<p>DeskPotato:
As a parent who’s just gone through this process myself, as well as a Brandeis alum. Allow me to give you a few tips:</p>
<ol>
<li>You probably have <em>some</em> idea about class rank – if she’s getting mostly A’s and B’s then unless her school practices rampant grade inflation, she’s probably at least the top half if not the top third of her class.</li>
<li><p>By “mostly A’s and B’s” are we talking alot of a A’s with a few B’s mixed-in or mostly B’s with a few A’s and an occasional C mixed-in? That’s a big difference as one can mean a 3.7 GPA and one can mean a 3.1 GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>If it’s closer to the 3.7 and she gets a reasonable SAT score (>= 2100). Then you can at a minimum consider Brandeis a reach school (and by reach I don’t mean “out of reach” she would have a reasonable shot – if this was Princeton we were talking about, well then …sigh… I would probably put that in the “out of reach” category, but you’re in good company…it’s out of reach for most mortals.)</p></li>
<li><p>If it’s her “dream”, DON’T discourage her from applying. Have her apply ED, visit the campus, have an interview, write letters, etc. Really get in their face… believe it or not, this can only help you. Your first choice school probably should be a reach… as Robert Browning said: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter!</p>