A "is this a good college" thread for all college searchers...

[golfgal]

Obviously; no school is going to give credit for simply taking an exam.

Your post made it sound as if the only way a student could hope to pass an advanced-credit test was if he or she had taken some sort of special classes to prep for it. That just isn't so. Sure, those classes would help, but if you have enough knowledge to score well it doesn't matter where you gained it. The CLEP credit path is also often used by adult returning students who gained the knowledge in their working lives.

There are an awful lot of people out there for whom the gamble of spending three or four hundred dollars to take a shot at several CLEP tests is very worth it, weighed against even the possibility of saving tens of thousands of dollars in tuition. For some it can mean the difference of getting to choose a more expensive school that would otherwise be out of reach financially.

Yes they do--the ONLY credit given for AP is getting a 3 or higher on the test-it has NOTHING to do with taking the class at all. Now, most highly competitive schools you have to get a 4 or 5 on the AP test-some don't give credit at all any more too.

 

[nancycg56]

DD is starting to seriously look at schools and is interested in engineering. Any info anyone has about RPI, Bucknell, Lehigh or Layfayette would be greatly appreciated.
She's looking for a medium sized school from MA to VA. She is hoping to play either lacrosse or soccer in college so before we start emailing coaches we'd like to have an idea about the school from parents and kids point of views. The books obviously make things look very enticing!

Take a look at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Great area, wonderful campus, very good school. My DS graduated from there in 2004 and just loved it. He had an odd major ~ literary and cultural theory and computer science ~ but it was perfect for him. Lots of kids from this area go there with great success.

 

[swanmom]

Just got back from Fellows Weekend at Elon University in NC. I was very impressed (and I worked for more than a decade at a major NYC university so I knew what I wanted to 'see' in a college) and DD loved it! If anyone wants more info on the college of the Fellows scholarship competition, please drop me a pm.

 

[agnes!]

Take a look at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Great area, wonderful campus, very good school. My DS graduated from there in 2004 and just loved it. He had an odd major ~ literary and cultural theory and computer science ~ but it was perfect for him. Lots of kids from this area go there with great success.

William & Mary is usually considered to be a 'public Ivy', in-state admissions is supposed to be slightly easier than out-of-state but it can still be quite difficult (especially for students from the Northern Virginia area). Since W&M is a state school, it is generally accepted that they do take the geographical distribution amongst the incoming class into consideration. For in-state students it is quite the bargain...I think tuition for them is about $11,000 while out-of-state is over $31,000.

agnes!

 

[dejr_8]

That's where our thoughts generally lie, too. She is definitely talking about getting her masters as of now (things can change a lot in four years).

In general, a Master's degree will do very little for anyone in the science/tech industry. It may give a slight bump in pay but most likely that person will still be working for someone with a Doctorate. At lease that is my experience in Biotech.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Just got back from Fellows Weekend at Elon University in NC. I was very impressed (and I worked for more than a decade at a major NYC university so I knew what I wanted to 'see' in a college) and DD loved it! If anyone wants more info on the college of the Fellows scholarship competition, please drop me a pm.

My neice from Texas is looking at that school too. Not sure if she went this past weekend. She did have to go last month to submit another essay and talk to them?? I also believes they're waiting to see how much aid they will get.

 

[Robinrs]

Does anyone have any info on Appalachian State? My son's sr friend just got accepted.

 

[tar heel]

Appalachian is one of the mid-range UNC system universities. It was originally Appalachian Teachers College. It has a generally good reputation especially in education and the arts (and no doubt some areas I'm less familiar with). It's in a beautiful part of the state and is a division II football power.

I grew up in the area, and probably 90% of all the teachers I had went there, and we usually had a few student teachers each year. Likewise, most students from my high school who went to college went there. I wanted to go elsewhere in the worst sort of way -- and did!

MrsPete will undoubtedly chime in here since her daugher really likes it. We visited but (so far -- not been there with my junior) none of my kids have fallen in love with it. I have two nephews there now, and they are very happy. It was not the older one's first choice, but he has been so happy there that his little brother didn't apply anywhere else.

 

[kbeverina]

A friend of my son's goes to Appalachian State. She's a recruited softball player and she really loves it there. She struggled academically in high school and they have given her tons of support and she's doing very well.

She has to commit a lot of time to softball, but she does seem to find a lot to do on weekends (I've known her since she was three and we're facebook friends) and there seems to be a lot of school spirit. Her brother goes to Old Dominion because he wanted to be by the beach, but he's thinking of transferring there.

 

[nancycg56]

William & Mary is usually considered to be a 'public Ivy', in-state admissions is supposed to be slightly easier than out-of-state but it can still be quite difficult (especially for students from the Northern Virginia area). Since W&M is a state school, it is generally accepted that they do take the geographical distribution amongst the incoming class into consideration. For in-state students it is quite the bargain...I think tuition for them is about $11,000 while out-of-state is over $31,000.

agnes!

There was an article in our paper not too long ago about how it's easier for out of state kids to get into VA state schools than for Virginians ~ they want the money from the higher tuition. I guess there is a push on to turn that around. Either way, it's a great school and worth a look for anyone who's interested.

 

[suzannen]

Can I ask about college visits?
My DD is a junior and we will be trying to set up some college visits and interviews for June and July. How much time do you normally allow for each visit and how far in advance did you contact the school? For instance, we'll have 3 to 4 to visit in both the DC area and in Pennsylvania - can we do one in the morning and another in the afternoon or could you do 3 in one day, if they are close enough together? Also, her guidance counselor has suggested we schedule individual visits over the Open Houses because she believes you get much more personal attention and suggests Open Houses if it's a school the students aren't sure about and aren't ready to actually interview there. Does that sound right to those of you who've been through this? All of this is giving me a headache!

 

[agnes!]

Take a look at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Great area, wonderful campus, very good school. My DS graduated from there in 2004 and just loved it. He had an odd major ~ literary and cultural theory and computer science ~ but it was perfect for him. Lots of kids from this area go there with great success.

William & Mary is usually considered to be a 'public Ivy', in-state admissions is supposed to be slightly easier than out-of-state but it can still be quite difficult (especially for students from the Northern Virginia area). Since W&M is a state school, it is generally accepted that they do take the geographical distribution amongst the incoming class into consideration. For in-state students it is quite the bargain...I think tuition for them is about $11,000 while out-of-state is over $31,000.

agnes!

There was an article in our paper not too long ago about how it's easier for out of state kids to get into VA state schools than for Virginians ~ they want the money from the higher tuition. I guess there is a push on to turn that around. Either way, it's a great school and worth a look for anyone who's interested.

Yes, W&M is indeed a great school (their website says that 80% of the incoming freshmen are in the top 10% of their senior class). CollegeData.Com has the following:
*Average GPA - 4
*High School Class Rank Top tenth: 79%
*SATs
Math 620-720 range of middle 50%
Critical Reading 620-730 range of middle 50%
Writing 610-710 range of middle 50%
*ACT Composite 27-32 range of middle 50%
There was an article in The Washington Post in 2009 called In-state students' admission obstacle: their home address
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111301940.html . This is one quote...
"William and Mary accepted more non-Virginians than Virginians this spring for the first time in recent years. The college has become progressively more selective for state residents: A Virginia high school senior who applied to William and Mary four years ago had a 47 percent chance of getting in. This year's admit rate was 39 percent. For non-Virginians, in the same span, the admission rate has risen from 22 to 30 percent."
All the public flagships are in a similar situation:
"Since pre-recession 2007, the share of nonresident students in the freshman class has grown considerably at several flagship universities: from 34 to 37 percent at William and Mary; from 19 to 25 percent at the University of Washington; from 43 to 49 percent at the University of Iowa; and from 35 to 44 percent at Penn State."
and
"Local university officials say any fluctuation in the admissions mix is purely temporary. A state cap forbids Virginia universities from raising their share of nonresident students above historic levels; at U-Va. and William and Mary, residents outnumber nonresidents roughly 2 to 1. Maryland caps nonresidents at 30 percent of the student population, a level approached only by U-Md."

I'm assuming that this year's admissions' cycle is more of the same.

agnes!

 

[NotUrsula]

Obviously; no school is going to give credit for simply taking an exam.
...

Yes they do--the ONLY credit given for AP is getting a 3 or higher on the test-it has NOTHING to do with taking the class at all. Now, most highly competitive schools you have to get a 4 or 5 on the AP test-some don't give credit at all any more too.

Wha ...?

I'm going to assume there's a typo in there somewhere, because this post appears to be agreeing AND disagreeing with me at the same time.

I said that no college is going to give course credit for simply TAKING an advance-placement EXAM (as opposed to passing that exam with the required score), and you said, "Yes they do", but then went on to explain why not, which is very confusing.

To be clear to anyone else who is trying to follow this: BOTH national standard substitute college-credit testing programs (CLEP and AP), require you to not only pay your exam fee and take the standard examination offered, but also to score a certain college-mandated minimum score on it in order to get college credit. Furthermore, every college can individually decide which AP and/or CLEP tests that it wishes to give college course credit for, and what the required scores must be to get those credits.

 

[piglet too]

Can I ask about college visits?
My DD is a junior and we will be trying to set up some college visits and interviews for June and July. How much time do you normally allow for each visit and how far in advance did you contact the school? For instance, we'll have 3 to 4 to visit in both the DC area and in Pennsylvania - can we do one in the morning and another in the afternoon or could you do 3 in one day, if they are close enough together? Also, her guidance counselor has suggested we schedule individual visits over the Open Houses because she believes you get much more personal attention and suggests Open Houses if it's a school the students aren't sure about and aren't ready to actually interview there. Does that sound right to those of you who've been through this? All of this is giving me a headache!

I think you are best off planning to do one a day. Some schools have a set time that they give tours, and in my experiance, those last a few hours.

 

[Robinrs]

Appalachian is one of the mid-range UNC system universities. It was originally Appalachian Teachers College. It has a generally good reputation especially in education and the arts (and no doubt some areas I'm less familiar with). It's in a beautiful part of the state and is a division II football power.

I grew up in the area, and probably 90% of all the teachers I had went there, and we usually had a few student teachers each year. Likewise, most students from my high school who went to college went there. I wanted to go elsewhere in the worst sort of way -- and did!

MrsPete will undoubtedly chime in here since her daugher really likes it. We visited but (so far -- not been there with my junior) none of my kids have fallen in love with it. I have two nephews there now, and they are very happy. It was not the older one's first choice, but he has been so happy there that his little brother didn't apply anywhere else.

A friend of my son's goes to Appalachian State. She's a recruited softball player and she really loves it there. She struggled academically in high school and they have given her tons of support and she's doing very well.

She has to commit a lot of time to softball, but she does seem to find a lot to do on weekends (I've known her since she was three and we're facebook friends) and there seems to be a lot of school spirit. Her brother goes to Old Dominion because he wanted to be by the beach, but he's thinking of transferring there.

Thanks! Seems he REALLY wanted to go there so I was curious about it.

 

[golfgal]

Wha ...?

I'm going to assume there's a typo in there somewhere, because this post appears to be agreeing AND disagreeing with me at the same time.

I said that no college is going to give course credit for simply TAKING an advance-placement EXAM (as opposed to passing that exam with the required score), and you said, "Yes they do", but then went on to explain why not, which is very confusing.

To be clear to anyone else who is trying to follow this: BOTH national standard substitute college-credit testing programs (CLEP and AP), require you to not only pay your exam fee and take the standard examination offered, but also to score a certain college-mandated minimum score on it in order to get college credit. Furthermore, every college can individually decide which AP and/or CLEP tests that it wishes to give college course credit for, and what the required scores must be to get those credits.

If a college gives credit for AP it gives credit for the score on the TEST, NOT the class itself. Kids take the class so they have a better chance to pass the test. Credit is NOT given, in schools that give credit, unless you get a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP test. You can have 100% in the AP class at your school and if you don't score a 3, 4, 5 on the test you get NOTHING from a college.

Some colleges no longer give any credit for any scores on any AP test. Some school may place you in a higher level class as a freshman but you don't see that AP test score show up on your college transcript at some colleges (Ivy league type schools usually).

It is possible to NEVER take an AP class, score 4's on ALL of the AP tests and have those all count at a school somewhere.

 

[Jeafl]

Can I ask about college visits?
My DD is a junior and we will be trying to set up some college visits and interviews for June and July. How much time do you normally allow for each visit and how far in advance did you contact the school? For instance, we'll have 3 to 4 to visit in both the DC area and in Pennsylvania - can we do one in the morning and another in the afternoon or could you do 3 in one day, if they are close enough together? Also, her guidance counselor has suggested we schedule individual visits over the Open Houses because she believes you get much more personal attention and suggests Open Houses if it's a school the students aren't sure about and aren't ready to actually interview there. Does that sound right to those of you who've been through this? All of this is giving me a headache!

We went mostly to Open Houses/Visit Days. This is a great way to talk to people there, as well as see the campus. Thatr's not to say you can't call for a personal visit instead, but it is nice to be with a group sometimes because everything is planned out for you, and they make sure that you see and do a lot in the time that you are there.

I would think it would be difficult to do more than one a day. Usually on visit days they have at least 6 hours scheduled for you, with sessions usually geared to your specific major. Most include a lunch and a dorm tour as well. Once your choice is narrowed down you can always go back for a more personal visit.

The one time we did do an individual visit first we found that the person showing us around didn't really know what to show us, so it wasn't that beneficial to us. I guess it depends on the school.

 

[golfgal]

Can I ask about college visits?
My DD is a junior and we will be trying to set up some college visits and interviews for June and July. How much time do you normally allow for each visit and how far in advance did you contact the school? For instance, we'll have 3 to 4 to visit in both the DC area and in Pennsylvania - can we do one in the morning and another in the afternoon or could you do 3 in one day, if they are close enough together? Also, her guidance counselor has suggested we schedule individual visits over the Open Houses because she believes you get much more personal attention and suggests Open Houses if it's a school the students aren't sure about and aren't ready to actually interview there. Does that sound right to those of you who've been through this? All of this is giving me a headache!

It really depends on how large the campus is and how much time you want to take. For a large university it can take several hours so if they are close to each other-say Georgetown and GW in DC, you could probably do both in one day but if you have to drive more than an hour between schools, probably not.

Doing the individual tours will take less time if you are just doing a tour. On the Open House/Campus visit days they often have speakers, seminars, etc. along with the actual tours-probably a meal in there too so those take all day. At our DS18's school the tour itself took about an hour (small, small campus) but everything else took a while. We were there from 10-4.

 

[Robinrs]

Can I ask about college visits?
My DD is a junior and we will be trying to set up some college visits and interviews for June and July. How much time do you normally allow for each visit and how far in advance did you contact the school? For instance, we'll have 3 to 4 to visit in both the DC area and in Pennsylvania - can we do one in the morning and another in the afternoon or could you do 3 in one day, if they are close enough together? Also, her guidance counselor has suggested we schedule individual visits over the Open Houses because she believes you get much more personal attention and suggests Open Houses if it's a school the students aren't sure about and aren't ready to actually interview there. Does that sound right to those of you who've been through this? All of this is giving me a headache!

Like the PP I like to go to Open Houses, also, they're on their best behavior then!

For the past few weeks my son and I have been college hopping, just driving thru the places on his long list to shorten it. I prefer doing the "drive by" when the kids are still in class, gives you a better idea of the school day. I usually call for the criteria first, most admission offices are happy that you're at least interested.

We're going to a pretty "big" open house to a brand new college here in Georgia because a former classmate of his just LOVES it. She's VERY pretty so I'm taking it with a grain of salt but she's dying to show us the residential facilities because they were built in 2010.

Get this, the washers and dryers in the dorms EMAIL you when they're done!!! Talk about 2011!!

 

[golfgal]

Like the PP I like to go to Open Houses, also, they're on their best behavior then!

For the past few weeks my son and I have been college hopping, just driving thru the places on his long list to shorten it. I prefer doing the "drive by" when the kids are still in class, gives you a better idea of the school day. I usually call for the criteria first, most admission offices are happy that you're at least interested.

We're going to a pretty "big" open house to a brand new college here in Georgia because a former classmate of his just LOVES it. She's VERY pretty so I'm taking it with a grain of salt but she's dying to show us the residential facilities because they were built in 2010.

Get this, the washers and dryers in the dorms EMAIL you when they're done!!! Talk about 2011!!

DS's school has this AND you use a swipe card vs coins-just preload some money on the card and off you go. No more hunting down quarters