<p>Son - soon to be senior has visited 5 or 6 schools in the "east" in early May His two top schools (as of now!) seem to be MIDDLEBURY & U VA. What do you think about his chances for these two schools...</p>
<p>Here are his stats -
ACT 31- Comp English 34/Math 32/Reading 30 /Sci 28/English Writing 32-09</p>
<p>SAT II's Math Level 2 - 730 (75th%)
SAT II's US History 730 (84th%)</p>
<p>He has not taken the SAT I - he might take this test in the Fall.</p>
<p>He has a fair amount of good EC's - Editor of School Newspaper
Class rank 55 out of 796 (top 7%) - as of end of 3rd year.
Weighted GPA - 4.31</p>
<p>So far, he is in the right ballpark for these schools but so are many other kids. He will need some less selective choices as backups or "safeties". Consider Haverford, Colby, Davidson, Tufts. True Safety Schools-- maybe Bates, University of Vermont, Connecticut College, Skidmore</p>
<p>Pyewacket: How is Tufts "less selective" than Middlebury or UVA? It's likely more selective, and still a reach. That being said, to the OP: still consider Tufts, it is a common cross-applicant school with Middlebury and other NESCACs.</p>
<p>i dont know...middlebury's more selective than tufts, but tufts is more selective than uva. id say he's in at uva. the act is a bit low for middlebury's 25-75 range, and the rank is strong but unimpressive. i'd say he's out at middlebury, but has a shot.</p>
<p>Actually, Tufts is (statistically) more selective (percentage accepted, SAT scores, etc.) but I would say the student bodies at either school are comparable.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Actually, Tufts is (statistically) more selective (percentage accepted, SAT scores, etc.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>According to the 4/4/07 Tufts Daily, "We accepted 27 [percent] of this year's applicant pool, the same as last year," Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin said in an e-mail to the Daily. "We are expecting a freshman class between 1,275 and 1,285, as usual."</p>
<p>Middlebury accepted 23% of applicants this year, and had a yield of 46%. Tufts' yield hovers around 30%. SAT scores cannot be judged on an apples-to-apples basis because they are optional at Middlebury.</p>
<p>Actually, Bates is more selective than Colby, so if you're going to call it a "true safety", you have to put both schools in that category. He has fairly strong scores, which along with his Midwestern location, will be a huge help in applying to the NESCAC, especially SAT-optional.</p>
<p>There are so many variables it is hard to give "chances," but I would point out that UVa is a tough admit for out of state students, even those with your son's credentials. His numbers are very good but not amazing and should certainly meet UVa standards, but you just never know. It is even more difficult to suggest what might be reasonable match and safety schools but I do know that of the ones pyewacket mentioned, Haverford can also be very hard to judge--it waitlists a lot of kids with high scores and grades; it is small even by LAC standards that it probably does not have much wiggle room in terms of shaping its entering class. </p>
<p>That said, and knowing both communities somewhat, I'd have to point out that UVa and Middlebury have very little in common except being excellent schools in beautiful surroundings. If you are in the Midwest it would be a good idea to think very carefully about what traits make these two so appealing taht they are currently sharing "top choice" billing. Although Charlottesville is not exactly a huge, cosmoplitan city, it is very lively and the combination of history and the university give it a really special and quality. Also, and this is not so important for a teenage boy but it does shape the atmosphere to some extent, it is surrounded by lots of suburban-stgyle shopping areas, which gives it a more in-the-world feeling than you might expect just by looking at a map. Middlebury is truly a very small town and you can go quite a distance until you get somewhere thta looks and feels less tucked away (yes, I know it is not far from Burlington), and of course the school itself is a fraction of the size of UVa.</p>
<p>If you son is interested in LACs, the ones mentioned all seem to be worth consdiering, but feel is a realyl key factor, so I'd explore them in as much detail as possible. also not so sure it is necessary to go eat. What about Kenyon as a good match? It is a lovely place, though harder to get into each year.</p>