Help me think of backup colleges for my son

[Anonymous]

If you're looking for backup schools for Umass Amherst and want to stick instate - look for Westfield State College, American International in Springfield ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is an okay student, his first choice college is UMass Amherst (we currently live in MA). I need some ideas of backup schools in case he doesn't get in. A little backgroup, he is an A/B regular class student, has a 1600 on his SAT. Any suggestions I think he wants to stay in New England. He is going to apply to UNH but I need more ideas!

OP, have you asked your son what his backup colleges might be?

But seriously, you might get more useful advice if you provided more info about your kid beyond his grades. Is he into sports, visual arts, writing, performing arts, science, math? Is he a social butterfly or more of a wallflower? Good time management and could handle a tough courseload, or needs more time to get things done? I worked at an Admissions office for a very small and pretty exclusive liberal arts college, and these are things that I would want to know.

I would also add that a lot of the smaller schools, the ones that offer more personal attention and encourage creative and critical thinking, are caring less and less about SAT scores; my girls both went to schools that didn't require them, and it took away a lot of the stress for them.

[Anonymous]

DD applied to UMass, UVM, UNH, and Rutgers among others. What about Rutgers as a backup? Or is that too far outside of New England?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what you would call a Helicopter Parent. Look up the definition...

I'd actually disagree with you on that one. Kid has to do the leg work, do the apps himself, imo. But it's up to parents to offer guidance, advice and so on. If mom wants to have a couple of other schools to suggest that her son research, I don't think that's helicoptering. Doing the research and completing the application for him, that's a different story.

[Anonymous]

Have HIM try College Prowler. It's a pretty cool website with everything written by students.

And then, if he wants you to pay for college, he has to apply to at least five (?) and let him work that out. One year from now, he's going to have a lot more complicated issues that he needs to be able to deal with on his own.