@tk21769 I’m not going to need/get any financial aid (3)—ran the NPCs for internationals and they put full tuition, even at the Ivies. Talked to my parents a few days ago and they have clarified that they are willing to pay the sticker price. I’m definitely a lot more negotiable with (1) than (2), and (4) is relative: I’m just looking for more schools to add on to my current list (which already has its fair share of super-selectives).
Amherst & Smith are on my ‘tentative’ list; it seems that both schools actively look out students from my HS (admissions rep holds info session + interviews at school) so that’s good. Naviance has an 80% acceptance rate for Smith in the past 2 years, and all have SAT/GPA scores below mine. Smith sounds great; my only worry is the women’s college environment (which shouldn’t be much of an issue with the consortium, right?). Virtually no one applies to Amherst though, so I can’t draw conclusions from Naviance for this school.
I think I’ve previously mentioned somewhere on this thread that size/intimacy isn’t going to be a dealbreaker. (2) and (4) are the most important to me right now, in terms of schools I’m looking to add onto my current list.