<p>Carleton is a high reach for you, though if you are full-pay that would help. As far as I can tell, Carleton and Kenyon have very different student bodies-- Carleton more on the quirky nerdy side, and Kenyon more on the sports-mad frat side. </p>
<p>Students who wish they could go to Carleton often have Kalamazoo as a safety. While not as zany as Carleton, it has that quirky vibe (which Kenyon lacks). As several others mentioned, Macalester (more selective than Kalamazoo, less selective than Carleton) is similar, though Mac is (1) in a city, which you may or may not like, and (2) very, aggressively politically liberal even for a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>If you apply to these schools and are accepted to several, you’re going to have to visit. No one should attend Reed without visiting first.</p>
<p>I realize my GPA is low (though I don’t think horrible…), however, I’m still in the top 10-15% of my class. Our school is tough. Also, I took the PSAT without prep as a tenth grader…We’ll see about this year. I think I could do better than a 600 for math- with tutoring, of course. If my grades are a bit higher this year, might I have a decent shot? If not, thanks for the honesty :).</p>
<p>Since Carleton is your current favorite, you should visit there to confirm your thoughts, and doing so when the weather is cooler will give you a better idea of your tolerance for the cold. Still, January/February is nothing like November, but with the proper clothing, you can survive a Minnesota winter (it has been done before - by southerners, even;)).</p>
<p>I agree that Carleton is likely a reach, but you’ll get a boost from your geography, so being competitive academically gives you a decent shot. Since you’re in the area, Macalester deserves a visit, too - might enjoy the vibe there more (or not). I’m a little surprised nobody’s mentioned St. Olaf - a match for you, and in the same town as Carleton, so it’s an easy visit. Their reputation in my area (WI) is for happy, satisfied students, and they consistently attract one or two of our NMFs each year.</p>
<p>Your other suspects are also good choices for motivated students - Carleton, Mac, St. Olaf, Grinnell, Knox, Lawrence, Beloit, Kalamazoo, Oberlin, and Kenyon are the local LAC favorites. Whatever direction you go, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to thrive. Good luck!</p>
<p>My parents probably wouldn’t go for St. Olaf or Kalamazoo, though I’ve heard good things about both. What are your thoughts on my shot at Tulane, Whitman, Hamilton, Macalester, Colgate, and Vassar? Thanks for your insight.</p>
<p>If you will end up in the top 10%-15% of your graduating class, that puts a different perspective on your GPA. Your prospects would improve greatly.</p>
<p>Carleton is still very reachy for you. But, no one on this forum can predict whether or not you will be admitted based on your profile–especially since you do not have junior year grades and your final test scores. If you love the school, by all means apply.</p>
<p>However, you are early enough in the game to do research on many other wonderful schools. I told my son the same thing when he applied to Carleton. He was admitted to Carleton, but in the end, he felt he belonged at Grinnell and is now a happy sophmore there. So, you never know!</p>
<p>I’d rather not give you opinions on schools I have little familiarity with, especially seeing as how you’re so early in the process. That being said, it’s apparent that you present yourself well and will (I’m guessing, like everyone in “chance me” threads) strike a chord in at least one school which appears to be beyond your stats.</p>
<p>At the same time, schools like Colgate and Vassar, while good academically, don’t seem to be in the same “fit” boat as Carleton or Reed. That’s not a bad thing, as there might be something about those schools which have appeal to you (and it’s not like Carleton and Reed are clones, either!). Coming up with a list of places to apply to is a fluid process, but one step I’d recommend is to put more emphasis early in the process in identifying a safety. If FA isn’t an issue for you, then that’d be a school where you’re almost guaranteed to be admitted and you’d be happy to attend. Get that out of the way BEFORE you fall in love with some place you might not be admitted to, making any other acceptances upgrades. </p>
<p>Your comment regarding St. Olaf and Kalamazoo not meeting the parental threshhold was interesting. Are you saying you feel they wouldn’t find them prestigious enough, or that they’re convinced you’ll be admitted to a better (perceived) school? If it’s the latter, please be sure they (and you) understand that there’s no guarantees with the top colleges, and you DON’T want to be another of the CC horror stories. If it’s the former, if YOU can make the case for why you’re applying to a school (and I have no doubt you could), I expect they’d go along with it. Information and passion will take you a long ways.</p>
<p>If you are full pay AND from the deep south, I’d apply to both Reed and Carleton–Reed doesn’t grade, so while they look at GPA they will take the time to understand your GPA in context. I know a lot of students there–you do have to be prepared for an aggressively unconventional bunch of people. And a certain amount of dirt and grime. </p>
<p>Frankly you sound like a Kenyon person–again we know kids there who went to D’s high school. Brilliant girl–had a very similar profile (magazine editor, theater, etc.) It is intellectual but not as weird as Reed–if you are from a conservative southern area you might find Kenyon to have enough quirk for you. DD visited there and she didn’t get the preppy vibe–she said a lot of students struck her as being very driven and perfectionist, but inwardly directed–their energies were going toward writing and thinking. It may have been the kids she was with but she didn’t mention any frat/preppie vibe and she is tuned into that.</p>
<p>Another place to look at: Oberlin. Again, cold. I don’t know why nerds thrive in cold climates!</p>
<p>If you decide you cannot stand the cold, check out Trinity in TX–two or three kids from our Pacific NW 'burb go there every year–most of them arts/theater/literary types.</p>
<p>A minor point: Reed does record traditional grades on a traditional transcript, but students see their grades only if they explicitly ask, and the culture is not to ask. For prospies, SAT+ACT+GPA+Rank together count for no more than 20% of admission criteria; Reed is “holistic.”</p>
<p>You definitely should visit any of those schools if you think you may be interested in them, as Carleton may be a reach, but your statistics don’t make any of them out of the ballpark for you. As others have said, your geography may help, and if you have a clear choice by the time you apply, Early Decision could give you another boost.</p>