She likes public policy but is desperate to leave the DC area and spread her wings other wise GU would be a top choice.
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A bit far but they have transportation (light rail) from the airport but U of Denver and the Korbel School is well respected. So easier to get to than IU and their Hamilton Lugar School. Youâd get merit at both.
My daughter goes to Charleston - I know, no South although the city is very blue. But through their Mroz institute sheâs met with Dennis Ross, the Swiss Ambassador to the US, the former Canadian Ambassador and more. She secured a great internship with the state this summer and will be attending the DC semester to start junior year and will have an internship there althiugh unsure at this time what it will be . I put links below.
Perhaps itâs not the right school but you can see if others have opportunities similar to this. Different schools have different programs that many arenât aware to ask about.
I really think the school name, while a factor, isnât hugely important in policy pursuits. When you look at bios from DC or Chiefs of Staffs of congress people - theyâre littered from Harvard to I never heard of it U.
So I think itâs fine if she spreads wings and doesnât land at the biggest names. And frankly I think thereâs a lot of hidden gems out there.
@tsbna44 Charleston is a great city and I have heard that CoC really rolls out the red carpet for high achievers in terms of money and access. In particular for pre med giving kids access to labs from day one. Similarly so with Clemson, which I believe has a 7 year MD program partnered with CofC. I wish my daughter would be more open to geo diversity but that is out of her comfort zone right now. I agree about the name brand not being that important especially considering she will likely pursue JD/MBA type of degree. The PPE and Public Policy is not really a career aspiration as much as what she enjoys learning.
Ahhh. And wasnât trying to push Charleston but more to look at different programs schools have. These were examples.
Iâll admit it was dumb luck she found them. She loved the school - thatâs it.
But gets to take advantage.
I was really trying to say - check under the hood of each school. They may offer more than is visible from the surface. Iâm sure many do.
I thought wrongly - based on the last part of the thread - she was into policy. My bad.
UMD-CP is not a safety for any applicant IMO. From your description, it sounds like you are mistakenly considering it one. There are many near-safety and guaranteed admit programs at other colleges that your daughter should consider if she has ruled out the in state flagship based on personal preference. Consider what factors in a college appeal to her and then search for relevant programs that are guaranteed admits or public in state schools that are less selective (80% or higher acceptance rate). In MD, there are many good choices that fit this criteria.
@tsbna44 I understand and your logic makes sense so I appreciate the idea of digging deeper in places that could be hidden gems. She is into policy but not as a career necessarily, if that makes sense.
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@Spring4 Ok, thanks for the input.
It def is a safety based on the applicants profile, 36 ACT with pretty good ECs. Unless the OP noted the applicant wanted to go into CS, which she doesnât, then it wouldnât be a safety- but based on in-state status, previous data showing pretty much everyone from the applicants school getting in, and the applicants profile itself being competitive- itâs a likely. I would even say sheâs probably going to get the bannerkey (full ride or half ride) scholarship because those are usually given to people with high stats. Friends of mine got it with similar profiles. Friends of mine (Iâm also in state) got into UMD with 1270 SATs and 2 extracurriculars. They were put into the freshman connection program but they still got in. So I would respectfully disagree with you.
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Has she looked into Claremont McKenna or Wesleyan? Those schools are also well regarded for their PPE programs. If sheâs looking to go into some sort of finance after, Claremont McKenna could be a great fit because of location as well.
Iâve had several neighbors with children who were recently not admitted to UMD-CP but were surprised based on stats and course load. We are in state in a part of the state with a high concentration of competitive high school students, so that may have impacted their chances. It can depend on the specifics of the applicant that are beyond what we can see here.
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Year old data but you can see itâs getting increasingly difficult.
My just graduated senior is at a very similar private (seems to alternate for first in Maryland on Niche with the one your daughter attends) and rigor really mattered quite a bit with admissions, even for URM applicants. Your daughterâs college counselor will speak to the rigor of her schedule in their recommendation letter. If she isnât in the most rigorous classes for the major subjects, the T10 schools are very unlikely (no harm in applying but keep expectations in check). As others have recommended, I would give a lot of weight to what your college counselor recommends, they will know where she stands in the class, and how competitive she is at each school given what classmates are applying.
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Has she considered any of the womenâs colleges? (As some might have guessed on CC, Iâm a big fan of the womenâs colleges. Sheâd be a super-star among super-stars and lots of diversity (much more so than many of their co-ed counterparts). Most are easier to get into than their similarly elite brethren. And many have great merit discounts (this excludes Wellesley and Barnard, but both great schools to look into if moneyâs no object). Check out Bryn Mawr College (my C21 is a junior), Mount Holyoke, Smith, as well as Scripps (if sheâs willing to go to Cali, which is amazing). And I loved Occidental when we visited, very diverse again, and they have this amazing semester in DC politics program. Politics Itâs where Iâd want to go if I could do it again and chose instead to be a pollster.
Has she ruled out Columbia? Great books curriculum, diverse, in the biggest city of them all, tons of opportunities.
Good luck
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Congratulations to your daughter on her
strong profile. If looking for some likelier schools, these are some she may want to research. Some of these would be extremely likely admission while others are toss-up to likely.
Case Western (OH) which is making concerned efforts to diversify
Connecticut College
Denison (OH)
Franklin & Marshall (PA ) which also has a College system reminiscent of the one at Yale
Gettysburg (PA )
Hobart & William Smith (NY)
Kenyon (OH)
Skidmore (NY)
St. Lawrence (NY)
Trinity (CT)
Union (NY)
Vassar (NY)
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What about Grinnell? I think with OPs profile it would be at least a match and I think they may like it based on others.
I do not know your FA. For my daughter, Richmod was a dream school. She got acceptance with the worst by a lot FA there. After re-evaluating, DD agreed that Richmond is not that much of a dream⊠Way too preppy for her taste. Yes, she could be fine there, but not ideal fitâŠ
I know that you said no to south⊠However my DD will attend Rhodes College. It is private and is as close to Richmond (in terms of feel) as possible without that preppy feeling. Memphis has huge AA population. Rhodes will give your daughter HUGE scholarship, they are fighting for diversity and she will feel in the right place and adequately challenged. If law school is in plans, this maybe an interesting option. I get it, it is not Yale or Harvard, but it is as good as Dickinson.
We really liked kids there. It is like 40% of school pre-law and 40% premed, so she will be in a great company.
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Itâs a good suggestion, but if OPâs daughter wonât consider Atlanta, I rather doubt sheâll consider Memphis.
I remember when we first talked about Rhodes in your other thread! I donât think I realized that your daughter actually committed there. Congrats to her!
But would that make for a greater focus on grades than at other schools?
Chiming in again to say I think all your schools are correctly tiered based on the experiences of my own senior and her classmates at a similar school. Have you considered Wesleyan, Colgate, Wash U, or Tufts? I also think the suggestion of Occidental is worth researching.
The bigger issue for your student is going to be how to use ED/REA. Your daughterâs chances at many of her targets/reaches will be much better if she applies early. I think you are going to really need to seek advice from your counselor about how realistic those tippy top Ivies are, so as not to waste your Ed options.
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