Realistic for "relaxed intellectual"?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Which is how his AP Lang teacher described my DS. Smart but not interested in getting all worked up about his grades. He is a junior and I want to make sure we are not being unrealistic about his chances for:</p>

<p>Reach: Williams (too much of a reach?) Claremont McKenna, UVA
Reasonable: Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, William & Mary, Naval Academy (legacy)
Safety: Wheaton, James Madison </p>

<p>SAT: CR-800, M-670, W-630 (retook in Jan to bring M & W up)
SAT II (MathII) 750 (will take US history and physics in June)</p>

<p>He was in a pre-IB program in 9th and 10th grade and then we moved to Japan where he attends an overseas American DOD school that does not weight pre-IB. He is taking most difficult courses</p>

<p>GPA is unweighted 3.6 (it was a 3.8 with pre-IB weighted) .<br>
Class rank (27/616 at the end of soph. year)
A & Bs (one C in Spanish 3 but is on track for an A in Spanish 4 and will be doing language immersion this summer)</p>

<p>AP Euro: 4
AP Gov’t: 5</p>

<p>Currently taking AP calculus, AP Eng Lang, APUSH, Spanish 4, physics, Java II</p>

<p>ECs
Varsity Swimming 9, 10, 11 (&12) captain 11, Coach’s Award (10)
JV & Varsity Cross Country (10, 11 (&12)
Math Honor Society
NHS
Yearbook
Drama </p>

<p>Eagle Scout, algebra tutor, competitive open-water swimmer, scuba diver</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>My daughter is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna. Admissions there have gotten a little tougher since she applied, but her profile was very similar to your son’s. She had a higher writing score on the SAT 1, lower SAT 11s and slightly fewer APs. As many have said, lots of people write their way into Claremont McKenna. They have a standard essay topic on a leader who inspires you. Tell your son to try to choose a fairly serious and if possible unusual subject. My daughter wrote a very nuanced essay about Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker’s Party. I’m sure she was the only person writing about Dorothy Day that year and she put a lot of thought into why she was inspired by her work on behalf of the poor. CMC really means it about ideological diversity . We are very liberal and my daughter feels perfectly at home there, but I know there are also strong libertarian and conservative contingents among the student body. This makes for a rare atmosphere of true debate and exchange of ideas across the political spectrum. The programs at the Athenaeum are remarkable and there are wonderful paid internships for anyone who makes the effort to go for one. My daughter has gone from being a “laid back intellectual” to being a real go getter since she started CMC. Her writing, which despite the high SAT score had always been her challenge, has taken a HUGE leap. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Claremont. Of the top ranked schools on your list I think he has a good shot at Claremont, if he pours his heart into his application. An added bonus is the fact that the five schools of the consortium share one huge campus and students can take classes at any of the five schools, and can even major at one of the other schools. Claremont is stellar in Government, Economics and International Relations as well as being the top ranked school in the country for undergraduate neuro science. With Harvey Mudd, Scripps and Pomona right across the street or around the corner there is really no major where a fantastic opportunity is not available.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the feedback–we really feel like he will hit his stride in an intellectually stimulating environment so CMC looks like a great fit. Forgot to mention that he is also potentially interested in Div III swimming.</p>

4

<p>W&L and W&M are prob more of a reach than UVirginia</p>

5

<p>Because of smaller size? It seems like lots of kids from his IB program (in Virginia) are not taking UVA for granted… </p>

<p>Anyone have feedback on chances at Williams or Dartmouth? We have friends who are alumni who have been encouraging him but my impression is that they are beyond reach with his GPA. It should go up at the end of junior year–maybe 3.75 w. Our friends keep stressing his international perspective (he has lived overseas 5 years and traveled extensively) but I am not sure that it is enough of a hook. Frankly, we will only be in the US for a short period to visit colleges and so we want to prioritize.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the feedback swish14! I feel like we are playing a shell game with these schools.</p>