AFAIK no central database, so need to call each school. I would encourage OP to only consider blue states. IMO non-T LGBTQ+ identifiers have a bit more leeway in college choice.
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Yes, this is another point. But I’m willing to do research on that aspect by myself – I’ve already checked a couple of schools and some have health centres that prescribe and have support for carrying over international prescriptions. But anyways, point is, I can do that part.
Thank you to everyone for all the super useful advice! I’m taking my time reading this thread and I’m taking actual notes on it.
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Getting back to school suggestions, would the state flagships in (for example) CO, CT, IL, MA, MD, MN, NJ, OR, and WA be acceptable to your parents?
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Probably not. I think, based on conversations and trends, the three main factors as to what makes a school “acceptable” (with some exceptions) are:
- Private
- Prestigious (but especially prestigious in the 2000s and 2010s, when my parents were in the USA)
- Low acceptance rate (they view anything above like 30% as a school “anyone could get into”)
Thank you again for all this help – I really appreciate it.
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So what’s your plan if you don’t get into any of these - and by the way - schools like Denison that they’ve likely not heard of, Carleton and more have low acceptance rates - although when you pull out the international grads, that rate goes noticeably higher.
But if they’re talking a list of 15 or 20 they’d let you consider, what’s plan B if you go 0 for?
My daughter’s valedictorian had a 4.0, 10 or 11 APs, a 36 ACT and applied to 16 of the top 20 and got into none.
Your #s are solid but not overwhelmingly strong based on what @MYOS1634 provided for a grade school - at least that’s my interpretation.
So what’s the next leg down - and it’s math - you’re going to people in demand, assuming a solid job market, no matter if you go to Wyoming, Washington, or Wesleyan.
OP said this earlier:
[quote=“val3, post:9, topic:3706218”]
So I’m thinking I might apply to likelies/safeties in Europe, and then my reaches in the USA. That means that my parents will be happy with my USA schools (should I get in), and if I don’t, I fall back on the comparatively cheaper European schools. Whilst they’re not preferable to me, I’ll go, because this is looking to be the best option.
[/quote]
Obviously OP is in a tough situation as the parents are paying and dictating what US colleges OP can apply to/attend. All we can do is share info with OP, and hope the parents might come around. If not, and a US reach doesn’t work out, it sounds like OP has a plan in place for EU schools.
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Gotcha.
Obviously, there are different types of math degrees- applied, stats and more - but if you look at the top PhD feeders (in the top 50), on a per capita, I see, per College Transitions -
Reed at #7
Carleton #9
St. Olaf #10
Whitman #16
New Mexico Mining and Tech #24
Bard #30
SUNY Geneseo #32
Rochester #37
Kalamazoo #39
These are all ahead of Stanford, Yale and Duke on a per capita basis.
If you look at the top 50 by volume, you’ve got schools like Rutgers, Wesleyan, Oberlin, GW, U Wash, and UMN - ahead of many top schools like Northwestern.
The landscape has changed and I think your parents need a brush up if possible. Perhaps that can come from insights from this thread.
Btw did you take STEP2/3 or do you plan to register for TMUA?
Since, if you haven’t, it’d limit the UK schools you can apply to.
Are non TMUA UK universities acceptable to your parents?
You’re above the IB score for Trinity-Dublin for Maths. In addition, the Single Honors degree is eligible for the Trinity-Columbia degree. (You can do Single Honors:100% Math and co-requisite courses; Joint Honors: 50-50 Math and another subject chosen from a short list; or Major- minor, 70 Math-30 sth else)
https://tcd.gs.columbia.edu/
I’d keep in mind Carleton, at least, and if possible St Olaf and UMN - MN has an actual law protecting trans people (it goes further than recognizing or supporting rights.)
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Quants going into Finance must be a pretty big, lagging indicator over time.
I’m talking about the landscape of “top” or acceptable schools - there are kids from other schools that in many cases are getting similar or even better outcomes to the brand name schools of 20 years ago. The palate of fantastic schools is expanded - IMHO.
Meaning what?
There are the Bentley and Babsons of the world or the School of Mines of the world or the UMD and Wisconsin in math specifically - delivering many kids who are going into top level jobs.
Some schools will always perform well but kids, with the right connections or luck or hard work or whatever it is - can make inroads.
In this case, the student is shooting for the stars or giving up to Europe. That’s a choice they can make - but it’s not like, for example, all these high level LACs, as an example, are necessarily placing in these high level jobs or that someone going to a Rutgers or Stephens Tech or others are not obtaining jobs.
If they don’t attend a big name and decide to go to Europe, it’s ok - but it doesn’t seem that’s what OP wants to do.
So I think a reset with their folks - could be helpful so = maybe it’s the Stephens Quant program if that’s the interest - at a much lower cost than Princeton or Swat - and they still place people….that’s all I’m saying.
Thanks
That doesn’t sound like the OP’s jam
That’s an oversimplification of the OP’s situation. My interpretation is that as a trans person, they would prefer to attend an LAC because it would be a better fit. The OP’s parents are less likely to be familiar with a lot of American LACs.
That’s the problem.
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Hence I’m saying a reset is needed - like they said, for example, that St. Olaf won’t work - yet it’s putting forth PhDs so obviously a strong program and an overall easy admit. And they don’t want to pay for schools not top - but Olaf would come at a discount. But that’s why I also showed Geneseo, Rochester, Kalamazoo, and a few others like Bard and NM Tech as well - all leaders in PhD fulfillment.
Just another perspective for OP to consider as they try to come to the US, no matter what (is what I interpreted)…i.e. they’re not up with the plan to go to Europe.
In eight posts, I don’t think the OP ever mentioned pursuing a Phd. If it were up to me, and I was trying to work within my parents’ parameters and avoid trying to persuade them of the ignorance of their position, I’d recommend the following:
Wesleyan
Vassar
Swarthmore
Pomona
Harvey Mudd
Carleton
Macalester
Haverford
Amherst
not necessarily in any order.
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I understand - but if they don’t get in they will end up in Italy. And OP said -
“….and if I don’t, I fall back on the comparatively cheaper European schools. Whilst they’re not preferable to me,
That’s why I mentioned the others. I used the PhD list as a “hopeful” the student can create a story to hellp persuade their parents of other acceptable options that they might not be familiar with today. That’s what I meant by perhaps getting a reset as to the current landscape.
I’m looking to help the student “assuredly” come here vs. maybe come here since that appears their desire.
Thanks
No, but I’ve sorted my UK list with my parents and whilst they’re all non-TMUA, my parents are happy.
My concern with Trinity-Dublin is how late the application cycle is - I’ll already know (essentially) where I’m going by the time I get results, if I’ve understood correctly.
I think you’d be part of the Round 0 decisions, ie., July 6, so you’d have to confirm somewhere in the UK or Europe in the Spring.
For the US, if you apply ED anywhere, you’d know in December (non US schools typically aren’t part of the Ed contract, ie., you can apply to your favorite university in the US as well as abroad. US universities are pretty confident that if a student goes through all the trouble of applying to a US university rather than just send school/exam results for a EU university, they do want to attend.)
OTOH Trinity tuition would be €3,000 a year 
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Oh right! Pros and cons to that, but that confirms Wesleyan would definitely be worth considering.
ETA: By the way, I would love it if the OP’s parents could eventually be brought around on some great Target or Likely LACs with robust merit programs being worth considering over European universities. I think that would basically guarantee the OP could choose a US college.
But . . . the OP is a very competitive applicant to begin with, is full pay, and has an interesting personal story. I would never guarantee anything with LACs with low acceptance rates, but I think there is still a useful sort of harder Reach, softer Reach classification you could use in such circumstances.
So, like, Pomona, Swarthmore, Amherst, or Williams? I’d say harder reaches. Haverford, Wesleyan, or Vassar? Still reaches, but I would say you could call them softer reaches for the OP.
So if the best we can do for the OP is get some softer reaches past the parental filter, I still think that is well worth doing.
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OP has already defined “prestige” as anything under a 30% acceptance rate. And they’ve already eliminated Carleton and other CC favorites from the running.
Trinity College (CT; USA) - makes it just under the wire.
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