How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?

[Anonymous]

Op, is there a particular field she loves?

[Anonymous]

My kid was an underachiever, ended up going to a CTCL college, and is now doing very well professionally. The small classes, individual attention, and focus on teamwork helped a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a junior, and her only options for college are in-state because of our family's financial situation. She has a 3.88 at a good public high school, one sport, no ECs to speak of. She hates high school with a passion, thinks it's idiotic, all her classes are stupid, hates the administration and its crazy rules and incompetence, etc. She does the work because her friends do it, but she has no enthusiasm for school at all.

She went to CTY at Johns Hopkins for three summers, where she really blossomed. She told me recently those were the happiest weeks of her life. Her CTY teachers said she was "exceptional" and "outstanding."

I'm not bragging, I'm worried. I fear she'll be unhappy and unchallenged in college. We can't afford to send her to a CTY-like top college. If you have a similarly gifted kid who went to a lower-ranked college, how did s/he do? Did your child find a peer group? Were the classes interesting/challenging enough? Any advice most appreciated.

Yikes. My take on this is that she wants to be at a small school where she is coddled and babied. If she hates school and has no enthusiasm for it then she really should think about alternatives. Frankly your report of her attending CTY doesn't ring true. It is more likely she attended some summer programs but without going through the rigorous testing and vetting process because a 3.88 is not a GT grade point average to be proud of. I think you need to look at small schools. She may do better at someplace like one of the Colleges That Change Lives.

What a bizarre statement. I went to CTY, loved it, and still had a shitty HS GPA. The environments are very different.

My kid went to CTY programs. It's not that difficult to get into. I don't know why everyone is putting so much emphasis on it. And OP hasn't said if the 3.88 is weighted or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think op is really just asking if her smart but underachieving kid will have a peer group to motivate her when she winds up at a lower ranked school. The answer to that is yes, but none of us can predict when op’s daughter will gain motivation to succeed in school. Gifted is clearly a trigger for many here.

OP here. I probably shouldn't have used the word "gifted." That's what they call the kids at CTY, so I used it. If it has a specific meaning to some posters, I'm sorry if my use of the word confused you.

I posted several times that I really wish to hear from parents of very smart kids who went to lower ranked colleges. How did these kids do? Did they flounder or excel? Or just chug along?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a junior, and her only options for college are in-state because of our family's financial situation. She has a 3.88 at a good public high school, one sport, no ECs to speak of. She hates high school with a passion, thinks it's idiotic, all her classes are stupid, hates the administration and its crazy rules and incompetence, etc. She does the work because her friends do it, but she has no enthusiasm for school at all.

She went to CTY at Johns Hopkins for three summers, where she really blossomed. She told me recently those were the happiest weeks of her life. Her CTY teachers said she was "exceptional" and "outstanding."

I'm not bragging, I'm worried. I fear she'll be unhappy and unchallenged in college. We can't afford to send her to a CTY-like top college. If you have a similarly gifted kid who went to a lower-ranked college, how did s/he do? Did your child find a peer group? Were the classes interesting/challenging enough? Any advice most appreciated.

Yikes. My take on this is that she wants to be at a small school where she is coddled and babied. If she hates school and has no enthusiasm for it then she really should think about alternatives. Frankly your report of her attending CTY doesn't ring true. It is more likely she attended some summer programs but without going through the rigorous testing and vetting process because a 3.88 is not a GT grade point average to be proud of. I think you need to look at small schools. She may do better at someplace like one of the Colleges That Change Lives.

What a bizarre statement. I went to CTY, loved it, and still had a shitty HS GPA. The environments are very different.

My kid went to CTY programs. It's not that difficult to get into. I don't know why everyone is putting so much emphasis on it. And OP hasn't said if the 3.88 is weighted or not.

It's for approximately the top 3%. It's not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once your child is in high school, you drop the 'gifted' label. At that point is it 100% about achievement.

OP again. Apologies for using the word "gifted." I meant very smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once your child is in high school, you drop the 'gifted' label. At that point is it 100% about achievement.

OP again. Apologies for using the word "gifted." I meant very smart.

Without an IQ test to back that up, you might as well drop all mention of higher cognitive reasoning, whether it's "very smart" or another label, because the fact is, your child's high school achievements may not even get her to your state's flagship. I don't say this to be mean, OP. Seriously, check this year's admittance: you might get a nasty surprise.

You need to consider safety schools if you're going to pin your hopes on getting financial aid (merit aid seems unlikely given that you've been unwilling to divulge her stats).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, done all the net price calculators. No, we won't get enough FA to equal the price in-state. She's not exceptional enough to get a full ride scholarship at any of the schools like Duke or U Chicago that offer them. Yes, there are lots of CTY kids in this area, but many either qualify for FA or have the means to go to top schools We are not in either category. DD's going to a state school, more likely than not, and that worries me, perhaps needlessly, but I'm worried nonetheless. Even if she got into Harvard, she would not go there. They would not give us enough FA. Yale's NPC said we didn't qualify for any FA at all.

She has a 3.8 weighted GPA? If so, why in heavens name are you looking at Yale's NPC.

Unweighted.
Yale can fill its entire class with 4.0/1600 kids, but they don't. Applying to Yale is like buying an $85 lottery ticket.

[Anonymous]

Op - tell us what state you are in. Are you in Md/CA or in Pa and can only afford the true PA state colleges (not state affiliated like Pitt/Penn ST)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than she would have at a "higher-ranked" college. She's crushing her classes, doing killer research with her professor, which will turn into a stellar senior thesis. She has great recommendations lined up for grad school and has enjoyed her time immensely at her low-stress, less competative, "lower-ranked" college. Plus, she much prefers the company of the down-to-earth students as opposed to the privileged snobs she'd encounter at a "highr-ranked" school.

Yes, thank you. this is the outcome I seek, but will it happen?

[Anonymous]

My very intellectual DC complained throughout high school that classmates were not serious, that few students really participated in class discussions, even in AP classes. We could not afford what the net price calculators spit out at colleges that offer only need- based aid. So we focused on in- state schools and lower- ranked privates that offer significant merit aid. DC was accepted to W&M and the honors programs at VCU and Mary Washington and received offers of merit aid at a number of private SLACs that brought the price down to what we would have paid at W&M. In the end, DC decided to go to one of the SLACs in another part of the country. DC found that many students there still weren't as serious as desired, but thrived nevertheless-- really enjoyed classes, got to know several professors quite well, was chosen as a TA by a couple of professors, got deeply involved in a campus activity, made PBK, graduated summa cum laude. Now has a good job in field of choice and thinking about grad school. Overall a good experience and no regrets.

[Anonymous]

Let me ask in a different way, for my child to get into Yale with FA, does she need additional extracurriculars? She is clearly smart enough, that's obviously not the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me ask in a different way, for my child to get into Yale with FA, does she need additional extracurriculars? She is clearly smart enough, that's obviously not the issue.

Oh OP. You have NO IDEA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better than she would have at a "higher-ranked" college. She's crushing her classes, doing killer research with her professor, which will turn into a stellar senior thesis. She has great recommendations lined up for grad school and has enjoyed her time immensely at her low-stress, less competative, "lower-ranked" college. Plus, she much prefers the company of the down-to-earth students as opposed to the privileged snobs she'd encounter at a "highr-ranked" school.

Yes, thank you. this is the outcome I seek, but will it happen?

It is solely up to your daughter. It really doesn’t sound like she currently has a great attitude in high school. If she goes to what she perceives to be a lower ranked college and has the same attitude, then no it will not happen. If she goes to lower ranked college and decides to take advantage of all the opportunities presented to her for being the big fish in the little pond, then yes it will happen.

Only she can decide her fate. Does she realize that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me ask in a different way, for my child to get into Yale with FA, does she need additional extracurriculars? She is clearly smart enough, that's obviously not the issue.

Oh OP. You have NO IDEA.

Yep - that ship has sailed.

OP - it is not enough to be smart. One also has to accomplish something. One has to do something with their smarts. What has your daughter done with her intelligence? Just complain that everything is stupid and beneath her?