Too engineering and science focused, unfortunately. Thanks for the idea
Harvard is the appeal of Boston. Princeton could be on the list too.
Iām thinking the same way about Chicago - needs to apply ED to have a good/better chance.
Brown ED wouldnāt make sense for two reasons - IMHO
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Per Brown, it doesnāt give an advantage - just an earlier decision
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Most importantly, per OP, Chicago is the desired school - so Brown ED would potentially eliminate a Chicago acceptance.
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I think CMU is very competitive. I am not sure how collaborative it is.
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Agree re UChicago and ED, but honestly donāt see how UChicago is a fit for creatives, even if they liked it. I do see the fit with the City of Chicago but UChicago in my mind attracts a hyper intellectual/snooty Econ/philosophy crowd that is not always supportive of creatives. Like, Iāve never heard of anyone going to UChicago for creative endeavorsā¦ more for pre-law, academia and pre-businessā¦
Also, ED not giving preference at Brown is not consistent with the admissions outcomes we have seen in the last few years at our school, whether athletes or not.
Based on the description provided by OP, Brown seems like a fantastic fit, including a commuter train ride into Boston that is very easy and convenientā¦
OP needs to consult closely with their school college counselor. My sense is both Chicago and Brown are ārelationshipā colleges for certain schools. Some prep schools seem to do much better at one or another than others, with similarly qualified kids.
The appeal is in the quirky intensely intelectual aspect. Kids whose idea of fun is a viscous game of scrabble or sitting around a table until the wee hours of the night, as a student shared, discussing the significance of Batman in the Lego movie.
OP did not say their student is going to college FOR the creative pursuit. I assumed that will continue to be an EC and they are looking to major in a more traditional humanities field.
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Indiana University Bloomington has the Hamilton Lugar school for languages. Hits all the other wants as well.
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Itās hard to fathom how this student could be turned down as an in-state applicant for UMich, and the school seems to check all the boxes, particularly if the Residential College is in the mix. I suppose itās still necessary to have an even-safer-safety, and Iām not sure if Michigan State is the best one for the criteria, but youāve gotten a lot of good suggestions. Iād also say that the top Canadian Uās would be safeties, given their relatively predictable admissions and the studentās perfect stats. Iām not familiar with the artsy/quirky demographic at, say, Toronto or McGill - does anyone else know? Certainly they cover the cold-weather, urban-adjacent, strong-humanities aspects. (Maybe UBC also - less cold but rarely warm during the school year.)
But generally, UMich in-state is a financial bargain that sets a very high bar for what would be worth paying more than double for, when looking at elite privates.
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Iāve heard some NU studentsā feedback about the competitive culture; however, NU School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) seems much less so than students in Kellogg School of Management, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science. In case the āartsyā is musical performance related, Bienen school of music feels quite supportive and collaborative.
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Thanks. Issue is they view Michigan as the ālocalā school everyone else goes to and a bit of an extension of high school - they want different people and experiences. Not really a logical argument given the size of Michigan, but 17 year oldsā¦
McGill is a nice add. My concern is that it isnāt well known by US employers.
Not sure, I think itās hard to sort thru unless you are talking to students from all the various schoolsā¦and what is one personās competitive culture is anotherās jam. Note Kellogg is grad school only, and itās known for its collaborative, team based approach to learning. Kellogg does offer 2 certificate programs of 4 classes each to undergrads, and I canāt speak to that vibe as that program didnāt exist when I was there.
We have no idea what your student will major in or their desired outcome if there is one . ā¦.the where may end up not that big a dealā¦perceived prestigious or otherwise.
There are 4.0/36 likely at every flagship in America.
I only note this because youāve now brought up employment.
Only because a Canadian school was mentioned.
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Iām just saying you have a lot of big names. For certain careers or majors the name may not matter no matter how prestigious.
All that said if Michigan was the choice but the student doesnāt want to be in state - no matter if itās Wisconsin or PSU or UMass or whoever - depending on what the student is studying or desiring it may not matter. And for most āhumanitiesā it likely doesnāt.
I was just noting it as many said canāt say no to Michigan.
But we have limited info. So. Itās all good.
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From the people we knew who attended, it was hyper competitive to get in but not so much once there. The workload is tough, and there is social awkwardness, so not as social a place - but not competitive per se
CMU is probably still hypercompetitive to get into CS, but probably less so for humanities.
Just adding another vote for some recommendations already made . . . .
I was also going to mention Rochester as a likelier option for this student. Seems very on point.
Since Providence basically has the same climate as New Haven or Boston, I also think it seems like Brown deserves additional consideration since it seems so on point as well.
Finally, Wisconsin is a very popular alternative for Michigan kids who donāt want to stay in-state but like the general idea of such a university and college town. Or if the student would prefer a bigger (and even colder) city, then Minnesota.
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This is Brown and definitely not Dartmouth or Notre Dame. Providence is cold. Itās less than an hourās drive from Boston and less than 2 hours to New Haven. Itās more northeast than Yale, so I am not sure what weather your child is thinking of.
Itās too bad your child is set against LACs. I can think of many across a broad range of selectivity that would seem to fit your description.
University of Rochester should be considered. I think it meets much of the critetia, but it is a bit off peopleās radar. It has an underappreciated art dept, students are definitely serious, interesting, and nerdy. Itās the perfect size and definitely cold. Your child likely would be offerd merit aid.
For a safety, I suggest Ithaca College, with about 5000 students and a good number of arty and quirky students. Clark U could also be a safety. It has about 3000 students, so not the typical tiny LAC size. Middlebury is worth considering, as it is a larger LAC with 2700 students. It is a reach, however.
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Thanks all. Appreciate the new ideas and details around schools like Rochester and Brown.
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What about Carleton?