Okay, so now I have a better sense as to where you started out and where you are now than I did through our pm. How great that you are able to do Questbridge – it’s a wonderful program! But, of course, you have to be sure about wanting to go to your “matched” school (unless, of course, you’re matched to MIT, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale whose matches aren’t binding).
I have a quick question – did you ever take the ACT and, if so, how did you do on it? The reason I ask is that many schools will not require you to submit subject tests if you have taken the ACT with writing (your SAT subject test scores, while not perfect, are okay – I wouldn’t bother retaking them or spending too much time worrying about them, as most schools let you pick and choose which scores to send anyway).
As for your disability, it’s certainly something that you and/or your counselor can talk about in terms of showing your resilience and your positive attitude. The same goes for talking about having to work to support your family and how that might have affected your grades. Probably the latter is best addressed by the counselor and former by you in your CA essay. There is also a section on the CA that allows you to provide any “additional information.” You might want to briefly explain any issues that might have negatively affected your grades.
It’s great that you are doing some of those fly-in programs. My D didn’t do enough of them (she only did Rice’s SOAR; many of the other dates didn’t work for her). It’s a great way to visit schools, and I do think that it gives you a bit of a boost in Admissions. Even if you are waitlisted, your idea about contacting the schools is an excellent one. Being on their radar and showing “demonstrated interest” is going to be quite helpful. You probably want to apply to the programs at Scripps and Pomona that can fly you down in you’re far enough away or that you can travel by bus, train, or car if you are close. I believe that the deadline for Wash U.'s program has passed. That’s another great school that you might want in your radar. Also U. Chicago.
How often do you have to visit your doctors? You can certainly can make plans to do so during breaks. That said, being someplace with good medical facilities nearby would be a definite plus.
As far as accommodations and disability services go, the Claremont Colleges have a centralized Disabled Student Services that seemed to have its act together and be quite supportive. People I know that have needed support and services have gotten them. Likewise, I believe that USC is also quite good with their disability services. I know that with respect to making the school seem smaller, they have several honors programs that create a sort of “school within a school;” specifically, Thematic Option, which is a humanities-based Great Books-type program, and Freshman Science Honors.
Women’s colleges are a great option. Bryn Mawr might be a great choice, and being part of a consortium with Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn is great.
As far as LACs go, in addition to Williams and Amherst, Swarthmore, Vassar, Wesleyan, Carleton, Grinnell, Macalester and Davidson are excellent LACs to think about. Frankly, there aren’t any Questbridge schools that I would advise against – it’ll be a matter of finding the best fit for you.
Please feel free to continue the conversation here or via pm.
