22 ACT score, 1000 SAT score(M/V). Where to look, suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I'm poster 00:11 who said, "she is not a strong student". I was just emphasizing the need to choose carefully - the college and the major. I am not in the camp of, "college isn't for everyone" for a family who values a college education and the student wants to go! It's so unfortunate how often this phrase is used to counsel students, at our area FCPS HS, in the bottom 1/3 of the class (not your daughter) These students are nationally average college bound students but the guidance office seems out of touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 21:07 and 21:50.

I disagree with some of the gloomy PPs. OP's DD has an ACT score at the 62nd percentile and an SAT score at the 48th percentile. This means she is around the average for college-bound students. HALF of college-bound students scored lower than this student did. Let's say that again: This girl is your average college-bound student.

That said, there is no question that, without some remarkable hook, she is not going to be admitted one of the more selective colleges or universities that graduate 90 percent of their students. She is going to go to a college that is less selective, but that doesn't mean the college can't provide a quality education. And it doesn't mean that she can't do well.

OP, your DD wants an urban area, and there is no question that that complicates the search, adding one more requirement to an already lengthy list. But you and she should talk about trade-offs and what is really important in terms of getting a college education. And you should help her put her "requirements" in order of priority. That will help her focus her search and concentrate on the pros and cons and think about what compromises she is willing to make.

It seems to me that the first issue is affordability. Generally speaking, the most affordable schools for your DD are likely to be Maryland state schools. (Though as I mentioned above, non-flagship state schools in the midwest and the south can be very comparable to state school costs on the east coast.) It is true that your DD could try to seek out private and OOS colleges that give merit aid. But merit aid is awarded only to students that are at the top of a college's applicant pool in terms of scores, grades, essays, overall appeal, and/or ECs--IOW, to students that schools really want. You will have to assess whether your DD has attributes that will stand out on her application and to which schools.

The second cut will be schools that have a business major.

The third concern should be where your DD might get admitted. For that, the middle range of CR SAT scores will help you target the right schools. And the 6-year graduation rates for the schools will help her focus on schools where a majority of students are able to complete a degree. These stats for the 4-year MD state schools that have a business major are:

UMCP 580-690 (82% grad rate)
UMBC 550-650 (61%)
Salisbury 530-610 (67%)
Towson 490-580 (66%)
Frostburg 440-530 (44%)
Baltimore 430-590 (not reported)
Bowie 410-490 (35%)
Coppin 400-470 (17%)
UMES 390-480 (32%)

The sweet spot for your DD is clearly Towson and Frostburg, with UMBC and Salisbury as possible reaches. She can add other private and OOS schools that interest her, but I would suggest that these four MD schools should form the spine of her list--these are affordable, have her major, and enroll students like her.

She should also think hard about what exactly is important to her. She wants an urban school, so that might make UMBC attractive. But only a small share of UMBC students live on campus and there might not be much campus life on weekends. Salisbury, OTOH, might be more isolated but may offer more of a traditional campus experience.

FYI, the percentiles you have are for ALL students taking the ACT/SAT, not just college-bound ones. Several states require all students to take the test regardless of whether they're going to college, and in addition to those states, several school districts require it as well. So please don't go spreading misinformation that the Op's daughter is average among college-bound students. She's not - she's average among students going to college, to the military, to the workforce, to trade schools, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is 21:07 and 21:50.

I disagree with some of the gloomy PPs. OP's DD has an ACT score at the 62nd percentile and an SAT score at the 48th percentile. This means she is around the average for college-bound students. HALF of college-bound students scored lower than this student did. Let's say that again: This girl is your average college-bound student.

That said, there is no question that, without some remarkable hook, she is not going to be admitted one of the more selective colleges or universities that graduate 90 percent of their students. She is going to go to a college that is less selective, but that doesn't mean the college can't provide a quality education. And it doesn't mean that she can't do well.

OP, your DD wants an urban area, and there is no question that that complicates the search, adding one more requirement to an already lengthy list. But you and she should talk about trade-offs and what is really important in terms of getting a college education. And you should help her put her "requirements" in order of priority. That will help her focus her search and concentrate on the pros and cons and think about what compromises she is willing to make.

It seems to me that the first issue is affordability. Generally speaking, the most affordable schools for your DD are likely to be Maryland state schools. (Though as I mentioned above, non-flagship state schools in the midwest and the south can be very comparable to state school costs on the east coast.) It is true that your DD could try to seek out private and OOS colleges that give merit aid. But merit aid is awarded only to students that are at the top of a college's applicant pool in terms of scores, grades, essays, overall appeal, and/or ECs--IOW, to students that schools really want. You will have to assess whether your DD has attributes that will stand out on her application and to which schools.

The second cut will be schools that have a business major.

The third concern should be where your DD might get admitted. For that, the middle range of CR SAT scores will help you target the right schools. And the 6-year graduation rates for the schools will help her focus on schools where a majority of students are able to complete a degree. These stats for the 4-year MD state schools that have a business major are:

UMCP 580-690 (82% grad rate)
UMBC 550-650 (61%)
Salisbury 530-610 (67%)
Towson 490-580 (66%)
Frostburg 440-530 (44%)
Baltimore 430-590 (not reported)
Bowie 410-490 (35%)
Coppin 400-470 (17%)
UMES 390-480 (32%)

The sweet spot for your DD is clearly Towson and Frostburg, with UMBC and Salisbury as possible reaches. She can add other private and OOS schools that interest her, but I would suggest that these four MD schools should form the spine of her list--these are affordable, have her major, and enroll students like her.

She should also think hard about what exactly is important to her. She wants an urban school, so that might make UMBC attractive. But only a small share of UMBC students live on campus and there might not be much campus life on weekends. Salisbury, OTOH, might be more isolated but may offer more of a traditional campus experience.

FYI, the percentiles you have are for ALL students taking the ACT/SAT, not just college-bound ones. Several states require all students to take the test regardless of whether they're going to college, and in addition to those states, several school districts require it as well. So please don't go spreading misinformation that the Op's daughter is average among college-bound students. She's not - she's average among students going to college, to the military, to the workforce, to trade schools, etc.

Uh, no. 1000 for M/V is almost exactly average. The SAT is curved so that a 500 is about the 50th percentile of COLLEGE-BOUND students.
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-Composite-CR-M-2013.pdf

Any misinformation is coming from you. Lots of colleges are test-optional, too.

[Anonymous]

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html
I was mostly speaking to the ACT, but OK..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is 21:07 and 21:50.

I disagree with some of the gloomy PPs. OP's DD has an ACT score at the 62nd percentile and an SAT score at the 48th percentile. This means she is around the average for college-bound students. HALF of college-bound students scored lower than this student did. Let's say that again: This girl is your average college-bound student.

That said, there is no question that, without some remarkable hook, she is not going to be admitted one of the more selective colleges or universities that graduate 90 percent of their students. She is going to go to a college that is less selective, but that doesn't mean the college can't provide a quality education. And it doesn't mean that she can't do well.

OP, your DD wants an urban area, and there is no question that that complicates the search, adding one more requirement to an already lengthy list. But you and she should talk about trade-offs and what is really important in terms of getting a college education. And you should help her put her "requirements" in order of priority. That will help her focus her search and concentrate on the pros and cons and think about what compromises she is willing to make.

It seems to me that the first issue is affordability. Generally speaking, the most affordable schools for your DD are likely to be Maryland state schools. (Though as I mentioned above, non-flagship state schools in the midwest and the south can be very comparable to state school costs on the east coast.) It is true that your DD could try to seek out private and OOS colleges that give merit aid. But merit aid is awarded only to students that are at the top of a college's applicant pool in terms of scores, grades, essays, overall appeal, and/or ECs--IOW, to students that schools really want. You will have to assess whether your DD has attributes that will stand out on her application and to which schools.

The second cut will be schools that have a business major.

The third concern should be where your DD might get admitted. For that, the middle range of CR SAT scores will help you target the right schools. And the 6-year graduation rates for the schools will help her focus on schools where a majority of students are able to complete a degree. These stats for the 4-year MD state schools that have a business major are:

UMCP 580-690 (82% grad rate)
UMBC 550-650 (61%)
Salisbury 530-610 (67%)
Towson 490-580 (66%)
Frostburg 440-530 (44%)
Baltimore 430-590 (not reported)
Bowie 410-490 (35%)
Coppin 400-470 (17%)
UMES 390-480 (32%)

The sweet spot for your DD is clearly Towson and Frostburg, with UMBC and Salisbury as possible reaches. She can add other private and OOS schools that interest her, but I would suggest that these four MD schools should form the spine of her list--these are affordable, have her major, and enroll students like her.

She should also think hard about what exactly is important to her. She wants an urban school, so that might make UMBC attractive. But only a small share of UMBC students live on campus and there might not be much campus life on weekends. Salisbury, OTOH, might be more isolated but may offer more of a traditional campus experience.

FYI, the percentiles you have are for ALL students taking the ACT/SAT, not just college-bound ones. Several states require all students to take the test regardless of whether they're going to college, and in addition to those states, several school districts require it as well. So please don't go spreading misinformation that the Op's daughter is average among college-bound students. She's not - she's average among students going to college, to the military, to the workforce, to trade schools, etc.

But the SAT ranges reported above ARE actually college students. And at, for example, Towson, 50% of the students had CR SAT scores between 490 and 580. 25% had scores lower than 490, 25% had scores higher than 580. Even at UMCP, 25% of the students had SAT scores lower than 580. A college applicant with a 500 score really is pretty typical. I think you are suffering from Lake Wobegon effect.

[Anonymous]

Try Hood College in Frederick Maryland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try Hood College in Frederick Maryland

I'd forgotten about Hood, but Hood and Goucher are both good suggestions, OP.