Surly kids who can't get into UT

[BabaYaga 15,286]

Someone just got a call from Carnegie Mellon.  I hear it's a decent school.  Texas would kick the shit out of them in the foozball.  Not SEC ready

[Pescado_Rojo 19,411]

On 9/29/2024 at 1:14 PM, South Austin said:

My best friend’s daughter is a sophomore at CU and is loving it. Only complaint is that the school and the town are really expensive.

In any event, you’ll have a great place to visit your daughter.

This is causing Rojo Jr a lot of heartburn. We got home from our Arkansas tour and started running numbers. The net of it is he could graduate from Arkansas/Tech/LSU, etc and have money left over for grad school or savings, or he could go to a Colorado school and graduate with $30K-$50K in debt. 

[LCHorn 2,612]

3 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

This is causing Rojo Jr a lot of heartburn. We got home from our Arkansas tour and started running numbers. The net of it is he could graduate from Arkansas/Tech/LSU, etc and have money left over for grad school or savings, or he could go to a Colorado school and graduate with $30K-$50K in debt. 

I would easily take on $30k-$50k debt to avoid those schools mentioned in favor of CU.  Have you been to Lubbock?  It’s like an episode of The Walking Dead when the kids aren’t in school.  

Edited October 2 by LCHorn

[South Austin 52,428]

Just now, Pescado_Rojo said:

This is causing Rojo Jr a lot of heartburn. We got home from our Arkansas tour and started running numbers. The net of it is he could graduate from Arkansas/Tech/LSU, etc and have money left over for grad school or savings, or he could go to a Colorado school and graduate with $30K-$50K in debt. 

My daughter didn't consider Colorado for other reasons, but am glad she didn't, because that school is notoriously stingy with any kind of merit aid for nonresidents, probably because the school is always in high demand.  Contrast that with Oregon, which threw some generous aid at my daughter, making her college choice so much easier on my finances.  And she got into the honors college, giving her a more rigorous curriculum than the gen pop.

You may be doing this, but have an honest conversation with your son about college finances.  Certainly over the academics in comparing universities, but be honest about what amount you can or will fund, and let them know that their choice might entail taking on a large amount of debt that could possibly take decades to pay off.

I'll be rooting for Arkansas, and would have no problem if my son considers going there.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,411]

18 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

I would easily take on $30k-$50k debt to avoid those schools mentioned in favor of CU.  Have you been to Lubbock?  It’s like an episode of The Walking Dead when the kids aren’t in school.  

he has no serious interest in Tech. He loved Arkansas largely because it gives him a similar outdoor experience to the Colorado schools at a significant discount. (Yes, RMNP is a better playground than the Ozarks, but for a Texas kid it's still a step up, and he has trout fishing in 3 states within 1.5 hrs of campus. (He's a big fly fisherman)

Edited October 2 by Pescado_Rojo

[Damor 1,236]

A niche comment, but for those with kids interested in Colorado schools, if they happen to be a registered member of a Native American tribe with historical ties to Colorado, they qualify for in-state tuition.

We heard about that from CSU when the older one visited, but did not realize that it applies to all state institutions in Colorado until later.  Would have saved me some last year, but better late than never.

Here's a list of the eligible tribes:

 

Spoiler

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Comanche Nation, Oklahoma
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Crow Tribe
Eastern Shoshone Tribe (Wind River Reservation)
Fort Sill Apache Tribe
The Hopi Tribe
Jicarilla Apache Nation
Kewa Pueblo (formerly the Pueblo of Santo Domingo)
Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Mescalero Apache Tribe
Navajo Nation
Northern Arapaho Tribe
Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Oglala Sioux Tribe
Ohkay Owingeh (Pueblo of San Juan)
Osage Nation
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Pueblo of Acoma
Pueblo de Cochiti
Pueblo of Isleta
Pueblo of Jemez
Pueblo of Laguna
Pueblo of Nambe
Pueblo of Picuris
Pueblo of Pojoaque
Pueblo of San Felipe
Pueblo of San Ildefonso
Pueblo of Sandia
Pueblo of Santa Ana
Pueblo of Santa Clara
Pueblo of Taos
Pueblo of Tesuque
Pueblo of Zia
Rosebud Sioux Tribe
San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Three Affiliated Tribes
Ute Indian Tribe (Uintah & Ouray Reservation)
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
Wichita & Affiliated Tribes
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation
 

I expect this will further inspire the younger one to look hard at CU/CSU.

[royiv 9,234]

1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

he has no serious interest in Tech. He loved Arkansas largely because it gives him a similar outdoor experience to the Colorado schools at a significant discount. (Yes, RMNP is a better playground than the Ozarks, but for a Texas kid it's still a step up, and he has trout fishing in 3 states within 1.5 hrs of campus. (He's a big fly fisherman)

Fayetteville is a cool college town and that part of the country is beautiful. Have friends that had a son graduate from Arkansas and he was super happy there and they were super happy with the school. If he wants the college town experience, I would think it would be a reallly good option.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,411]

1 hour ago, royiv said:

Fayetteville is a cool college town and that part of the country is beautiful. Have friends that had a son graduate from Arkansas and he was super happy there and they were super happy with the school. If he wants the college town experience, I would think it would be a reallly good option.

Yea, between all my various friend groups I probably know 7-8 families that sent kids up there and none of them have had a bad thing to say about it. 

[CooterBrown 18,001]

Junior Brown is now 3/3 acceptances and was offered $22,000/year merit award at the University of Maine. I had forgotten she’d applied there. So, now we just need the Colorado schools, Vermont, and UMass to get off their asses and make a decision.

[F250 28,760]

On 10/8/2024 at 8:53 PM, CooterBrown said:

Junior Brown is now 3/3 acceptances and was offered $22,000/year merit award at the University of Maine. I had forgotten she’d applied there. So, now we just need the Colorado schools, Vermont, and UMass to get off their asses and make a decision.

My nephew graduated from UMass last Spring. He apparently likes the region and has no plans to return to Texas.

[Hermanator 7,030]

On 10/2/2024 at 10:11 AM, LCHorn said:

I would easily take on $30k-$50k debt to avoid those schools mentioned in favor of CU.  Have you been to Lubbock?  It’s like an episode of The Walking Dead when the kids aren’t in school.  

Unless your parents are going to easily wipe out that 50k in debt that's a ridiculously stupid answer. 

These kids don't realize how shitty it feels when you get out of school, have to start the grind of soul sucking real life office work, and have to make a huge loan payment every month for school you already finished. I only had a small payment of $98 a month in the mid 2000s because my scholarships covered almost everything, but even that sucked ass for a few years. I can't imagine a $400+ a month payment for years.  

[TwiceHorn 31,429]

On 9/30/2024 at 9:12 AM, BabaYaga said:

One of these schools is not like the other...

Right, and it's GT.  Clemson is a much better school, particularly for engineering, than OM.

But GT is near-MIT caliber.

I kind of stumbled into engineering at UT, but there's a handful of schools That I could have "done better" with if I had been more intentional about it.  MIT and Georgia Tech are probably 1 and 2.  GT, like MIT, is also pretty scrong on business.

Edited October 10 by TwiceHorn

[LCHorn 2,612]

1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

I can't imagine a $400+ a month payment for years.  

Colorado is clearly a winner as the economy continues to transition to one dominated by tech firms looking to establish themselves outside of California.  I think about it more about placing a bet on that, and the improved job prospects that come with it, than about the debt itself.  
 

$30k-$50k is also not that much money over a lifetime unless your heart is set on working in the public sector (and those jobs generally include some form of debt forgiveness).  Try not to look at the world entirely through the context of your personal experience.  

[Iceman 2,690]

On 10/2/2024 at 10:11 AM, LCHorn said:

  Have you been to Lubbock?  It’s like an episode of The Walking Dead when the kids aren’t in school.  

That goes for any true college town, but that's also what makes it fucking great when class is in.  Not even gonna begin to defend the South Plains vs Boulder in general, but of all the knocks on LBK, 'not being a great college town' is not one of them.

[Bateshorn 9,926]

On 10/8/2024 at 9:53 PM, CooterBrown said:

Junior Brown is now 3/3 acceptances and was offered $22,000/year merit award at the University of Maine. I had forgotten she’d applied there. So, now we just need the Colorado schools, Vermont, and UMass to get off their asses and make a decision.

Orono is certainly a choice.  Has your child ever gone through a real winter?  

Edited October 10 by Bateshorn

[BabaYaga 15,286]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

Orono is certainly a choice.  Has your child ever gone through a real winter?  

Troof.  Folks spent some time up there.  There's a reason half the state bails in the winter

[Hermanator 7,030]

6 hours ago, LCHorn said:

Colorado is clearly a winner as the economy continues to transition to one dominated by tech firms looking to establish themselves outside of California.  I think about it more about placing a bet on that, and the improved job prospects that come with it, than about the debt itself.  
 

$30k-$50k is also not that much money over a lifetime unless your heart is set on working in the public sector (and those jobs generally include some form of debt forgiveness).  Try not to look at the world entirely through the context of your personal experience.  

Yeah, student debt relief/forgiveness is such a big hot button political issue right now because it's only my experience. 

I didn't even have that experience. I had a far better one and even that was a pain in the ass to a mid 20s kid coming out of college. 

All of the people this pertains to aren't rich. Rich people pay their kid's college up front. So it's a huge gamble to take that the kid will 1) like the field of work they have no prior experience in when making the debt decision and 2) be earning enough quickly to resolve that debt and still be able to take care of themselves financially. 

Even then, like I said, seeing $400 or more every month go out of your account for shit you've already done in the past would really really suck. Even if the kid is pulling $125k right out the gate it would still suck. And the odds of that are very slim. 

Just a stupid decision to make. 

[Gatorubet 30,183]

On 10/3/2024 at 4:07 AM, Pescado_Rojo said:

This is causing Rojo Jr a lot of heartburn. We got home from our Arkansas tour and started running numbers. The net of it is he could graduate from Arkansas/Tech/LSU, etc and have money left over for grad school or savings, or he could go to a Colorado school and graduate with $30K-$50K in debt. 

like anything else, it’s all about what major he is pursuing. Some average schools have one really great department that is a recognized nationally, and some really great schools have one or two majors where they don’t stand out.   I assume like most freshman he really has no idea what the hell he wants to do.

But if he’s into landscape architecture or coastal environmental science, LSU would be a fantastic fit.    Lord knows as a Florida grad proud of our academic ranking I am not here singing the praises of LSU.  but those two programs have a very decent national reputation.

My point is that his anticipated major makes this more than just a binary $ - general rep choice.

 

[txduck87 985]

Hitting send on 8 apps today including Texas. Glad that shit is over. Now we wait.

[tx 3 putt 76,858]

 

[SimonBolivar 10,957]

42 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Hello Angelo State!

[Bevo 13,557]

23 hours ago, Hermanator said:

All of the people this pertains to aren't rich. Rich people pay their kid's college up front.

It isn't as easy as it use to be. $60K per year plus housing and living expenses ends up being like $350K. 4 kids makes that $1.4M. That's a lot of money even for those earning $400K per year.

[jimmyjazz 45,877]

3 minutes ago, Bevo said:

It isn't as easy as it use to be. $60K per year plus housing and living expenses ends up being like $350K. 4 kids makes that $1.4M. That's a lot of money even for those earning $400K per year.

Depends on the school.  I'm currently paying about $45K annual to send two kids to UT, housing included.  (They handle the food.)  I refuse to saddle them with a giant amount of debt.

[CleverNickname 1,308]

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

[SurlyGator 864]

Senior daughter (no pics, ya pervs) has a 32 ACT and a 4.3 GPA and lives in an affluent zip code here in metro Nashville, so we are getting boatloads of mail from private schools.  UChicago has sent her a metric fuck ton.  SMU quite a bit, Cornell, Johns Hopkins.  Likely either going to a Christian school or Honors program in-state.

[Bevo 13,557]

56 minutes ago, SurlyGator said:

Senior daughter (no pics, ya pervs) has a 32 ACT and a 4.3 GPA and lives in an affluent zip code here in metro Nashville, so we are getting boatloads of mail from private schools.  UChicago has sent her a metric fuck ton.  SMU quite a bit, Cornell, Johns Hopkins.  Likely either going to a Christian school or Honors program in-state.

 

So not Harpeth Hall. Must be Brentwood Academy.

Edited October 11 by Bevo

[SurlyGator 864]

46 minutes ago, Bevo said:

 

So not Harpeth Hall. Must be Brentwood Academy.

Christian college, not high school.  She currently goes to Brentwood High, BA's biggest public school rival.

[txduck87 985]

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

Hard to answer. Kids looking at public or private? In state or out? You looking to cover 100% of costs? Could range from 100k to 350k a kid.

[Bevo 13,557]

54 minutes ago, SurlyGator said:

Christian college, not high school.  She currently goes to Brentwood High, BA's biggest public school rival.

I got it - I just figured that if she went to Harpeth Hall, a Catholic high school, that she would probably go either to a secular or Catholic college. That's why I ruled it out.

Edited October 12 by Bevo

[Jerry Callo 8,694]

15 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

It is tough to answer.  You should figure out tuition and expenses for 4-5 years, housing for the number of years they plan to stay on campus.  Obviously more if you are looking at paying tuition and expenses for grad school.  I didn't get good vibes about trying to pay off campus housing out of the 529 - look into those rules.

We have two kids, now 21 and almost 20 - entered Texas state colleges two years apart.  We started their 529 when they were born with $7500 each.  Contributed a measly amount monthly until they were in high school and decided to quit playing club sports.  At that point, we took the club sports money and started catching up with the 529 - about $550 per month.  Both had between $30-40k in the 529 when they started.  We continued to pay the $550 per month into the 529 for their first year in college.  Not knowing how far we could stretch the 529, we had them take out some student loans.  I haven't told them we will cover the loans - I like them to have some skin in the game.

Once oldest moved off campus, we started giving her $1100 per month for rent, food, utilities, etc. - hers to budget.  This was out of our pocket.  Continued to pay the $550 per month for each to the 529.  Once I realized she had enough in the 529 to cover the tuition through graduation, we stopped paying $550 into her 529.  Once youngest moved off campus, we stopped paying into either 529 and started paying her a monthly amount for rent, food, utilities, etc.  She had a little more in her 529 because she stopped playing club soccer her junior year in high school and she had some merit based scholarships.  She's planning on PT school, so there will be some for grad school tuition.

Oldest graduates in May from Texas.  She will still have > $10k in the 529.  You can use $10k to pay student loans and we'll cover what ever is left.  Any money remaining in the 529 can be used for grad school or covered into a retirement plan.

Youngest is set to graduate May 2026 from Texas State.  Since she should get through in three years and had some scholarship money, she'll have more left in the 529.  That will cover some of the grad school and paying the smaller amount of student loans she has.

None of this was part of a grand plan, just me juggling money based upon the given circumstances.  I posted all of this to demonstrate that the 529 money can be stretched in various ways and that you should expect to pay some living expenses out-of-pocket.  I'm glad its worked out that there will not be too much left in the 529.  While giving them a jump start on retirement is nice, I'd rather have the extra money for our retirement.  They'll get theirs when we kick the bucket.

 

 

 

[troph 24,781]

Jerry we are similar probably have 2 years of tuition  (could be out of state public with some merit based tuition help) for two kids each saved and I’m putting $1200/mo total split between two accounts right now for a junior and freshman. I think we will keep putting that much in until they graduate, but we will have reduced expenses as they enter college from a $1000 car payment that ends in 6 months on a 2016 EV that’s still relevant and nice to drive and $2400 in child support that we will reserve for absorbing college expenses.  I think we will probably pay 2 years of tuition out of 529, 1 year out of pocket, worst case borrow with student loans the last and I’ll pay that off for them and then absorb living expenses out of that monthly savings too. I think we can do it but no doubt it will suck.

Edited October 12 by troph

[sasquatch69 596]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:47 AM, Pescado_Rojo said:

Got home last night from touring Arkansas with my son and I think they're the leader in the clubhouse. He's a very outdoorsy kid, so we drove up to Flippin Saturday and stayed at White River Trout Club and fished with an awesome younger guide Sunday. The drive from Flippin to Fayetteville is beautiful but aggravating with the slow-ass Arkies on two lane roads. It was cloudy but low 70s yesterday, which was awesome with all the walking. They do a great job with the tours with the personalized itinerary packets, free t shits, stickers, etc. I think 5 of our 6 tour guides were Texas kids. We toured the rec building, general campus tour, and the School of Engineering, then had the admissions presentation. With his GPA and test scores, it's got to be one of the best education values in the country. I love how they lean into the outdoor opportunities as part of the college experience there. They've even got a mini outfitter in the Rec center where you can check out gear like sleeping bags and tents, rock climbing gear etc for free. You can even rent nice full suspension mountain bikes for $10/day. We've still got CU and CSU next month, but unless they throw money at him I'd bet he ends up at UA. 

We did our Ark. tour a few weeks ago, with similar results - it's now my senior's top choice.  He also toured UT, Tech, UNT and TCU.  He felt UT was too big and, as a parent, the tour was pretty lackluster compared to the other schools (they don't have to do too much because of demand, I guess).  He really liked TCU, but I just can't stomach the cost even with merit-based aid. 

Arkansas was gorgeous, really rolled out the red carpet for prospective students, and is a bargain given the aid he's eligible for (32 ACT and 4.0 GPA).  He wants to do poli sci, which worried me given the state's overall politics, but the school seems well-regarded and pretty even-keeled in terms of overall nonpartisanship.  I really hope he sticks with it as his top choice - I'd really love to make the trip up there for games and general visits every so often.  One of his closest friends is leaning towards Ark. for the architecture program, which may also influence his decision to go up there already having a potential roommate.

Edited October 14 by sasquatch69

[tx 3 putt 76,858]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:47 AM, Pescado_Rojo said:

Got home last night from touring Arkansas with my son and I think they're the leader in the clubhouse. He's a very outdoorsy kid, so we drove up to Flippin Saturday and stayed at White River Trout Club and fished with an awesome younger guide Sunday. The drive from Flippin to Fayetteville is beautiful but aggravating with the slow-ass Arkies on two lane roads. It was cloudy but low 70s yesterday, which was awesome with all the walking. They do a great job with the tours with the personalized itinerary packets, free t shits, stickers, etc. I think 5 of our 6 tour guides were Texas kids. We toured the rec building, general campus tour, and the School of Engineering, then had the admissions presentation. With his GPA and test scores, it's got to be one of the best education values in the country. I love how they lean into the outdoor opportunities as part of the college experience there. They've even got a mini outfitter in the Rec center where you can check out gear like sleeping bags and tents, rock climbing gear etc for free. You can even rent nice full suspension mountain bikes for $10/day. We've still got CU and CSU next month, but unless they throw money at him I'd bet he ends up at UA. 

 

i highly recommend an engineering degree from any accredited engineering college 

my first job was offshore work. had an arkie eng grad in the hiring group. nice guy but it wasn’t for him. he quit and took n a job with revelon i think 

Edited October 14 by tx 3 putt

[Dennis Taylor 18,807]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:21 PM, CleverNickname said:

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

 

On 10/11/2024 at 7:37 PM, txduck87 said:

Hard to answer. Kids looking at public or private? In state or out? You looking to cover 100% of costs? Could range from 100k to 350k a kid.

Obviously.. 

[CooterBrown 18,001]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:21 PM, CleverNickname said:

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

My goal is $120,000 in each account since that roughly covers 4 years of in state tuition/room/board. 

I am about $5K shy of that goal for my oldest but she'll be there by graduation.  I will continue to contribute to her fund through her junior year of college. I made the mistake of doing the age-based option for the first 10 years and that had a shitty return since it was so conservative.  Once I switched to just an S&P 500 index, it took off.  My youngest is in 6th grade and already has $80,000 in her 529 because her account never wasted time in the age-based fund.

 

[Born to Run 6,569]

On 10/2/2024 at 10:16 AM, Pescado_Rojo said:

he has no serious interest in Tech. He loved Arkansas largely because it gives him a similar outdoor experience to the Colorado schools at a significant discount. (Yes, RMNP is a better playground than the Ozarks, but for a Texas kid it's still a step up, and he has trout fishing in 3 states within 1.5 hrs of campus. (He's a big fly fisherman)

Same with my kid. Loves mountain biking, fishing and camping.  Loved CU, but aid is unlikely and he has $120k to work with. Touring Ark soon.

 

I just pray he doesn't go to Aggie.  There is nothing to do but drink beer and the campus sucks ass and is massive. He's got a couple budfies going; they are not what I'd consider positive influences.

it sucks that senior year grades don't count towards admissions because he's crushing his all AP workload but he kinda fucked off freshman year and didn't know to take athletics as pass fail so it brought his GPA down.

 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,411]

22 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

Same with my kid. Loves mountain biking, fishing and camping.  Loved CU, but aid is unlikely and he has $120k to work with. Touring Ark soon.

 

I just pray he doesn't go to Aggie.  There is nothing to do but drink beer and the campus sucks ass and is massive. He's got a couple budfies going; they are not what I'd consider positive influences.

it sucks that senior year grades don't count towards admissions because he's crushing his all AP workload but he kinda fucked off freshman year and didn't know to take athletics as pass fail so it brought his GPA down.

 

Arkansas admissions counselor told us they will look at all available grades when making their admissions decision. Same with LSU. I figure as long as his GPA is in one of the discount bands, he's probably safely in. He's safely in the 70% band, but only .15% from the 80% band and has a good chance to get there by the end of the semester. 

My daughter is going to A&M, even if she has to do the TEAM program with Blinn to get there. She's got a 3.85 unweighted GPA and several AP credits and dual credit hours, but isn't top 6% at our high school full of Apple Engineer's kids. I'm competing with about 75% of her friend group, her mom and grandparents, and her boyfriend. I'm at the point where if I try to talk her out of it any harder I'll damage our relationship. My son has been talking up UA, so hopefully she'll listen to him and at least take the tour. She'd be in the 90% discount band, and the Walton school is pretty equal to Mays these days. 

[MinerProphet 71]

First Quarter of Freshman year is drawing to a close. It's become ever apparent that we need to accept the reality; Prophet Jr. is never going to be an Academic All-American. He's not gonna sniff the Top-10. He's bringing home a smattering of A's & B's and even one C.

What's a B-average student in modern times to do? He's a diehard Longhorn and I've started to have conversations with him about being realistic in the hopes of taking some of the sting away when reality finally sets in-- but we have also talked about the CAP program and UTSA or something.

Otherwise, I know having a B-average student in 2024 (especially, probably here) is like how admitting you had depression in the 80's was in that nobody really talks about it openly, but if anyone can help point in the right direction I'd be grateful. We essentially want him to get in the best possible school for where and who he is so he can be succesful and then ideally take that into a career to be succesful. 

[Brew 3,049]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:21 PM, CleverNickname said:

I bet this has been asked and answered, but what is a good target number (in 2024 dollars) for 529 accounts? 

Realistically, $200k would be a good start. Maybe they end up in state with money, maybe they go small school and get scholarships, but I would plan for the not so great side of it. $50k-$60k a year gets pretty close at most places eliminating the Wake Forests and Northeast schools of the world. I didn’t plan very well for our oldest because we always assumed she would be covered. She picked the one school giving no money and charging out of state, so $55k a year later she is living her best life where she wants to be while also putting in the work to be running near the top of her class. 

[Brew 3,049]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:50 PM, SurlyGator said:

Senior daughter (no pics, ya pervs) has a 32 ACT and a 4.3 GPA and lives in an affluent zip code here in metro Nashville, so we are getting boatloads of mail from private schools.  UChicago has sent her a metric fuck ton.  SMU quite a bit, Cornell, Johns Hopkins.  Likely either going to a Christian school or Honors program in-state.

Chicago was always the interesting one for our oldest. They wore her out with mail which I never quite got with their acceptance rates. We toured, but college campuses up North just aren’t like the campuses in the south and she wanted the big, SEC, undergrad experience. She is pretty set on applying there for law school, but she ended up passing on applying for undergrad which I was surprised by.

[Texas Jeff 1,942]

9 hours ago, MinerProphet said:

First Quarter of Freshman year is drawing to a close. It's become ever apparent that we need to accept the reality; Prophet Jr. is never going to be an Academic All-American. He's not gonna sniff the Top-10. He's bringing home a smattering of A's & B's and even one C.

What's a B-average student in modern times to do? He's a diehard Longhorn and I've started to have conversations with him about being realistic in the hopes of taking some of the sting away when reality finally sets in-- but we have also talked about the CAP program and UTSA or something.

Otherwise, I know having a B-average student in 2024 (especially, probably here) is like how admitting you had depression in the 80's was in that nobody really talks about it openly, but if anyone can help point in the right direction I'd be grateful. We essentially want him to get in the best possible school for where and who he is so he can be succesful and then ideally take that into a career to be succesful. 

So, freshman is kinda young, you have a long way to go -- but perhaps things y'all can think about:

* Where does he want to go to school?  Far away or close by?
* Does he like a big school, medium school, or small school?  Walk around on a few campuses to see what fits.
* What does he enjoy doing or see as a possible career?  Working at a job that you enjoy is a lot more rewarding than doing something you don't, especially for 30-40 years.  What will that pay and what is the cost of getting the degree that will lead to that career?
* What resources does he have to afford four years of college life?  Can he get through an undergrad without going into debt, including possibly working during high school or college to provide funds if needed.  What are the parents able to provide?  Can he avoid debt?

These answers might give you a framework to start looking around.  And the answers will probably change over the next few years.  If he finds a campus that he likes, check out some YouTube videos of students actually at that school to see if it still seems like a fit.

Once you have a rough idea of his GPA or SAT score, there are websites and books that will tell you the average SAT scores for various colleges and you'll be able to think about target and reach schools and start to zero in on his options.  But that's still in the future.

Texas schools are cheap if you are in-state.  My kids had a few friends that went to top out of state schools, some went to UT/TAMU, others to UT system schools or SEC/Big-12 schools with some merit, and still others that are thriving at Texas State.  Others are doing the basics at ACC for free with a plan to transfer to a "name" school for the final two years.  A big spectrum.

[Jerry Callo 8,694]

I saw this while checking out my morning Community Impact email - see which Texas schools will automatically accept even before applying:  Direct Admissions.  If you have kids already in the process, you probably know about this already.  It was new to me, so I thought I'd post it here.

 

[sasquatch69 596]

Question for parents of college kids (or Surlyites who work in admissions):  Many of the schools that are a bit less rigorous overall have an "honors college" that is much more selective and has specific classes that are touted as more challenging/engaging.  Anyone here have experience with those?  Are they worth it/as advertised?

[jimmyjazz 45,877]

21 hours ago, MinerProphet said:

First Quarter of Freshman year is drawing to a close. It's become ever apparent that we need to accept the reality; Prophet Jr. is never going to be an Academic All-American. He's not gonna sniff the Top-10. He's bringing home a smattering of A's & B's and even one C.

What's a B-average student in modern times to do? He's a diehard Longhorn and I've started to have conversations with him about being realistic in the hopes of taking some of the sting away when reality finally sets in-- but we have also talked about the CAP program and UTSA or something.

WAY too early to write off UT.  Both my kids CAPed in, one with borderline top 6% grades, one so far off that mark I about had a stroke when he got the CAP admission.  He spent a year at Tyler and is now on the 40 Acres.  Summa cum laude ain't happening, but barring a major meltdown he'll graduate.

I would use CAP as a carrot on a stick to get him to improve what are honestly very early grades.  You just never know.

[Born to Run 6,569]

On 10/15/2024 at 3:04 PM, MinerProphet said:

First Quarter of Freshman year is drawing to a close. It's become ever apparent that we need to accept the reality; Prophet Jr. is never going to be an Academic All-American. He's not gonna sniff the Top-10. He's bringing home a smattering of A's & B's and even one C.

What's a B-average student in modern times to do? He's a diehard Longhorn and I've started to have conversations with him about being realistic in the hopes of taking some of the sting away when reality finally sets in-- but we have also talked about the CAP program and UTSA or something.

Otherwise, I know having a B-average student in 2024 (especially, probably here) is like how admitting you had depression in the 80's was in that nobody really talks about it openly, but if anyone can help point in the right direction I'd be grateful. We essentially want him to get in the best possible school for where and who he is so he can be succesful and then ideally take that into a career to be succesful. 

Mine snapped out if after a subpar freshman year; with getting into UT as a primary motivator, he's close now but likely not making the cut.

  As parents you can only do so much.  I know plenty of very wealthy people that were late bloomers that attended Texas State etc.  On of my buddies is retired at 49 with a Sam Houston degree...

[troph 24,781]

Hey @MinerProphet my oldest is 21 and at ACC. Everyone has their journey. 

[Brew 3,049]

9 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

Question for parents of college kids (or Surlyites who work in admissions):  Many of the schools that are a bit less rigorous overall have an "honors college" that is much more selective and has specific classes that are touted as more challenging/engaging.  Anyone here have experience with those?  Are they worth it/as advertised?

Depends on the school, but it’s definitely worth a look especially with the state schools. You tend to get better dorm selection, priority class registration, better intern/study abroad opportunities, etc. Daughter gets to register before the seniors for classes due to honors college enrollment.

[South Austin 52,428]

6 hours ago, Brew said:

Depends on the school, but it’s definitely worth a look especially with the state schools. You tend to get better dorm selection, priority class registration, better intern/study abroad opportunities, etc. Daughter gets to register before the seniors for classes due to honors college enrollment.

My daughter’s only in her first month at Oregon’s Clark Honors College, but this seems pretty much like it. And I think there’s an upperclass thesis requirement and more overall academic rigor than gen pop.

And if there’s any concern that a university’s academic standing is an issue for grad schools or employers, I think an honor’s college distinction can help. Sort of like big fish in a big pond.

Edited October 17 by South Austin

[Tailgate 3,021]

On 10/15/2024 at 3:04 PM, MinerProphet said:

First Quarter of Freshman year is drawing to a close. It's become ever apparent that we need to accept the reality; Prophet Jr. is never going to be an Academic All-American. He's not gonna sniff the Top-10. He's bringing home a smattering of A's & B's and even one C.

What's a B-average student in modern times to do? He's a diehard Longhorn and I've started to have conversations with him about being realistic in the hopes of taking some of the sting away when reality finally sets in-- but we have also talked about the CAP program and UTSA or something.

Otherwise, I know having a B-average student in 2024 (especially, probably here) is like how admitting you had depression in the 80's was in that nobody really talks about it openly, but if anyone can help point in the right direction I'd be grateful. We essentially want him to get in the best possible school for where and who he is so he can be succesful and then ideally take that into a career to be succesful. 

I was a C student in H.S. I was a diehard Horn and like someone else said, woke up my junior year and worked my tail off. Still didn’t have grades or test scores to get in so I went what’s now called the CAP route. I believe perseverance and hard work will win all day. If he’s got that, he’ll find his way. 

[MinerProphet 71]

Appreciate all the responses @Tailgate @troph @Born to Run @jimmyjazz @Texas Jeff

Follow-on question: while being a Solid-B student is generally not gonna get him to where he wants to be without some sort of CAP, etc., is the phenomenon from back in my day of being a B-student but doing awesome on the SAT's still work? Essentially, can a 1400+ (or 1500+?) SAT score do the heavy lifting that the average GPA can't do in college applications? To be honest and I've told Jr. this-- that is how I got into UT back in the day.

Times are so different that I don't even understand what "Test Optional" applications mean and if you should still send in a test or not and if a killer SAT score can rule the day as a sort of bail-out for not being a great student, but being intelligent.

If any of that makes sense.