Now that I've been rejected... need help narrowing down/re-creating college list.

College Search & Lists
1

So this post ended up a lot longer than I intended so I don’t expect a lot of people to read it all or respond but if you do, I guess I’m asking this if you don’t read it all. What schools do you think I should cut out based on fit from what I mentioned about myself? 16 schools is a lot to apply to but manageable for me. Are there any other college suggestions that you have? General advice for me?

My parents have told me many times that cost is not an issue. They really believe in investing in education and say that having all that money sitting around and being taxed is useless anyway. We are upper middle class.

I don’t really have any super specific goals yet. My choice of major would probably be math/stats/applied math because that’s where my strengths lie or possibly computer science (I have had no exposure to that yet but I feel like it would be a good fit for me and I would like it after trying it but I’ll see later). A particular major if I had to list one would be operations research, but if not offered at a school, not a huge deal.

My two wishes for a school is to have some access to a city and not be religiously-affiliated/very conservative. Schools like Williams and Middlebury are too far removed from a major city for me. I don’t mind a rural area, but I don’t want to go to school for the next four years in a similar setting I have now (rural, 3-4 hours from closest city). I’m not a party-type at all, so I would prefer schools where social life is not dominated by Greek life/partying/drugs/alcohol. I also would like to continue participating in orchestra and would take into account the LGBT scene/LGBT-friendly environment.

Now some some of my stats (in ranges)… 1560-1600 SAT, 3 SAT 2s 780-800, National AP scholar, serious involvement and relative success (state level) in music and athletics.

I have already been rejected from my top choice and have already applied to a safety that I will be fine going to.

So here are some of the schools that I will definitely apply to and that I also feel comfortable going to for sure:

Pomona - love everything that I have read about it, strong music department, small population offset by consortium, relative proximity to LA, emphasis on collaboration as shown by weekly math lunches

Princeton - would be lying if I said that prestige isn’t a factor as I do have some responsibility to my parents as they are paying and have invested in me for 18 years, great school obviously but super reach for someone like me who hasn’t done anything “amazing” in the context of the applicants, really like the bridge year program (probably is competitive so I realize I might not even get in); offers operations research, undergraduate focus, senior thesis are all pluses

Yale - same as above really, I love the residential college system, I was a bit turned off by the recent Halloween costume controversy, nice shopping period, obviously again great school but super reach

Dartmouth - had an amazing information session and tour, this is contrary to what I said above about access to a city but I love love love the natural setting that Dartmouth offered, D-plan is nice for studying abroad and exploration of courses (another two things that I like)

Some colleges that I will probably end up applying to but I’m not really sure if I’m into them:

MIT - unsure about how intense the environment seems, I really value work-life balance, also not sure if I would want to take the required STEM curriculum, I like the access to Boston but also I do really appreciate access to nature and peace/calm, I do like how prepared an MIT education will make you and the (forced) emphasis on truly understanding the material and the (necessary) collaboration among students

Harvard - I hated the info session and campus tour, came off as snobby and didn’t get the impression that they were trying that hard like we’re Harvard so of course people are going to apply anyway (which clearly is true because I probably will), my mindset is that I don’t want to completely rule out a school based on “feeling” until Admitted Students days (if accepted obviously), two people who I know going there are nice people but they are very A-type personalities who like to take leadership and initiative (anecdotal evidence I know but I’m biased against Harvard and I just don’t vibe very well with the campus or these people)

Brown - the campus seems eh (dining, housing), access to Providence, nice open curriculum but I also like structure, I don’t like the extreme liberalism as a liberal myself, I really believe in having all voices heard and then making a levelheaded judgment trying to see it from their perspective first, my dad is encouraging me to apply

Cornell - offers operations research, Ithaca is gorgeous and a nice college town but no convenient access to city, engineering college is excellent, food is great, have connections there

Now here are some colleges that either I’m on the fence about or considering adding to the above 10 schools already:

Carnegie Mellon - pretty neutral towards this school, would apply to MCS in Mathematical Sciences not SCS, interviewer seemed really impressed with me and my stats despite the interview being really awkward from my viewpoint, just nothing really stood out to me about the school, study abroad stats are very poor though access to Pittsburgh seems to offset that

Carleton - my mom had never heard of this school and was upset that I would even consider applying and going that far away, I just resonate with the things that I read about the school, access to the Twin Cities, 75% study abroad rate, trimester system is really nice, one worry is post-graduation job placement and alumni network if I don’t decide to go to grad school but that’s more of a problem to liberal arts schools in general

Reed - definitely the most out-there school in my list, I don’t even think my parents heard me say this college when I mentioned it, I love the grading policy and Portland, not sure if I’m into the classics but I’m very open to learning new things and enjoy learning for the sake of learning, the CS department is new so not sure if it could be as good as other schools, I like the no frats/sororities but worried about the drug culture and overt liberalism and is also very faraway from home though close to some relatives on the West Coast

UChicago - I haven’t visited so not ruling it out but I haven’t liked any schools that were pretty much smack in the city/urban area so far, I don’t mind the core curriculum, I like how quirky and hardworking the culture seems to be because they love learning, access to Chicago is great

Tufts - my main motivation for applying is the bridge year program, I’m a big fan of it and it seems pretty open to everyone from what I gleaned, access to Boston is nice as well

Rice - residential college system is nice, access to Houston, not a fan of hot and humid weather, great university obviously but worried about geographic diversity, will probably end up applying (have to submit tomorrow for off-campus interview) and have already scheduled a visit in January as some relatives are around there as well

2

Almost everything (I’m not sure about Cornell) on your “above the fence” list is a reach and several of the schools you’re on the fence about are, too. Can you pick a few of these reaches-for-everybody schools, take the rest off the list, and add some matches?

One of my children went to Carleton. She did well there, double majored, got a job easily after graduation, and is now in graduate school. I highly recommend it.

3

What is your safety that you know that you will be admitted to?

4

@rosered55 I wish that my parents understood how competitive admissions is. I will talk to my guidance counselor tomorrow about my situation, but she thinks I am a “100% chance to get into my safety, 90% into CMU, and 80% into Cornell.” She says her letter of recommendation is the strongest she has ever written for a student from our school. Do you think she has an accurate view of the admissions process? She does know more of my stats and we have a few go to these types of schools each year that I’m looking at.

5

It looks to me like you will be applying to a lot of reach schools and one safety school. I’d suggest that you seek on a group of colleges that fall in between to create a more well rounded application list.

6

@ucbalumnus I’d prefer not to say for anonymity (and if someone that I know reads this lol but they can probably guess it is me anyway). My dad works there so it would be free tuition for me, and my stats are well out of their range. My guidance counselor and parents say they’d be absolutely shocked if I was denied.

7

Some students are unpleasantly surprised by rejections from their “safeties”. Sometimes, it is because they do not want to be used as such, so they use level of applicant’s interest to see how likely you are to matriculate.

8

@happy1 Are schools that I am above 75% percentile in SAT score (which is in the range of 1560-1600) not considered an in between school? Is my guidance counselor not a dependable source when she says that Cornell and Carnegie Mellon should admit me? Would you consider schools like Tufts, Reed, and Carleton to be reaches for me? If so, I may have to entirely reconsider my viewpoint on the admission process, which I knew was extremely competitive.

9

Think you need to bring your GC back down to earth as NO ONE has a 90% chance at CMU or 80% chance at Cornell. Have you worked with your GC on match schools as everyone listed other than Carleton and Reed are reaches for everyone?

10

@ucbalumnus I just checked the CDS and applicant interest is not taken into account. I have already taken and received an A in multiple classes at the college as well participate in the orchestra and take private lessons from two professors there. I also did a camp there. I basically live half of my life there already with my other sports and music as well as just going to the gym. I’m also thinking if I apply to this many schools with my application, I should really get in somewhere considering past history from my school and how I stack up. Typing that out, maybe it is a bad way of thinking.

11

Many of those schools reject people with perfect grades and standardized tests simply because there are too many very well qualified candidates. While you have a very good chance I don’t think any of them are a sure thing.

12

Case in point, Brown only accepts 25% with perfect scores, including those with hooks that applied ED so RD is even less.

13

@Chembiodad I thought she was very optimistic, but I guess that is in her nature as a guidance counselor. The negativity/realistic-ness of CC definitely helps me balance all the other positivity in my life lol. She tells me to be positive about my chances, but I’m still not confident in myself. Thank you for the bluntness.

She thinks I have a good list for my stats and ECs with my original 10 or 11 schools. Everyone in my life is so much more confident in me than myself, so it’s hard for me to know who to listen to. I’ll talk to her tomorrow. I would be very happy with Carleton/Reed and fine with safety (though my parents might be disappointed as well as others who might be surprised at me going to such an “unknown” school).

What is considered a match school? I am above the 75th percentile for most if not all of these schools. I realize that the majority of “perfect” applicants are rejected but is it necessary for me to be looking for even more schools if I already have schools that I would be happy at?

14

To get a sense of who is getting into and getting rejected from CMU, go to the CMU ED thread. You will see that no one is 80% there on scores alone.

I actually just had dinner with a friend whose daughter had scores like yours, including coursework at a local college and various minor awards. She is doing a double major in CS and engineering. She was rejected at all Ivies, and is now attending her state school with a full scholarship + stipend (one of 8 to receive that award). She is, by the way, very happy with how things turned out.

15

Get rid of Dartmouth, Harvard and Cornell
Try Northeastern and Georgetown

16

@Zion101 What is your GPA? This is a very reachy list with schools that are lottery schools for EVERYONE. I don’t see Ivy caliber EC’s listed. Was your rejected also an Ivy? I really think it would be better to have more match schools that you like.

I would add Northeastern.

17

General rule of thumb is that any school with below a 25% acceptance rate is certainly not a safety or even really a match, for anyone. Those schools reject many well-qualified kids. The schools on your list are reaches for everyone, including you, except for possibly Reed, which might be a match, though I don’t know enough about its admissions process to have an informed assessment about that. I’m guessing that, like Haverford, applicants tend to be fairly self-selecting at Reed so that the acceptance rate may look higher.

Emory, Wash U,Vandy are less reachy than Harvard, Princeton and Yale, but still reachy. Brandeis maybe.

No mere mortals have an 80+% chance of acceptance at Cornell or CMU.

18

Your GC claiming you’re an 80% lock for Cornell and 90% for CMU is just irresponsible. Your list contains mostly schools that are reaches for everyone. This is fine IF you are absolutely 100% certain (are you?) that you will be accepted to your safety.

19

How about Vassar as that’s a low reach. Also Wash U as it’s stats focused so probably also a low reach?

20

@gearmom We do GPA on a weighted 100 scale, but I believe it would be 4.0 on an unweighted scale. I have never gotten below a 97 with majority of classes being 98-100, so I believe (maybe I’m wrong) that my transcript is as strong as it can be. I’ve taken the most APs possible so far and have scored well on all of them (4s or 5s) as a National AP Scholar.