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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

She did CTY

[Anonymous]

I think we also want to know, 1.) what does she want to study and 2.) what state are you in?

[Anonymous]

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.

There are so many wrongs here i don't even know where to start...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

OP here. This gives me hope. Thanks for posting!

[Anonymous]

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.

There are so many wrongs here i don't even know where to start...

Please enumerate. Why post if you're just going to complain but not offer useful information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

She did CTY

That is not an accomplishment. Stop thinking of it as an accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

OP,

You have communicated to your daughter a terrible attitude about school and college. You think being "smart" is all there is to it. No. Colleges couldn't care less about intelligence. They want to see what students do with the gifts they have. If your daughter doesn't have anything to show for her intelligence, she might has well not be intelligent at all, from a college admissions perspective.

Now it's apparent you only answer to encouraging posts, but I hope you still read the tough love posts.

There is no way your daughter is getting into the Ivy League, or any top college, unless you've been holding something back from this thread.

Make your peace with that, and convince her to do her best at whatever college she ends up in.

[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.

There are so many wrongs here i don't even know where to start...

Please enumerate. Why post if you're just going to complain but not offer useful information?

Telling you got so many things wrong is not useful to you?

[Anonymous]

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.

I know know where you live but UVa and UMD will be hard nuts to crack with that stat. A lot of kids to CTY (mine included), it doesn't mean anything as far as college admission is concern.

[Anonymous]

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.

I know know where you live but UVa and UMD will be hard nuts to crack with that stat. A lot of kids to CTY (mine included), it doesn't mean anything as far as college admission is concern.

I disagree. CTY could make or break a competitive application. The question is, is it enough to get FA from an Ivy or top ranked school?

[Anonymous]

Honors colleges at many of the public’s will provide the challenges she seems to want. Maybe a program that gives her a lot of flexibility in designing her own major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She sounds really annoying TBH

She also sounds very entitled.

Maybe she should get a JOB.

Wtf is wrong with everyone? She sounds like a normal healthy teenager to me!! State school will be wonderful, OP. She will flourish and find her people!

Thank you. Even if untrue, this is what I need to hear! I'm sad that I can't offer DD the chance to go to a "better" school, but our finances won't allow it. I really admire her intellect (I wish I had her brains!). She's fun to talk with as she's so well read and has interesting opinions and ideas about all sorts of subjects. I don't want her to sink into a quagmire of mediocrity, which she seems to be engulfed by in high school. It's helpful to hear from parents whose gifted kids have thrived at lower-ranked schools.

Look for out of state public colleges. They offer fantastic Honors programs with merit. How much can you afford per year, OP?

[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.

I know know where you live but UVa and UMD will be hard nuts to crack with that stat. A lot of kids to CTY (mine included), it doesn't mean anything as far as college admission is concern.

I disagree. CTY could make or break a competitive application. The question is, is it enough to get FA from an Ivy or top ranked school?

LOL. YOu can disagree all you want. Does not change the facts.

[Anonymous]

No, FA is need-based at top schools.

This goes back a long way, but I went to a lower-ranked school (75ish at the time) despite being valedictorian and having the top SAT score in my class. I got a merit award that covered full tuition and an outside scholarship that paid for a good chunk of the rest. I had maybe a little too much fun in college but got a great education and internships, and landed a fantastic job when I graduated. No regrets.

[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.

Boom.