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<p>You’re absolutely right, JHS. Brain freeze on my part. </p>
<p>OP – you can check out the male-to-female applicant ratios yourself by googling “common data set” and the name of the school.</p>
<p>You sound like a good candidate at your top three schools. The problem is that there are a lot of good candidates at these schools, and I don’t see anything that I would call a hook. </p>
<p>I echo the suggestions to go ahead and apply. But, if you are equally excited about all 3 schools, I would like to put in a word for Carleton ED. You bring geographic diversity and a full-pay profile, and with ED, I believe Carleton is a better bet than the other two.</p>
<p>Ah, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten to mention Middlebury! That’s one of my top choices as well… probably among my top 5 schools.</p>
<p>And as for EDII-ing at Carleton, it’s a possibility. However, of the three schools I’ve mentioned I liked the most - Williams, Bowdoin, and Carleton - it’s the one that doesn’t really have any mountains nearby. Like I said, access to the outdoors is big for me, and being able to do some (albeit relatively small) peak ascents is something I’d love to do. Having gone hiking in the West almost every summer since I was born, I’d like to be able to do some hiking in which a decent gain of elevation is possible. </p>
<p>Honestly, if Carleton were in the Northeast, I would have a tough time NOT EDII-ing there… the campus is beautiful and the students are really active (ultimate frisbee!) and quirky and intelligent to boot. The only thing “holding it back,” in my mind, is the fact that it’s in Minnesota - not a bad location by any means, but I’d certainly prefer going to school in Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine/Massachusetts/Washington/Cali/etc</p>
<p>For anyone wondering, this is a tentative list of schools I’m interested in (and do the categories of schools look appropriate?):</p>
<p>Reaches: Williams, Bowdoin, Carleton, Middlebury, maybe Amherst
Matches: Hamilton, Macalester, Colby, Whitman
Safeties: UVM, St. Olaf, (…)</p>
<p>I don’t think OP has very good chance of getting into Williams or Amherst. I would be very surprised if that were to happen. Sorry to be so blunt. The reason I said it in such a way is I don’t think he should waste his ED option on those schools. His chance of getting into those schools is no better ED or RD. ED is a good tip if he is a middle to upper candidate. With schools like Colgate or Hamilton, ED maybe helpful with OP’s stats, but he should only apply ED if there wouldn’t be any regret.</p>
<p>Heck, why not come out west and look into Honors Colleges at some place like University of Utah?!</p>
<p>I guess I should’ve mentioned this already, but I felt it would’ve distracted from my main question (I may be wrong)…</p>
<p>But anyways, I do have somewhat of a hook in that one of my parents works in admissions at a top private school in the Northeast (unfortunately not at any of the ones I’m interested in). Through this parent, I’ve been able to meet high-up people, usually admissions deans and the like, at almost every prestigious college I’ve visited.</p>
<p>For example, at a few of these schools, prospective applicants are usually interviews by seniors - however, with my parent’s connections, I’ve instead been able to be interviewed by admissions deans at these places and have had nice chats with most of them. All the kids at these information sessions start staring when my family and I get invited upstairs to chat with the dean of admissions…</p>
<p>I’ve also had dinner with the Williams director of admission at his house. lol</p>
<p>I would encourage you to apply to one or two reaches. You might be exactly what the school seeks. My son had a friend who posted a 1420 (CR and M) on his SAT and had a 3.6 GPA. He applied ED to his first choice school, one of the top liberal arts schools in the country. He got in. So Do not give up hope. Look for some other schools so you are pleased with the backups should something not go your way. But do go for a reach or two.</p>
<p>So ask him flat out if you would be admitted if you were to apply ED, why be coy about it. You wouldn’t be exactly an embarrassment. Why ask us, like we would have better info.</p>
<p>lol I don’t think I could ever have the nerve to do that… And I haven’t spoken with him since I enjoyed the pasta he made a few months ago.</p>
<p>^But wait till after dessert…:)</p>
<p>What does your parent say about the ED to Williams thing? Tell her or him to take off the parent hat and put on the adcom hat and tell you the truth. Seriously, you’ve got 1st hand info at your fingertips. We’re just guessing from past experience and tea leaves.</p>
<p>Have your parent ask.</p>
<p>I don’t think you have a “hook”. You have “connections”. That may or may not help you in the admissions process. A hook is something that sets you apart from other applicants…something YOU have done. YOU haven’t done anything…your parent happens to know adcoms…sorry…that’s not YOUR hook. That will not rise you above other applicants. A hook is something YOU have done will.</p>
<p>That’s just my opinion, of course.</p>
<p>Believe me, I’ve asked about my chances at these schools, and the answer usually is, “The school I work at is one of the most selective in the country, and I only know its admissions standards for certain, so I can’t really judge if you’d get into x or y” or “We’ll have to wait and see how your grades are first semester to judge…”</p>
<p>For someone so “in” with the workings of college admissions, my parent is relatively unhelpful… It’s almost like they feel bad about giving me an advantage by telling me explicitly if I’d get in or not…</p>
<p>I, too, thought immediately of Colorado College. You might take a look at that. Macalester is abit of an outlier and is literally in the middle of St. Paul with an urban-ish campus although a quick trip over to Mpls. I think I agree with those who say cast a wide net and see what happens. Being known in the admission world will, I think, be a help not a hindrance as you are able to do the “work” at any of the colleges you are thinking of. Why are you not shooting for Dartmouth for the “big reach?”</p>
<p>Dartmouth - not likely.</p>
<p>If you were coming from my kids’ high school, which is pretty well-known for grade deflation, I’d say that your profile makes Bowdoin and Carleton low reaches and Whitman essentially a safety. But since you’re from the northeast, presumably, Bowdoin might be reachier if they see a lot of apps from your school. The geographic element makes you really attractive to places like Carleton and Whitman, though. </p>
<p>You’ve heard this already, but it sounds like Whitman would be a great fit for someone like you. It does a great job preparing kids for graduate and professional programs, and the students seem ridiculously happy there. I spoke to a kid the other day who raved about the skiing, hiking and camping opportunities quite near the campus.</p>
<p>Williams seems to be a reach for almost anyone. However, if you really love it, what’s to lose by applying early to test the value of the parental connection? If your fall semester is going well, do you have a mid-term report that your high school counselor could submit? I don’t see huge value in waiting for fall grades, as long as your record smoothed out pretty well during junior year. (But your parent’s advice on this point may mean I’m utterly clueless about how this really works!)</p>
<p>Everything about Colorado College is lovely… except for the thing they’re known for: the one-class-at-a-time academic system (I forget what it’s called, but I don’t like it lol).</p>
<p>And I visited Dartmouth as well and really liked it a lot (as much as the other schools I’ve mentioned). However, as oldfort basically said, I think my chances there are slim to none with my GPA, as much as I’d like to attend there…</p>
<p>The Government…admissions at VERY selective schools are not always easy to predict. These schools typically have thousands of well qualified applicants who do NOT get accepted. Some of these schools accept only 10% or less of students who apply. The notion that an adcom (even your own parent) could, with certainty, tell you whether or not you WILL be accepted at a highly competitive school is poppycock. There are too many other factors…namely the thousands of other well qualified applicants and what THEY might be bringing to that freshman class or school. </p>
<p>The answers you have been getting are a polite way of saying “we can’t tell you…apply and wait and see…no guarantees”. </p>
<p>We have seen class vals with perfect GPAs and nearly perfect SAT scores…with great ECs and community service get denied admission to these high profile schools…and no one can figure out why. Why??? Because they had PLENTY of other qualified applicants and others filled the class. </p>
<p>Your stats are fine. Some of your schools are reaches. Places like Amherst are very competitive for most applicants…that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply there. </p>
<p>My DD applied to a school that she absolutely was not going to be accepted to (I knew that). But she wanted to try. And she did…and did not get accepted. It was a reach. She knew it all along. Her other four applications (yes…she only applied to five schools total) were either early or rolling admissions and she had acceptances to all LONG before she got the rejection letter. </p>
<p>Just make sure that you have a nice balanced list of schools.</p>
<p>LOL, TG. I knew your screen name sounded familiar. Can’t your parents give you better guidance than we can give you here? Not only do they know college admissions, but they also know you, after all.</p>
<p>Eh, my parent isn’t all too helpful… they really can only tell me if I’d get into the school they work at, and even then, I’m their son, so their response could be skewed. They’ve given me advice on essays, but other than that, I’m completely self-educated when it comes to the whole college admissions ordeal, and CC has been my primary teacher.</p>