Son of AGDee's College Search Thread
 

Today officially begins Son of AGDee's college search. We are going on a road trip along I-94 in Michigan to do quick drive by tours of Eastern Michigan, U of M, Albion College, Western Michigan, Kalamazoo College and Grand Valley State University. He has no idea what type of campus he would like, size, etc. so we're hitting some of everything just to help him get a clue. It's a beautiful day and we shall have fun with our ipods and hope to find a couple interesting restaurants along the way too. Round trip would be about 7 hours with no stops, but we'll have some short stops.

He will also bring his APUSH and AP Psych study flash cards to go over while we drive between schools.

Second round of ACT scores came yesterday. It was one point lower than he wants so he's taking it again in June. He got a lower score in Science than he did the first time around because his bladder didn't cooperate and he lost some time having to head to the men's room. He randomly bubbled the last 6 questions as a result. He believes he can do better and wants to retake it.

He is currently #2 in his class and expects he might maintain that because he has decided to take 3 more AP classes next year. He hasn't had the limitations that band presented Hypo so he has had a little more rigor in his course schedule but had room for some fun classes (to him... we're talking classes like World Wars).

So, the adventure begins! His sister is trying to talk him into places like Wash U - St. Louis. He might apply to Columbia just because. He thinks he'd prefer state flagship schools but at the same time, thinks the University of Michigan might be overwhelming.

Where Hypo was all about creativity- band, creative writing- poetry especially- and social activism, Halostar is all about government/politics and sciences. At one point he was obsessed with meteorology but that has died down. At one time, he was thinking video game design, but that has fallen aside also. He has been "making science" since he was about 2 1/2, conducting his own experiments at times. He is LOVING psychology right now and is fascinated with neuroscience so he is thinking neuro psych for a long term goal. He knows this will mean many, many years of school and a PhD. For those reasons, Mom is encouraging good schools, but those that will not lead to a ton of student loans.

Halostar should be an Eagle Scout by next fall- just has to do his project and board of review. He is Vice President of Business Professional's of America and just qualified for their National competition in Disney World in May. He is on student council and is running for Vice President of the Exec Board for next academic year. He plays tennis and will be on the Varsity team in the fall. Last year he did track and was a shot put thrower. I don't think he's doing track this year- he has an Eagle project to do. He's active with NHS. He does all the school spirit things and has huge school spirit- Powderpuff game cheerleader, Lipsynch contest between classes, homecoming float activities and powerbuff (boys play volleyball). He is known for his creative expression during spirit weeks.

Halostar was a kid who once sat in his room and played video games ALL the times with little motivation for anything else. He came into his own at the end of 9th grade and has blossomed into one of the most popular kids in his class too. Most think he will be on Homecoming Court next year. He has a great sense of humor and truly doesn't care what others think of him so he is unafraid to dress up as Rapunzel on Disney character day during Spirit Week, etc.

He is very entertaining and has been low maintenance and very funny. I have often said he was my gift of fun. He's also VERY into social issues and politics and thinks it is fun to watch CSPAN.

How fun! Halostar and my kiddo will be doing their college searching at the same time. Too bad they aren't considering the same schools, except for UM which won't be happening here (out of state = NO aid!)

Is it bad that I'll only be rooting for schools with Delta Chi chapters? :D

With his interests in government/politics and psychology/neuroscience I think he should definitely look at George Mason (my alma mater, I guess I'm all about bias today...).

DC seems like a great fit for his interests, and students at Mason are very involved in social justice and political action. Basketball is huge at Mason, and there are a lot of opportunities for school spirit involvement. It's an area the university actively encourages and the recent move to the Atlantic 10 is only going to mean more growth in that area. There's also an undergraduate major in game design, if he decides he wants to get into that again.

My sister is a psych major at Mason right now, so I'd be happy to pick her brain if he wants to know more about that. I'm also an Alumni Ambassador for the Office of Admissions so I'd be happy to chat at length if he decides to look at Mason.

Well, I know which 2 schools I'm rooting for from that list. ;)

The great thing about doing this like this is you have them stuck in a car with you for hours and hours so you have a chance to really talk about stuff that's going on! We had a good time on our very long drive. He really loved both of the very small private liberal arts colleges. He thought most of the state schools were totally overwhelming and too busy. He liked GVSU's campus because it is in the middle of nowhere, but he felt like it was still really big.

So, the schools he liked most were less than 5000 students. Kzoo College is only 1200-1300! That's going to make this interesting.

So, small quiet campuses, with some open green space, that provide some academic challenge (on the more selective side). Open to ideas... doesn't have to be in Michigan! He would prefer it wasn't. He's thinking midwest or northeast.

If he'd like a smaller campus, Butler in Indianapolis is nice. If he likes larger schools, there's always Indiana. Fraternity rush is NOTHING like sorority recruitment. :-)

There are so many nice LACs and small CTCLs in the midwest: Wabash, Westminster, Grinnell, Hanover, Cornell College, Knox, Hendrix just to name a few.

I think the key is to make sure the student is relatively near mass transportation. back in the day, I went to school 12 hours away from home but it was a direct flight home to Boston. The airport was about 45 minutes from campus as it was in the suburbs and CMU is in the city. Kid1 went to college only 4 hours away but it was a bit more difficult as she was not near an airport or train route. Kid2 is 15 hours away but only an hour from the airport that provides direct flights to all 3 airports of the DC area.

Hey, I'm going to make a shameless plug for my Alma, Otterbein. SLAC in central Ohio. Not in the middle of nowhere, but not smack in the city. 3,000 ish students, residential, safe, welcoming, personal, nice mix of liberal and conservative students, lots of activities, Greek Life that's really affordable...State capitol, and I know at least one of our alum is a state rep, many more are staffers for politicians.

I had a really similar experience- my Mom and I drove all the way to Ball State from Pittsburgh...and hated it. HATED it. It was super underwhelming. On the same trip we stopped at Otterbein, and it immediately felt like putting on a pair of slippers. Home.

<--- Still loves the quiet peaceful village!

I'm obviously going to plug IU, but I would second Butler if he's looking for a LAC...plus nobody can resist Blue II/Trip as mascots! I might also toss in DePauw, especially if he's interested in Greek life.

Has he looked into Carleton, Beloit, or Macalester? Midwest SLACs tend to give REALLY good financial aid.

My recommendation would be liberal arts colleges with strong alumni networks. Middlebury, Amherst, Wesleyan (CT), all come to mind. My undergrad has a great neuroscience program, but I feel bad about shameless plugs with a 9% admit rate. :-/

Definitely not Mason if he wants a smaller college. It seems like it could be good fit academically, but it is definitely not a small school!

I'd be out of my depth to recommend a smaller school - for grad and undergrad I'm a large university guy through and through!

I know your undergrad does :) I think he would love that campus too. I know I thought it was very relaxing and it was move in weekend when I was there.

For a reach, I'm going to have him look into Johns Hopkins too. He's really leaning more toward neurosciences/psychology for a major. It's not as big as the schools he said he thought were overwhelming, but it's not quite as small as Kzoo and Albion.

Otterbein is a definite thought as is Oberlin.

Shameless plug here, I attend Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. It's a tiny liberal arts college, about 1,500 students total. I am in very small classes. My largest class is Western Humanities, a requirement for freshman and for graduation, and it's a large lecture hall MWF, but TTh we meet in groups of about 20-30 for discussion with the professor. I know mostly everyone in my class, and the campus is very safe. There aren't really unfamiliar faces, though I might not know names I have at least seen almost everyone by now.

The campus is pretty quiet, but there is always something to do. Our campus activities board plans great activities, like grocery bingo where you play bingo for a chance to win a bin full of groceries (free!) , wings and sings where they provide karaoke and free wings, and free trips up to NYC. They also have a shuttle that can take you into nearby Greenville, where we have a wal mart, fast food, and the best chinese buffet.

And of course, we have active greek life on campus. There are three national fraternities (Delta Sigma Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Kappa Sigma) as well as a local. Greeks know greeks on our campus, and greek life at Thiel boasts of a higher than average GPA and great retention rate.

We also have the Dietrich honors institute, which sounds like it would interest your son. A few of my sisters are in it, they love it. They're also holding 4.0's, though not without a lot of work. :)

And, best of all, they offer a shuttle to the air port for breaks, so you wouldn't have to worry about coming to Greenville to get him, he could fly home.

thiel.edu

Oh, forgot! I am a psychology major at Thiel. You leave with a introduction to everything, with the intent to head to grad school. We also have a neuropsych program. I love it, I think the program is very strong and I am recieving a great liberal arts education.

I'm a proud UM grad, but if the small schools spoke to him, that's telling him a lot already. A big place like UM is not for everyone. While you can make a big school feel smaller but can't make a smaller school feel big, lots of folks just don't want to have to deal with that, and that is more than their prerogative. It's great that he's already listening to his heart.

I have several friends who went to Haverford College outside Philadelphia, which is an amazing small liberal arts college and may be worth a look for him.

I did a quick check of best schools for science and the only schools listed were either big or huge. I think for him what I'd look at is a solid all-around school where he's happy and can do well and think progressively larger schools for graduate and PhD work. I personally like the idea of changing schools as you progress to get a larger world view on your subject.

I think a major in one of the sciences with a minor in a liberal arts program would be a great mix. To become like my boyfriend Neil DeGrasse Tyson, you need both the hard geek ability AND the ability with the social sciences. And the outlook for the medical sciences is very good right now. If not for a career, what's it all worth?

Oberlin! I wanted to go to Oberlin sooo badly before I seriously looked at my undergrad.

Swarthmore is definitely an option for him. Maybe even one of the smaller state schools like William and Mary, which have an emphasis on undergraduate education and are smaller.

Here's munchkin's post-nap SLAC list:

Swarthmore
Haverford
Oberlin
Amherst
Middlebury
Williams
Wesleyan (CT)
Davidson
Carleton
Macalester
Colorado College
The Claremont Colleges

Again, the smaller state schools like W&M and New College of USF would also prepare him for a good PhD program. From what I'm learning from friends who are in competitive PhD programs, you HAVE to go to a good college (I'm talking top SLAC/state flagships/Ivy) to even be considered for the top PhD programs and be in line to get the top post-docs and fellowships. He'll want to go a school that is part of the Fulbright program as well, to line himself up for good research opportunities as an undergrad. And this is for the sciences--where the funding is plentiful! It's so much harder for the social sciences or the humanities. My friends in those programs have to scramble to make a living.

I'm sure someone will chime in here saying that it doesn't matter where you went to school so long as you're happy--but with the sciences it can be really tough if you didn't have access to certain things.

If you get to Oberlin, I will meet you-- about 20 miles away. Oberlin is a college like no other. Great school and the most amazing donuts in this oddly random convenience store on the square.

Westerville (Otterbein) is a great college town, too.

He is thinking he'd probably want to go to U of M for grad school, which would be an excellent choice with lots of post docs and fellowships available. He definitely wants to do research. He wants to look at Wash U also and I think we'll head to St. Louis this summer for a visit. It might be bigger than he's liking, but it may be ok.

There are lots of reach schools he would like. I would like some solid safeties. I don't think Hypo had enough safeties. I also think he would manage a bigger school better than he thinks he would... he doesn't like change but always manages fine when forced to deal with it.

I meant to comment on this ealier, but I have heard a lot of good things about Wartburg College in Waverly Iowa. As the name suggest it is a Lutheran run university, but while there is a required religion/philosophy requirement it is minor and IIRC does not even require Christian classes. Somebody I know who went to Wartburg something like 20 years ago was actually involved in research as a psych major. I can't imagine that aspect has changed.

If he's serious about research, look for schools where he will actually be able to get his hands dirty and do some kind of thesis or head a study. Many schools will talk about "research experience" opportunities that really just end up being professor's research assistant positions that involve nothing more that entering numbers into the computer. While this kind of experience can also be valuable, nothing prepares you better for graduate studies like actually doing a year-long, self-directed study and presenting it at a conference and/or getting it published. At Pepperdine, the psychology program has a competitive undergraduate research program that has students conceive, design, and execute a study that must be defended in front of the faculty and presented at a national conference such as APA. It's a great way to ensure you really love research before heading off to a 6-year program.

Not enuff energy (stupid bronchitis ) but I am sure there is a Georgia college or two that would fit.

Maybe Emory in Atl (CDC just down the road) .or maybe Mercer in Macon.

Washington University seems smaller than it is. Most students live on the South 40 or in apartments close to campus, so community is pretty compact and tightly knit.

Seconded! Message me if you have any specific questions, I have loved my four semesters here!

Davidson -- great academics, pretty selective, active student body, and Charlotte's right there for flights home.

Wash U is just such a lottery for admissions that I don't want him to love it too much early on!

Hypo just tweeted to Halostar that he should look at Oberlin...lol.

Did anyone mention Williams College yet?

Yes, it was on my list. My friends who are Williams alumni LOVE IT.

Halostar is having a very good year! He was going to run for Student Council Exec Board Vice President but ended up running for President and won! He also went to Social Studies Olympiad on Saturday and his Quiz Bowl team there took second place. He's got 114% in AP Bio right now because all the tests have an extra credit question and he's been getting all the extra credit plus 100% on everything he's done in there.

Wow, he's blowing me away. Five years ago, he was so unmotivated to do anything.

Now if he'd just get going on that Eagle project... *mutter*

Where is Williams?

Williamstown, MA. Kind of your typical exquisite New England LAC. About 550 in the freshman class.

Williamstown, MA. Kind of your typical exquisite New England LAC. About 550 in the freshman class.

If hes really interested in nuerobiology a good bet is a strong liberal arts school with a medical school like Wash U., Emory, Wake Forest or Duke. Those will have strong fundamental undergraduate programs and good opportunities for research. I would caution him to stick to a more classic major like chemistry biochemistry molecular bio or cell bio rather than neuro bio or biomed as a major. If you get into it and decide you dont like it - it is easier to change your major or to find a job after undergrad. If you arent top notch in biomedical science or decide not to go to grad school it can be tough to get into a business career.

Oooooh I've heard a lot of good things about emory's medical program. Any students I met who went there were smart as whips and my old best friend (who had chronic illness) in Atlanta preferred Emory's hospital over any other hospital in the city. But it's got about 7,500 students and is in a major metropolitan city so Halostar might not like the setting. Might be worth a visit if he reads up on it and likes it.

Emory has about 5500 undergrads 5000 grad students - with 500 undergrads out at the Oxford College campus in Oxford, GA. Students at Oxford do two years out there and then finish their four years at Emory. I wouldn't call the main campus urban though - certainly not compared to Ga Tech. Of you saw the movie "Driving Miss Daisy" - the road they keep driving down ends at Emory's Fraternity Row.

You can also always go to a small school and do a summer NSF Research in Education for Undergraduate Summer program fellowship at a bigger school to do your research.

Of course I'm going to plug U of M. The political science department, of which I am a proud graduate, is one of the best in the country, so even if he doesn't major in it, he can benefit from it. :) I never felt like it was such a huge school--even in my largest lecture class that had over 500 people in it.

My parents went to Oberlin. Wonderful school.

There's also Lawrence here in WI. It has a great reputation as a smaller liberal arts school.

Good luck to him!

There are some big schools that have really good Honors college programs - so that you can be at the big school but have the more advanced classes and keep the smaller (20-50 person) class sizes . A couple of these have really good scholarship opportunities as well.

It's prom night :) This is my baby... https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...56784034_n.jpg

So, Halostar retook the ACT hoping to increase his score by 1 point and he increased it by 3! That means he is done with standardized testing, except for the AP exams he'll have to take next May. He is a very happy camper. This increase has the potential to open more doors we weren't anticipating, especially in the scholarship arena. It puts him in the "middle 50s" for the most selective schools.

He finished the school year with all A's so he is still has his #2 class rank.

We are planning a visit to Oberlin for July 5 and I believe he wants to plan a visit to Wash U- St. Louis. Smaller schools in the midwest on the more selective side is still what he is aiming for and we are totally open to suggestions. Although some of these private schools have a religious affiliation, he doesn't want one that is too overtly religious. Right now, I believe he will apply to:
Albion College- Albion, MI (probably his main safety)
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Washington University, St. Louis, MO

He is considering applying to the University of Michigan but really feels it is too big. He feels like people expect it of him. I don't think that's a good reason to pay application fees, CSS Profile fees and ACT score fees to a school, personally. We'll see how that pans out in the end. Hypo is trying to talk him into applying to Northwestern. I think he will feel it is too big.

He is back to being completely undecided about a possible major. He loves learning everything. He is feeling very stressed about not knowing exactly what he wants to do for the rest of his life. I've pointed out that he may not do the same thing for the rest of his life. I heard a statistic recently that eighty percent of the jobs someone will have in the future don’t even exist yet. I need to share that with him. There certainly weren't Information Security jobs when I was in college the first time around.

In the meantime, I am, quite simply, very stinkin' proud of this young man.

So are we! What a handsome, smart young man you have. :D

If you need any help planning your visit to WashU, please don't hesitate to PM me!

Thanks! I do have a friend whose son lives in St. Louis who may accompany us so that could be fun.