Brown, Pomona, Amherst, or Swarthmore?

College Search & Selection
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<p>momrath's advice is excellent. I would also add that for top-tier schools that meet full need and often with grants, if you've run your PROFILE EFC and would be happy with expected need-based aid, you CAN apply ED.</p>

42

<p>If I could tell you what to do (and I can't, but I can try anyway) I would suggest you think about applying to MIT, Colorado College, and Chicago EA so you can comfort yourself with the fact that you've sent in stuff and will be getting responses and I would save the rest of these schools for RD.</p>

<p>The problem with ED is that it's exclusive, and applying to one school means not applying to another. Make the best decision (and the best of your decision) when you have thick envelopes in hand.</p>

43

<p>Thanks all for your input :). Unless something radical happens, I think I'm gonna apply to all RD and hope for the best.</p>

44

<p>There are a lot of people of low socioeconomic status who ace the SATs.
I haven't seen Amherst's average SAT drop too much since its recent policies (if it had dropped at all).</p>

45

<p>"A lot" and "ace?"</p>

<p>Are you sure you understand the conflicts and difficulties that middle and lower-middle class people face?</p>

<p>How many people of "low socioeconomic status" do you know at Duke who have "aced" the SAT?</p>

46

<p>In addendum:</p>

<p>63 percent of the Class of 2012 is on Financial Aid,
and the average SAT scores were 708 CR and 709 Math, ~1420 Composite--far below its average of 1460 just a few years ago.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Pomona has the smartest student body.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Heavens, no. If anything, Pomona has the highest concentration of wealthy students of the four.
Moreover there is no correlation between "smartness" and the SAT.</p>

47

<p>First of all, to clarify things, I'm middle class. I'm neither rich nor poor. </p>

<p>I'd say that a lot of rich people I know at Duke actually didn't do that well on the SAT at all but got in due to family name, having good grades, and/or having extraordinary extracurriculars that their parents spent thousands of dollars on for them to do and these people (likely) have spent money on SAT prep. They just weren't able to get that 1550.</p>

<p>I understand that those of higher socioeconomic status have more access to resources which can help boost their SAT scores.</p>

<p>Not everyone who gets a 1550 or higher (my definition of "ace" by the way) is extremely rich- there are a lot of 'poor' people who do this well too. </p>

<p>Not everyone who does that well needs to study or prep for the test. I didn't prep for the test at all.
I simply took it, got a 1560, and was satisfied enough with my score that I didn't need to take it again. </p>

<p>All public schools teach basic math and reading skills- all that is really needed to do well on the test, at the end it comes down to raw intelligence and time/money spent prepping for the test.</p>

<p>I'd say that within each income bracket there is a correlation between "smartness" and the SAT.</p>

48

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<p>You made an ED: EXCELLENT decision.</p>