Best Fit School for Me?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Hello! I just finished applying to several schools but I want to know what would probably be my best fit. Now this isn’t to say that I will probably get into all of these schools. The transcript service my school uses will complete an automatic calculation to determine your chance of acceptance, and it said I will likely be accepted into all of the following schools besides Yale and UChicago, and that the rest are safety schools or target schools.

Here are the schools I’ve applied to and will hear from in April: University of Missouri - Columbia, University of Iowa, Northwestern University, Yale, UChicago, WashU, Emerson College, Grinnell College, Kenyon College, Bowdoin College, Wellesley College, Colby College, and Fordham University.

I’ve been accepted to UIowa and Mizzou since they are state schools. Those are both safeties and I’d like to go to a private school if possible.

Most of these are applications to liberal arts colleges, although I was a bit hesitant to do this due to campus size. Here is what I’m looking for in a school so you guys can help me determine what would probably be best for me:

-I am majoring in either journalism or English/creative writing with my future aspirations being in print journalism and magazine publication (think NatGeo types of organizations)
-I’d like to minor in piano performance and German
-I currently go to a school of 2,400 people and it has been suffocating because I’ve been in classes with the same people over and over. I’d preferably like to go to a larger school (but small class sizes are fine with me!)
-I’d like to continue some of my favorite extracurriculars, including a good Model UN team, perhaps a German Club, literary magazine/newspapers, orchestra, and I would love an equestrian team and place to board my horse
-I’ve grown up just outside of St. Louis and see what kind of crime and pollution happens in a major city. I don’t want to live inside a major city, but I do want a fun college town that has opportunities to go out with friends.
-Also preferably a beautiful campus. I’m big into aesthetics, although this isn’t completely necessary.
-Regarding social life, I want to be in an environment where others are serious about learning (they don’t have to be so strung up that all they ever do is study; that’s not fun) and enjoy learning, are ambitious, driven, and want to have intellectual conversations with others. This is very important to me. I don’t want to go to a party school. I’d like to go someplace where I can have nerdy conversations about philosophy, literature, and religion.

The last part is crucial, along with the quality of their writing program.

I don’t know a lot about some of these schools, but here are a few hang-ups I’m concerned about:
-UIowa and Mizzou are both definitely party schools and the students are not as serious about academics.
-UChicago’s campus is in a very shady part of Chicago
-Some of the liberal arts schools are far too small
-I don’t know that I’d want to go to an all-women’s school like Wellesley
-WashU is too close to home (although it is next to my favorite park!)

Anyway, I’d appreciate it if somebody with more knowledge about these locations could help me out with a ranking system for them. Let’s assume that I get into all of them (highly unlikely, but for the sake of making this decision) and that cost isn’t an issue. What would be the order of how closely these schools match my preferences?

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I’m not sure if this is a real post or not.

So let me start:

  1. What transcript service calculates a chance of admission? I mean, a GPA is one of many factors -so I don’t see how this is possible.

  2. There’s not a single person in America that is assured or likely or even safely in Northwestern or Bowdoin.

  3. Congrats on Iowa and Mizzou - but you didn’t get into them because they are state schools. You got into them because you met the criteria. For example, a UCLA or Michigan or Virginia are state schools. Maybe you could get in (had you applied) but maybe not.

  4. If you want journalism - some of the schools you list won’t work. If you want creative writing, then they might.

  5. If you find a 2400 HS suffocating, you’ll find most on your list suffocating - well especially Grinnell, Bowdoin, Colby, Kenyon, etc. - at least from a population POV.

So if you want aesthetics - that’s in the eye of the beholder. For my money - Duke, Va Tech, and Wash & Lee are the 3 nicest campuses - but not on your list.

Your schools are very different - if you want journalism, MIzzou and Northwestern are tops. Emerson could work as could Fordham.

If you want writing, Northwestern and your favorite Iowa are the highest rated on your list. Yep - Iowa - it’s a literary juggernaut. Is it too late to add Oberlin :slight_smile: WUSTL also rates high.

Many note Kenyon and Grinnell for their writing - and frankly I’m sure all on your list are fine.

As for clubs, you can see each school’s on line - I don’t see a German club at Emerson but they have more than 100 clubs. Or you can start a club.

In the end, you don’t want small - but you applied to small. Don’t want to be in the big city, but you applied to Emerson and Fordham.

You don’t want party - well I’d say this - you can make a big school small but not a small big. There is partying everywhere. However, there are also kids who sit in the room on weekends and play video or board games or others who study. You can certainly find your crowd at a public.

Finally - Journalism typically = low paying. So - do you have a cost concern? Because I don’t know if you’re full pay, but if you are, spending $320K when you can spend a lot less may not make sense.

It sounds like you’re from Missouri. For cost purposes, did you consider Truman State if you want smaller?

Anyway, you’re all over - so there’s positives to lots of these - but assuming you’ll get into many on your list - you didn’t share your states - but you have many top schools so I wouldn’t be so sure.

Good luck.

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As an opinion, Kenyon and Yale represent the best schools for the study of literature and creative writing from your list.

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I just sent you a message (look for a green number by your avatar on the right).

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Northwestern strikes me as your best match.

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@kwexell Are you asking all these questions because you want to apply to more colleges or just see which ones are better fit for you from the list of colleges you already applied to?

Did you visit these colleges - in person or virtually? I recommend you visit at least your top choices out of the ones you get into, preferably during spring semester when school is in session.

And here is a list of schools still accepting applications:

Good luck!

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Parchment (our school’s transcript service) does this calculation, so what the OP is describing is a real thing. It makes the calculation based on a multitude of self-reported data and grossly oversimplifies and overestimates admissions decisions.

To the OP: Don’t put too much faith in these kinds of predictions. There are far more complexities than what they used to make the calculations. You seem to have a nice mix of schools, which is always a good thing to have.

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Interesting. I’ll ask my kids if that’s what we used- I think it is. I never heard of that predictor. Perhaps they just never used it.

We don’t know OPs stats. The mix is fine although I’m not sure right for what OP is seeking. But I know any system that says you’re a sure thing for Northwestern and Bowdoin isn’t legit.

I asked some questions above for OP to think about because I’m not sure how and why the list was developed based on preferences.

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Irrespective of the accuracy of the rating-service results the OP mentioned, “target” generally refers to schools at which chances of admission are fair to good, but not near the realm of assured.

Btw, How’d the University of Chicago land on your list? It seems to represent a poor match for key aspects of your criteria — although it does offer a notably intellectual atmosphere.

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Yes, I understand - and neither Northwestern or Bowdoin should be considered a “target” for anyone…in my opinion.

Yes, many schools on the list don’t seem to fit the criteria.

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Ideally, she will get another application or two out, and quickly.

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From your group, Northwestern, Kenyon and Yale appear in this article:

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I’m a little doubtful about this list. How is MIT of all places the 6th best college for writers, above places like columbia and yale?

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The 10 schools profiled in the article are listed alphabetically. For this reason, MIT appears as the 4th school discussed, and before Yale.

The author has this to say about MIT specifically:

This seems sufficiently distinctive to explain MIT’s inclusion.

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Almost all the schools you listed are known for strong writing and/or Journalism (professional writing…) programs. So in terms of what you are interested in studying, you have plenty of good options.

The disconnect is in other variables of fit – notably, size/setting.

The LACs you listed are all about the same size or smaller than your high school. So you might be thinking that the experience would be similar. Well… it won’t. You wouldn’t see all the same kids in all your classes, because there are so many electives in college. You’ll most likely see some faces you know (especially those in your major), and some you don’t, in every class at a LAC.

At a large school, you’ll have large survey lectures (Bio 101, Chem 101, Calc 101, Anthro 101, English 101 – you get the picture) where you won’t know anyone. There’ll be over 100 kids in many of these lectures, and there will thus be far more anonymity and far less familiarity with your classmates. You do start seeing the same people in your classes once you get into courses for your major, but that familiarity begins later at a large school, typically, than it does at a LAC.

Those big/small school differences aside, I still think the overarching point is that even if the college is small, it’s still college, and there are enough elective course choices to provide new faces in every class you will take outside your major. Within your major, big school or small, you will see some of the same faces in each of your courses. I wouldn’t worry about this issue too much.

You seem to prefer somewhat of a suburban or small-city setting – things to do around town, but without being downtown in a city surrounded by concrete and asphalt. Is that accurate? Close to a big city, maybe, but not in one?

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If you have an interest in the practice of writing in general, then note that Yale, UIowa, Bowdoin and Wellesley appear in this ranking from U.S. News: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/writing-programs.

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To answer some of your questions, I am not from Missouri and yes I know there are some conflicting perspectives which is why I was asking the public. And no, I do not believe I can get into all of these schools, but I am trying to create a ranked order. So far it looks like Northwestern is my best choice (if I get in). I have also been told by my family to not consider cost until I see the financial aid offers. Otherwise, I have been given great deals from the state schools.

My perspective on the partying is I still want to participate, but I know people who go to Iowa and Mizzou and those are known for their partying and football, and most people are there for the social life, not the academics.

Our transcript service is Parchment. You fill out a questionnaire in addition to your transcript and it calculates based on other users, clubs, etc.

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The applications for regular decision have mostly closed and these are the schools I applied to. I want to formulate a general ranking for which I should attend depending on what I am accepted to (most of these are very selective).

I also haven’t had an opportunity to visit most of them due to the pandemic. I have gone to Mizzou, UChicago, WashU, and Iowa.

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It didn’t necessarily state I would for sure get into Bowdoin and Northwestern, but it stated that they were both target schools instead of reach schools like UChicago and Yale.

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You got that spot-on. I mostly applied to the liberal arts colleges because they have phenomenal academics for what I want, but I was consulting the public about my size concerns. This is actually very reassuring. I am hoping if the atmosphere is right, size won’t matter.