Chance Me for Top LACs [IL resident, 3.96 UW, 1500 SAT, math, poli sci or engineering, <$20k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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I’ve gone to 3 high schools in my 4 years. One was a tiny public, the next was a very high ranked, application only public, and the last was another tiny public because we moved.

Demographics

  • US Citizen
  • State/Location of residency: I go to a small, remote public high school in rural Illinois

Cost Constraints / Budget
~15 or 20 thousand a year.

Intended Major(s)
Math, political science, or engineering. I haven’t decided.

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
1500 SAT, 3.96 unweighted GPA, 12/160 rank. 4.01 weighted GPA with max number of AP classes that my school offers (other than Spanish, as I take French)

List your HS coursework

  • English: Honors/AP every year

  • Math: Honors/AP every year possible. My school only goes up to Calc AB, which I took last year, do I’m taking BC online this year.

  • Science: All advanced classes possible. AP chem, advanced anatomy.

  • History and social studies: No advanced classes available.

  • Language other than English: French. I have had a very non-linear path, as I’ve switched schools three times. I’ve taken online French and college French, as my new school doesn’t offer French and there are schedule conflicts. I’ve this only completed French 2 in 3 years of French.

  • Visual or performing arts: Highest band ensemble every year, orchestra one year at a school that offered it. Dual credit classes for music theory and aural skills.

Awards

Commended national merit scholar, NHS, highest award at academic camp, Illinois State scholar, first place at school wide pitch competition

Extracurriculars

Business designing, 3D printing and selling saxophone mouthpieces

3D printing and donating different things (face shields during the pandemic got me a national award that came with 10000 dollars)

Umpire, lifeguard, swim lessons instructor, and mower (foreman of mowing business with brothers)

Tutor for academic program for gifted 9th graders

Saxophone (first chair every year at various schools, several solos, Best of Day award at solo and ensemble, founded jazz combo group at two of three schools with friends)

Cross country captain

Baseball varsity starter with solid batting average

Lead actor in two school productions (one of which was Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing), actor in another one

Swimmer (not good)

Essays/LORs/Other
Personal statement: decent, maybe 7/10
LORs: likely all 10/10s. I’ve seen one and it is GLOWING, and I’m guessing others will have similar levels of glow.

Schools

Pomona, Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Carleton, St. Olaf, Claremont Mckenna

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Have you run the Net Price calculators for these colleges and are any of them affordable?

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I think you’re in at all of them.

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None of the listed schools has engineering.

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But we have no idea if any of them are affordable!

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True. If Amherst is too expensive after running its NPC, the OP will have to recalibrate.

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Swarthmore has ABET accredited engineering (general)- still need to check affordability

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All but Claremont Mckenna were affordable, yes. I’m still applying at Claremont Mckenna in case the net price wasn’t accurate, though.

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Yeah, I shouldn’t have put engineering for an intended major. That’s the direction I might want to go for grad school, and math is likely the path I’d like to take in undergrad.

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With respect to the study of mathematics, this site supports most of your current choices:

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Thanks! That’s a useful site.

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You seem like a great candidate, and I hope it goes well for you. That said, every school on your list except St. Olaf is a reach for unhooked candidates, and several of these schools (at least Carleton and Claremont McKenna) are need-aware, meaning that even if the NPC is affordable for you, your expected financial need could play a role in the admissions decision.

Have you considered adding some other schools that have a similar profile to the ones you’ve listed, might be targets (i.e. acceptance rates in the 30-50% range), and might also meet your financial need, through merit or otherwise? I’m thinking of schools like Conn College, Trinity (CT), Lafayette, Occidental, Union? I’m just thinking that you might want to open up your possible choices.

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This is great advice! Macalester is another one which fits this profile and is very good for Math. Union, Lafayette, and Trinity all have Engineering, so that option is available at these schools should you decide that you don’t want to wait until grad school to pursue this option.

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Yes, I appreciate the advice! I have applied to some target/safety schools (Lawrence, St. Olaf, Macalester, Wesleyan, St. Johns University (the one in Collegeville, Minnesota, as my parents went there and loved it)), and I will look into the ones that you suggested. I know that all of the schools I listed are a reach, and I just wanted some feedback into whether I should have any hope. I appreciate the reassurance that I am qualified (though I do understand it’s a crapshoot).

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Thanks! I’ll look into those.

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Good list, just noting that Wesleyan is at least as much of a reach as Middlebury/CMC/Bowdoin - Macalester is somewhere in the middle but I think it’s a very fair target. In all the time you have before these are due :slight_smile:, I would take a look at a few others in the New England area, especially because I think the supplements will be low-to-nonexistent at Conn, Trinity, etc., and the merit opportunities will be legitimate.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

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So you need to run the NPCs. Will any school get you to $20k?

Having a budget and a school that has no scholarships other than need agreeing with your budget are different.

Even if an NPC shows affordability, don’t assume it will actually be. Please ensure you have a school that will be $20k full pay on your list. That could be an in state, schools that charge no OOS tuition such as C Michigan or W Carolina or schools that will get you to budget with auto merit such as Bama, Miss State, UAH, Ole Miss.

Many a kid has an NPC cost only to find out oops - it’s not what they told me.

Best of luck on admission and affordability. You have a chance at all and will get into some for sure - unless you have too much need and then a need aware school may say no.

But you need an assurance - both admit and affordability - and until you get an offer that includes both, you have neither and need a backup even if it doesn’t fit your exact needs.

Good luck.

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Thanks for the response and your concern. I have run NPCs at all of these schools, and only CMC was above the 20k mark. Also, one of my parents is on the faculty of a college that is a part of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, which all give free tuition to children of professors at any of these schools. These include St. Olaf, Macalester, Lawrence, Grinnell (which I forgot to mention), and Carleton. I would just have to pay room and board. Also, I’ve already gotten into St. John’s University with their highest merit scholarships, so that would be an affordable option if all else fails.

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I will look into those. Thanks for the help!

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Also, how much of a hook is being from a rural area for these schools? I’ve heard that schools are trying to target rural students, but I’m not sure to what extent that is, and if it’s just in advertising or if I’d actually get an admissions advantage because I’m rural. Does anyone have any knowledge on this topic? Thanks!

And should I make a new topic for this? I’m new to posting on forums and don’t really know the etiquette.