Among LACs, this group includes some of the hardest colleges in the country to get into. Middlebury’s acceptance rate was 17% this year, for example. Many applicants to these schools, who otherwise qualify, do not get in because there isn’t room.
For every uber-selective northeast school you apply to, you might consider also applying to a similar school outside the region which has great academics and a strong intellectual community, but is not quite so competitive for admissions. This could include Denison & DePauw in the midwest, Rhodes, Sewanee or Centre in the South, and Lehigh or Dickinson in Pennsylvania, for example.
Based on 2013-14 admission stats, it appears to me that group 1 below is a bit more selective.
Although one can slice/dice these numbers in a variety of ways.
Or sooner, @raider659816. Early decision is a seriously considered option for many students. My advice is to research your colleges and otherwise prepare as if you will be applying ED. Then should you feel especially confident about your interest in one particular college, you will be in position to both simplify the process and enhance your chances of admission through an early application.
@urbanslaughter I agree. Both are quite similar, and it’s mostly just a question of whether one prefers the coast or the mountains. Personally, I like the beach!
This analysis applies to so few students that it doesn’t matter. Schools in the top 20 where 9 of the NESCAC are ranked are all a crap shoot. In Bates RD this year the stats are like Williams and Bowdoin and Carleton so for students that don’t apply ED to Bates you have to be in the 97th percentile for a chance in regular decision.
How much does it matter if one school reports 96th percentile kids versus 98th kids. What is the real benefit to anyone planning a group of applications around these low odds?
One kid could get into Williams ED and a kid with the same stats rejected by Bates in RD.
ED helps but unless you are being recruited for sports or another special talent or are legacy, it probably doesn’t help much at all.
My husband is a Colby alum. I am constantly amazed by how many Colby alumni we have run into over the years in various places - Washington, DC, Philly, and even San Diego. They seem to be high achieving people who are still down to earth. I’ve never seen a college with such tight knit alumni groups - the Colby reunions are HUGE. I went to “Enormous State University” and the Colby alums are waaay more engaged with each other and with the college than my State U. alums are. I read the Colby magazine every month, and am so impressed by the students and faculty there. It’s a gorgeous campus and as has been said earlier, it is big enough to have really good sports teams and students who are into that stuff, and also have small classes and a close knit campus. The town of Waterville is not fabulous, but you have wonderful skiing nearby to get through those winters, and it’s about a 90 minute drive to Portland if you need to get to the city.
Midd Vs Bowdoin- couldn’t agree more that mountains vs ocean is one of the biggest differences. Daughter was deciding between these two (amazing!) schools for ED 2019. In the end she went with Middlebury because being near the ocean wasn’t a big draw for her while being in the mountains truly was. She also liked that Middlebury is slightly bigger, that the environmental program is exceptionally strong (Bowdoin has a fantastic one as well, esp for marine bio/ecology), and that Middlebury has a Jan term. She loved Bowdoin, but in the end Middlebury was her better fit on some of those more “intangible” levels.
Fun Fact:
Colby is the only NESCAC college to have changed locations during the course of its existence. It was originally located in downtown Waterville along the Kennebec River and that was where it stayed through the Second World War. Today, Lorimer Chapel (1948) is the oldest college-owned building.
Fun Fact:
Amherst College was founded when the president of Williams College suddenly resigned and took about one fifth of the students and a part of the library with him to the town of Amherst in 1821.
Bates also has one of the best debate teams in the country (and world)- especially impressive because of the size. It’s a microcosm of the school because they don’t have tryouts, inclusive and very successful, without having to resort to cut-throat tactics. You can go anywhere after you graduate.
Fun Fact #5 (Or is it 6? In all the excitement, I kind of lost track myself.):
Williams, Hamilton and Bowdoin have the highest percentages of math majors in the NESCAC (13%, 10% and 9%, respectively). These figures are high for colleges of any type.
The average SAT Score at Hamilton College is 1429 and the admissions rate is 23.9%. Also with a very healthy endowment of $930 million, everything on campus is in pristine condition. All the facilities are constantly updated, with state of the art labs and classrooms. Also you will find the dorms are way above average with a significant portion being singles. http://students.hamilton.edu/spectator/news-2015/p/acceptance-rate-low-and-tuition-high/view
Of the top 20 of schools with the highest 4 year graduation rates, 6 are NESCAC schools. In order, Amherst, Hamilton, Williams, Bates, Colby and Bowdoin. All between 88% - 90%.
