ivy-caliber schools

College Search & Lists
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<p>I was wondering, what are some schools that would be considered Ivy-caliber, especially in the Midwest? Also, what are the requirements to get into these schools as well as the Ivies. I mean, how difficult really is it to get into a school like Harvard vs. something like the University of Chicago (which is my first choice school). I am first in my class and have significant ECs, as well as 34 ACT. My SATs are not as good: 2170 (1410). Would it be okay if I just submitted the ACT. I am supposed to take SAT IIs in the fall.</p>

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<p>Ivy “caliber” = nonsense</p>

<p>No “ivy” in MIT Caltech Stanford, Amherst etc</p>

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<p>I was going to suggest Chicago right away - looks like you’ve already got that</p>

<p>Other schools Ivy-caliber (some are better than some/several Ivies):</p>

<p>Stanford, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, JHU, Georgetown, Cal Tech…</p>

<p>WashU is also in the Midwest ( I think…)</p>

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<p>Similar thread from earlier today with some helpful info: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=356407[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=356407&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>amherst (as well as other top LACs), Caltech, MIT, Stanford</p>

6

<p>University of Michigan. (Try Ross or LSA Honors).</p>

7

<p>There are many excellent universities in the Midwest. </p>

<p>Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University (if you consider Pittsburgh Midwestern, I do)
Grinnell College
Macalester College
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
University of Chicago
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Washington University-St Louis</p>

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<p>For schools classified as National Universities, here are the Midwestern schools ranked in the USNWR Top 50. I include the average SAT score and acceptance rate so that you can put your 1410 in the context of their enrolled student bodies and also get a sense on how difficult it is to gain admission to these schools:</p>

<p>1450, 21% Wash U
1425, 38% U Chicago
1410, 30% Northwestern University
1395, 34% Carnegie Mellon
1345, 27% Notre Dame
1315, 47% U Michigan
1285, 65% U Illinois
1275, 58% U Wisconsin</p>

<p>OOS acceptance rates to the state universities are likely lower and they take different percentages of OOS students (UM-33%, UI-7%, UW-38%)</p>

<p>If you expand your definition of Midwest to include Central Time Zone, then add</p>

<p>1435, 24% Rice
1370, 34% Vanderbilt</p>

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<p>ivy-caliber schools in the midwest;</p>

<p>uchicago
northwestern
wustl
notre dame
michigan
carleton
grinnell
oberlin
macalester</p>

<p>a notch down;</p>

<p>wisconsin
uiuc
case western
kenyon</p>

10

<p>I’d hardly attend Macalester over CWRU for biology, or WUSTL over Illinois for engineering, or Oberlin over Wisconsin for business, or Grinell over Kenyon for English…</p>

<p>cmon.</p>

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<p>i was not talking about one specific program but an overall quality. one can say uiuc has a better engineering program than harvard but that does not make it a stronger school overall.</p>

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<p>“My SATs are not as good: 2170 (1410). Would it be okay if I just submitted the ACT. I am supposed to take SAT IIs in the fall.”</p>

<p>You should send your ACT score, but when you submit your SAT II’s, your SAT I will also be sent.</p>

13

<p>uchicago and harvard definitely have different qualifications they look for in their applicants, mainly test scores and essays. the great thing about uchicago is that your SATs are not the main indicator of your acceptance or denial. your SAT is already higher than mine (my ACT wasn’t swell either) and i only sent one SAT II (a decent 720 in chem) and one AP Exam (4 in Lang) and they didn’t seem to care much.
just thought it might lesser your stress about that area to know that. however, this isn’t the case with most selective colleges.</p>

14

<p>Collegeprep11, you’re right and I agree, that Harvard is a better school than Illinois overall. But if a student is using this website to evaluate colleges, then it’s worthless to have a ranking of overall, when one might not be best suited at Harvard to study electrical engineering at Illinois more prestigious eng. school.</p>

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<p>Its easier to get into Chicago than Harvard…Chicago’s average stats for accepted/enrolled students are somewhat lower</p>

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<p>Gigidaisy:</p>

<p>“I was wondering, what are some schools that would be considered Ivy-caliber, especially in the Midwest?”</p>

<p>I will second Alexandre’s list. The less competitive players there offer selected majors of unusual undergrad excellence that serve as a draw (e.g. engineering at Illinois, engineering/business at Michigan, international studies at Macalester, CS/engineering at CMU, ….).<br>
Certainly, schools like Carleton, Chicago, and Northwestern will offer educational experiences comparable to their top east coast counterparts. Competition for spots, however, by virtue of their Midwest locale, is often less intense.</p>

<p>”how difficult really is it to get into a school like Harvard vs. something like the University of Chicago”</p>

<p>There is no comparison. Thethoughtprocess understates the disparity in admissions competitiveness between a school like Chicago and schools like HYPSM and, to a lesser extent, Brown and Columbia. Acceptance rates of 10% are now the norm at these colleges. Chicago was at 35% this past year. That 25% difference includes a host of valedictorians and 1600 SATers facing rejection from these absurdly competitve schools that can afford to accept, instead, salutatorians with 1500 SATs who are also budding Broadway stars, celloists who have soloed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and 17 year old CEOs. All this is done with a goal towards molding a class and promoting campus diversity.</p>

<p>“I am first in my class and have significant ECs, as well as 34 ACT. My SATs are not as good: 2170 (1410). Would it be okay if I just submitted the ACT”</p>

<p>You may just want to submit your excellent ACT (that 34 is at the 75%+ for most schools you’ll be interested in). Obviously, a small number of colleges still require SAT 2’s (Princeton and Rice, for example). Others “suggest” they be submitted (e.g. Stanford and Northwestern). You may want to consider whether it’s worth your while to actively pursue these particular schools or bail and enjoy senior year with a bit less stress.</p>

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<p>Some Ivy calliber schools in the Midwest:</p>

<p>Washington University in St. Louis, definitely like the ivies, it’s on Princeton Review’s list of the 20 hardest schools to get in to</p>

<p>Carleton College in Minnesota, an excellent liberal arts school</p>

<p>Northwestern University, in the burbs of Chicago, great school</p>

<p>Other great schools, but not quiet “ivy” caliber would be: Oberlin, Kenyon, Macalester</p>

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<p>i think a 34 ACT is 75%+ for every school in the nation</p>

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princeton review rankings are more of “topics of discussion,” they change 100% year to year and are based on a limited amount of student surveys</p>