Mainly Bs, some Cs will be influenced by scores and ability to pay. If scores are high, the international schools are good options: st Andrews, U Toronto, maybe McGill. If scores are not as high, look at Dickinson, St Mary's in Md, College of Charleston, Creighton, Penn State, Syracuse, AU.

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

I'm not kidding, look into St. Andrews. Great university but I think they may take any American student who is full paying (this may be an exaggeration -- but it's worth looking into). Also look into some SLACs in the South, like Millsaps (where maybe your son could play) or Sewanee. They are trying to expand their DC presence so they'll take a chance on DC kids but are good institutions.

Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

My brother was a middling student at a high performing suburban high school outside of another major city. He's 23 now, so this was not exactly ages ago. He was a B student with a couple Cs and didn't take any AP classes. He had decent test scores...think 29 or so on the ACT, but nothing spectacular. He got into several colleges...I know he got into American University and University of Iowa, perhaps a couple others I'm forgetting. There are plenty of second tier liberal arts schools and non-flagship/less popular state colleges that a B student could get into. The community college thing is hyperbole.

I agree with the PP that suggested the colleges that change lives book. Schools like Kalamazoo, Wooster, McDaniel, Furman, Beloit, Southwestern, Earlham, Hampshire, etc. These are all nice LACs that maybe are not "brand names" but places where your kid can get a great education. LACs also tend to look at admissions a little more holistically.

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

I have one of those kids and he is doing well at his SLAC in the South. He has found that his Big 3 background made the transition to college a smooth experience. If I had one critique of your description, it would be the use of the term "middling." Being in the middle of the top tier of students is nothing to complain about. Indeed, I think the well-rounded approach that is not myopic about getting A's and is focused on the experiences of the high school years will serve your student well in the long run. It is important for your student not to feel that you are somehow disappointed in his/her class standing. I would not give up on sports either. Being a strong lacrosse player in this area may mean that there are schools where he/she could walk on to the team. In general, athletes at Division III programs tend to have higher GPAs than the rest of the student body. I think your student will have a lot of schools from which to choose.

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

Read the book "Colleges the Change Lives" to get a sense for how many solid options there are for B students. Think hard about your child's strengths and weaknesses and where he really is intellectually. He's a B/B- student in a demanding program in a fairly elite pond, yes? Compared to the national average, he's probably quite bright and capable. With his record of ECs, he's obviously a go-getter, likes to be involved and active in his community. Second tier SLACs salivate over kids like this, and many of them provide top-notch educations. Think about applying to places where he will be more than a dime a dozen--mid-western and southern schools that don't get the volume of applicants that the east coast schools get (and where he might be attractive because of the geographic diversity he represents). While I agree with the PP that he might be a good candidate for Gettysburg, Dickinson, etc, you might also look at Lawrence in Wisconsin, Rhodes, Wooster, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Southwestern.

Anonymous wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a B-average student from a Big 3 get into some of these: University of Richmond, Wake Forest, Villanova, Gettysburg, Dickinson . . .

Richmond, Gettysburg and Dickinson, yes; Wake Forest has become more selective and Villanova gets lots of strong applicants from Catholic schools across the country.

Anonymous wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a B-average student from a Big 3 get into some of these: University of Richmond, Wake Forest, Villanova, Gettysburg, Dickinson . . .

Interesting. I see most of these schools year in and year out at the end of year list of college placement at our Big 3.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a B-average student from a Big 3 get into some of these: University of Richmond, Wake Forest, Villanova, Gettysburg, Dickinson . . .

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

Worse -- UDC?

Can we get back on topic? My middling student is a mainly B with some Cs at one of the Big 3. No hooks. Diverse extracurriculars, to include playing in band, drama, and student govt. Strong lax player, but won't be recruited. Very popular and well liked by al if that counts for anything. Are we community college bound?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I love the Private School forum! Human nature on display, in all its finery.

I'm so glad my kids are/were in public. And before the inevitable slurs against me and my offspring: I'm an Ivy grad, DH went to "public ivies" and oldest DC is now at one of the most select ivies. The Private School forum always makes me sigh with happiness.

Anyone who says "public Ivies" is a huge wannabe. Sigh . . .

Yup, the trolls are out.

Anonymous wrote:This is why I love the Private School forum! Human nature on display, in all its finery.

I'm so glad my kids are/were in public. And before the inevitable slurs against me and my offspring: I'm an Ivy grad, DH went to "public ivies" and oldest DC is now at one of the most select ivies. The Private School forum always makes me sigh with happiness.

Anyone who says "public Ivies" is a huge wannabe. Sigh . . .

This is why I love the Private School forum! Human nature on display, in all its finery.

I'm so glad my kids are/were in public. And before the inevitable slurs against me and my offspring: I'm an Ivy grad, DH went to "public ivies" and oldest DC is now at one of the most select ivies. The Private School forum always makes me sigh with happiness.