Reply to "The Pre-College Racket"

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to ""The Pre-College Racket""

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid did NIADH at WM this summer and took a graded 200 level class for college credit through the history program.  I do not expect it to prop up a college app. At most, it’s a small nudge because it’s a show of demonstrated interest, which WM cares about. .

But, my kid loves history is looking at SLACs. And WM topped his list late junior year.  The three weeks on campus made them more comfortable with the idea of college and helped them focus in on what they did and did not want.   After NIADH, my kid is still apply to SLACs, but WM is more like 3rd or 4th choice.  They said that there were great things about the school, but also things they were less excited about.

So money well spent.

But no, I doubt it would be the deciding factor on WM’s side. It might be a deciding factor for my kid though. [/quote]

Thanks for explaining it so nicely. 
Personally, I don't think I have enough money for that kind of discovery, but we'll see.
[/quote]

It was expensive. More expensive than I would normally consider. But this particular kid is 2E, and  finding a good college fit and giving them the confidence that they could navigate a college campus is turning out to be extremely important. They inherited money from a great grandparent, which  has been set aside for college.  I let them dip into it for pre-college, because I think launching this particular kid is going to be a challenge.  If they end up with a bad match and flunk out or need to transfer, that’s a lot of money lost.  So, there was a cost-benefit Assessment, not just blindly writing a check.

My other kid is very different.  I’m not sure I would send them to a pre-college program unless it was very specialized and specific.  But, I would let them withdraw some money to spend some time in an overseas program one summer.  For various reasons, I think this would be great for them. [/quote]

PP you replied to. I see exactly what you mean, I have a 2e kid as well, and for him... we might have to do whatever it takes. Hoping that "whatever it takes" won't break the bank!
[/quote]

I would recommend WM NIADH if he is at all into history.  Excellent, well run program.  It was $4200 for three weeks.  Which was not cheap for us. But was reasonable in the grand scheme of pre-college programs.   Dorm, food, a college class— and one that was very, very site visit heavy at that.  It’s in line with in state tuition for WM.    The one my kid really wanted at Chicago was $11,000 for 4 weeks.

And my kid is in one of the super rigorous DMV HS programs. And still felt like this was pretty rigorous academically.   I looked through the syllabus and handout and agreed. 4 site visits a week. 40 ish pages of dense original source reading a day, small group seminars to discuss complex topics, three papers over three weeks. And they did not go easy on grading the papers.  I think giving a semester of 200 level credit at the grade they got for the work I sat down and reviewed was pretty realistic. Which was reassuring. Because 2e means worrying that your kid will write a brilliant paper and forget to turn it in. Or forget to set an alarm and attend class.   It was nice to see that they could manage pretty well without the 504, parental reminders, etc. they did laundry in the dorms, used the low limit credit card I gave them and stayed in budget walking to pick up toiletries and snacks, got along okay with their roommate, etc. and seemed to enjoy the freedom.

I think after the program, my kid and I both feel better about college apps. Fingers crossed. This is a kid has so much potential— if we can manage the transition well. I know it’s scary. Good luck to you and your kid. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics