Recommend me some targets/safeties/reaches?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>I’ve applied ED to my first choice and will apply ED2 to my second choice if it doesn’t work out, but basically I just want a reality check as far as where else I should apply RD.</p>

<p>Does anyone have suggestions?</p>

<p>-GPA: 3.56uw (Freshman: 3.43, Sophomore: 3.43, Junior: 3.73, Senior: 3.75)
-Freshman and Sophomore year weren’t the most impressive academically; got one C+ freshman year and one C+ sophomore year. Pretty much everything else for those two years was in the A/B+ range. Junior year I had all A’s or A-'s and one B both semesters. Senior year will be similar.</p>

<p>-SAT: M 720, CR 700, W 800, Total: 2220
-Rank: school doesn’t rank, but you can deduce from the school profile that I’m probably around top 25% in a class of 230</p>

<p>-PSAT: National Merit Semifinalist
-Subject tests: Lit-660, USH-720</p>

<p>-Taking as many AP’s and honors as my school will allow me to take (11 honors, 5 AP)
-AP Lang: 5
-APUSH: 4</p>

<p>Senior course load:
Physics honors
Spanish 4 honors
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
Theology 4
Focus Research honors
AP English literature
AP English literature writing lab
Pre-calculus honors
Psychology
AP Government</p>

<p>-White male from the southwest (typically underrepresented state), family makes <60k
-Fairly prestigious college preparatory
-School does not rank, but I’m in the ‘Summa Cum Laude’ program- the most regarded, most competitive diploma, which is typically a good indicator of being near the top (Usually around 30 out of ~200 graduate Summa)
-Prospective major is philosophy/neuroscience</p>

<p>-Founder and president of Philosophy Club
-Vice president of Politics Club
-Diversity/International Club board member; went with the club on a three-day ‘cultural exchange’ trip to our sister school in Kingston, Ontario, Canada
-“Friends of the Orphans” Club Vice President; went on an 8-day volunteer trip to an orphanage in Mexico in March; went back for another 8 days in July
-Over 100 hours community service</p>

<p>-3 years varsity track for school, recruited at some D3 schools
-Scholar-Athlete Award
-Club track during the summer and off season (Track Athlete Year Round)
-Qualified for and placed 27th overall in the USATF Junior Olympics National Championship for 110m hurdles (basically nationals for club track) (regionals came before this)
-Very, very good recommendations (from what I can gather)</p>

<p>-Past employment as a lifeguard
-Currently employed in a bookstore</p>

2

<p>Would help to know the actual state you reside in since those schools are more than likely going to be your match and safety options, academically as well as financially. Since Bowdoin is likely a reach (mostly because of your GPA and decile), these more affordable and attainable in-state schools could come into play. Are you going the athletic recruit route to either of your schools you’ve applied to so far?</p>

3

<p>With high SATs and family income under 60k, you should apply to LACs and unis with great endowments. Any school that meets full need without loans should be your target.</p>

<p>Pomona/Amherst/Williams/Swarthmore/Bowdoin – one of these might work
U. Rochester/Emory/Wash U. St. Louis/Northwestern/Notre Dame – one of these</p>

<p>I looked up endowment / pupil to come up with these ideas. I think all the LACs listed are extremely hard to get into, so they don’t qualify as targets or safeties.</p>

4

<p>so you applied ED at Bowdoin? What are the other choices? Didn’t see a list here.</p>

5

<p>Sorry, I’ll post a list and recruiting info in just a second.</p>

6

<p>Thanks guys. I’ve applied ED to Pomona, where I was recruited and the Coach was extremely encouraging about my chances, but I’m still nervous. The coach at Bowdoin, where I’m considering ED2 if it doesn’t work out with Pomona (very sad thought), was also encouraging, but only slightly. I’ve been in contact with coaches at Vassar (track will help), Swarthmore (track will help), UChicago (track will help), Occidental (track will help), Amherst (track won’t help much) and Middlebury (track will hardly help at all). I really like the above listed, Brown, Duke (legacy), Colgate, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Cornell, Tufts, and Tulane.</p>

7

<p>Hopefully your ED schools will come through. You might ask the Pomona coach where he ranks you among the incoming recruits in any of your events and then the approximate number of athletes he feels would get accepted based on the past few year’s averages. For example, he might say he has you ranked 2nd out of 10 other recruits in your events and the average recruits accepted in the last few years was around 50% of a similar size group. This is what a track coach at an extremely selective Ivy-equivalent school did this year. I would only have this conversation with the Pomona coach that expressed lots of interest.</p>

8

<p>Jshain, I just PM’d you.</p>

9

<p>Try looking at some midwestern D3 LACs like Kenyon, St. Olaf, etc. They look like a good fit academically - have indoor track season - give good aid</p>

10

<p>Mightb also look at Holy Cross-very good LAC near Boston.</p>

11

<p>Can anyone comment on the schools I listed?</p>

12

<p>Don’t forget to include a safety which you will definitely be admitted to and you can definitely afford after non-loan financial aid. (Possibly an in-state public university?)</p>

13

<p>Which school is your financial safety?</p>

<p>That’s a school that…</p>

<p>1) You like and would attend</p>

<p>2) You know that you’ll be accepted</p>

<p>3) You know FOR SURE that you have all costs covered thru ASSURED grants/scholarships, small federal student loans and/or family funds.</p>

14

<p>OP, of your other schools listed the only two I think are pretty certain are Vassar and Tulane. The remainder, as you know, are very selective. I didn’t look up the selection rate for each but just my general impression.</p>

15

<p>*-White male from the southwest (typically underrepresented state), family makes <60k
*</p>

<p>Do Tulane and Vassar meet need? If not, then they aren’t safeties for you.</p>