Son of AGDee's College Search Thread

[sigmagirl10]

I was accepted to my "reach" schools (Pitzer, Bard, and another one I can't remember because it was 7 years ago...) and wound up attending my 2nd safety, which was also 2nd to last on my list of colleges in order of preference.

That 2nd safety was UC Santa Barbara, a huge public university that initially seemed totally overwhelming and "not me" (I came from a very small high school with a graduating class of 29 and lots of individual attention). I ended up there because the financial aid from the private schools was either nonexistent or inadequate, and the affordable schools I had to choose from were all large public universities (UC Santa Cruz and Oregon were on the list too) that I'd had as safeties.

What made the biggest difference for me was visiting the campus. I was determined to find SOME way to pay for private school, but I spent a week in Santa Barbara and a full day on campus with a tour, etc. and that sealed the deal. I'd really encourage your son to visit both Kzoo and Michigan and spend some time on campus, really trying to imagine himself there--it may completely change his mind.

I'll note that UCSB was not all roses, and though it didn't fulfill all of my hopes/expectations for a college, I made it work and created a wonderful experience for myself. Greek life helped a lot

I'll be crossing my fingers for you guys for an acceptance and great aid package from Brown!

[pinksequins]

Just a thought, but with respect to getting out of Michigan, there is always the possibility of a year abroad for a different exposure and experience. A good friend's daughter was "state-stuck" if you will, and the junior year transformed a satisfactory college experience into an amazing one.

[Sciencewoman]

I guess I didn't realize Oberlin was that competitive. Poor Halo. This whole process stinks. Did you say Brown announces today? I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Two of my fellow professors are a married couple -- they have a bright daughter who has also applied to highly selective schools. It's looking like she'll attend Michigan, strictly from a cost perspective. She actually got into MIT and the Univ. of Chicago, but no aid was offered, so it's just not financially doable. I feel bad for her, because she got in, but they just can't afford those schools without any financial aid.

On the bright side, she wants to go through recruitment, and our Beta chapter is recolonizing this fall!

[AGDee]

Yes, today is Ivy day- the day the admissions portals crash and so does College Confidential.

The only thing he doesn't like about Michigan is the size. It's ginormous. There are three times as many people at that school as live in our city. He will have classes that are larger than his whole graduating class now. That feels intimidating to him. But, he's a huge Michigan football fan and is totally into having school spirit so I know he would embrace that.

[DubaiSis]

Well, you know that at schools of that size, the trick is to find your community within the community. Fraternity, clubs, study groups will all help to shrink the school for him. It's unfortunate that the year you need the small supportive classes is when you get the 500 student lectures. It gets better!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Well, you know that at schools of that size, the trick is to find your community within the community. Fraternity, clubs, study groups will all help to shrink the school for him. It's unfortunate that the year you need the small supportive classes is when you get the 500 student lectures. It gets better!

This.

[AGDee]

Yes, and his major is in the Residential College at Michigan which is how you can make that school a little smaller. Kids in the RC all live in the same dorm two years in a row. A lot of their classes are in that dorm itself and are smaller. They have foreign language immersion meals during which time they can only speak the language they are studying with other students studying that language also. It's arts oriented, but the Social Policy and Theory major is only available in the RC.

I don't think he'd fit in with Greek Life at Michigan because they party pretty hard and that's not his scene. He still considers himself straight edge.

[AGDee]

Waitlisted at Brown. *sigh*

He's actually thrilled to death. I guess it is better than a flat out rejection to him.

[Sciencewoman]

Well, good for him! That is much better than a rejection. And you never know...many of their admitted kids will have several great offers to choose from. Now he needs to follow up with the "I'm still really, really interested" pitch and tell them about his BPA and Quiz Bowl state-level finals...do they know about his Eagle Scout status?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Waitlisted at Brown. *sigh*

He's actually thrilled to death. I guess it is better than a flat out rejection to him.

That's a great attitude to have about it.

[amIblue?]

I'm sorry he didn't get accepted to his dream school, but it sounds like he's got the right attitude. You never know - he may still get to go.

[clemsongirl]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I'm sorry he didn't get accepted to his dream school, but it sounds like he's got the right attitude. You never know - he may still get to go.

So true! My high school's valedictorian from last year agreed to attend one school (don't remember which), then got off of the waitlist to Cornell and is now enrolled there. It does happen.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Waitlisted at Brown. *sigh*

He's actually thrilled to death. I guess it is better than a flat out rejection to him.

Wooooo! This is great. Can he stay on more than one wait list?

[AGDee]

He can stay on more than one wait list. I have a few ideas and want to run them by him. He was obviously close or they would have flat out rejected him. One idea is a gap year- IF and only IF he can come up with something that would really help him grow personally and increase his chances. Then he would reapply ED for next year.

The wait list instructions say that he can obtain an additional letter of recommendation IF it highlights additional information that was not previously available. He did email the admissions counselor a few times with updates for BPA and Quiz Bowl but there are some things that I noticed are not on his application anywhere- like his parts in the school musicals this year. He mentioned briefly his involvement on the school board curriculum committee but perhaps a more robust description of what he is doing and how he got there would help.

He heard they were talking about moving back to semesters from trimesters. They had moved to trimesters just when Hypo was starting high school. It allows the kids 1.5 more credits a year for electives. When Halo heard about it, he was organizing a group of kids to attend a school board meeting to plead a case for staying on trimesters. The assistant principal found out he was doing that and suggested that he be on the curriculum committee as a student member so he could really give his in depth input. To me, that shows the kind of initiative and spirit that Brown appreciates. I believe the assistant principal would write a letter further explaining Halo's ability to effect change for something he believes in.

He and I will talk tomorrow. I don't know about the gap year idea. I think he'd have to find something really incredible to do with that year. Something that would make him really really stand out. Could an 18 year old start a non-profit for something he's interested in? I don't know... not sure what he could do, but he would have to have a good start on it by October when he reapplied.

He could also go to Michigan or Kalamazoo and take advantage of some really awesome opportunities for research and political involvement and aim for grad school at Brown.

[GammaGirl1908]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Yes, and his major is in the Residential College at Michigan which is how you can make that school a little smaller. Kids in the RC all live in the same dorm two years in a row. A lot of their classes are in that dorm itself and are smaller.

I'm going to talk as an enthusiastic Wolverine here -- from out of state -- so please understand my bias. I also volunteer as a recruiter for UM in my area, so I go to college fairs and talk to wild-eyed, panicking 16-year-olds (and their equally wild-eyed parents) about Michigan on a regular basis.

I always tell them that it's not my job to get them to go to Michigan. It's my job to tell them the truth, and let them decide whether it sounds good, because it does no one any good for them to pick the wrong school because some recruiter at a college fair or alumni event was funny and enthusiastic and convincing. Of COURSE I'm enthusiastic; I went there and had a good experience. But if it's not the right place for them, that's more than okay; Michigan will survive.

Yes, the place is huge. It absolutely is. But that, for me, was one of its biggest benefits. There are tens of thousands of students ... but it's not like you have to pack onto a single elevator with them all every day and hope everybody used deodorant. Instead, you get the benefits of a place with world-class resources that are designed for 25,000 students. That? Is awesome. Whatever it is that you want to do, no matter how out-of-the-box -- or downright bizarre -- there likely is someone there to teach you, AND at least a few people who want to do it with you. Want to build a solar car? Want to learn precision figure skating? Want to create your own internship with the football team? Want to work with a MacArthur genius grant winner? Want to do research with groundbreaking software that's the first of its kind in the world? Want to play Capture the Flag on the Diag in the middle of the night? (Not that I ever did that last one. Okay, I did. But I did the one before that, too. And the one before that. And the one before that. And friends of mine did the first two.) The place has the resources for you to do it, and you meet incredible people in the process.

Speaking of resources, because the place is built to cater to a large group, there are all of the resources you could ever want, IF you go to them. Indeed, no one will hold your hand. No one will come to your dorm room and ask why you haven't been to class in 3 weeks. But as far as I'm concerned, that is a feature, not a bug. I mean...welcome to life. If I don't show up to work, I get fired, not patted on the back. However, if you walk into the office of your professor -- usually a world-renowned subject-matter expert -- or the financial aid office or the counseling center, they're there waiting to help you.

Then, once an unfamiliar place becomes familiar, that is part of what makes it get small. That means that ANY school gets familiar and small quickly...and a smaller school doesn't always have anywhere to go. If you NEED an insular community, that can be great. But does he need that? Or is he just concerned about being somewhere unfamiliar? There are 6,999 other freshmen. They are ALL looking to meet people, find their group, and figure out who they are. He won't be the only one. You'd be AMAZED how quickly it happens that the "huge university" becomes a place where you can't avoid seeing that one annoying ex-boyfriend. (He's married to someone else now with 3 kids, and he STILL emails every so often.)

No one else from my graduating class went to UM. I did not know a soul on that campus when I stepped on it in August 1993. I even had a bumpy few months when one of my roommates and I didn't get along. But I met people who are STILL some of my dearest friends on my freshman dorm hall, at my job, at my research projects, and in classes. I would choose the place all over again, size be darned; the bigger the school, the more awesome people there are to meet.

I'll shut up now. But I do want to note that sometimes I think kids from Michigan don't understand the awesome resource they have right there in their own state. For them, it's always been there; whatever, it's no big deal. I'm from Washington DC, where there is no state university (I had to pay out-of-state-tuition everywhere), and again, I go to college fairs in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, the last two of which have excellent state schools, and yet the kids (many of whom have parents who went to Maryland and UVA!) are falling over themselves to go to Michigan. If I could have gone to UM at in-state prices? Dude.

I hope he gets into Brown. As I mentioned upthread, I have friends who went there, and it also is a unique and fantastic place. But if he doesn't, seriously, have him look at UM with fresh eyes -- not against Brown or Northwestern, but as its own entity.



(That was the long version of my "But it's such a big school!" college-fair speech.)