Applied: Brown, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Bates, and Rice
I’ve just recently become anxious that I may be applying to schools out of my league. So, of course, I’ve decided to ask the most dependable source: the Internet! Given my stats, please let me know what you think my chances may be at getting into the above colleges.
Basics:
White Male
Rural Midwest
Small Public High School
Class Rank: 2/150
4.3 W GPA
4.0 UW GPA
ACT: 32
AP Tests: Psych-5, APUSH-4, Lang&Comp-4 (My school offered very few AP courses before this year)
Current Courses: AP Lit&Comp, AP Micro and Macro, AP Chem, AP Stats, Student Aide, Writing Center Supervisor
Extra Curricular Activities:
In the interest of relative transparency (translucency, I suppose), I’ll include everything I mentioned in my app, no matter the strength.
President, sole founder, and lead consultant of a writing lab at my school
Paid internship at research and development firm for medical devices (2 summers)
Volunteering Club Founder and President (4 years)
Gold medal at state level of competition for Speech (3 years running)
Mock Trial President (MVP for 4 years running)
Well over 1,500 community service hours in high school
Lead yearbook photographer (3 years)
Stagehand for five musical productions over three years
Mixed Choir Ensemble (2 years)
Other details:
Strong essay. Multiple rounds of revision and demolition thanks to five English teacher’s comments. 8-9/10
Moderately strong recommendations, though I’m guessing one may be somewhat insincere and poorly written… 6.5/10 and 8/10
If you do think my application is too weak for these schools, please let me know of schools that may be better suited for me. Thank you so much for your time.
“I am just wondering if these higher-caliber schools are too far of a reach”
It is very hard to know. However, I think that you have a chance and it is worth the trouble of applying. Your stats are very good, and it is possible that geographic diversity might be to your advantage. IMHO if you have any financial constraints then you might want to run the NPC and see if they will be affordable before going through the trouble of sending in an application.
You profile well at Bates as a 32 ACT is at the top-25%, but as the acceptance rate is below 20% it’s a realistic reach. The rest are going to be super reaches as a 32 isn’t above the median ACT and the acceptance rates are all really low.
Aside from safeties, do you have other realistic reaches - schools where a 32 ACT is at the top-25%, but acceptance rates are below 25%, and realistic matches - schools where a 32 ACT is at the top-25% and the acceptance rate is above 30%.
Your ACT is within the averages of all those schools and you have a strong application. Those schools are a reach for everyone because they are so selective, but I think they are worth a shot for you.
Because these schools are so small, the RD acceptance rate for unhooked applicants, those that aren’t a URM, First-Fen, Legacy, or Recruited Student-Athlete, is very low - around 5% for an applicant that has a midpoint of the Accepted Student median ACT.
A 32 ACT is near the bottom of the Accepted Student median ACT at Middlebury of 31-34 and at the bottom at Bowdoin 32-34, Williams 32-34, Brown 32-35, and Rice 33-35. There are many others that are just as selective, some that may be a surprise are Notre Dame 33-35 and Hamilton 32-34.
Yes, it possible, but these are some of the most selective schools in the country.
I don’t know much about most of these schools except for Brown, where I think your chances are rather low. Your ACT might technically be “in range” but considering you don’t have a hook and this is regular decision, I would have to say it’s a long shot. You have to remember that a lot of the Harvard rejects (kids with money, 36’s, 4.0+) will be applying to Brown during RD.
I wish you the best of luck. I think you should check out Hamilton and Colgate, as well! Maybe Cornell, too, but, again, your ACT might be too low.
What attracted to these specific schools as there are matches such a Kenyon or Oberlin that may make sense as well? Definitely agree with @merc81 on Hamilton College as we have DD’s who are freshman and both love it. Have you considered it?
Our DD’s both applied RD after ED Deferrals/RD Denials at Bowdoin and Brown. Unfortunately while they profiled well with 34/35 ACT, they are ORM from the NE. That said, they had a great basket of acceptances, including Bates, Carleton, Colby, Colgate, Hamilton, Kenyon and Oberlin and Waitlists at Middlebury and Wesleyan.
None of those schools are out of your league. Your stats are great – salutatorian, good standardized test scores, involved in ECs – and check out for top-tier schools.
