I am really beside myself. Son is ending is 1st year as a freshman and at a school that most kids would love it be at. First semester he got 2 Cs, 3 B-. This semester his grades are getting worse. He decided he wasn't doing good in language so he stopped going and now he has two failing grades in math. Which means these 2 classes will not have a good outcome. As a parent I want to scream at him that he is blowing away a really good opportunity!
He is full pay so we are paying for this as well. He did that out the $5,500 but the rest we are paying for. I was thinking of threatening him that we would not pay for next year and make him take out a student loan and we would cosign so he doesn't waste our money anymore.
Does anyone have suggestions or advice for me before I go crazy :)
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1st year of school and son not doing well
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Life after college
Most parents here in CC are college graduates. I am not. I had some college units but not able to finish it.
I just would like to ask what happened after college. Did you find a job related to your degree? Are you happy with the choice of your degree and your career? Does the 'name' and 'prestige' of the university mattered in your career i.e. you got higher pay, promotion, etc. compared to co-workers with the same degree but who are from less known university, or vice-versa?
What are the things/decisions that you would done differently in choosing a career that now you are working or have your own career or business? Are you still paying student loans?
I cannot contribute much but I wish I finished my bachelors and my life would have been different. Answers to these questions will help my family decide for my children's future choice of career, and also for my self because I am still considering to go back to school.
Thank you in advance.
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Father wants to go to Medical School
Hello,
My parents and I were talking and my father says he wants to go to Medical School. My father was born in the Dominican Republic and got his degree as a Computer Science major at a private school in the Dominican Republic in 1991. Computer Science has revolutionized so much since then and since his job, unrelated to his major, took up so much of his time he no longer remembers anything. He makes about 16k a year for working 65 or so hours a week and he is now living with us. He is now 49 years old. We have managed everything and made financial plans (cutting down on needless expenses, renting rooms etc.) for my mother to take care of the bills. He speaks english fluently without an accent, his reading comprehension is better than mine, and he has the best work ethic I've ever seen.
I have two questions. Do you guys agree with our (& his, might I add) decision or is it too risky/late? He's always wanted to be a physician and he is not one to ever retire either. His job is pure torture with the hours and conditions although he doesn't mind working there until he's 65 either, I feel really bad for him, I'll do anything to help him out. Will he need to get an undergraduate degree again? That education was 25 years ago and since then he's been working retail for 22 years. How will he get into medical school with no prior educational experience since then? He's a US Citizen, and father of two who will be enrolled in college this fall (Full Ride).
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Moved: Venting about College Board customer service
This discussion has been moved.
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Moved: Universal Basic Income
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Schools that won't take no for an answer?
We may not be looking in the right place, but both D and her friend (child of a college counselor) can't figure out how to decline Beloit's offer of acceptance. D, in particular, had a nice offer from them and feels bad about turning them down so is putting off contacting the admissions officer (because D feels like she needs to carefully compose an email to thank her and explain her choice.) Are there other schools that make it difficult to decline an acceptance? The process was pretty clear for D's other schools.
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Need advice for my specific case -- paying for sons college -- what to do/not to do?
I already mentioned in other threads my particular case. I have three sons. One is going to college this year, second son next year and the third will be 8 years from now (not yet an issue).
I would like to thank those who already contributed and gave advice. It is already helping me form a decision, or at least giving me many options.
One best thing I've learned today is the automatic full-ride scholarships at some colleges (outside California)...I didn't know that.
Anyway, as I said, I am lucky enough to make good money starting a couple of years ago that I am just starting to save up for retirement and kids college, and not lucky enough for kids to qualify for FA. I promised, and hope I could keep my job to keep my promise, to my first 2 sons that I can afford 15k each/year. That basically cover for tuition.
First son has 4.5 GPA (weighted) and 1900'ish SAT and wants to be a chemical engineer. We live in Bakersfield CA. CSUB is an option but it does not offer chemical engineering. Second option would be UC Irvine or San Diego but we have to take a loan, which could amount to 120k total for 2 sons after graduation.
Options I learned today:
1. Apply for automatic full-ride scholarships.
2. Go to community college first, and then transfer to UC later.
Both sound good to me and I will discuss this to my sons.
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How important are grades in non core classes?
DS just found out his grade dropped from a B+ to B for orchestra. He has been in orchestra through all three years of high school. He will likely end up with a B for the semester. Music is one of his major ECs, and he is interested in pursuing a music minor in college. Will it look odd that he has this one B, while his prior grades in orchestra were A's? I won't get into why the grade dropped, but trust me, it is for a very petty reason. Orchestra grades are not calculated as part of his high school GPA, but it will still appear on his transcript.
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2016 Where did your 2100-2200 SAT child get in?
This discussion was created from comments split from: Where did your SAT 2100-2200 child get in?.
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Direct major admit vs. Taking a risk in engineering
DS has been admitted for Fall 2015 to two top public u. engineering programs, rank, cost, and distance all about the same. At school A, his top choice, all freshmen are admitted to general engineering and then apply to a major after. Admissions is competitive and holistic, and since the policy is new, there is very little information on admissions from previous years.
At school B, son has been directly admitted to his (current) major of choice.
The first statistics just released this week by A for the first cohort of freshmen indicate only 26 % of those who applied to his 1st choice major were accepted in this first cycle, a number which seems to surprise them as well. It was much more competitive than they thought it would be due to a number of factors including current economic situation. Other majors were less selective though still competitive, and a few took all but these were not ones the DS is currently considering.
In theory, I like the idea of a general engineering program, and exposure to multiple majors before making a decision. In practice, it's beginning to feel pretty risky. DS had better scores than GPA in HS, and it took him a bit of time to figure out how to succeed. The first semester at college may be similarly challenging, though I have no doubts about his ability to succeed in a challenging program. I don't want to make him feel like we are not confident in his abilities, but do want to make sure that he understands the risks, and the effort he will need to put in from day one. We also really don't know what other factors they are considering in the holistic part of the review. Average GPA of those accepted was a 3.8
with a range of 3.1 to 4.0. His only other potential choice major took 60%, avg GPA 3.6. There will be a second round of applications after the current semester.
The downside of school B is that, while he is assured his current major of choice, if he does change his mind, as many do, switching to another engineering major is difficult. DS has however been in engineering at his HS for all four years so he is coming in with a pretty good level of previous exposure. He is pretty confident he knows where his interests are. He also feels the overall fit for him was better at school A.
So how do we help him weigh the options? And should we pressure him to revisit school B and put it back in contention? Or, give him the info and then just let it be? He is out of town ( at an engineering competition at the moment) but we want to talk to him this Sunday.
Thoughts from any parents who have experienced similar choices in the past appreciated!
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Doing what you love vs what makes money?
If it were up to me, I'd want to study creative writing in college (not interested in journalism). My parents want me to do business or engineering or something that "can actually have a stable job" associated. I do want to make money but is it worth doing that as my career (something I don't love?). I need some perspective--any advice?
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Matches at techie smart schools for higher stats low EC’s D?
We are planning our last trip(s) to visit colleges. Can anyone suggest schools I may have missed in our search? Long post, but I was trying to anticipate questions that may come up.
Home state is TX; no geographic preference by D so far, have looked in Pacific NW and across South so far, and are familiar with NE schools somewhat due to older D’s search 4 years ago. We are looking for merit at private, or lower priced OOS public. We will not qualify for any need based aid. Our budget is $30,000/yr, but can probably stretch to $40,000 for the right school. She’s our last kid, and kid’s 1 and 2 came in under budget, so we have a bit of give.
In state, D will hopefully be auto admit for UT Austin, but thinks it may be too big for her. Not overly fond of Trinity or Southwestern, and probably won’t get any $$ at Rice even if accepted. UTD or UH will be her safety.
Stats: SAT 750/750/760 (old SAT, did not take new) ACT 33 comp, but retaking in June to try for a 34. UW GPA 3.7 ish, W 4.2 (we use a 100-point scale). Top 10%, possibly top 5% once ranks come out. Most rigorous courses, 11 AP’s total, expecting all 4’s and 5’s when done. Unhooked.
EC’s are slim – TSA/Engineering club state recognition, Global affairs club, Math UIL, County delegate on Foreign exchange visit to China, Summer Spanish immersion program in Spain, band 1 year, choir 1 year, some volunteering. But honestly, D is a philosopher at heart and prefers reading, studying languages, and other more solitary pursuits. She flat out refused to join NHS at our school because she didn’t like their busy work (in her opinion) requirements.
D will be graduating HS in 3 years next month so that she can go abroad as a HS exchange student next year in what would have been her senior year. She will start apps before she goes and should have good access to internet for completing apps from abroad. She will not, however, be able to make any after acceptance visits, so she will need to have a good idea of fit before applying.
D is looking for a medium size – likes the feel of LAC’s once they hit @3000, to maybe 3000-15000. A larger school with a smaller honors college experience may also be a good fit for her. She likes to be around techie people, but may choose to pursue a humanities major herself (she is really undecided at this point, has many different interests including languages, comp sci, history, economics, physics, government). She will likely attend graduate school. She wants to study abroad, and to be around students who are equally interested in exploring the world. She is shy, but not introverted, and would like nothing better than to be part of a smart group of kids, up to all hours off the night discussing everything. Dream job at the moment would be in academia, but she knows that can be a difficult path.
She loved GA Tech when we visited – liked that all the students were studying, liked the academics and the offerings at the liberal arts college within GA Tech. She’s a legacy. She may get in, but I have slim hopes of merit there, but she may try anyway. She liked U Puget Sound, but doesn’t feel their majors line up with what she’s looking for. Did not like Willamette or L&C. Liked St. Olaf and U of Minn, but not Macalester. Like U of SC honors college, and U of Alabama Honors. Was so-so on Case Western.
So, we are looking to find a few more schools that would be good fits for her so we can visit this summer (I know, not optimal but it’s all we have left). I’m thinking about heading to WPI and RIT. Any other’s come to mind?
TIA
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Trying to Simplify Choices in Federal Student Loan Repayment Plans
The Student Loan Payback Playbook, a new federal initiative, is intended to better educate borrowers about options and help curb defaults.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/your-money/trying-to-simplify-choices-in-federal-student-loan-repayment-plans.html
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Moved: Bikes at Carnegie Mellon
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Moved: Best Site or Method for Speed Reading?
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College in PA beyond reach of most low- and middle-income families
I knew it was bad here in PA, but it's actually worse than I'd realized.
College affordability in Pennsylvania ranks as second worst state in the country, according to a new report.
The national report, 2016 College Affordability Diagnosis, documents how higher education has gone from expensive to unaffordable for most low- and middle-income families.
The study, which compared each state's college costs in relation to family income, was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College and the Higher Education Policy Institute.
Pennsylvania ranks 49th out of 50, while New Hampshire is dead last. New Jersey placed 10th and Delaware was 16th. Still, college affordability has declined in all 50 states since 2008.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/93251-colleges-in-pa-unaffordable-for-most-low-and-middle-income-families?linktype=hp_impact
Here's a link to the full report: http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/irhe/affordability-diagnosis/state_reports
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son admitted as transfer to UCSB Psychology/Brain Science Pre-Major, Pre-Calc in Progress is shaky
Hello all- could really use some advice!
BACKGROUND: My son took a few gap years as a sponsored athlete, then got serious about school
and went to a CC for a few years and then applied to UC's last fall as a transfer for Fall 2016. Because he is a little older due to GAP years (just turned 25) and just because of his personality, he has not allowed me much input into any of his decisions re where to apply etc. (Another family member was supposed to help with finances along with financial aid, so I couldn't play that card.) He is also LD but has learned to manage that pretty well, works very hard, advocates for himself, utilizes accommodations etc. Against my advice and much to my chagrin, he did not apply to any safety or back-up schools.
As stated above he has been accepted at UCSB, and approved for UCD TAG as a Psych major, but still waiting on their admission decisions. (Has also applied to UCSC, UCSD and UCLA.)
The problem is that he is currently in the second half of pre-calculus and has Calculus planned for the summer. Pre-calc is not going well. He has to get a C or better in it, I believe, as well as in the Calc planned for Summer, as a condition of his admittance to UCSB. He doesn't know what to do or what will happen if he drops Pre Calc, or stays with it and gets below a C. I think he is afraid to call the admissions office and discuss it with them.
It looks like the Psych/Brain Science major at UCSB includes a lot more math than the Psych major at Davis. I believe that is why he was advised to take the current semester pre calc and summer calc, so he would possibly have other options in case he didn't get admitted to UCD.
I am even wondering if he should find a few CSU's that are still taking apps and apply there in case UCSB rescinds and he doesn't get into UCD. I am also worried that the math heavy Psych at UCSB would be too much for him even if he manages not to get rescinded.
Any insights welcome!
~ confused mother
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McGill Economics or Ivey Business School HBA
Hi there,
My son has got offers from couple of Canadian Universities for undergraduate studies. UFT , UBC, McGill, and Rihcard Ivey are some of them. We live in London Ontario where Ivey Business school is located. He is interested in both Economics at McGill and HBA at Ivey. I am trying to educate myself and have my opinion on it as to which one is better but it is hard for me to say anythin because both looks good. He wants to do Graduate studies in Economics if he picks McGill but i think employment rate at Ivey is very good and he would probably start working after HBA. Please give your thoughts. Much appreciate it.
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Calling All Texans
Which Texas school do you recommend and why? Just state schools, not the fancy schamancy expensive ones like Rice, Baylor & SMU.
1.UT Austin
2.UTD
3.UTSA
4.UH
5.TAMU
6.UNT
7.UT A
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Any good options for 3.3 prep school kid who spends time designing and building drones?
Bright son at a very, very competitive prep school (think just barely below boarding school level) Always a builder-maker-type kid. Moved him from public where he was top of class to private as a freshman so he could be challenged and "let his nerd out". There has been some "If I'm not the smart(est) kid who am I?" angst, but he has found his passion: he designs and builds drones (complex, large, unique designs, taught himself all of the programs and electrical, does some fabrication on 3D printers). He spends a lot of time on these passions during free time both at school and at home (like up all night amounts of time) to the detriment of his grades. He wants to build things for a living, and we are trying to figure out schools that would be a good fit. He has documentation of his builds through the years, so schools that accept a portfolio (to help offset his GPA) might be a plus. He would love a school that has a curriculum that would allow him to spend a decent portion of his time focused on what he wants to do for a living... so maybe a flexible curriculum? Seems like the obvious engineering schools are out of reach from a GPA standpoint. His school offers some APs, but very few, they feel their curriculum is sufficiently challenging. We are in southern california, if that makes a difference. Any suggestions appreciated. Passionate, smart kid who has basically refused to jump on the admissions treadmill (we tried, believe me) and just did his own thing. Any hope? Also, thoughts on working on his GPA, applying after senior year and taking a gap year? (not my first preference). Thanks in advance.
3.3 GPA
1470 PSAT (99.xx% sounds like will qualify National Merit Recognition in CA)
NEW SAT scores not back for another week, but he said it was "incredibly easy", assuming he'll do as well as he did on PSAT (first sitting, no studying)
Boy Scout, 11 years of scouting
1 AP Computer Science (senior year)
11 years Soccer, 2 years JV and 2 years Varsity
decent amount of volunteer work (through scouts and another org)
Tech Club leader at school
Hobbies: archery, building & design
Freshman and Sophomore summer: Built drones
Junior year summer: 3 week, well-regarded engineering camp
Junior Year summer: internship at construction/engineering firm
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