't expect it anywhere. Be available for help if he asks for it, yes. Pay close attention to his work habits and harangue him to complete assignments, try his hardest, etc? Nope. |
Anonymous
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If he currently attends TJ, you will want to do some digging in Naviance, as typical results may not apply to TJ students. For more typical high schools, there's a huge difference between a 3.4 and a 3.8 (and even between 3.5 and 3.7) for what types of schools are realistic.
High test scores will help, assuming they are likely. But, not sufficient. I'd look broadly from mid-size private universities ranked in the 30-80-ish range, some LACs, your state U. Pick something from each category for a visit. If he is still not motivated come fall senior year, I'd also include some of each on his college list. A kid change a lot by May 1 senior year, keep options open. |
Anonymous
| Lehigh and Union both seem like good fits |
Anonymous
| While it won't help with the hand holding at all and not a LAC, Maryland admits a lot of kids with lower grades but very high test scores. It's surprising how low they go grades-wise when looking at Scattergrams. |
Anonymous
Is this the OP? If so, just for that comment, I'm not helping. Really obnoxious. |
Anonymous
Nope - I posted that and am not OP. Those ARE super tough classes. At our very high performing high school, very few kids manage Physics C, BC as a junior, etc. |
Anonymous
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the fact that you mentioned community college is truly frightening. This boy is smart enough to get into TJ, taking all of those APs as a junior, including Calc BC and you even bring up the thought of community college? lol sorry that is really odd to me.
This boy needs to get out and get looking at schools, he will become more motivated once it gets more real but i sure hope you are not demotivating him by saying he's on track for community college, which is absolutely 100% not the case. Seems to me that he's reacting to your pressure and that of having a high achieving older sibling. I'd see if you could get a college counselor on board to work with him directly, leaving you out of it entirely, and get some schools on the list he's excited about. |
Anonymous
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I think you need to explore why he is not handing in assignments. That pattern cannot continue in college.
Recommended schools would include St. Mary's College of MD. Maybe Dickinson, Ursinus, UMBC? |