Reply to Smart, underachieving kid, need merit aid, so frustrated!!

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Smart, underachieving kid, need merit aid, so frustrated!!"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why do you think she’s an underachiever?  What would she need to do to achieve?[/quote]

This is OP.

I'm worried DD won't be challenged in college. She rises to the level of the people around her.

She never works hard. I'm sorry if that sounds like a humble brag. I'm trying to do the best I can for my kid.

I worry she won't be challenged at second tier colleges that will offer her merit aid, but we can't afford the HYPSM or NESCAC colleges she'd be likely to get into.

She has a few ECs I didn't mention, academic classes she's done outside of school where she's really excelled, again, without trying very hard. It's her MO not to push herself because she's never had to.

DD's college list has been whittled down to Pitt, URichmond, Muhlenberg and Mary Washington, plus in-state schools.

I'm wondering about applying to colleges like Vandy and Emory that offer full-ride scholarships.

Is there any hope DD might win a full ride? She has no leadership, no clubs, no varsity sports. Just her intellect and she's a nice person. Does that count for anything? [/quote]

Not as familiar but look at automatic merit scholarships offered by state schools like U Alabama, U Kentucky, ASU, etc. They seem to award generous scholarships based on GPA/test scores. Some of these large state schools also have honors colleges, which can imitate LACs with highly motivated, high-achieving students and close contact with professors.

Is there still time for your kid to add on some meaningful ECs? You mentioned that she does have a few, but you don't seem as impressed by them. This is a reminder for parents of younger high schoolers not to meddle too much in their affairs but to encourage them to seek out connections & opportunities in their school and community. This is important not just for getting into college but also for gaining experience, giving back, and discovering new interests.

I wouldn't have called her likely to get into the Ivies/NESCACs because those schools get thousands of applications from academically high-achieving students and really value ECs as a way of differentiating students and figuring out what they would be involved with on campus. Can your daughter see herself joining any clubs once on campus? Sometimes that pops up as a question on the Common App/specific applications. Some state schools don't care at all (Pitt never asked about my ECs in 2019) but smaller LACs and universities want to see how applicants will fit in on campus and contribute to campus life and culture.

I'm one of the posters who got multiple generous scholarship offers from LACs and I didn't consider myself over-zealous when it came to ECs, but I still did a couple of sports, volunteering, working during the summer, and some school clubs. It was an adjustment for students during the pandemic, but I believe there are generally opportunities available - volunteering for a local campaign, tutoring kids in math, babysitting, etc. Urge her to seek out opportunities according to her interests and remind her that effort can help to get her where she wants to be - ex: a smaller college - and shape her as a person.[/quote]

She cannot add meaningful ECs in one summer.  EC take time and should be done throughout all of high school.  Every AO can see trough the kid who just does something for one summer. [/quote]

PP here and I totally understand that since I went thru the process a couple of years ago. My point was that at this point, as you said, it's not quite possible to do many things to enhance your application but it's not a bad time to start thinking about your passions and interests that you might want to pursue long-term. I'm curious as to how this kid spends her time if she isn't very involved in extracurriculars and allegedly doesn't achieve her academic potential. Even if her late efforts don't help her application, it's still valuable to learn more about what you're interested in and college is a clean slate for picking up new activities and hobbies. [/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