Help me help my neighbor figure out the college admissions scene

[Anonymous]

Our neighbors have a daughter who would be the first in her family to attend college. Her parents are enthusiastic but pretty clueless and naive and more hands off than just about anyone on DCUM. I have a 3 year old and a 7 year old so I'm years away from being immersed in this world.

Here is what I know
She is a junior
She is very motivated
She has a 4.6 (weighted) GPA
She plays/starts on two varsity sports and AAU basketball
She is not a minority
She would likely qualify for lots of financial aid
She attends a W school
She is studying for the SAT

I've sent her a bunch of info on schools with need blind admissions that meet full need but most are highly selective. She know that needs to do campus visits but isn't sure where she should start. Based on her stats, what kind of schools should she start looking at?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Encourage her to sit down with the guidance counselor at her school and talk about options. They can look at naviance together. I wasn't wowed by the counseling at our w school but they can be helpful with this aspect. Until she's got SAT scores though there isn't much you can do. And they are taking PSATs this week so it will be a few weeks before those scores come in. Those will show up in naviance and be helpful in assessing the odds.

There are tons of search engines out there. Encourage her to play around with several of them. She can put in factors like size, urban v rural, etc

[Anonymous]

Bigfutures.org is a good site to start a search. It is used by the non-profit where I volunteer. The target population is first generation college students/those requiring financial aid.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

[Anonymous]

^^^ You are nice to help your neighbor. One of the reasons I started volunteering for a college counseling non-profit is that a handful of years ago when I was helping our children with college applications I was astounded by how breathtakingly complicated the whole college application process has become. I felt that first generation students where at a horrible disadvantage given parents who hadn't gone through the process even when it was far easier and far, far less competitive. One particular caution - LOVE YOUR SAFETIES.

[Anonymous]

What is a W school?
If she's in public, can they afford a private college counselor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is a W school?
If she's in public, can they afford a private college counselor?

She is in public and I think a college counselor is totally out of reach, as are SAT prep courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbors have a daughter who would be the first in her family to attend college. Her parents are enthusiastic but pretty clueless and naive and more hands off than just about anyone on DCUM. I have a 3 year old and a 7 year old so I'm years away from being immersed in this world.

Here is what I know
She is a junior
She is very motivated
She has a 4.6 (weighted) GPA
She plays/starts on two varsity sports and AAU basketball
She is not a minority
She would likely qualify for lots of financial aid
She attends a W school
She is studying for the SAT

I've sent her a bunch of info on schools with need blind admissions that meet full need but most are highly selective. She know that needs to do campus visits but isn't sure where she should start. Based on her stats, what kind of schools should she start looking at?

Thanks!

1) do not assume "likely qualify" for FA until you run school's Net Price Calculator (NPC)
2) before spending a lot of time prepping for SAT, have her try one full practice test of SAT (from BlueBook) and one full practice test of ACT (RedBook). Some kids do much better with one than the other. All schools accept both so prep for the test that fits her better
3) top tier schools are not just about stats so do NOT assume high stats will get you in.
4) make sure to have good mix of safety schools, targets, and reach schools.
5) I'd start with UMD for visits. You can sign up for a visit via UMD admission web site. And go from there. After a few, they all sound the same.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach SAT prep, and honestly, I think most kids would get as much out of taking practice exams as they would from prep classes. The one area I think it was helpful was in the essay, but I believe those are gone now ( I could be wrong - it's been a few years!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to teach SAT prep, and honestly, I think most kids would get as much out of taking practice exams as they would from prep classes. The one area I think it was helpful was in the essay, but I believe those are gone now ( I could be wrong - it's been a few years!).

I agree re. practice tests. The essay is still on the test.

Op - if taking ACT, make sure to take ACT plus writing (essay).

[Anonymous]

Give them a copy of Andy Ferguson's: "Crazy U: One Dad's experience with the College Admissions Process" (or something close to that).

[Anonymous]

A "W" school is Whitman, Walter Johnson, Winston Churchill or Wootton in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

CollegeConfidential.com is a great resource.

http://www.firstgenerationstudent.com/

A group of colleges/universities looking to expand economic diversity was recently featured in a NYT story. I'm not finding it but will post it if I do.

How motivated is your neighbor? There's so much great information online ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give them a copy of Andy Ferguson's: "Crazy U: One Dad's experience with the College Admissions Process" (or something close to that).

This is a great book. I had ordered some other things from Amazon and got the book used for $2.00.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CollegeConfidential.com is a great resource.

http://www.firstgenerationstudent.com/

A group of colleges/universities looking to expand economic diversity was recently featured in a NYT story. I'm not finding it but will post it if I do.

How motivated is your neighbor? There's so much great information online ...

She is super motivated but unlike most DCUM kids she doesn't have someone to guide her. Think about it, my 3 year old has already asked about college and my 7 year old has tallied how many years til she is done with grad school. When I speak with the neighbor, I get the sense that is eager and excited, but but overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give them a copy of Andy Ferguson's: "Crazy U: One Dad's experience with the College Admissions Process" (or something close to that).

This is a great book. I had ordered some other things from Amazon and got the book used for $2.00.

Don't give them this book! I loved it and I think it's hilarious. But it's all about the super-competitive world of college admissions, where private college counselors and SAT prep are just the beginning, and people are hiring essay writers and bragging to each other next to the sub-zero freezer. The book is tongue-in-cheek about all these things, but the net effect could be to make your neighbors' kid feel inadequate because Ferguson is right, a lot of this stuff really does go on, and it could be intimidating to a first-timer.