Anonymous wrote:UVA

Anonymous wrote:Coastal Carolina.

My DD had a great experience here. She started working immediately after graduation for one of the Big 4 accounting firms and is doing very well.

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Anonymous wrote:George Mason University!

Please tell me what your kid ended up loving about it. I'm serious. I've wanted to like it for my first kid, and despite multiple visits, it just seemed half-ass'd... but that may be more a factor of they way they host their visits, and not indicative of the actual student experience. For my second kid, GMU seems like an obvious choice b/c he really doesn't care about the "traditional college/college town" experience, and it'd be quite convenient for him to be at college close by.
So, can you tell me about the good experience your kid had.

NP.

If you’re on Facebook, I suggest you join the GMU Parents page (it’s for prospective parents, too). They are realists and share the good and the bad about the school.

DP: One of my DCs best friends goes to GMU and what she values about her experience there is that she feels like it's a lot more "realistic" about college life than the hyped up college experience. People still have fun, parties etc. but there are a wider range of life experiences--with some people living at home, some people in the dorms, some off-campus, some transferring in from CC. The diversity of the students is notable === racial/ethnic but also income levels. She just feels like she's more in a transition to the real adult world--she's had internships, she's worked while in school (despite not 100% needing to), she did a study abroad. I put this in contrast with my own kid who's in a more traditional highly selective school, mainly residential but is now a senior and feels like it is coming to a close and like this dream is ending and the adult world of working looms. My kid has been used to being successful in school--and has loved the academics at his school--but is unsure about next steps and it feels deflating rather than energizing because she can picture that everyone is going to be leaving this idyllic world where they were all in walking distance of each other, only having school and fun to focus on, rewarded by the sense of prestige of their institution etc. She looks to her friend at GMU and feels like she's been more steadily building a grounded life in the DC area with more than just school involved.

This seems a little like UMBC, too. A wider range of life experiences and people than my DD saw at the other schools she looked it. But like your friend's child's experience - they still have fun!

I have a GMU student as well - and I've found there's really a lot to love about it and being "too close to home" isn't the issue I would have thought a few years ago. It feels very of the moment and there's so much room for more growth too. Just a warning - the FB parent group, like all university parent groups, has its share of dumb questions and ranting (when those parents assume that ranting on a parent-run page will lead to change). Helicopter parents, dorm/food issues, etc., are universal.

Anonymous wrote:Indiana. Job right out of college. Beautiful campus. So many different things to study and so many activities.

Anonymous wrote:+1 Previous post is helpful. My DD was accepted to a school that where she is at the top of the SAT Ranking and offered scholarships. It's not the most competitive school, but it's a lovely school and has her interests and individualized attention, in addition to the merit offered.

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Anonymous wrote:UMD-CP! My child (soph) loves it

? UMDCP is a safety for most kids? I know a few magnet kids in MCPS who didn't get in.

Not a safety. Anyone who lives in MD wants to go their b/c of the tuition. Highly selective just because of the number of applicants.

Safety is relative. And, if you have really high stats, you should be good at UMD (EA of course). It was a safety for my kid last year. 4.83W, 1570 SAT, lots of honors, ECs.

But, I agree generally that UMD is not a safety school. It just might fill that slot for some kids, though.

You might have considered UMD a safety, and it turned out OK because your child got in. My kid had similar stats this year, and got in, as we expected. But I wouldn't call it a safety school, even for our high stats kids. (And I think referring to UMD as a safety school is likely to lead astray other people whose kids may not get in, now or in the future.)

PP here. No one is calling it a "safety school " the question was about what safeties your kids were happy about -- for THEM. This was one for mine and a few others. In this case, safety is relative to the student, but not one person who identified it as a safety for their kid suggested it was a "safety school " overall. I even went so far as to say that I agree it is not a safety for most. So why try to pick a fight here? So annoying.

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Anonymous wrote:My DC is loving UMass. Got enough merit aid to make it super-affordable.

Amherst? Does UMASS generally imply UMASS-Amherst around here?

Yes, UMass Amherst, and I think so?

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Anonymous wrote:George Mason University!

Please tell me what your kid ended up loving about it. I'm serious. I've wanted to like it for my first kid, and despite multiple visits, it just seemed half-ass'd... but that may be more a factor of they way they host their visits, and not indicative of the actual student experience. For my second kid, GMU seems like an obvious choice b/c he really doesn't care about the "traditional college/college town" experience, and it'd be quite convenient for him to be at college close by.
So, can you tell me about the good experience your kid had.

NP.

If you’re on Facebook, I suggest you join the GMU Parents page (it’s for prospective parents, too). They are realists and share the good and the bad about the school.

DP: One of my DCs best friends goes to GMU and what she values about her experience there is that she feels like it's a lot more "realistic" about college life than the hyped up college experience. People still have fun, parties etc. but there are a wider range of life experiences--with some people living at home, some people in the dorms, some off-campus, some transferring in from CC. The diversity of the students is notable === racial/ethnic but also income levels. She just feels like she's more in a transition to the real adult world--she's had internships, she's worked while in school (despite not 100% needing to), she did a study abroad. I put this in contrast with my own kid who's in a more traditional highly selective school, mainly residential but is now a senior and feels like it is coming to a close and like this dream is ending and the adult world of working looms. My kid has been used to being successful in school--and has loved the academics at his school--but is unsure about next steps and it feels deflating rather than energizing because she can picture that everyone is going to be leaving this idyllic world where they were all in walking distance of each other, only having school and fun to focus on, rewarded by the sense of prestige of their institution etc. She looks to her friend at GMU and feels like she's been more steadily building a grounded life in the DC area with more than just school involved.

This seems a little like UMBC, too. A wider range of life experiences and people than my DD saw at the other schools she looked it. But like your friend's child's experience - they still have fun!

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:George Mason University!

Please tell me what your kid ended up loving about it. I'm serious. I've wanted to like it for my first kid, and despite multiple visits, it just seemed half-ass'd... but that may be more a factor of they way they host their visits, and not indicative of the actual student experience. For my second kid, GMU seems like an obvious choice b/c he really doesn't care about the "traditional college/college town" experience, and it'd be quite convenient for him to be at college close by.
So, can you tell me about the good experience your kid had.

NP.

If you’re on Facebook, I suggest you join the GMU Parents page (it’s for prospective parents, too). They are realists and share the good and the bad about the school.

DP: One of my DCs best friends goes to GMU and what she values about her experience there is that she feels like it's a lot more "realistic" about college life than the hyped up college experience. People still have fun, parties etc. but there are a wider range of life experiences--with some people living at home, some people in the dorms, some off-campus, some transferring in from CC. The diversity of the students is notable === racial/ethnic but also income levels. She just feels like she's more in a transition to the real adult world--she's had internships, she's worked while in school (despite not 100% needing to), she did a study abroad. I put this in contrast with my own kid who's in a more traditional highly selective school, mainly residential but is now a senior and feels like it is coming to a close and like this dream is ending and the adult world of working looms. My kid has been used to being successful in school--and has loved the academics at his school--but is unsure about next steps and it feels deflating rather than energizing because she can picture that everyone is going to be leaving this idyllic world where they were all in walking distance of each other, only having school and fun to focus on, rewarded by the sense of prestige of their institution etc. She looks to her friend at GMU and feels like she's been more steadily building a grounded life in the DC area with more than just school involved.

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Anonymous wrote:If your child ends up having to attend their "safety" school, doesn't that by definition mean that it was in fact the most appropriate fit from the beginning?

Not at all:

We read and hear about students with amazing stats who were rejected to schools that they have the stats for, and thus end up going to a safety. That’s part of the arbitrariness. It also means that some kids go to safeties with amazing stats.

+1

Plus, many safety schools try to lure the top kids with merit money - the top schools do not give merit money.