I just went through this whole mess with my first, and it’s starting again with number two.
I’ll second everything already said on this thread - Colleges are looking for well rounded kids with outside interests and extracurricular participation. Having your daughter turn into a total grade grinder would hurt her chances of getting into a college, not help them.
Just as many on this thread related, my first took all the advanced courses offered, but that was it academically. She played French Horn and she participated in sports. And she was admitted to lots of universities (including her first choice). She’s now a happy freshman (except for organic chemistry) at MIT
Two pieces of advice:
You’ll feel much better about this after your daughter takes her PSAT’s because colleges will get her name off their lists and the brochures will start pouring in. My second took her PSAT a year early (it was recommended that she do this for practice), got a decent but not outstanding score, and has already gotten shiney brochures from lots of places.
DO NOT fall for the “We can get your kid into college” courses/plans/organizations. They prey on scared kids and parents just like you. Any service that charges money is a total waste. If you can read and write, then you can fill in forms and do as much as these places claim they can. But they can put together some very persuasive sales pitches that prey on your worst fears. Just say no.
Trust me, I am not scared about my daughter not being able to get into college.
I have already discussed the need for her being well rounded, not only for being able to get into college, but most importantly, for her own mental well-being. She talked about volunteering this summer at a wild life park not far from here, but the logistics of getting her there and picking her up pose a problem. We are looking into this further.
I honestly don’t think we’ll need to sell the house, and of course we didn’t tell her that we’d sell the house if we had to. This was a private discussion between my husband and I. She doesn’t need the worry, guilt, etc. It’s tough enough being 15.
Finally, we’ll start looking at loans and financial aid when the time comes. I don’t think we’ll qualify for much financial aid as our income is fairly decent. Well, let’s put it this way, I’d be surprised if we qualified for much.
I think tonight we’ll put a lot of her fears to rest and she’s following up w/a guidance counselor.
Fill your daughter in on some college admission “tricks.”
Early decision process. The admit percent is higher for early decision applicants then for regular decision kids. In the past, some kids hoping for a good financial aid package have avoided the early decision route. There was a rule that you could only apply to one school early, and if you were offered a place in the class, you had to accept it. However, in a lot of top universities, that rule is being changed.
Late applications. This is an option not many people know about. Many good schools are routinely used as “safety” schools by super-smart kids expecting to be admitted to Columbia or Yale. So many of their applicants apply without any intention of accepting a place in the classes. So oftentimes, come May, these good schools are left with short classes. And if that’s the case, they will accept applications at that time. It takes a phone call and a little finagling with the admissions director.
If your daughter is a REALLY good student, and you’re worried about finances, there may be great news for you. Ivy League universities are totally revamping their need-based financial aid right now. Yale has recently announced that they’re doing away with expected parent contributions for any student whose family makes under $35,000 a year. Princeton has a similar system. Many other schools are making plans to follow suit, simply because they’re worried about losing applicants.
Other advice for applying: The personal essay is EVERY THING. Don’t shirk on it. Your recommendation letters are next. When asking teachers for a recommendation letter, give them a copy of your daughter’s resume. Having a list of her extracurricular activities/volunteer work/awards in front of them helps them write a well-thought out, detailed letter. Oh, and don’t waste your money on neat-o binders, folders, high-gloss paper, etc…it all gets tossed or kept by the work studies putting together the admissions packages.
I’ve worked in admissions for a top school for a few years. But I remember the agony of applying for college well enough to want to help. I’m keeping all this advice in mind for myself, when it comes time for grad school in a year or two!
I think that it’s really important to stress that she should do what she enjoys. If she enjoys taking AP classes and staying up late studying the SAT booklets, then that’s cool; but don’t go overboard. It’s just college and yes, it would be nice to get into a nice school, but everything happens for a reason.
I took bs classes my senior year of high school, took no AP courses at all, and I had mediocre SAT scores. I graduated with a 3.85 gpa, but I wasn’t stressing other classes. But I was also in 6 clubs and had a part-time job. Because of these, high school was bearable.
Even though I didn’t seem to be inclined to go to a good school, I had my heart set on UCLA. Alas, I didn’t get in. But I did get into UC Davis, and now I’m currently a fourth year, double major in psych and Asian American Studies. And I’m having the best time of my life! I still thank god that I didn’t get into UCLA.
So even though a nice name seems ideal, it may not be the best thing for you.
Hell, I’ve had friends who worked their butts off to get to UC Berkeley and a number of Ivy League schools. You know what? They went for a semester and came running home. It just wasn’t for them.
Just remember to look at the overall school and think about what setting would suit your child the best. I didn’t know that Davis was right for me, but it ended up being the best decision I made.
If it might help, I know some recent UW (you mentioned the WASL) grads who I think were marine bio majors. (or at least, that would be my guess given what they said about their majors… it was very fish oriented.) I can ask them if they’d be willing to email your daughter about the program there, and help alleviate some of her fears.