Chance my daughter (NY resident, 4.0 UW, 1460 SAT, for Public policy, American Studies, Political Science)

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student

US citizen, born in Vietnam, adopted.

  • State/Location of residency: (state is important if you apply to any state universities)

NY

  • Type of high school (current college for transfers):

Public (highly competitive high school)

  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional):

Asian in interracial family

  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.):

Cornell and Boston University legacy

Intended Major(s)

Public policy, American Studies, Political science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

4.0 unweighted. School doesn’t officially rank, but on track to be co-valedictorian with 10-15 others (so top 3-5%)
1460 SAT, likely will re-test 1 more time but not confident in improvement.

Coursework
(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))

High school doesn’t allow APs until junior year. Took 3 AP classes as a junior, will take 5 more as a senior.

Awards

Presidential service award as a freshman.

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

Founding intern of a teen Asian American community group, Vice President of school BSU (black and people of color student union). Intern for state senator, intern for a congressional campaign.

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)

None at this time.

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)

  • Safety (certain admission and affordability)
  • Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable)

George Washington University, SUNY Binghamton, Clark University

  • Match

Vassar College, Boston University, Brandeis University, University of Rochester

  • Reach

Brown University
Cornell University
University of Virginia
Amherst College
Georgetown University

My daughter doesn’t know whether he reaches — especially Brown and Georgetown — are just pipe dreams, not even worth applying without 1500 on the SATs. Or whether she would have a real shot. Feedback helpful. Thanks in advance.

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I say go for it. As schools like Brown start requiring testing again I think you’ll see the midrange fall a bit. 1460 is a great score.

Otherwise I think your lists are good but would call BU a reach just because of its low 10 percent admit rate (unless you ED). At our HS only kids who ED get in. They have rejected or waitlisted all the kids with top stats for the last few years. Good luck!

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You say she comes from a highly competitive high school. If there will be multiple students with (or near) a 4.0 UW GPA and SAT scores in the 1500s from her school applying to Georgetown and/or Brown as well, that context makes those schools a significant challenge for her. It is crazy to think that because a 1460 is such a great score, but it is true. Still, I hope you come back with an update that she beat the odds.

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Both Cornell and Boston University consider legacy status for admissions so that is a point in her favor there. It’s generally considered to be a bigger advantage during the ED round of applications.

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My daughter sounds very similar to yours - similar test scores/grades, from NY, and interested in American Studies and Political Science. Of the schools on your list, she got into Brandeis (attending and loves it!), George Washington, and Binghamton. The schools on your reach list are reaches for everyone so I wouldn’t depend on them, but you might as well try if you won’t miss the $80 application fee (my daughter got rejected from the two ivys she applied to).

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If your daughter is seeking further ideas, some of these schools may be of interest:

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Based on what you’ve shared about your daughter, this is how I would chance her. I definitely think she has a shot at her reach schools, but she should very much understand her that the odds are very much against her (as they are against all applicants…there are just way more qualified candidates than there are spots at these schools).

Extremely Likely (80-99+%)

Likely (60-79%)

  • Clark

  • George Washington

Toss-Up (40-59%)

  • Binghamton – leaning towards likely

  • Brandeis

  • U. of Rochester

Lower Probability (20-39%)

  • Vassar: 16% acceptance rate for women for those entering fall 2022

Low Probability (less than 20%)

  • Amherst

  • Boston U.

  • Brown

  • Cornell

  • Georgetown

  • UVA

Are you looking for additional suggestions, or are you happy with where the list is? Personally, I’d recommend having at least one (and preferably two) schools in the extremely likely bucket. For instance, SUNY Albany or Siena might be possibilities for that category. For students interested in public policy, it’s frequently helpful to be in or near state or federal capitals.

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Appreciate the feedback.
She will definitely add a couple true safeties. That’s not the concern right now.

To give you a better idea of the high school — Just in this year’s graduating class, 2 students committed to Harvard, 2 to Brown, 2 to Georgetown… About 20 admitted to Cornell.

Over the last 4 years, our high school reports a 37% acceptance rate at BU, 26% at Cornell. Vassar is 48%, with a clear cut line (100% accepted with GPA over 3.9 and SAT over 1400, 0% accepted with GPA under 3.9/SAT under 1400).
SUNY Binghamton is very formulaic and nearly a safety school for the entire high school – acceptance rate is 85% for the high school. Over the last 4 years, the acceptance rate has been 95% for students from the high school with over a 3.7 GPA.
Not every school is so far above the national average – Brown’s acceptance rate is 5% out of those who applied from the high school.

I’ll be very curious about the changes to Scoir/Naviance after the current graduating class is folded in. I’m hearing that this year was a bit of a departure from the past.

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Congrats to your daughter’s situation.

Your list is - in my mind - a bit all over because you go from small to mid to large - OK, just too large.

I would say SUNY B and Clark are likelies.

GW depends a lot on interest. But I’d call it a Match along with Brandeis.

Then I’d go Rochester as slight reach. BU is a reach, short of ED. Of 3145 who enrolled, nearly 1800 came from ED. BU no longer counts legacy so that will not assist you. It was a recent decision and their CDS confirms it.

Obviously the others are reaches - but never say never.

But what does the student want in a school because this list is varied.

Are you looking for any alternatives too - or just a judgement on the list above?

Thanks

BU Opts out of legacy consideration in admissions, shaping the future of student diversity – Boston University News Service (bunewsservice.com)

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Her list is fine. Glad to see she is open to different types of schools. Looks like she is largely looking in the NE (plus DC and VA). Goucher would be a safety for her but watch their financial status.

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Thanks for the legacy info.

I believe she also gets legacy-type consideration at GW, my son is attending now. They don’t play yield games, at least not in the past. In last year’s class, they accepted 7/8 and waitlisted 1 of 8, of those who applied who were at 3.8/1400 or over. So while not a safety, I’d be very surprised if she was rejected.(overall, of 14 applicants, they accepted 12, wait listed 1, and denied 1).

Yes, there is no clear pattern to her preferences — I have trouble deciphering it as well. She prefers northeast, essentially within a 4-6 hour drive from NYC. (UVA being an exception because she has family there). She generally likes urban and suburban, but doesn’t want NYC. She loves Vassar, hates Wesleyan. Brandeis, Clark and GW are all “eh, backup schools” to her. Her 2 favorites seem to be BU and Vassar – though you can’t find 2 schools more different. She has an in at NYU, as my wife teaches there part-time, but she doesn’t want to apply there.

Some others that she is considering – Tufts, Barnard (close to being crossed off), Hamilton, Middlebury, Northeastern, UMass Amherst, UMaryland-College Park. Her pure safeties would likely be SUNY Geneseo and Drexel.

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if she loves Vassar- the typical “look-a-like” list is often Conn college, Skidmore, Muhlenberg, Goucher, Wellesley. I’m surprised she doesn’t like Brandeis more… was it a bad visit ?(it happens).

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It sounds as though your daughter’s school has some great Scoir/Naviance data. The guidance counselors at your D’s school would be best placed to chance her as they know the history with various schools but also may know nuances about various hooks that applicants had (whether athletes, legacies, donor or faculty kids, etc) that are not visible from the system. Additionally, they may know the differences between how applicants were treated in terms of EA/ED/RD.

If Brandeis, Clark and GW were her only acceptances, how would she feel about needing to select one of them and attend for four years? Would she be sad and deliberating about taking a gap year? Would she be trying to find schools that still were taking applications? Would she already be starting to plan her transfer strategy? If she wouldn’t be happy to send in her deposit and plan to attend for four years, I would keep looking for schools that are a better fit (or have her continue to dig deeper into the schools’ offerings until she gets more excited about them).

Unfortunately, too many kids who were really only in love with their reaches then feel a great sadness/reluctance if they don’t get any of them as options. I would urge in the strongest terms possible that the search (or research into particular schools) continues until she would be happy to enroll in any of the schools on the list. That’s not to say that she won’t prefer some schools over other schools on her list, but that she’d be fine sending in her deposit and would get excited about enrolling and attending the final school.

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Reason I asked about more - when I see public policy, the two that popped into my mind and maybe too big and one Midwest - but Syracuse Maxwell and Indiana O’Neill - for grad school (not undergrad - for Public Affairs), they are #1-2, ahead of Harvard and that bleeds down. Just a few names to throw at you but sounds like she’s looked at everything.

And what about the school everyone has loved for the three or four years I’ve been on - very good in policy - is Pitt - which is larger but not huge and is more urban. It’s a safety for applying early (and an early rolling admission) and they’d offer the 5 year MPA to her as an option. It’s just a solid all around school. Likely a better safety choice than Drexel and likely cheaper - yes a few hours farther away.

Again, these three might be too big.

If GW, why not American - or does she want that uber urban experience. You said she likes urban but it’s close enough.

She’s a great kid. I think legacy could help decide somewhere but the kid still has to earn it on their own and seems like your kid would.

Nothing wrong with Geneseo (not urban) and Drexel (nice and urban) (would you choose a school “that” expensive - but I don’t think she needs them.

Good luck.

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She doesn’t like Brandeis because her brother’s best friend goes there, and it gives her an impression that the students are “too quirky.”
Honestly, it’s hard to find much rhyme and reason to her likes and dislikes.
Goucher is too small… She doesn’t want an all-women school like Wellesley…
I suggested Skidmore to her, she took it off her list though, no idea why.
Muhlenberg might be worth a look.

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I think she’d ultimately be fine with them. Merit aid would be part of the equation. We can afford sticker price, but it’s not exactly pocket change. A $10k to $20k merit package would make is much more attractive. My son got significant merit from GW, with lower stats. (He was top 40% of the class while she is top 3-5%).

Right now, practically every school is “eh” to her, she is very hard to read.

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My NYC D had the same reaction. They are such similar schools, but I think my D couldn’t get over Wes having a football field in the middle of the campus, LOL.

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Pitt is too far… Syracuse may get added to her list.
Definitely wouldn’t pay sticker price for Drexel, rather go to Binghamton. But significant merit would be a possibility from Drexel.
She didn’t like American – again, don’t know her logic.
All she knows about Geneseo is that her counselor suggested it as a safety and she likes the name. (Yes… her process confounds me).

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Exactly, it’s often little things striking the preference, that make absolutely no sense to me.

A standard conversation with my daugther:
Me: “What about X?”
Her “It’s too big”
Me: “It’s smaller than Y, which you like.”
Her" “But Y has a nice view of the mountains.”

Me: “What about Z?”
Her: “I don’t like their open curriculum.”
Me: “But you like A, which have open curriculum.”
Her: “that’s different, I got a nice vibe from A”

Me “what about B?”
Her: “too many brick buildings”

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I don’t know a single kid (either at, or graduated from) Brandeis in the last ten years who I’d describe as quirky! Has she visited any of these places she’s got a firm impression of?

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