What colleges should I aim for? *test-optional student*

Bill_Marsh
Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:37:01 +0000

Of the schools you have visited, all had an acceptance rate of less than 20% this year. You can throw Tufts into that group as well. You are obviously a strong candidate, but college admissions has gotten so crazy that even top candidates can’t feel secure when less than 1 in 5 candidates is being accepted or in some of these cases, fewer than 1 in 10. It’s not that you aren’t qualified, it’s that the colleges are overwhelmed with qualified candidates and have only a limited number of seats. This makes your essays very important, so they should be a priority.

Your best shots are at Syracuse and Reed where you are a very strong candidate. Of the rest, Boston College presents the best opportunity. That’s not to say you shouldn’t apply to the others, you should. But you need to look at other schools as well where the odds are more in your favor. For example, Union College in Schenectady and Trinity in Hartford are 2 very good LACs in the same region which are both very strong in poli-sci. Your chances would be very good here. University of Vermont is a mid size university which feels more like a private school than a public (70+% out of state), has good opportunities for poli-sci, and where your acceptance would be a slam dunk.

Your list is a mix of small and mid size colleges, rural and urban, heavily New England/Upstate NY, all private. Is that your preference? Can you afford all of them or do you need to include Rutgers or other state u as a financial safety? The College of New Jersey is in the state Capitol where there would be good opportunities for a poli-sci major.