Why are you freaking out.
You have a long list with highly likely acceptances.
And Bates ED2 - can’t imagine it’s not happening. But if it doesn’t…so what - there’s so many other options/opportunities.
Your student will be fine wherever she lands, because she is who she is. The school name is secondary to this.
Probably just because they picked a harder ED1 than S22.
You have to try at the school you want to be.
If i recall, your student is straight As or close, has rigor, a 36 and does lots of things.
They’ll have no shortage of suitors - the ED in Maine school or not.
This is 4 years of her life and she’ll be fine regardless. Likely low paid (sorry) but fine.
No reason for the parents to freak out…you can be assured she’s going to get a great education at a school, that hopefully, once there, she’ll love.
Relax. Have some ice cream, preferably with your daughter. This will work out (assuming that your daughter applies to safeties, and you keep the budget in mind).
There really are a very large number of very good universities and colleges in the US, and a very large number of very good faculty at these schools. Just as important, these schools are looking for students who will be a good fit for them, and they get it right most of the time.
Exactly. Your daughter is an excellent student. This is going to come through regardless of which college or university she ends up attending.
And we have a daughter who attended one of the safest schools on your list (UVM), did very well, and is currently in her last year of a very good (and well ranked) graduate program. It worked out for her (with about 9 months and one board exam still to go), and I do not see any reason that it won’t work out just as well for your daughter.
It is scary having our kids go off to university. However, it works out, they grow into adults, and they will at times surprise us in a very positive way.
Yes, Bowdoin is a very tough admit, and ED doesn’t seem to help enormously as it does in some schools. But if your kid wants to give it a shot for ED, go for it. It may not be a yes, it may be a deferral (in which case you’ll have to decide whether to ED2 somewhere or just RD). My advice is to think about fit and in the application really make an effort to describe why youre a good fit for the ED school. Nothing wrong with trying for a tough one, as long as you can temper the expectations. Bates, Colby and Wesleyan ED may or may not be easier admits, but it is really hard to know, and I would really concentrate on which of these schools sings to your kid (which I’m guessing is Bowdoin). And know that a great school will work out, whether or not it is the ED1 school.
If her favorite is Bowdoin and if it’s not a throw-away application (which it’s not - her stats are good and she has a legitimate shot), that’s the ED choice.There’s no point in trying to game the system.
Fwiw, I know kids who got into Bowdoin but not Colby, so don’t assume odds are better elsewhere. The schools want who they want. They aren’t picking the 4 fastest runners for a relay team. They want kids who can do the work and who will be engaged academically, and they have more than enough of those to choose from.
Your D may end up at her ED school or she may end up weighing a bunch of great options. And she will almost certainly thrive wherever she matriculates.
C25’s high school had their senior college meeting last night. I’m always surprised that there aren’t more kids applying to LACs.
That’s from one school ? Wow. If you’re in Missouri, I’d think a ton would apply to Mizzou and KU and be done. That’s a large list.
No surprise on the LACs. They are small so add up all the populations and it’s not that many kids whereas you have lots of colleges 30k plus kids. They are far less known in most cases. And often very expensive. Ask someone aboit Hobart or Allegheny, W&L or Sewanee - you’ll get a blank stare. Same with Colby, Union and more. Even with Williams in many cases.
Superstars like your daughter are the exception, not the rule.
My two kids applied to one total - and only because if the potential full ride. They call hers a public LAC but is it really ?
Most important is that your daughter blazes her trail, not that of others.
I have largely the same reaction when I look at SCOIR data for our feederish HS. I understand the scale issue, but I feel like midsize private research universities that are like 3-5 times the size of an LAC are often getting more than 3-5 times the applications of what I would consider to be comparable LACs.
Of course on some level this implies there are plenty of kids at our HS who do not see those LACs as substitutes for the research universities in the way I do. Still, it does seem to me like there is an opportunity here for some of these kids to at least hedge their options a bit by applying to more LACs.
We are often ranked the top public school in the state. 
If you would like to consider current, survey-based information, this site has been recently updated:
These somewhat related sites also may be of interest:
https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=friendliest-students
Okay, applications are in to all EA and ED schools. Now we are waiting until mid December to see where else they apply.
ED:
Bowdoin
EA:
Lewis and Clark (later notification)
Macalester
St Olaf
University of Vermont
RD:
Amherst
Bates (possible EDII)
Carleton
Colby
Middlebury
Oberlin
Pitzer
Skidmore
Vassar
Wesleyan
Top 7 Schools:
Bowdoin ED
Bates
Wesleyan
Colby
Oberlin
Middlebury
Macalester EA
So my question is if they don’t get into Bowdoin ED and don’t get into Macalester EA are there other schools they should be looking into? They need to have any transcript requests into their high school by early December. And I’m sitting around at home on leave after surgery a little bored. lol I might see if there are some biology schools that have good ecology courses. Would Connecticut College, Clark, Reed, and Rochester be with exploring? Any others come to mind? Bonus points for schools that don’t require foreign language to graduate.
I think so.
Overall I like the list and strategy. I will say that Oberlin seems like an outlier on the list of 7 favorites…have you all visited there yet? You really should, it is a fit school for sure (even though it has high LGBTQ proportion). IMO Reed, from the possible additions list, is most similar to Oberlin. Bowdoin and Oberlin are not similar at all.
We have not visited Oberlin, Wesleyan, or Middlebury on the top 7 list. Those would most likely be visited after acceptances I think.
You’re going to get into Bowdoin - but if not, assuming UVM is satisfactory (it’s on your list), Lewis & Clark, and St. Olaf, why do you need more. I’m guessing Mac and Skidmore are easy ins for you - if you do the interest required.
I don’t think you need to do anything else - but I think you get nervous - so you want to do more.
But you are more than good as is - and congrats on being done so early.
There are always more they could consider, but I would say there is no reason to think they should consider more.
I actually still think if anything, it could be less. Like if an Amherst doesn’t even make your top 7, that to me is a low value application. Either they will get into Amherst but also get into one or more of the top 7 (knock on wood), or there is something we are maybe not quite seeing and they don’t get into any of the top 7, but then it becomes extremely unlikely Amherst will be an exception to whatever that is.
And that second scenario is why you rationally would want some somewhat easier admits than Macalester and Oberlin, just in case. But they have those already, and I don’t think they need more.
I think your daughter has a very good chance at Bowdoin. They are going ED, they have an excellent academic background and you are from an under represented area of the country. If they were from MA, chances would not be as good (although they’d still be a great applicant) but this is a case where being from MO is a definite plus. I’d be shocked if they don’t get into all of the EA schools, so as long as those are both appealing and affordable (and I see that Macalester is among their top 7), I think you are all set. If for some reason, Bowdoin doesn’t work out/they get deferred, I think they’ll get into one or more of the schools on her RD list. No need to add more.
C25 was accepted ED at Bowdoin!
FANTASTIQUE 
Congratulations!
Congrats. I figured. She was too strong.
Poor mom - all that work - now it’s all over 
Congrats to your student.
