I went to the Ivy League College Night last Thursday. Sarah did not - she had the homecoming parade and pep rally. I went and watched the parade- that was pretty cool. All the student organizations were there: band, color guard, cheerleaders, football, ROTC, FFA and so on.
It was a nice transition to the College Night. Everyone wanted to know the answer to the question: What do I need to do to get in?
The pat answer was good grades in tough courses. Competitive standardized scores. Good essays. Extracurricular activities that might transition well to college. After all, they've got a football team to fill, a women's swimming team, a Glee club, a student council and so on. And not every place is looking for the same thing.
It's big business now. The average private college is $35K a year tuition plus room, board, fees, travel, extras, and so on. Financial aid may take a piece, but that is another uncertain dark art they practice - "We've can't tell you until after you give us everything we need [everything?]
The good news is that I'd stack the students here against any students anywhere. Lots of motivated, smart students. And they do a lot with not all of the advantages that other students elsewhere might have.
No comments:
Post a Comment