Can you suggest LAC matches and safeties?

Parents Forum
1

My S is interested in LACs or small universities. In a nutshell, this is him:

-Current HS junior
-NY public, stressful HS that is routinely listed among the top-performing, non-magnet public high schools in the country

-4.3 GPA weighted
-3.9 GPA unweighted
-APUSH, AP Spanish Lang, AP Music Theory (this year)
-AP Macro, AP English Lit, AP Psych, AP Spanish Lit, AP Calc (sr year)
-Honors everything else (bio and chem; physics sr year)

SAT (one sitting so far): 750 EBRW; 710 Math. Total: 1460.
He will sit for it again in March and hopefully get his math score up.

–Advanced music student in percussion (first chair all-state; five years regional band, private percussion ensemble with well-known music director). Basically spends most of his free time in percussion ensemble (all day Sundays), taking private lessons, or practicing (two hours/day).
–Science league member
–Key Club member
–LORs will be outstanding (he’s already gotten feedback about that). Teachers have asked to write his LORs.
–He’s a thoughtful, cerebral, empathic individual who will likely write a very interesting, thoughtful essay. IOW, I’m not at all concerned about the essay.

He does not want to be a music major. He wants to be “involved” in music and possibly minor in it. He intends to send an arts supplement of percussion performance.

As for vibe … he prefers no frats or very minimal frat presence, does not want a “bro” culture. He wants a down-to-earth, authentic student body. He looked at Brown as a reach, but did not like the vibe of the student body (the word he used was “arrogant.”)

Here’s where he’s considering/looked so far (not his final application list). I know this is reach-heavy. He’ll choose a few of these as reaches (or maybe one for ED and one for ED-2). That’s why he needs help with matches and safeties. We will be full pay. Thanks!

Reaches (he’ll choose three or four, or one for ED):
Tufts
Williams
Amherst
Middlebury
Cornell (legacy)
Vassar
Haverford
Swarthmore

Matches:
Brandeis
Lafayette
Rochester

Safeties:
Franklin & Marshall
University of Vermont

2

I notice all his schools are on the east coast. Would he consider looking in other regions? A little geographic diversity on a list can work in one’s favor.

Any potential majors?

Some schools I’d consider looking at would be Carleton (not a match or safety, though), Bates, St. Olaf, Lawrence University, Macalaster, Dickinson, Connecticut College, Beloit.

3

Thanks, @doschicos
He prefers no more than a 4-5 hour drive, but I can suggest these to him.

4

They likely won’t be more than 4-5 hours from home but transportation mode will be different. :slight_smile:

5

What about Villanona or Lehigh? Or Colgate?

6

@thumper1 Thanks. No, all of those have a “bro” culture. Especially Lehigh and Villanova.

One more note: We’re Jewish, so the school has to be someplace where it’s comfortable existing as a Jew and where it’s not unusual for Jewish students to attend.

7

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA Student body is smart, nice, humble and academics are excellent. No Greek life. Rigorous school with a great vibe. Music department is valued and supported by admin.

We were surprised at the level of Greek life at U of Rochester.

8

@HCPP20 Sounds great! But I think it would be a stretch for a Jewish person to go to a school with the name “Holy Cross.” I assume that means the Christian symbol.

9

Would he consider looking at College of Charleston? He might get an honors college acceptance and some merit aid there. Yes, it’s a SC public university…but it most definitely has the feel of a LAC. The college opened a new Judiaic studies center about 10 years ago. Charleston is also home to one of the oldest synagogues in the country, and there is a nice Jewish presence on the campus as well as in the town.

10

Was the 21% fraternity participation at SUNY Geneseo too high for him?

Yes, College of the Holy Cross is Christian (Jesuit Catholic).

11

How about Lawrence University as a likely? It’s in Wisconsin (I know, not his geographical preference and probably not the most active Hillel), but it has a first-rate conservatory and would be easier for a New Yorker to get into than Northeast schools of the same calibre.

http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/about
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/lawrence-university/316724-jewish-life-at-lawrence.html

12

Not trying to change your mind…but at Lehigh, for example, less than half of the students are in the Greek system. This means that more than half…are not.

Villanova is Catholic…so you can delete that.

What about Ithaca?

13

@ucbalumnus Yes, the fraternity presence at Geneseo is not ideal. He might apply there as a safety/match.

@Sue22 Thanks, I just read about that music program at Lawrence. I’ll tell him about it.

@thumper1 I’ll mention CofC to him. Not sure it would be his cup of tea, though.

14

Skidmore? Connecticut College?

Lots of music opportunity for non-majors at both of those schools.

15

Do you guys think Franklin & Marshall is a safety for him? Are Lafayette and Brandeis matches?

16

From the internet about Lehigh:
“There are now 19 fraternities and eight sororities on campus. Thirty-three percent of Lehigh’s undergraduate men are fraternity members, and 43 percent of undergraduate women belong to sororities.”

As far as LACs go, that’s a very high percentage.

17

I was thinking about Skidmore. Thanks.

18

^^^Yes. Anything over 15% or so changes the atmosphere of the college. It sounds like a small proportion, but the truth is that the presence of fraternities sets the tone, unless there are only one or two fraternities on the campus.

19

And … do you guys think he’s in range to be a possible candidate for any of the reaches?

20

Do you have access to naviance through his school, @brantly, to give you some color on how students with his profile have done?

If he winds up with a clear favorite among his reaches, I highly suggest applying ED, although it helps more at some schools than others.