Haverford, Reed, Grinnell, or Williams

lr4550
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 14:25:06 +0000

Of course there are many opinions regarding the value or lack thereof of “fit”… and OP’s original thread was specifically posted regarding the best fit out of the four schools mentioned. While some families might feel that an overall vibe is not significant, others feel that when given the choice and all other factors are equal (academics, size, etc.) it does make a difference to pay attention to fit especially when submitting an ED application without the benefit of further visits in April.

Oldest D went ED to a NESCAC school last year after a TON of tours and research and is over the moon with her experience 2 months into freshman year. Guess what, it came down to fit for her and she nailed it. Could she have been happy elsewhere? Sure, but she had a choice and this school rose to the top regarding fit for her. A friend of hers a few years older went ED to a different NESCAC school and was miserable… wound up transferring and is now thriving in a different NESCAC school. Her friend hadn’t done a lot of research and went for the program that she thought she had the best chance of getting into (was recruited for sports) not realizing there was more to the culture of the school than met the eye during their visit. There is a difference in community/culture among NESCAC let alone among other small LACS nationwide.

Of course not all applicants have the luxury of spending the time and money worrying about fit, but for those applicants who can think about campus culture it is worth a thought or two. It doesn’t mean the student is unwilling to meet/study/socialize with different people or to step outside their comfort zone. OP’s son seems to have a strong transcript and above average chance for an ED acceptance so he may as well look at every angle possible.