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My junior has a 32 on his ACT, and all As with mostly Honors and AP classes (not sure of his exact gpa). 4 and 5 in his History APs so far (more to come), and History is what he wants to study, with Latin perhaps (plans to take AP Latin next year).
However he does not have many extra-curriculars, just a very part-time job walking dogs in the neighborhood, and fostering dogs for a rescue. This is partly because of the pandemic, partly because he has learning disabilities that make it hard for him to have the jam-packed schedule some of his peers seem to have (sports have never been on the menu!). He would like to stay close to home for undergrad, and ideally to commute, but he also wants intellectual challenge and professorial attention. Is there any local university that would look kindly on his profile? |
| His profile isn’t really an issue. The problem is that there aren’t many good local choices that would allow him to commute. |
| George Mason is commuting distance. They require students to live on campus first year but there is a process for exceptions. Perhaps trying on campus would be good for him. |
| I think GW, American, UMD CP, GMU will look very kindly at his profile but better check Naviance for yourself. Georgetown would want more than high stats |
| Find some more activities quickly and add another job during the summer. Try for Georgetown. |
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OP here. What additional items does Georgetown look for? Also, is there a difference in the individual attention undergrads receive at all these local unis, or do they even get any? He doesn't want to get lost in the shuffle. |
| He doesn't have a shot at Georgetown. GW on the other hand would be a great target |
| How far does he want to commute and does he want to commute by car/metro or just metro? |
| American would be a good fit for him. |
| As any highly selective schools they get too many high stats so they are looking for other differentiators such as a highly developed or unique interest. See if your kid can qualify for TASP summer program, have him take National Latin exam or national Greek exam, have him study Ancient Greek, stuff like that |
OP here. He hasn't thought that far, but we can look at both to begin with. For example: Johns Hopkins seems really bent on academics, but having driven that way myself in the mornings and seen a ton of risky weaving and accidents, I'm not sure it would be wise for him. |
This comment is about Georgetown |
| Depends on if you are NoVA or MD or DC. Lots of good choices for him in this area. UMD, AU, GWU, Catholic, Howard, Gtown, Mason. Would likely be swayed by where you are. If trying for Gtown, you may want to have him retake ACT and try to get a little higher. Also, try to add a school club and another activity. Be sure he joins whatever honor societies he's eligible. Those will likely have some service element to them too. The fostering dogs is great! |
Why not? His grades are excellent. His ACT is good and can probably be improved to exceptional. And it is not too late to build his EC |
Commuting to Baltimore every day would be a nightmare. Plus parking there is expensive and difficult. You said he needs more time than the average kid, a 3 hours commute each day would not work for him (and Baltimore CAN talk that long, depending upon the time of day, weather and what is happening on the beltway). IF, he is willing to go away but not far, consider Franklin & Marshall or St. Mary's College of MD. They have interesting history angles. |