<p>Would appreciate any thoughts on these schools. We are taking a trip next month to visit Dartmouth and my parents would like to visit Amherst, Middlebury and Swarthmore, too. Would appreciate any thoughts or how you might rank these schools. </p>
<p>I have a gpa of 3.86 uw…32 act…sat scores not in yet, very good ec, including sports, class officer, nhs, community projects & piano…all at a very competitive midwestern high school. Would I have any chance if I applied to these schools? Thank you!!</p>
<p>You probably need to bump up the ACT to a 34ish or get a 2250+ on the SAT to be in a strong position for Amherst, Swarthmore, and Dartmouth; Middlebury you should be competitive as is. I would also recommend looking into Williams, which is similar to Amherst, Dartmouth, and Midd. Also check out Bowdoin if you have the time.</p>
<p>Williams wasn't even mentioned by the OP. That being said...</p>
<p>Swarthmore's ACT midrange is 27-33. Williams' ACT midrange (29-33) is identical to Middlebury's (29-33). Dartmouth and Amherst have ACT midranges of 29-34. My point is that with the flood of applications these schools have received in the last few years, there is a negligible difference in competitiveness. A,W, and D have slightly lower acceptance rates than M, but only by at most a couple of percentage points.</p>
<p>Not necessarily true. Midd's scores are effected by the non-requirement to submit SAT/ ACT scores which lowers them. Also Midd's SAT average (1385) is about 70 points lower than AW and Dartmouth. Dartmouth's acceptance rate is 13%, Amherst 14% while Middlebury is about 18%. Not a huge difference, but enough of one that they are different selectivity categories.</p>
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Midd's scores are effected by the non-requirement to submit SAT/ ACT scores which lowers them.
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<p>That may have been the case years ago, but it's not entirely true today. Remember--we're discussing ACT scores here. </p>
<p>Last year, 24% of Middlebury matriculants submitted ACT scores, compared to 15% at Dartmouth, 18% at Williams, 23% at Amherst, and 24% at Swarthmore. </p>
<p>Interestly enough, only 76% of Amherst matriculants and 85% of Dartmouth matriculants submitted SAT I scores last year, compared to 88% of Middlebury matriculants! Although Middlebury is SAT I optional, more students' scores are factored into the Midd averages than at Dartmouth and Amherst. Very interesting...</p>
<p>Actually arcadia, it doesn't add up. If Middlebury has 88% submitting SAT + 24% submitting ACT you have over 100%. Dartmouth 85 + 15 makes sense, as does Amherst 24 + 76. My guess is that you have 88% submitting scores overall, which still likely increases the score since lower scoring applicants are unlikely to submit scores. Also a 70point SAT difference between Midd and Amherst/ Dartmouth is significant.</p>
<p>It doesn't add up for Amherst, Williams, or Swartmore either. Check the numbers for yourself. Some people submit both scores, and certain colleges may consider both scores when making an admissions decision. Others, like Dartmouth, may take only the better of the two.</p>
<p>From each schools' CDS:
Amherst: Percent submitting SAT I: 76%; submitting ACT: 23%
Williams: Percent submitting SAT I: 95%; submitting ACT: 18%
Swarthmore: Percent submitting SAT I: 94.8; submitting ACT: 23.6</p>
<p>This is not unique to Middlebury. And the 70 point difference isn't across the board. </p>
<p>Amherst
25th Percentile 75th Percentile
SAT Critical Reading 670-770
SAT Math 660-760
SAT Writing 670-760</p>
<p>Williams
25th Percentile 75th Percentile
SAT Critical Reading 670-760
SAT Math 670-760
SAT Writing 660-760</p>
<p>Middlebury
25th Percentile 75th Percentile
SAT Critical Reading 650-750
SAT Math 650-740
SAT Writing 650-730</p>
<p>The two percentages should not add up to 100%. Some people submit both the ACT and the SATs to schools. Percentages that do add up to 100 suggest that the schools are cherry-picking the best scores</p>
<p>I'm going to ignore all the useless statistics about getting in since you have a chance of getting into any of those schools. Be more specific in terms of ranking. They are all top small liberal arts schools. It isn't going to come down to statistics, but more the little things and how you might feel there. I was originally set on Middlebury, but then after I visited Amherst, I ended up going there. I personally like Amherst because, though it is a small school, you have access to the other 4 colleges in the area and the other students at these colleges, esp. Umass being 20,000 at least and a 5 minute bus ride or 15 minute walk away. I also just like the area and am really into nature, but you can also get that in Middlebury. I haven't been to Swarthmore so I have no idea what it is like. Middlebury's campus I felt was spaced out over too much area. You have to walk so far to get around...at least in terms with respect to small liberal arts schools; obviously it's a small walk compared to UChicago or any big school. But the Amherst campus, though big, is pretty compact and feels like a community. You can get from one side to the other in 5 minutes, excluding a few outer buildings. </p>
<p>I think most departments at Amherst are also pretty strong, except for the Spanish department. The professors I've had are very nice, smart, and make lectures fun, and always have office hours or time afterwards to talk. i'm sure you would get the same at middlebury or swarthmore, but i'm just talking about my experience. </p>
<p>I also like the lack of core or distribution requirements at Amherst except for a first year seminar, which isn't a constricting requirement considering the variety of topics offered for the seminar. It allows for more exploration of one's own interests, and your adviser will still push you to take a variety of classes or a class you might not be as comfortable with, although he won't make you, obviously, take such a class. </p>
<p>If you like languages, you should probably go to Middlebury though. While their other areas are strong of course, you could get the same things at Amherst or Swarthmore, but Middlebury specializes in languages, so that would be the place to go. </p>
<p>hope that helps. any specific questions on these or any other thing, just add a post below</p>
<p>Thanks, andyman...very helpful info. I have since researched Bowdoin and have added this school to my visit list next month. Any thoughts on Bowdoin compared to the other schools I've mentioned?</p>
<p>haha, I applied to Middlebury, Amherst, and Bowdoin among other NESCAC schools. They are all very similar I think academically. It's about the campus and atmosphere which is hard to feel if you only stay a day or night. You will be fine whereever you go among those schools if you pick one of them most likely. I didn't like Bowdoin's campus that much for some reason. Wasn't pretty enough for me. If you like running, it does have a lot of trails though. You can go to Colby and Bates by bus but you wouldn't go to these colleges as much compared to the 5 in the Amherst area. </p>
<p>All good schools, but I see less difference between Amherst and Bowdoin than Amherst and Middlebury. Bowdoin has about the same number of students as Amherst although I would say Bowdoin is slightly more remote. It has Portland but you would go there less compared with Amherst to Northampton. I think Northampton is also a nicer city, a little "Hippie Dippie" if you like that.</p>
<p>The biggest differences are size and location. Middlebury is much larger than A&B, and that's reflected in the size of the campus and the facilities. Bowdoin=coast. Amherst=foothills. Middlebury=mountains.</p>
<p>DS was admitted to all three, and Williams and Bates to boot. Each school has it's distinct personality. DS was initially leaning towards Midd as he plans to persue Chinese/Japanese, and or Arabic. Loves the Midd feel and the food was off the charts. Bates, was rural, enjoyed his visit, but when the big three AWS came calling Bates, fell off. Swarthmore, was a beatiful campus, but the people were a little quirky for my son's tastes, and he wants to have more of a social life. I think, the consortium tipped the scales for Amherst, as all these schools have tremendous faculty facilities, and of the big 3, tremendous resources across the board. </p>
<p>In the end, you've got to get in first. Then you find your fit. It sounds so much like a cliche', but you'll know it when you visit, and for most of the schools you're considering, as the adcoms expressed to my DS, there are no "bad ones", just choose the one that's for you.</p>
<p>Thank you arcadia and madville...finding the right fit is the most important factor, since all of these schools excel. But getting accepted is the biggest hurdle of them all!</p>
<p>For the intellectually serious, would rank Swarthmore>Amherst> Midd. That being said, all are outstanding, and a great education is to be had at any of the above for the applicant who is both a decent "fit" and lucky enough to be accepted!</p>