Please help with VA college list for average student

[Anonymous]

He should have till march 1 to submit fafsa. That is not a priority. Get his applications in asap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoa, OP back--thanks all. Got my preschooler down to bed and I'm ready to do a bit more research. Going to revise my list and send it out to the kid tonight.

Sounds like he's missed some financial aid deadlines--is he basically SOL? What should he be doing over the next, like, two weeks? I want to help as much as I can, but I know he's missed the boat on some stuff.

His mom means well but it sounds like they have not been very organized. Talked to another family member tonight--sounds like he's only applied so far to VCU, ODU, and Norfolk State (I definitely think he can get into a better school than the latter). He also apparently wants to apply to GMU and possibly Marymount.

I'll post my revised list in a bit. Thanks for help--it's been about 20 years since I thought about college applications myself!

ODU and VCU are fine universities, but I'd be worried that they wouldn't be the easiest place for a possibly under motivated student to graduate. They're not going to coddle/help as much as more selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoa, OP back--thanks all. Got my preschooler down to bed and I'm ready to do a bit more research. Going to revise my list and send it out to the kid tonight.

Sounds like he's missed some financial aid deadlines--is he basically SOL? What should he be doing over the next, like, two weeks? I want to help as much as I can, but I know he's missed the boat on some stuff.

His mom means well but it sounds like they have not been very organized. Talked to another family member tonight--sounds like he's only applied so far to VCU, ODU, and Norfolk State (I definitely think he can get into a better school than the latter). He also apparently wants to apply to GMU and possibly Marymount.

I'll post my revised list in a bit. Thanks for help--it's been about 20 years since I thought about college applications myself!

ODU and VCU are fine universities, but I'd be worried that they wouldn't be the easiest place for a possibly under motivated student to graduate. They're not going to coddle/help as much as more selective schools.

OP here. Yeah, you may have a point. *sigh*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all,

I'm trying to advise a high school senior in VA who is a middling student (3.1 GPA and 1500 SATs) on which colleges to apply to (and yes, I know it's late in the game--he's not super on top of things, but he also doesn't have many people advising him). His single mom wants him to apply to in-state schools only, given the cost, as she doesn't want him saddled with debt after college. However, my husband and I are advising him that it might be better, if given a choice, to go to a more highly-ranked/better recognized out-of-state school over a mediocre in-state school.

He doesn't have many "hooks." He happens to be AA, and runs track--husband says his times may not be good enough for Div 1 but he may be able to walk on at Div 2 or 3 schools. He's considering pharmacy later on, but he admits he's not sure. He's a nice kid, and gets along with people from all different backgrounds.

This is what I'm recommending so far for him.

"Reach" schools
UVA
William & Mary
Morehouse
JMU

Decent shot of getting in
VCU
George Mason
Hampton
U of MD College Park
San Diego State (he's visited SD before and likes that area of the country; not sure he'd apply)
Howard University
UNC Charlotte
Penn State
Temple
Drexel
Villanova
University of Richmond

Safety schools
ODU
Christopher Newport

Please let me know what schools I'm missing, if any, in VA (or any schools he should really look at that are not in VA but may be a good fit). Perhaps he should add another safety school or two. Also, any comments on above list. I know some deadlines may've already passed.

Thanks!

OP--here's my revised list to email to him tonight. I think he should apply to 8-10 of the following:

"Reach" schools:
UVA
Morehouse

Decent (more or less) shot of getting in
George Mason
Hampton (not a legacy but an older relative has attended--not sure if this makes a difference for admissions)
MWU
Marymount (I learned they have a triathlon team--fun! The kid's a runner and swimmer so he might like this.)
University of Richmond
Christopher Newport
VCU
VA Tech (legacy)

Safety schools
ODU
Norfolk State

What do people think? I left off some of the small schools PPs suggested in more rural, remote locales, as I don't know if he'd go for those.

Anything in-state or in NC that he really should consider?

Oh, and someone asked--he doesn't live in NoVa; he lives in another part of VA.

Thanks all.

[Anonymous]

OP again. ^^^Whoops, I meant to remove U. Richmond and CNU from the list.

[Anonymous]

It's not too late, but he needs to get moving quickly to submit in-state VA applications to meet most of the upcoming standard admission deadlines. Longwood is not a bad choice at all with his profile--average GPA is 3.2. It is a nice, small school (under 5,000 undergraduates). Radford is also a good safety school if he prefers a mid-size school (9,500 plus undergrads); GPA at Radford is around 2.8-3.0 range. Mary Washington is a very nice, small school and would be a reach school for him, but still within reason (avg GPA around 3.5). CNU and JMU have become extremely competitive for high school applicants from NOVA; requiring a 3.7-3.8 GPA range compared to the other in state VA schools mentioned in the thread. ODU is also likely a good safety if he wants a larger school. I would not even consider having him apply to UVA, W&M, or VA Tech as they are way out of reach with his GPA/SAT profile. It's nice of you to try to help out the family. I'm sure he'll eventually find a good fit. If possible, he should limit his list to 6-8 schools. Good luck to him!

[Anonymous]

1. Submit requests for transcripts to all VA schools under consideration ASAP. HS trAnscript offices ask for a big lead time and can be uncompromising.

2. Drexel is expensive -breathtakingly so at this point- and doesn't offer much financial aid.

3. I know a Howard legacy with similar stats, maybe slightly lower who was not admitted. Same for Temple. Full pay AA. So do t assume they are easy admits.

4. Despite all the above, if something seems like a good fit, go for it. Every kid is different; he could be just right in an interview or particular major.

[Anonymous]

Op - in Virginia, VCU is the logical feeder school to medical careers at all levels, all varieties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd have him go NVCC, keep his grades up and do the in-state transfer to another state school then.

Why do people assume that a kid who's pulling a 3.1 in high school is going to magically do much better at NVCC? Doesn't always happen that way.

It's not about magic. It's about big differences between high school and college - the way classes are taught, the timing of classes, the way you can set up your schedule, when you can study, among many, many other things. I was a 3.0 high school student (mix of As, Bs, and Cs) and was 4.0 at NVCC. I transferred to W&M and did very well there. I just did much better with college learning vs. high school.

+1
I was a middling student in high school, due to complete disinterest as opposed to lack of intelligence. I also went to NVCC, did very well, and transferred to UVA where I excelled. Sometimes all it takes is getting out of the high school rut and into a place where you're an independent adult taking far more interesting classes. College is a different world altogether.

[Anonymous]

You really need to keep Radford on the list. It's where all the non-motivated 2.5-3.5 GPA kids in my HS went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi all,

I'm trying to advise a high school senior in VA who is a middling student (3.1 GPA and 1500 SATs) on which colleges to apply to (and yes, I know it's late in the game--he's not super on top of things, but he also doesn't have many people advising him). His single mom wants him to apply to in-state schools only, given the cost, as she doesn't want him saddled with debt after college. However, my husband and I are advising him that it might be better, if given a choice, to go to a more highly-ranked/better recognized out-of-state school over a mediocre in-state school.

He doesn't have many "hooks." He happens to be AA, and runs track--husband says his times may not be good enough for Div 1 but he may be able to walk on at Div 2 or 3 schools. He's considering pharmacy later on, but he admits he's not sure. He's a nice kid, and gets along with people from all different backgrounds.

This is what I'm recommending so far for him.

"Reach" schools
UVA
William & Mary
Morehouse
JMU

Decent shot of getting in
VCU
George Mason
Hampton
U of MD College Park
San Diego State (he's visited SD before and likes that area of the country; not sure he'd apply)
Howard University
UNC Charlotte
Penn State
Temple
Drexel
Villanova
University of Richmond

Safety schools
ODU
Christopher Newport

Please let me know what schools I'm missing, if any, in VA (or any schools he should really look at that are not in VA but may be a good fit). Perhaps he should add another safety school or two. Also, any comments on above list. I know some deadlines may've already passed.

Thanks!

But for any boost this students would get for being an URM and/or living in a part of Virginia that doesn't send as many kids to college as, say, NoVa, the following schools also would be reaches: VCU, George Mason, U. MD - College Park, Temple, Villanova, Penn State, Drexel, Richmond and Christopher Newport. But he could still apply to a few of them and see what happens. The most obvious candidates on your list would appear to be Hampton, Howard and ODU. Some other schools in Virginia he might want to consider are Radford, Longwood and, perhaps, Mary Washington. And I'd look at some of the other Maryland schools like UMBC and Salisbury.

I think this is reasoned response although UMBC has gotten pretty hard to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you run the financial aid calculators on the websites of the schools you're suggesting? That would give the young man and his mom an idea of what the costs for them might be. Also, sometimes private SLACs can end up costing less than an in-state school with merit scholarships and financial aid.

Yes, this is true. And decent athletics at the LACs help too. The selective LACs are probably out of reach though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you are joking if you think there is any reason for this kid to apply to uva and william and mary! you can easily google the average SAT scores and GPAs for different schools. I think he needs to be realistic and you do too.

+1

If you're not paying, you need to stop talking about out of state now.

Here's where I think you should focus:

ODU
VCU
JMU
CNU
MWU
Radford

You are undermining his mother and interfering in financial discussions that shouldn't concern you at all. MYOFB.

Realistically, James Madison is likely out of reach on a 3.1 GPA...their average is currently 3.8/4.2 UW/W according to the latest stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not too late, but he needs to get moving quickly to submit in-state VA applications to meet most of the upcoming standard admission deadlines. Longwood is not a bad choice at all with his profile--average GPA is 3.2. It is a nice, small school (under 5,000 undergraduates). Radford is also a good safety school if he prefers a mid-size school (9,500 plus undergrads); GPA at Radford is around 2.8-3.0 range. Mary Washington is a very nice, small school and would be a reach school for him, but still within reason (avg GPA around 3.5). CNU and JMU have become extremely competitive for high school applicants from NOVA; requiring a 3.7-3.8 GPA range compared to the other in state VA schools mentioned in the thread. ODU is also likely a good safety if he wants a larger school. I would not even consider having him apply to UVA, W&M, or VA Tech as they are way out of reach with his GPA/SAT profile. It's nice of you to try to help out the family. I'm sure he'll eventually find a good fit. If possible, he should limit his list to 6-8 schools. Good luck to him!

VT is nowhere near as selective as UVA/WM and does not belong with them in any discussion of college admissions. George Mason is more selective that VT...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not too late, but he needs to get moving quickly to submit in-state VA applications to meet most of the upcoming standard admission deadlines. Longwood is not a bad choice at all with his profile--average GPA is 3.2. It is a nice, small school (under 5,000 undergraduates). Radford is also a good safety school if he prefers a mid-size school (9,500 plus undergrads); GPA at Radford is around 2.8-3.0 range. Mary Washington is a very nice, small school and would be a reach school for him, but still within reason (avg GPA around 3.5). CNU and JMU have become extremely competitive for high school applicants from NOVA; requiring a 3.7-3.8 GPA range compared to the other in state VA schools mentioned in the thread. ODU is also likely a good safety if he wants a larger school. I would not even consider having him apply to UVA, W&M, or VA Tech as they are way out of reach with his GPA/SAT profile. It's nice of you to try to help out the family. I'm sure he'll eventually find a good fit. If possible, he should limit his list to 6-8 schools. Good luck to him!

VT is nowhere near as selective as UVA/WM and does not belong with them in any discussion of college admissions. George Mason is more selective that VT...

Do not feed the GMU troll.