Williams or Amherst Admission - Realistic Chances

momrath
Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:44:59 +0000

I’d have to disagree. Admissions to selective LACs is actually not a numbers game. The “numbers,” i.e. GPA, scores, rank, have to be at a certain level, but after that these colleges like/need to fill their campus with interesting kids who do interesting things.

Williams likes multifaceted kids: academics/arts/some sort of physical activity. The OPs son qualifies there. His many-year commitment to music and martial arts is a strong plus.

And bassoon!? . . . are you kidding me? I’d be hard pressed to think of a stronger hook.:)

Is your son ethnic Japanese or does he just have a strong interest in the culture? Either way it’s a plus, but depending on which it is he might play it differently in his application. Cross cultural experience is always valuable.

He should be sure to submit a performance tape.

In my opinion, his chance of admission is quite good. His counselor doesn’t seem to understand what LACs are looking for. Of course there are no guarantees and he should have a balanced list including some solid safeties.

Good luck and let us know how he does.