momof4girls Daughter #2 college search thread
 

I completely enjoyed follow AGDee's college search threads and thought I would start one for my daughter. There is so much wealth of information here and I think I am really going to need a place to talk through this adventure.

Background:
Daughter #2, Cheddar (name changed to protect the innocent), is a sophomore in high school. She is most definitely my brainiac child. Cheddar is currently ranked in the top 5% of her class and has a goal to graduate top 5. When class rankings were posted she looked at me and said "I didn't realize I was that smart". Her father and I have continuous told her how smart she was over the years and in typical daughter fashion it was in one ear and out the other. She took her SAT in 8th grade (without any studying) and scored higher than the national average high school senior for that year. She will be taking her PSAT this fall (for national merit purposes) and I will also be signing her up for her SAT again this fall.

Cheddar is a second year varsity softball player and the varsity mascot this year. She's also involved with key club and crime stoppers club. She will be talking with her German teacher about joining the German club. Her algebra II teacher is talking about starting a math club. If that comes to fruition she will most definitely sign up. If she hasn't missed the deadline, she's decided to become active in student council as well. She has been in all AP classes since she started high school and is taking 5.0 classes for electives.

Personality wise, this child has an amazing poker face. She shows no outward emotion when she truly enjoys things. This frustrates me! I often refer to Cheddar as my absent minded professor. Intellectually she will blow you away, but every day, simple activities she forgets. Examples... Paperwork that is sent home from school will never make it into my hands, ever. Her cheer sponsor texts me to make sure she's at practice; otherwise she will forget to tell me she has practice. She often forgets to zip her zipper. :rolleyes: What is this?! Simple everyday stuff and she will forget, but throw the quadratic equation at her and she'll solve it perfectly and quickly in her head. Mind boggling. :confused: She's friendly, outgoing and funny. Definitely has a great group of friends. Not awkward or shy on any level. She is very blunt. She'll tell you exactly how it is and not sugar coat anything. I'm working with her to tone that down some. ;) Loves, loves, loves to read. She would stay in her room and read continuously if I let her. We have no volunteer work and will be working on that. Getting her to be active and not sit in her room and read can be challenging at times. She’s rather simple in her everyday living. She never asks for anything and it doesn’t matter to her if her clothes are from Abercrombie or from Wal-Mart.

Since she was 7 she has said she wanted to attend OU and study meteorology. Meteorology is still her first choice of majors, which knocks out a long list of schools. She wants to study atmospheric meteorology and not oceanic. That knocks out even more schools. Her dream job would be working with the national weather service.

Her requirements for college:
She wants a good school. Nationally ranked high is how I read that, but she hasn't elaborated. She would prefer a small school, less than 10,000. Cheddar is very disenchanted with the thought of having hundreds of students in her classes. She wants climate change and cold weather. We live in Texas and she hates the heat. She has no issues traveling far away from home for college. She's a People to People alum and loved that experience. As such a travel abroad program is certainly on her radar. She has no interest in joining a sorority. Big sister and I are diligently working to change her mind. :)

So our current list based on all the above:
OU - it is a large university, but it's the best for atmosphic meteorology

Texas Tech - have to throw a state school in the mix, just on principle

Creighton - we will be visiting this school in December

Valparaiso - I don't know anything about this school

Marshall - they offer a BS in Geology with an emphasis in Meteorology. She's intrigued by this degree plan.

Cornell - just know it's a great school

Western Kentucky University - no knowledge

Western Illinois University - no knowledge

Honorable mention that do not offer meteorology:
Duke
Vanderbilt

Scholastically I think all these universities are definitely in reach. I’m worrying more about her extracurricular activities.
I’m open to any and all words of wisdom. I’m thicked skin, so don’t sugar coat anything. She will take physics next year, so there is the possibility after she takes physics she may not be interested in meteorology. She’s also a math whiz! So, if there were a school that absolutely blew her away that didn’t offer meteorology she might consider a major change. She is not interested in engineering, so a major change would more than likely lean towards a math major or perhaps statistical sciences.

Wouldn't get much of a seasonal change, but leaves do change color and fall off the trees, and I was sitting in a intro. to meteorology class(to fulfill a science requirement) way back when and it started snowing, so it can happen. Anyway, here is a link (Meteorology is ranked in the top 10):

http://www.fsu.edu/highlights/FSUhighlights.pdf

Statisticians make a very good living. Has she looked into Actuarial Science? They also make a very good living.

Valpo (as it's known here in the Midwest) and Western Illinois would definitely offer a meteorological ;) change for her. Both are in small towns; Valpo is about an hour from Chicago; Macomb is about 2 1/2 hours (I think). I have friends who were in sororities at both and really enjoyed their experiences. Western Illinois is known here as one of the "directional" schools that kids from the Chicago suburbs go to if they don't get into one of the "easier" Big 10s; it seems like an outlier on her list. I don't think it's all that academically challenging compared to the other ones. But specific programs could be different.

Good luck!

A dark horse university candidate: University of Maryland. It's probably too large, but it is near Goddard. I have a friend who works in atmospheric meteorology there.

It might be too large, but Iowa State has a great meteorology program. Campus is beautiful, we definitely have four seasons here, and Ames is consistently named in top ten lists of places to live. There would only potentially be a few gen ed requirements that could have large lecture formats, most of the major-specific classes will be smaller. Greek life is thriving, but there are a gazillion other opportunities to be active on campus if she chooses not to go through recruitment. Besides, what other school has a mascot named after an atmospheric weather phenomenon? ;)

Penn State
 

Though Penn State has something like 40,000 students, it's cold, highly-ranked, and has a meteorology department. Please consider it. It also has one of the largest dues-paying Alumni Associations.

http://ploneprod.met.psu.edu/academi...aduate-studies

Western Kentucky University is a great school. Mid-size, nice town, don't know anything
about their meteorology program. If she's looking for a major change, as a former high school math wiz (so I know where of you speak), computer science makes a great
choice for someone who likes math but not looking to teach.

One of my sisters works for the national weather service with a meteorology degree from Embry-Riddle Univ. in Prescott, Az. This is a very small private university but has
great programs.

Also, my brother-in-law teaches meteorology at a small school in Texas. I can ask him, if you'd like, what schools he would recommend.

Further Grist for the Mill
 

In case this blog hasn't already hit your daughter's radar. Hah. Radar. ;) The comments are informative as well.

http://freshaj.com/top-5-universitie...in-meteorology

Bam! Number 1 is Penn State! See, I knew PSU had a great program! It also has the cold like your child wants. Trust me. Football games in the SEC bring out cute school colors dresses. Football games in the Big Ten (especially Penn State) bring out the sweatshirts and jeans.

If we're going there, you may as well throw Wisconsin into the mix! http://www.meteor.wisc.edu/students/index.htm

Another big school, but Madison is consistently voted one of the best cities in the country, not just for college life, but life in general. The atmosphere on gameday is fantastic, and in terms of academics, the students are bright and come from all over. Once you get past the large general education requirements, I would think the upper level classes would be pretty small.

We've visited Penn State a few times (daughter works at a camp near there in summers - she attends Mizzou) and it's lovely there. Has all that school spirit. The college and town blend right into one another, so a car is not a "need". Well respected.

Given these pesronality traits: "absent-minded professor," loves to read, not interested in joining a sorority, wants a smaller school, etc., I would strongly suggest looking at liberal arts colleges. She sounds A LOT like my daughter, and I know a big school would not have worked well for her. I have met all of the professors in my daughter's major, and they look out for her. At a big school, she would have been in a "sink or swim" setting. That's just not a good fit for many students. My daughter did join a sorority, and she loves it. The "right" school is out there.

You might have a hard time finding her major at a smaller school, but it's worth investigating.

You also might investigate ADHD testing. My daughter was just diagnosed this summer with "inattentive" subtype. My daughter's big sister was the one who came across an article about "high IQ college women whose ADHD has gone undiagnosed until college." My daughter read it and it sounded exactly like her. In high school, these girls still do well academically, they're not disruptive in class, and the "absent minded professor" symptoms aren't as problematic when mom, coach, teacher, etc. is still there to oversee and remind.

Valpo is an EXCELLENT school for meteorology. I grew up right down the street--I can't say I would have chosen it (too small, etc.) but I know many students who are happy grads. She might also look into Ball State--not academically up there, but has a good meteorology program. They have a 3 track program--general, professional meteorologist, and broadcast meteorologist.

Western Illinois Grad
 

I graduated from WIU in the 90's, and my stepson is considering going there. I don't know much about the program your daughter is interested in, but they have a good overall science program. It's a beautiful campus and I loved my time there, but Macomb is in the middle of nowhere. We're visiting in 2 weeks, so if it stays on your radar, PM me and we'll talk. Best of luck to your daughter.

As far as volunteer work, if she loves to read, she could volunteer at a nursing home to read to the residents or at an elementary school to read to the kids. It would be able to combine something she loves with something she needs. :-)

Also was going to mention Ball State's meteorology program. It is a medium sized campus, but doesn't seem that large, decent sized Greek system.

When you refer to OU, you're talking about Ohio University in Athens, right? At one point, my son was very interesting in broadcast meteorology and was sure he would go there because they have a great meteorology program and a great a broadcast journalism program.

Caveat: For the purpose of this thread, OU will always refer to The University of Oklahoma. The Texan in me always forgets about Ohio having the same designation.


Second Caveat: Midwestern schools seem to be front runners due to their proximity to tornado alley. She loves those tornados and would jump in a car to storm chase at the drop of a hat. The cold weather climate is an added bonus.


PennState - she is very aware PennState is rank #1 in meteorological schools, but has show zero interest. Not sure why, but nothing about the school seems to strike a cord. My brother lived in Pennsylvania for over 10 years. If she should change her mind we have a great knowledge base to pull from.




FSUZeta - FSU is out. She has no interest in a warm weather climate.


BlueCarnation and/or IUHoosiergirl88 - if either of you can elaborate on Valpo more I'd appreciate it. What's the campus environment like?


ISUKappa - we haven't looked at ISU, but it may be added to the list. Size would certainly be a factor. A quick glance at the website and I see some positives. The campus looks pretty. Ames is a nice size. We're from a small town, so Ames would be considered large by our standards. They have great study abroad locations. They have a chase team. Bonus for mom: a Gamma Phi Beta chapter ;).


AZ-AlphaXi - I would love to hear more about Western Kentucky. She would qualify for their honors college and get a full ride. That may keep this school in the running. We have a local weatherman who is a Western Kentucky alum, which is how I was able to find the school.


Sciencewoman - interesting reads about high IQ and ADHD. From the check off lists, I don't believe this is her, but I will continue to be aware of this possibility.


IndianaSigKap - great idea about reading in a nursing home! I will check into this immediately.


This gave me a chuckle. Cheddar hates dresses. She is most definitely not an SEC girl.
"Football games in the SEC bring out cute school colors dresses. Football games in the Big Ten (especially Penn State) bring out the sweatshirts and jeans. "


Does anyone have any good information on Marshall? The geophysical information courses in their curriculum really seem to have struck a cord.

I will say, I'm torn about how to advise on schools. She has the "it" factor scholastically to qualify for amazing universities, but that scholastic achievement will also get her into the honors colleges at public and lesser know universities. There are full ride possibilities. Ultimately this is her decision, but she's going to rely heavily on my guidance. Do I guide towards a full ride or do I guide towards top ranked?

My daughter is at Mizzou. Midwestern. A crazy variety of weather. They have an atmospheric science program and a storm chase team, though no idea how they rank?? http://weather.missouri.edu

Mizzou is 3rd year in SEC, but they are not dressing up
game day. Columbia is a great town/small city. She/we love it there!

(Also have Gamma Phi Beta....just in case).

Valpo was in my top two back in the day when I was choosing schools, but small schools are not for me. Plus, it was pretty expensive even with financial aid. Purdue has a great program for meteorology and atmospheric sciences. OOS tuition isn't that horrible, and they tend to be more generous with financial aid packages. Greek life is growing - right now we have 17 NPC sororities and KD is colonizing this fall.

For what it's worth I don't think the prestige schools would offer her what she needed and the cost, if she didn't get a free ride, would be ridiculous if a perfectly fine school was giving a free ride. If she chose a school where automatic acceptance is likely/a strong possibility, think how much less stressful her senior year will be!

And remember, even at the large schools it is easy to shrink them down to size. Honors programs is one way. Sorority membership is another. At schools where quota is less than 50 she might feel less like she's being swallowed up.

While I am a Hawkeye through and through, it is a very different environment from Iowa State. And ISU has a long proud tradition in the sciences and tech. So even if she changed course en route, she would still have some great programs from which to choose. And I think that's an important consideration since we know how often kids change majors.

But somehow, wanting to stay in tornado alley and not too far from home makes me put my money on OU. As you narrow down your choices, you should consult your favorite travel agent (me) on what flight times and costs will be. Marshall might be a great school, but omg what a huge hassle for her at holidays. Ames would also suck pretty bad unless she's open to LONG car rides. Valpo would be much easier because of its proximity to Chicago. And there will always be someone heading to O'Hare or Midway from campus.

I don't actually know a ton about Valpo, other than it's a smaller school that quite a few people from my high school class went to (10 out of 790, so...). Seems to be a very nice campus, good reputation, close to Chicago.

Now that I'm reading this, though, I really actually have to second Iowa State. My dear friend from birth was a Gamma Phi there (as were two other girls from our high school class) :). The advisor for my sorority's chapter here went there, and she is someone I admire greatly. Everyone I have met from our chapter there is impressive. My sister-in-law's sister went there too. To a person, everyone I've met who went there, or who has a child who is there currently, just loves it. The academics are excellent, you don't have to be Greek, but if you want to, the opportunities are wonderful, and it's "midwestern casual." I think it's big but can be made small enough---I've never heard anyone complain that it's too big.

My brother went to Purdue; it sounds like he was a lot like your daughter. He was in the engineering program, and not Greek, and it was a wonderful experience for him. Definitely worth considering!

Obviously I didn't go to Valpo, but I know a decent amount about the school.

-As a freshman you do take what's called the "Valpo Core" in both the fall and the spring--it's basically the equivalent of a freshman seminar.
-VU is lutheran. You also are required to take 2 full-semester theology courses, so if that's not appealing to your D...might be better to know that now. They're not strictly Bible focused (I know a friend took one on Islam), but that's still not appealing to some students.
-VU is small, only 4500 students including graduate+law. Subsequently, classes are also small and rarely, if ever, taught by grad students.
-65% of students come from Indiana or Illinois, so she should be outgoing enough to find friends that may already have established friend groups.
-Dorms are meh, from what I've seen. Sororities live in Scheele Hall, along with other upperclass women.
-Very welcoming campus, small to medium greek life
-Sports...SEC they are not. Valpo basketball can be OK, their claim to fame is the Bryce Drew sweet 16 shot.

In terms of the surrounding area, Valpo is the more white-collar area of the area colloquially known as 'The Region.' There's a cute little historic downtown with restaurants about a mile from campus, and campus is within walking (although I personally would drive) distance of a shopping area with Target, Kohls, Best Buy, Starbucks, Noodles & Co, etc.. There's more shopping out in Hobart/Merrillville, but you'll definitely need a car to get there. Hobart/Merrillville is more truly 'Region,' but as long as she stays in the US 30 corridor, she'll be fine. Getting to O'Hare or Midway should be pretty easy--she can either get a ride up to the South Shore commuter line into Chicago and navigate Chicago public transportation into either airport, or she can catch a coach bus to either airport for roughly $30 leaving from some of the neighboring towns.

ETA: I forgot to mention the weather. Having grown up here, winters can be BRUTAL. Assume you'll need a winter coat from late October through at least March, usually into April. The weather doesn't truly break until late April, early May. Lots of snow and cold since Valpo is not far from Lake Michigan. It's something she'll get used to, but the first winter might be a really rough transition

The only problem is that neither of those things are a sure thing. Penn State is a great school and all, but I know lots of people who've gone there and gone down the rabbit hole because there is just too much there. You need to be focused and shut out a lot of temptations. I'm sure it's the same at any very large school. If distraction is an issue for her, Valpo-like places are probably her best bet to succeed - the initial $ outlay stings but it's worth it if she's in a place where she can excel.

Fabulous information!

Since Creighton is on her list, we have had discussions about a biblical education. She was very open and ok with having to take classes in faith.

I will say she is totally not impressed with Valpo school colors. :)

Distraction is not an issue. Large masses of people, on the other hand, annoy her.

Ah. Well, then, she would spend 4 years being hella annoyed.

If she wants to specialize, here are 2 kinds of meteorology degrees and the the best universities:
Operational Forecasting (basically ... so, you want to be a meteorlogist or storm chaser) -
http://freshaj.com/top-5-universitie...in-meteorology (5 schools listed in article)
Atmospheric Sciences (basically ... so, you want to work for the National Weather Service or be an Expert in Climate Change) - http://colleges.findthebest.com/d/o/...ology,-General (63 schools on list)

One of my friends is married to Mike Morgan (OKC chief meteorologist for the NBC affilate since 1993). When there are tornadoes in Oklahoma, I don't turn on The Weather Channel, I get on my computer and watch the stream of KFOR's coverage -- it's exponentially more detailed.

They are definitely hideous, haha. But brown goes with a lot...right?

Personally, I'd rather have brown than green or purple, but that's just me.

Ames is only about 30,000 people once you take away the student population. I grew up in a town of 4,000 people and Ames was manageable for me. The nice thing about Iowa State is it's kind of out on the west side of the town, on its own. The campustown area just south of campus is going through a big renovation right now, too, to refresh its look and add more amenities.

The Iowa Storm Chase team are mostly Iowa State meteorology grads and they have a tornado vehicle (Dorothy). It might be worthwhile for your daughter to contact them and find out their experiences in the program at Iowa State. At the very least a campus visit couldn't hurt, right? And then you could visit the Gamma Phi chapter house (it's a gorgeous house and a strong, established chapter, plus it's right next door to the equally as gorgeous ADPi house :D).

How does she feel about Gamma Phi Beta's colors?

As for the financial aspects- you really have to figure out what's best for your family and what you can afford. Paying a little more for a better fit might be worth it, but only if it won't put a massive hardship on all of you. It's a balance only your family can figure out. I'm paying a little more for my D's "dream" school than we would have paid at the local state flagship, but she is having tremendous experiences in NYC that she would not have had in Ann Arbor.

True. Finding those sub-groups would turn a Penn State into a merely LARGE school. If she went to an Iowa State or OU (I don't think it's UT, Penn State, Ohio State sized) it would take a merely large school and turn it mid-sized. But remember, with those additional students comes more options for classes, extra-curriculars, etc., which means she could fine tune her experience to suit her needs and goals.

But there are some great small schools out there if she wants a truly intimate setting.

You're probably already fully aware of this site, but I found it enlightening. Unfortunately, most of them are large flagship schools, but there are a few smaller schools on the list.http://www.nwas.org/links/universities.php#mo

On the list (and who knew?) is UNI, where I spent WAY too much time and drank too much beer. But it is a nice smallish school, confined campus, nice little Greek system, and a vastly more personal experience than at Iowa and smaller than Iowa State. UNI (NEVER called Northern Iowa, as it is whenever UNI makes it to the NCAA's). I had several friends who went there and spent my holidays/summers at the Alpha Xi house there so it really felt like a satellite chapter house for me.

It is 4 hours drive to Minneapolis, 4 1/2 hours to Chicago and 5 hours to Kansas City. At holidays there would always be someone driving to Chicago to fly out, or Cedar Rapids is about 45 minutes away and has more flight options than Waterloo, which is convenient but with limited options and usually not price-competitive.

As a mom, make sure you're okay with losing the weather gamble at least once in her years if she goes to a cold, snowy school. Never fails that at least once you're going to be racing to beat snow/ice/blizzard/whatever and changing flights on the fly--and that can be pricey

I'm a UNC-Asheville graduate and I know they've got a good meteorology school (though I have a friend who's an OU grad and a meteorology major, and I know OU is about as good as it gets for that major). UNCA fits a lot of her requirements - small campus (3 to 4,000 students), all four seasons, has travel abroad programs. If she changes her mind about Greek Life, UNCA does have two sororities but it's not a huge part of campus life. The school may not have the big-name factor but it's a fantastic university!

The better question is how does she feel about sorority life? I'm not sure she could even tell me what Gamma Phi Beta's colors are. :(

Financially we have discussed completely what we can contribute. The short of the story, if she attends a public university she will walk out debt free. If she attends a private university she will have debt when she graduates. This may absolutely play a part in her final decision, especially if she thinks she will continue to grad school. Her father and I will not pay for grad school.

Cheddar's big sister is currently attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney, so we have experience in dealing with travel. Realistically anything further than 12 hrs from home will pose all sorts of logistical challenges (think north of Ames, IA).

We officially have our first college tour set up. October 20th we are OU bound for the day. I really want to hit OU first so she can get a feel for size and the meteorology department. Our list of schools could potentially change dramatically after this visit.

[QUOTE=DubaiSis;2291558]On the list (and who knew?) is UNI, where I spent WAY too much time and drank too much beer. QUOTE]

You may have just talked Momof4Girls OUT of UNI. :D

Well, it's no UC Boulder. I just had great friends there and was kind of a 5th Beatle, as it were with my chapter there and the way some of the fraternity guys behaved. The Greek system was much less structured (no house moms, as a for instance which I thought was just bizarre and wondered how they didn't burn the house down sometimes - also not helping the argument ;) ) so it was almost like hanging out in/around apartments than sorority/fraternity houses. I don't know in the interim if it has become more structured/rulesy.

Also, on closer read, they only offer a minor in meterology, so probably not a match anyway.

Hey, them's fightin' words! ;)

Actually, the new AOII house next to our new house was decorated by an Alpha Gamma Delta who travels around the country as a sorority decorator (fun job!). She also decorated our new lodge at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and she told me she was so excited to use pink and brown and mode there!

I only asked because she said she wasn't crazy about Brown and Gold for school colors! So, you know, Gamma Phi Beta... Brown and Mode?

Keep in mind from my son's thread- he wanted to go to a very small private school and he's loving every minute (so far) of his HUGE public university (although he's in a residential living/learning community that is small).

The bolded is not necessarily true. It might be true if she's attending an in-state public school or somewhere where she is eligible for in-state tuition, but lots of public institutions now see out-of-state students as giant moneymakers. Top private schools with strong endowments and a desire to attract the strongest students can sometimes offer better financial aid packages, especially compared to states where in-state residency is hard to establish. If she becomes a National Merit Semifinalist or better, that might open some doors for scholarships to out-of-state schools, but be wary of front-loaded financial aid and scholarships that require extremely high GPAs to keep. (Even the best students sometimes struggle with the adjustment to college.)

Net price is not sticker price, though both are much too high these days. Don't rule out private institutions early because of high sticker price--every school will have different financial aid opportunities, and it's worthwhile to research them. :)

I strongly second this--even though it's going against the schools I've mentioned. Just yesterday I was talking to my dad, who is an administrator at a large public university, about how top students are not going to his school because smaller private schools with big endowments are able to pay full rides and pull kids away. My cousin got into UTexas, but is at small Knox College because it is paying for all 4 years of college. Over $100,000 that my aunt and uncle don't have to pay. Same happened with my ex bf at Union College--full ride. Someone with good grades/scores is going to be coveted by a private school with money to spend, especially if it will add to their geographic diversity. Definitely keep that in mind.