Best time to Apply to The Citadel?

H

Hopefulmomma

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Apr 24, 2015
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Hello all,

My son really wants to attend The Citadel. In fact it's hard to get him to even consider other colleges for a backup plan. We have already visited, and he's even more convinced it's for him. I've done lots of reading about the rolling admissions, but exactly when is the best time to apply? Is July-September too early? He wants to apply in July and know by September, but I just want to get some advice on what is the norm.

Background: My son's test scores are inline with their applicants, the math being a bit higher. However, his GPA is low. Yet on some of the college match sites I do see that students with an overall,similar GPA do get accepted. He has made a tremendous improvement in grades his Junior year, and we are hoping that this is noticed. He's in an extremely tough private school that works one or two years ahead of our best local public high schools. He has struggled with mild dyslexia, but seems to be maturing in ways to handle and push through it. We often think we did him a disservice enrolling him in a more demanding school, but he has finished Trig,Pre-Cal, AP Computer Science, Physics etc. all by his Junior year, and was given more one on one attention. I honestly think this is why he scored so well on the science portion of the ACT.

He's an All-State Athlete in two sports, and team captain on one of them. We do have a good family friend connection for him at The Citadel who has made calls for him.

With a lower GPA, is it best to try to be one of the first applications in, or does it matter?

Regards
 
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I don't know if applying early is helpful, but they do have rolling admissions. DS applied in July and and got an admission decision by early September. If your son wants to go there it certainly couldn't hurt to apply early, unless he thinks he will have additional grades on the transcript. In my sons case, he was hoping for better grades his senior year but it is very hard to make a significant change in the cumulative GPA at that time. An upward trend in grades will probably look good but the Citadel doesn't have an essay so you have to count on the committee noticing.
 
Thanks for the information Cav. Good to know others have applied as early as July.

Yes, the lack of an essay to explain your improvement, or discuss a tougher curriculum, is a disadvantage. And I do agree, what's done is done GPA wise. We're just happy he's finding his groove.
 
It is possible to speak with the admissions person for your region. We met ours when we visited. They are the person who, at least initial reviews the applications.
 
If your son plans on pursuing a commission, his dyslexia may be the bigger stumbling block. If he has succeeded at a difficult school with no accommodations, though, that will work in his favor. It will come down to whose definition of "succeed" is used in that determination. Best of luck to him!
 
Jcc123 said:
If your son plans on pursuing a commission, his dyslexia may be the bigger stumbling block. If he has succeeded at a difficult school with no accommodations, though, that will work in his favor. It will come down to whose definition of "succeed" is used in that determination. Best of luck to him!
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Thank you. He's had no accommodations within school. His cumulative GPA would have been stronger with extended time I'm sure...especially when it comes down to essays. At this point I don't know if he seeks a commission, but he already flies, and is a marksman,and has an interest.

AJC: He has a contact that he communicates with. I'm just checking this info for my own peace of mind.

Regards
 
Dear Hopefulmomma....

I have two boys that both applied early in the Summer and the good thing about that is they know the decision before they started their Senior year. The admissions office is very helpful and will answer any questions you may have or better yet have your son call them. I would also suggest an overnight Knob visit in the Fall so your son can experience what life as a cadet and knob will be like. Good luck to you. We have certainly enjoyed being a part of the Citadel family for the last 7 years
 
Rhino35 said:
Dear Hopefulmomma....

I have two boys that both applied early in the Summer and the good thing about that is they know the decision before they started their Senior year. The admissions office is very helpful and will answer any questions you may have or better yet have your son call them. I would also suggest an overnight Knob visit in the Fall so your son can experience what life as a cadet and knob will be like. Good luck to you. We have certainly enjoyed being a part of the Citadel family for the last 7 years
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Thank you so much Rhino. He definately wants to do the Knob visit if accepted, and already anticipates taking the CSI next summer to get some credits out of the way.
 
I applied relatively late in November and was still accepted with a 3.14 GPA. I did not receive any scholarships though which may have been caused by applying so late and my GPA so I would recommend applying as early as possible if thats the school he really wants to attend.

Good luck!
 
You mentioned ACT but not SAT. He still has several opportunities to improve those scores even if he can't do much with his GPA this late in the game. Even if you do not get the early in as wanted, if he codes the school on his testing they will update his scores. A SAT/ACT prep school can help a lot if it is done properly. Not sure about your school but a lot of private schools don't offer the classes where public schools do. It basically teaches the test taking and hints on how to eliminate answers. My DS's score came up about 100 after a prep class... but it was an all year HS prep class. My DD did not have a prep class because her school did not offer it. Just one meeting with a SAT math prep-er and one with an English prep-er brought her score up significantly.

The Citadel will look at the total all around package. I am sure Glenn will be in here soon with more specifics. He works in an admin position at The Citadel and can give you all the ins and outs. Good Luck to your DS!
 
Hopefulmomma said:
Hello all,

My son really wants to attend The Citadel. In fact it's hard to get him to even consider other colleges for a backup plan. We have already visited, and he's even more convinced it's for him. I've done lots of reading about the rolling admissions, but exactly when is the best time to apply? Is July-September too early? He wants to apply in July and know by September, but I just want to get some advice on what is the norm.

Background: My son's test scores are inline with their applicants, the math being a bit higher. However, his GPA is low. Yet on some of the college match sites I do see that students with an overall,similar GPA do get accepted. He has made a tremendous improvement in grades his Junior year, and we are hoping that this is noticed. He's in an extremely tough private school that works one or two years ahead of our best local public high schools. He has struggled with mild dyslexia, but seems to be maturing in ways to handle and push through it. We often think we did him a disservice enrolling him in a more demanding school, but he has finished Trig,Pre-Cal, AP Computer Science, Physics etc. all by his Junior year, and was given more one on one attention. I honestly think this is why he scored so well on the science portion of the ACT.

He's an All-State Athlete in two sports, and team captain on one of them. We do have a good family friend connection for him at The Citadel who has made calls for him.

With a lower GPA, is it best to try to be one of the first applications in, or does it matter?

Regards
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Hi - there are several good posts to your question. The Citadel rolling admissions allows students to apply and learn decisions very quickly. However, by the same token, the classes fill up earlier as accepted students post a deposit to hold their place in the next fall class. Also, if the student is competitive for scholarship grants in aid - it is best to apply early as the invitations to compete for these are usually filled up early in the Fall. Balance this with any issues the student may have with SAT and GPA averages. If taking the SAT again (current Fall 2015 Class average math and verbal is 1116 and average GPA (4.0 scale) is 3.67), then either waiting for results of a second SAT test or waiting till first semester senior year results are in - may be something that would help.

However - the best advice someone has already posted so far is to call the Admissions Office and talk to a counselor. The benefit of applying to a small college (The Citadel has only 2,300 Cadets) is it is small and they actually do want to talk to interested students.
 
Thank you all for your prompt replies.
Yes, he has taken the SAT as well, and his scores are in line with what's being accepted. He may take it again in June. And yes, our school provides an online program to improve scores, but currently he's focusing on finals and research papers. He just took the ACT a second time and we are waiting to see what they did. The Citadel doesn't seem to be on the list of schools that superstore ACT though.

We have talked and DS has, and intends to keep, in contact with his admissions counsellor as the time to send in his applications approaches. He's also interested in contacting one of the coaches for his sport after his Junior year is over in a few weeks.

Thank you again for your help on application dates.

Regards,
Hopeful
 
Hopefulmomma said:
The Citadel doesn't seem to be on the list of schools that superstore ACT though.
Regards,
Hopeful
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Agreed... but you expressed concern of sorts for the GPA. I was just pointing out an increased SAT/ACT could show, "He has struggled with mild dyslexia, but seems to be maturing in ways to handle and push through it." But you are doing what is the important thing by staying in touch with admissions.Sounds like you all are on the right track.
 
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