2022 College Chances and List Suggestions?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi- firstly I apologize for how long this post will be. I’m a junior right now (class of 2018) and am currently in the process of putting together a list of colleges I’m going to apply to next year. Over spring break I did visits with my family, and I didn’t really get anywhere because I liked almost everywhere I went (great… lol). But probably I’m looking for mainly smallish LAC and schools with that kind of vibe. Then again, I liked USC and bigger schools like that as well. So far I am considering the below colleges and am hoping to have my list finalized relatively soon because senior fall is going to be super busy for me. I want to go into Poly Sci or International Relations, or something relating to English/History or in the humanities (no STEM for me!).

Colleges I’m thinking of (lots I know):
Dartmouth (first choice, legacy)
Georgetown
USC
Hamilton
Bucknell
Colby
Claremont McKenna
Davidson
Rice
U Chicago
Tulane
SMU
Bowdoin

My list is very reach-heavy but my college counselor said that SMU and Tulane would be safeties/very likely schools due to my stats, the importance they give to demonstrated interest, and the fact that they love students from my school. Counselor also said that Bucknell/Hamilton would also be likely for these same reasons but that doesn’t seem too accurate to me.

If you all have any feedback on my list, or any recommendations for additions (I know I need more likely/match schools), that would be much appreciated. Thank you!!

ACT - 35 Composite, 34 Math, 34 English, 35 Reading, 36 Science

SAT II (subject, score): 670 Chemistry (terrible, I know…), taking US History and Math II in June

GPA: 91.72/100; rising trend and I go to a very academically rigorous school

AP’s: World History 5, taking US History and English Language APs this year (predicted 5’s)

Current Course Load: AP English Language, Spanish IV, Advanced PreCal, Physics I, AP US History

Senior Course Load: AP Spanish, Honors English IV, AP Calc AB, AP Gov, Modern Middle East, Economics, Religion and Politics in America (last 3 electives have no honors/AP possibility)

ECs -
I dance at one of the best ballet schools in the USA (20 hrs/week); this is what I spend a ton of my time doing and is the main reason my GPA is not higher
Dance in highest ensemble level at school (5 hrs/week during school day)
Attended summer dance/ballet programs at top dance companies in various cities in USA
Choreographed dance pieces for student choreography showcase through my school
Interned on campaign for state representative- managed financial spreadsheets, worked at fundraisers, led teams of volunteers in making calls/block walking, etc. (45 hrs/week during summer, 5-6 hrs/week during school year)
Founded community service initiative providing menstrual products to the homeless; I manage financial aspects, lead teams of volunteers, manage advertising
Member of Junior Statesmen of America club at my school, possibly vice-president of club senior year; only major participant who is a girl; attended fall conference in my state
Involved in Young Dems club
Leader of feminist club
MIT Launch Team— developing initiative to get girls involved in STEM starting in elementary/middle school
Volunteer on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign making calls
Attended Model UN Conference in my city, will attend again senior year/also attend large scale conference at prestigious college
Volunteer every summer tutoring refugee children in English/math through a summer camp
Assistant Sunday School teacher
; member of National Charity League, 300+ volunteer hours through organization

Awards-
Scholastic Writing Awards Silver Key, High Honors throughout high school, President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award
Will either be commended for PSAT or National Merit Semifinalist depending on curve
(Probably will be AP Scholar or something like that)

White female, $200k+ income

2

Your stats look good beyond the GPA- something to consider is that even though you go to an academically rigorous school, it may backfire if multiple people from your school apply to your college of interest as they’ll start to compare you. I wouldn’t worry too much about the chem sat II- you’re not looking to do STEM. Your extracurriculars are pretty good, there’s a pretty clear focus towards poly sci which is nice to show.
A lot of these schools are crapshoots for most students- with an acceptance rate of like 20% and lower you never really know. But i’d say you have an in to these places except rice and dartmouth which i’d say are tossups. I don’t know a lot about LACs so don’t take me too seriously.

3

Bowdoin, Hamilton, Middlebury and Colgate, some of which you’ve tentatively included, would seem to be potentially excellent choices.

On a purely academic level, Kenyon – strong in government, literature, history and fine arts – might be a school you could research.

Offhand, Rice would not seem to be a strong academic match, at least in comparison to some of your other options.

4

Do you plan on dancing in college? Or having a place nearby to dance?

5

Some target and safety ideas: Lafayette, Lehigh, Franklin and Marshall, Dickinson, Connecticut College, Trinity, St. Lawrence.

6

If you’re considering schools like Hamilton, Colby, Claremont McKenna, Davidson, and Bowdoin and you’re interested in IR, Poli-Sci, and English, you’d be crazy not to consider Middlebury.

7

I also second Lafayette, F&M, and Dickinson. I would add Denison and Knox.

It would help you limit your list to think more about what sort of location and social life you are looking for in a college. Rural Maine is very different from urban Chicago, and your social life at Bowdoin might look different from your social life at USC. That might help you reduce the reaches. (:

8

@merc81 @urbanslaughter Yeah, I actually visited Middlebury and Colgate… for whatever reason I was really turned off by the vibes at both schools. I may look at Middlebury further but I really disliked Colgate and I can’t explain wy. Which is honestly such a bummer b/c Middlebury’s ED rate is like 50%.

@homerdog I don’t plan on continuing ballet intensively. My ideal situation would be where I can take dance classes (including ballet) like once a week, and be part of a student run ensemble. All of the schools I’m looking at have some kind of a student dance group that runs classes for themselves, choreographs, and puts on shows. That’s basically the most important thing I’m looking for.

@blurryface Haha, I know that the locations of these schools are drastically different. That’s what I meant by I like everything- I like big schools, small schools, bustling city locations, and rural locations. I love the outing clubs and outdoor opportunities that come with a LAC in the middle of nowhere, but I live in a big city and love everything that cities have to offer with social life and work opportunities as well. So I would be happy in both Chicago and rural Maine. Which is the main reason why narrowing my list has been difficult lol. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the suggestions!! @lalalemma @admiral12

9

@politicsdancegal don’t be misled by that ED rate. The vast majority of those ED admits are athletes or applicants with some other major hook. Remember, their overall admit rate is under 17%. If you take that 50% rate into consideration, it means the regular admit rate is around 10%.

10

@urbanslaughter Yeah of course- I know that ED rates are distorted by athlete acceptances. But 50% with athletes included is still a (albeit marginally) better compared to the 2-3% bump from other colleges’ ED acceptance rates.

11

Bump

12

You seem to have a strong background which I think will definitely get you into a good college. The thing that stands out the most is your Scholastic Award. Try to see if you can find more opportunities like that.

13

I think Bucknell could be a safety for you if you demonstrate interest, and they do have a nice dance program. But if you hated Colgate, you may not like Bucknell.

14

@wisteria100 Yeah, I’ve actually visited Bucknell and realy liked it haha. So hopefully can use that as a safety/likely school. What do you think would make Colgate/Bucknell super similar?

15

Bump (sorry)