yeah, so will even being above average give me a great shot? considering the fact that I’m an international student requiring much aid. Well, a friend of mine got into Bucknel in ED I with 28 ACT, but I think things will be different for W&L
As an international needing aid I think these schools will be tough admits.
I would say that getting into Haverford or Hamilton is probably about as difficult as getting into Berkeley as an OOS applicant – it’s going to be a low reach or a reach for most people.
I think Haverford academically is top-10 among LACs and Hamilton may be too. W&L is there with them in terms of overall rep. Those three are slightly ahead of Bucknell and Lafayette in the rep department. But, again, all five are of (easily) adequate quality and if you choose among them, you should certainly do so based on fit, not what other people think about those schools.
LACs and U’s have predictable advantages and disadvantages. For instance, at U’s you’re going to have some large lectures in survey courses; you won’t have such huge classes at a LAC. At a LAC, meanwhile, you won’t have nearly the course or major options that you have at a U. They are apples and oranges, and any decent comparison between a U and a LAC inevitably will run into these probably universal differences. U’s are generally better known than LACs, but if you want to talk overall quality, I would put the top LACs right up there with the top U’s.