Parents on the Coli of Future College Students

[Lucky_Lefty]

Not sure (and highly doubt) there’s a thread like this but….any of y’all care to share your experiences with us that are just entering the process? Mine is just beginning the process and has picked her dream schools, her 50/50 ones and her guaranteed admission ones. Paying for this is gonna be easy since one of the last things I did while on active duty was sign my GI Bill over to her. I got plenty of questions but everyone should share there’s as well help each other out here.

 

[Rekkapryde]

My oldest is in his freshman year. Thankful he wanted to Goto a school in state and my wife and I saved up a decent chunk in his 529. He got HOPE as well in Georgia. Early admission is a must but the period has ended at most colleges around this time of year.

Visit the school- a must

Speak to the dean of the college if the major your kid is interested in. General Info session on the school is okay but it isn’t enough. Do the specific major info session to make sure this is what your kid wants to do.

Get in early on housing. Apply now so you not screwed potentially (like I was. Now I’m paying for off campus housing because they didn’t have enough rooms on campus. Too my residence application fee knowing they had no room and of course it’s non refundable.)

Fafsa, get it done asap!!!

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Get in early on housing. Apply now so you not screwed potentially (like I was.

My kid will be getting a housing stipend dependent on where she attends. Thing is, majority of the schools she wants to attend required first year stay on campus.

Which schools did your son apply to and if you remember, what sort of academic profile were they looking for? My kid is a (lovable) weirdo and has places like the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison and Oklahoma St on her wishlist. Regardless of which one she picks on the public side of things, she’ll be getting the in-state rate. I’m just glad she has 3 HBCUs at the top of her list and 4 total.

 

[Rekkapryde]

My kid will be getting a housing stipend dependent on where she attends. Thing is, majority of the schools she wants to attend required first year stay on campus.

Which schools did your son apply to and if you remember, what sort of academic profile were they looking for? My kid is a (lovable) weirdo and has places like the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison and Oklahoma St on her wishlist. Regardless of which one she picks on the public side of things, she’ll be getting the in-state rate. I’m just glad she has 3 HBCUs at the top of her list and 4 total.

UNC Chapel Hill (didn’t get in but we both knew after the visit we took. Only like 5% of acceptances are outside of North Carolina, which makes that even lower for minorities outside of NC)

Applied to Morehouse but I don’t think he finished the application. Didn’t wanna go anyway and it’s expensive as fukk.

He got a conditional acceptance to GT where he has to do his first year at another school. If he gets a 3.5 and completes the requisite classes for his major, he’s automatically admitted for Tech his sophomore year so that’s his plan. He is at Kennesaw Stae which is where he wanted to do his first year. LOTS of legacy kids are getting conditional acceptances here in Georgia to UGA and GT. Especially minority legacies. I know 5 kids that got conditionals alone. Real interesting

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

He is at Kennesaw Stae which is where he wanted to do his first year. LOTS of legacy kids are getting conditional acceptances here in Georgia to UGA and GT.

Mines considered KSU, hell, I tried to talk her into it but she passed. Surprisingly passed on Spelman/CAU/Ga St and Tech.

The preliminary list has: Howard (which is her dream school), Hampton, Columbia, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin , FIU, FAMU, Arizona St, KU, Texas, OkSt

We’re casting a large net

 

[Rekkapryde]

Mines considered KSU, hell, I tried to talk her into it but she passed. Surprisingly passed on Spelman/CAU/Ga St and Tech.

The preliminary list has: Howard (which is her dream school), Hampton, Columbia, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin , FIU, FAMU, Arizona St, KU, Texas, OkSt

We’re casting a large net

Nowadays being black isnt a plus anymore when applying. Just make sure you focus her on places highly ranked in her major and got some clout. Gotta take advantage of every angle you can.

Howard and Hampton are great hbcus. My baby sister graduated Hampton a few years ago. The Ivys with Columbia . Northwestern is also a great rep school. Legacy at KU. She got options.

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

How far out did your kids start going on campus tours?

 

[Booker Carver]

How far out did your kids start going on campus tours?

I have a high school sophomore and we’re starting college tours this year. Morehouse also has a leadership course this summer we’re trying to get into.

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

I have a high school sophomore and we’re starting college tours this year. Morehouse also has a leadership course this summer we’re trying to get into.

Same. Hitting up FSU, FAMU, Georgetown and Howard during spring break

 

[Booker Carver]

Same. Hitting up FSU, FAMU, Georgetown and Howard during spring break

Y’all in J&J?

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Y’all in J&J?

Nah. She's just getting involved in Zeta Youth tho through a close friend. She is the typical teen loner introvert, so making her do that to expand her friend circle

 

[Rekkapryde]

Nah. She's just getting involved in Zeta Youth tho through a close friend. She is the typical teen loner introvert, so making her do that to expand her friend circle

My youngest in Kappa League (he’s in 8th grade). To get some other positive black male mentors and voices in his life other than me, family, and our church folk. Also to keep exposing him to shyt outside of soccer and band.

 

[Rekkapryde]

Another good gem.

if you already have good credit, open a secondary account as an additional cardholder for your kid once they turn 16. Did that with my oldest when he turned 16 and gave him his "own" account under my AMEX platinum (he got a Delta Gold Amex in his name under his social as an additional cardholder under my account). Of course with Amex you have to pay your balance off every month or pay their massive interest, so my old lady and me like to make big purchases on it and I have had him do some from time to time and we paid it over every statement. Anyway, 2 years later when he's eligible to open up his own CreditKarma account, his score is 758 from the 2 years we did buying and paying shyt off monthly on the credit card in his name. Starting off life with good credit, esp being black, is a nice feather in the hat.

 

[daboywonder2002]

Wow this post came right on time. So I've narrow down 4 states I wanna move to- Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia. Which of these has the strongest education system ? When it comes to high schools and also colleges. I know about Virginia because my mom is in Chesapeake. I went to Hampton, sister Virginia Wesleyan. I know about ODU, Virginia State, Norfolk state, etc.

So I have a child that will be going into high school. Another in middle school. So these next 4 years are critical as I'm looking for pure stability not having to relocate kids while in high school.
When it comes to high school- Looking for great academics, diversity being African American, good band program and athletics. A school that is focused on developing kids and not just wins and losses. A school where going to college is the standard, not just if you work hard, you might have a chance.

College- Schools where in state athletics is the focus. Example would be an in state school recruiting my daughter and not trying to recruit some star kid all the way in California. States that are great for Hbcu's, community colleges and small schools that are diverse.

Also if i were to choose a 5th state- would you go PA or Alabama?

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia.

VA-MD-NC-GA, but it depends. Hate I had to move back to TX, but the public HS my kid went to in NoVA was a top-125 HS in the nation, and they had a good share of black kids who went to A&T, Howard, GW, G'town, or UPenn (for some reason). The curriculum was light-years ahead of the current ISD she's in here in Dallas. hence why I'm looking at getting her into Booker T. School for the Performing Arts.

MD will give you the diversity you're looking for. NoVA definitely doesn't, but my kid is a little code-switching prodigy and shyt, so she survived. I lived in Bama and would stress to only live in Huntsville. They have some EXCELLENT HS there like Tech Demo or Bob Jones in Madison.

My suggestion collegiate wise is look for a school that is big on academics but loves its athletics. My homegirl, who went to Villanova, swears the private, Ivy, and Ivy League adjacent schools in Philly are like this.