Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg, Dickinson, maybe Denison. In publics: JMU, UMW, Not VT.

I'd say CNU more than UMW, has the rah-rah sports thing

CNU has football, a marching band and fraternity parties, but is only 5000 students so isn’t going to be of the scope of larger schools. It requires 3-4 years of on campus residency.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, he can get into VT. He needs to know which he prefers: VT or JMU. Voice that repeatedly to his HS counselor. State it plainly in his application. Shower one school with love. Not both. Imho don't even apply to both. Don't risk getting into the one he doesn't prefer.

Worst advice ever. Neither are guaranteed with a 3.7 weighted. Many surprise waitlists this year at JMU and VT always has the chance of being waitlisted. Don't be like some of my daughter's friends and only apply to one school and then having to scramble at the last minute to find out who is still taking applications when they get deferred and then waitlisted.

I agree, terrible advice, especially the suggestion to only apply to one. Insane!

Oh -- and the 3.4 I mentioned above is the FINAL SENIOR GPA. So, if your kid has a 3.7 as a junior, even more reason that the GPA will be good for JMU. Many seniors see their GPA INCREASE from junior year to the final GPA b/c of AP classes giving more boosts.

Anonymous wrote:At our FCPS school, 3.9w is needed for JMU and 4.1w for VT (with some exceptions lower for certain majors and much higher needed for engineering).

So is his unweighted more like a 3.3? You can do the math pretty quickly. Are you including projected junior year grades? I know my daughter’s GPA jumped up after junior year, due to the number of weighted classes.

Penn State main campus, fall start, is generally looking for 3.7 UNweighted.

I don't know what the PP is talking about, but I can guarantee you it is NOT accurate. A 3.4 and a 1270 gets you in at JMU. That's based on 706 applicant data points at one of the upper (but not a Langley/McLean) FCPS HS.

OP, your son is definitely IN at JMU. No bones about it. VT depends on the major. If it's com sci or engineering, then it's a no.

Anonymous wrote:OP, he can get into VT. He needs to know which he prefers: VT or JMU. Voice that repeatedly to his HS counselor. State it plainly in his application. Shower one school with love. Not both. Imho don't even apply to both. Don't risk getting into the one he doesn't prefer.

Worst advice ever. Neither are guaranteed with a 3.7 weighted. Many surprise waitlists this year at JMU and VT always has the chance of being waitlisted. Don't be like some of my daughter's friends and only apply to one school and then having to scramble at the last minute to find out who is still taking applications when they get deferred and then waitlisted.

At our FCPS school, 3.9w is needed for JMU and 4.1w for VT (with some exceptions lower for certain majors and much higher needed for engineering).

So is his unweighted more like a 3.3? You can do the math pretty quickly. Are you including projected junior year grades? I know my daughter’s GPA jumped up after junior year, due to the number of weighted classes.

Penn State main campus, fall start, is generally looking for 3.7 UNweighted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Radford? It’s close enough to VT that lots of students attend VT events.

Radford average GPA is 3.4 and has an 85% acceptance rate. I think this kid can reach higher!

Christopher Newport or Mary Washington?

Except I wouldn’t describe those “rah rah” schools, which is what her son specifically wants.

so much will depend on the major

OP, he can get into VT. He needs to know which he prefers: VT or JMU. Voice that repeatedly to his HS counselor. State it plainly in his application. Shower one school with love. Not both. Imho don't even apply to both. Don't risk getting into the one he doesn't prefer.

Not mid-size, but I don't think ODU should be counted out. It is a very nice campus not far from the beaches. Lots to do in the area.

Clark University in MA
Loyola University in Chicago (might be too large for what you're looking for at 16,000 students)
Miami of Ohio (again, might be too large w/ 17,000 students)
Elon University in NC
Gonzaga in Spokane, WA
Marquette in Milwaukee

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg, Dickinson, maybe Denison. In publics: JMU, UMW, Not VT.

I'd say CNU more than UMW, has the rah-rah sports thing

My kid in this range targeted JMU, Loyola MD, CNU, Elon, Delaware, Miami Ohio, UVM, Fairfield, TCNJ, UMass, Mount Holyoke, Lafayette, Lehigh, Denison, Denver.

OP here. I appreciate all the parsing! It helps how knowledgeable posters are.

I didn't mean "B-" ... I meant "B hyphen student" as in he has mostly Bs. Yes, he has a few As, but a lot more Bs than As. No Cs. He does have mostly As in Math... definitely not a humanities kid. As far as BC Calc, he'll take it next year. He has an A-range grade in the Pre-Calc class.

I should have been clearer in the original post that the 3.7 is weighted. That is the only GPA FCPS gives students. But if you look at the report card, you see mostly Bs.

He is open to different sizes. I personally like mid-size for him so I am trying to get some more suggestions. I do think he would be thrilled at a school with a good football or basketball team.

Re some earlier comments: I am surprised to hear that Penn State is not an option. His stats are surrounded by green checks in Naviance. Do people find that Naviance is not reliable?

Thanks so much to all the suggestions! You have definitely given me some great ones to check out!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on ... is a 3.7/1350 kid really even a B student? That's a very strong profile.

I think he will get into JMU. Maybe VT. I agree with the Syracuse suggestion. Toss in Penn State, St. Joe's and Temple.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I mean 3.7 weighted GPA. I don't think that is very strong for FCPS.

Thanks, like Syracuse, St Joe's, Providence. Anyone know Fairfield or Loyola Baltimore?

Yes, these also seem like good picks for you.