Thank you! One of my friends is a database consultant, or something of that nature, part-time, and one of the databases she keeps up is a national scholarship listing: everything from your “left-handed low-income American Indian from Wyoming” to the Gatling Gun scholarship (anyone named Gatling or Gatlin who meets the basic standards can go to East Carolina University for free).
Bill is limited only by his own motivation. He probably could get into Yale or University of Chicago - they’ve been sending him stuff since his PSAT score was posted - but he might be paralyzed if he wound up in such an alien environment. He doesn’t handle new things well! If he wanted to try it, we’d support him, but I think he’s the best judge of what challenges he’s ready to face.
One of his friends from Boy Scouts - Eagle Scout, all the right grades and scores and AP exams, big star at Butler High - went to UNC-Chapel Hill and just wasn’t ready to deal with the independence. He only passed three or four classes in a year. I saw the same thing with some kids who got into Trinity on scholarship back in ‘84-’85, and it happened when my brother went to Duke in 1982. (He eventually had an outstanding Air Force career and got his Master’s from U of Md overseas extension while posted in England.)
I think it’s a lot easier, personally and financially, to take off from a cautious start than it is to recover from a disastrous overreach. Obviously that’s not every student’s position, but they show us what they’re really ready to tackle *right now*, if we’re paying attention. If Bill is ready to tackle Yale or Clemson or Appalachian State next fall, he’ll show us by getting the applications started (as we’ve mentioned many times ;-), just like Anoreth said, “I’m a graduate!” when she was 17, and went over to Central Piedmont, took the placement tests, signed up, and then called me to come over and write a check.
Hmmm... that's an interesting perspective.
I guess no one in our family ever contemplates the possibility of failure in academic endeavors.
Well, two good schools that would be academically challenging, that would give pretty good amounts of aid, but that wouldn't be as high-pressure as an Ivy or Hopkins, would be Notre Dame and Catholic in DC.
We have friends whose daughter is at Notre Dame. Very large, mostly-devout Catholic student body (we won't talk about the folks who run the place). She really loves the school. She's in the honors program, so her curriculum is a bear. But the regular curriculum, though still challenging, isn't too terribly tough, especially for a bright young man.
In fact, our friends’ daughter jokes, “Notre Dame is a good place for smart young Catholics to come who don't want to work too hard in college.”
The young lady's father teaches at Catholic, and her sister is currently at Catholic. Pretty good programs, but not too overly-demanding. Pretty laid-back environment. Lots of opportunity to be a devout, faithful Catholic without getting put down or insulted.
And not too far from North Carolina.
But, I now many of my older son's buddies are looking at state schools. If you like your family, it's nice to be near them through college. I lived at home and commuted to Catholic. I know our son's first pick is Hopkins, which is less than an hour away.
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