Oberlin is then another very well-regarded LAC in Ohio. I think it is fair to say it is also a strong fit college (even as compared to most LACs), but to me it sounds like potentially a good fit for the OP. Again, merit would be a possibility at Oberlin.
I note this is in part because Haverford is part of the BiCo with Bryn Mawr (also the TriCo with Swarthmore, but that in practice is a lot less important to most Haverford students). The two campuses are close enough physically, and have enough intentional coordination, that people can easily take classes on both campuses, do activities which draw from both campuses, eat meals or otherwise socialize on both campuses, and so on.
This is too complex to say going to Haverford or Bryn Mawr is like going to a single co-ed LAC with 2800 undergrads (and some bonus grad students). But it also isn’t the same as going to an isolated LAC with only 1400 undergrads.
I also note this is even more true of the Claremont Colleges. They really are about as close as we have in the US to something like the constituent colleges at Oxbridge. Again, not quite the same thing as going to one big institution, but also not the same as going to isolated LACs of similar individual size.
Just to clarify, I was referring to the situation where, say, you apply to Amherst ED1, and Amherst doesn’t reject you, but instead defers you to RD.
Your original plan was, say, to ED2 to Middlebury if rejected by Amherst. But now if you ED2 to Middlebury and get accepted, then you are bound even if you would have gotten into Amherst RD.
Part of the complex calculus in these situations is what does an ED deferral mean? Some colleges defer most of their ED non-acceptances, in which case it means very little. Some reject most of their ED non-acceptances, in which case a deferral is actually not necessarily a terrible sign for RD (although usually the odds are still against you). Unfortunately, some colleges don’t say what they have done, which is less than helpful.
Anyway, you can treat this all as a bridge to cross if you come to it. I just think it is useful to be aware when mapping out your overall strategy, again because it can be easier to, say, pass up ED2 when your ED1 defers you if you are happy with what is likely to happen if neither ends up admitting you RD.
I wasn’t sure Oberlin was a fit for this student, given the other colleges the OP has listed.
Yep, I am aware that Haverford is part of the Quaker Consortium and the OP has already mentioned Swat. As with any consortium, these colleges aren’t interchangeable but the Claremont Consortium is probably the best known for running as smooth as butter.
I’m not entirely in agreement about any LAC consortiums boing comparable to Oxbridge. I think together, they function more like a university in that they provide more options. But that is a different topic, of course.
But it’s quite different. In the consortium, the educational departments vary across the colleges - if each of them offer, say, economics, there are 5 different economics departments. At Oxbridge they are centralized (if you are doing economics, you are all doing it at the same department) and it is mainly the residential aspect (and sometimes the tutorial sessions) that are specific to each college.
In this case, it means that the deferred applicant is not a clear (to the college) admit, meaning either a borderline case or one of the more numerous clear (to the college) rejects. Likelihood of admission in RD becomes lower, since the clear admit case no longer exists.
In that case, a deferred applicant is likely one of the borderline cases, with some reasonable chance of admission.
Yes, you can see that in the Claremont colleges. Pomona economics has a more liberal arts and research focus, while CMC economics has a more business flavored pre professional focus, based on course offerings.
OP here–I’ve been off the board for a few days with work but I’m gobsmacked (as they say over here) by the thoughtful–and numerous–responses from this community. As Americans living abroad for 20 years, we’ve been out of touch with the minutiae of the US system, and this feedback has been most useful.
We hadn’t been looking at Carleton / Grinnell/ Kenyon options for travel reasons from London, but as one poster noted, Carleton’s proximity to a major airport has got us rethinking that option.
Appreciate all the RD/ED advice too. There’s clearly no one right path forward, but your feedback has got us thinking more expansively about our D’s options and how she approaches the process. Our younger D has taken up rowing with real zeal, which I now realise through this chat could bode well for a future ED application of her own!
Nice to hear back. Now that you’re thinking more expansively, I’m curious about just how far west you would consider. Obviously proximity to an international airport is important, but I imagine that the length of time of the flight is also relevant? Would you consider colleges as far as the West Coast? Also, is proximity to relatives in the U.S. a factor and if so, what areas might that factor target?
Interestingly because of the way “great circle” distances work, I think the flight time from London to MSP is only like 1:05 longer than NYC. Toss in it being only an easy, usually uncongested, 45 minute drive to Carleton, and that actually makes it a pretty nice “commute” from London. As usual in these cases, Carleton is also running ample shuttle service.
Not to push Carleton, just pointing out travel logistics can definitely be better in practice than sometimes people originally imagine for locations like that.
The West Coast is a probably a step too far. The appeal of the East Coast LACs was in part proximity to us (London), but also opps for potential internships/work placements in the NE corridor–Boston/NY/Philly/DC–especially given her interest in politics and govt. It seemed to us, as parents, that the midwestern LACs might be more closely tied to Chicago/Min-St-Paul/etc even though the student bodies are clearly diverse geographically and their students undoubtedly spread far and wide after graduation.
There is definitely still some “regionalism” even with “national” LACs.
If you are interested, this is a little dated at this point, and the data quality is, shall we say, medium at best. But it is still a cool exploration tool and I am confident captures the big picture at least reasonably well:
If you compare Carleton to, say, Bowdoin, it will confirm what you were suggesting, a much higher percentage of graduates in the Upper Midwest for Carleton, and in the NEC for Bowdoin.
One thing I would note that is maybe unsurprising is Carleton at least has more representation in the NEC than Bowdoin does in the Upper Midwest. In fact, Carleton has more representation on the West Coast than Bowdoin as well, although I would not consider that difference to be stark.
But that doesn’t really matter if you are pretty sure you know where you want to be after graduation.
I call them the NESCAC-Plus colleges (the eleven members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference, plus Swarthmore, Vassar, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Smith and Mount Holyoke.)
I’m copying @Lindagraf’s Cons and adding a few of my own:
Colby - A thinly veiled throwback to Williams and Bowdoin.
Hamilton - Beautiful campus, but you’d better like late nights surrounded by woods.
Trinity - Beautiful campus, but you’d better like late nights surrounded by a densely packed Hartford neighborhood.
Tufts - Big boy still playing in the kiddie pool.
Wesleyan - Its architecture says it all: half “old money” and half starkly modern. Takes getting used to.
Vassar - Huge, wedding cake campus. Could use a football team.
Connecticut College - Not quite as over the top as Vassar. Tends to blend into the NESCAC scenery.
Not commenting on Bryn Mawr et al unless OP is really interested in all-women’s colleges.
One of my favorite LACs for a lot of reasons is Union College. One of the things I like about it is it’s Poli-Sci Dept which offers benefits for students interested in politics and government, which are available to students who are not Poli-Sci majors:
Union promotes internships in general but makes strategic use of its location in New York’s capital district in particular. Students have been placed in internships at state government offices in Albany, in the offices of state representatives in the state capital, and at the state’s general assembly.
Union encourages interdisciplinary majors, making it easy for a student with an interest in politics to incorporate that as part of a broad, liberal arts education.
The program I especially like is Union’s Spring Term in Washington, DC. This is a program run by Union faculty which includes a 30-hour per week internship and 2 3-credit courses:
Here are a few additional things to know about Union:
Founded in 1795, Union is among the oldest of American colleges.
Its enrollment is 2030.
Unusual among American colleges is that its student body is consistently slightly more men than women.
Union operates on a trimester system with 3 10-week terms. This makes for a little bit different academic calendar.
8-acre Jackson Garden is the oldest continuously-cultivated campus garden and is a certified wildlife habitat.
Albany Airport does not have direct flights to London, but even with a transfer in Boston it is still shorter travel than some other schools on your list like Middlebury and the Maine 3.
Union is good with scholarships A friend’s daughter, her high school valedictorian, was offered more money from Union than from Colgate.
For outdoor recreation there is the Erie Canal, which runs through town and now has a pathway running along side it for walking, jogging, biking, etc. also good for canoeing and kayaking. 6-million acre Adirondack Park is close enough for weekend adventures.
When visiting the Union campus last year, I stopped a random student, who was from Boston, and asked him what he liked best about Union. He reflected and then said, “the people”. I was working out in the gym recently and saw a student with a Union T-shirt, who plays for their basketball team. I asked him what he liked best about Union. He said, “the people”.
Union is a terrific place. A bit of a different calendar that makes in-term internships possible. Nice intergration of an engineering school (although not of interest to OP). And while it was many years ago, DS had very positive experiences visiting and shadowing – the people!
