Preliminary list--would love advice!
bearpanther
671 replies12 discussionsRegistered User Posts: 683 Member
Hi everyone! S2 is currently a junior, taking the SAT (with essay) for the first time in March.
Some info:
Unweighted GPA is not given on his report card but weighted is currently a cumulative 99.4. Small rural HS. Rank at the end of last year put him in the top 17%.
Mostly honors classes, took AP Gov last year and scored a 3; taking APUSH and AP Lang/Comp this year.
Has Spanish 3 but is done with language
ECs: band, varsity cross country (only 9 and 10), varsity track, does some video production for the school, NHS, also has a part-time job at a local restaurant, reads a lot in his spare time
Wants to major in English/creative writing and/or History.
List so far: Amherst, Bates, Tulane, Kenyon, Reed, Bard, Emerson, Washington College (MD), The College of Wooster, Hampshire, New College of Florida, Goucher
Some of these are test optional or "considered if submitted" ( Bates, Bard, Hampshire, Goucher). 10th grade PSAT was a 1200 (630 R, 570 M) with no prep so hopefully he would improve on that.
Does his current list look like a good start, or does he need more schools on the match/safety side? At what level of acceptance rate does a school become a match or a safety--or am I looking at the wrong thing in focusing mostly on acceptance rates to determine this?
Any other schools you might suggest for him? Thanks!
22 replies Some info:
Unweighted GPA is not given on his report card but weighted is currently a cumulative 99.4. Small rural HS. Rank at the end of last year put him in the top 17%.
Mostly honors classes, took AP Gov last year and scored a 3; taking APUSH and AP Lang/Comp this year.
Has Spanish 3 but is done with language
ECs: band, varsity cross country (only 9 and 10), varsity track, does some video production for the school, NHS, also has a part-time job at a local restaurant, reads a lot in his spare time
Wants to major in English/creative writing and/or History.
List so far: Amherst, Bates, Tulane, Kenyon, Reed, Bard, Emerson, Washington College (MD), The College of Wooster, Hampshire, New College of Florida, Goucher
Some of these are test optional or "considered if submitted" ( Bates, Bard, Hampshire, Goucher). 10th grade PSAT was a 1200 (630 R, 570 M) with no prep so hopefully he would improve on that.
Does his current list look like a good start, or does he need more schools on the match/safety side? At what level of acceptance rate does a school become a match or a safety--or am I looking at the wrong thing in focusing mostly on acceptance rates to determine this?
Any other schools you might suggest for him? Thanks!
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Replies to: Preliminary list--would love advice!
Can he take the ACT as well? Some student do better on SAT, some on ACT.
What state are you from? Admissions is more a matter of specific pools than a general pool. International students are generally in a separate pool and are evaluated relative to each other, not to a student in Baton Rouge, LA. A male student might be at an advantage at an LAC with a large % of female students. A female student might have an advantage at a STEM school with a large % of male students. Schools like geographic diversity. A student from Nebraska might have a better shot at New College than a similar student from New York because of the number of students applying from those states. A student's specific strengths and skills might make them more attractive at one school and less so at a seemingly similar school. So it helps to weigh those kinds of things as well.
I agree about Denison. He might look at Clark University in Worcester, MA as well.
Good luck!
Check for foreign language graduation requirements at the various colleges and for the majors of interest. If he really does not want to take more Spanish or other foreign language, that may be a consideration in the choice of college.
Can you can afford all of these at full pay or, if you expect merit or need-based financial aid, have you run any net price calculators to be sure these are affordable?
2) Full pay
Here it is in a nutshell:
http://www.elon.edu/e-web/about/default.xhtml
Regarding a base line to start compiling a list, the PSAT without any prep is a good predictive indicator; the same holds true for taking an ACT practice test. That said, it appears that neither current PSAT, or more importantly GPA/Class Rank/Course Rigor make Amherst or other tippy-top schools realistic Reaches.
Maybe start the Match search with schools where a 29 ACT/ 1370 SAT is in the top-25%, and Safeties where a 26 ACT / 1270 SAT is in the top-25% AND the acceptance rate is 40%. If you used those scores, Reaches might be those where a 31 ACT / 1440 SAT in the top-25% - Amherst’s top-25% is a 34 ACT / 1560 SAT.
The 10 best American colleges for writers | USA TODAY College
http://college.usatoday.com/the-10-best-american-colleges-for-writers/
The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers | The Freelancer, by Contently
http://contently.net/2014/11/06/resources/10-best-colleges-creative-writers/
The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America | Flavorwire
http://flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america
I have not been able to pin him down on things like a location preference (except for no schools in PA, though I am trying to get him on board with Susquehanna given their writing program), but for example, I can say that he kept Tulane because it was listed for History and was in New Orleans, and kept Bard for the flexible curriculum and its location in rural NY. So....not sure what to do about that as far as making the list more cohesive. Both interest him in different ways. He also doesn't seem to care much about size. I don't think he would enjoy somewhere very heavily Greek. He may get a better feel for these location/size/social aspects if we pick a few to visit.
He really has been more focused on the educational qualities of the schools more than the environmental or social ones but I'll try to make sure he gets a larger picture.
As far as rigor, I think his school would call his course load highly rigorous for what they offer/allow. His GPA and rank---well, I admit he is a kid who will get 100 in a class he likes and an 85 in a class he doesn't. He even has a few C's sprinkled in there, though not as final grades. So that's what he's working with for better or worse.
Also will reiterate that the PSAT score was from 10th grade (fall 2016), not this school year, if that makes a difference. I would hope there would be something of a jump in scores just from having another year + of school under his belt, even without the additional practice he will be doing?
All that said, I did think the first 5 schools on the list were high reaches....perhaps from Bard on down would be a more realistic list to flesh out a bit more.
I suspect when he gets his SAT scores back he will adjust the list to the scores, not retake the test to hit a certain school's parameters (unless he completely tanks it). I don't think he loves any of the first 5 enough for that; Bard seems to be his current favorite, and probably still a reach based on an acceptance rate of 32%.
I do very much appreciate the suggestions of Denison, Clark, Knox, Elon and U of Iowa! Denison was actually on the initial list before he made some cuts so I will make sure he takes a good second look since it is recommended by so many of you.
Pennsylvania probably has a better assortment of liberal arts colleges than any other state. Swarthmore and Haverford are probably out of reach (and Bryn Mawr is not possible, of course), but other PA schools include Bucknell, Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Allegheny, Ursinus, and Juniata. F&M has a Writers House with writing programs. At Ursinus, he can submit a writing sample to try for a $33,000 a year scholarship and the right to spend freshman year in the single dorm room that J. D. Salinger spent his one semester of college in.
I'm pretty sure at least one of those colleges above would be a low reach or a solid match for him, and would be good in writing and/or history.