ED Chances at Amhoist

interesteddad
Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:00:47 +0000

Zspot9:

The key piece of info you want to press your GC about is whether or not students with your GPA at your prep school (i.e. your class rank) have been getting into schools like Dartmouth, Penn, Duke, Brown, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona. These are all schools that are roughly comparable admissions-wise to Amherst, although some tend to favor one type of student, others another type.

Finding out where kids with your GPA at your prep school have been getting accepted over the last several years will go a long way towards understanding your chances.

At a school the size of Amherst, it is also possible to “work” your application. Visit for an overnight. Meet with coaches. Sit in on a couple of classes. Talk with professors. Learn everything you can. Think about how your interests make you and Amherst a particularly good fit beyond the obvious that Amherst is a top liberal arts college and you are a top student. What is unique that puts Amherst over the other top among liberal arts colleges for you?

The adcoms will know every ED applicant by name at a school like Amherst. They’ll know which ones have shown initiative and enthusiasm for the school. Plus, the ones that have usually prepare a better application.