<p>Like another poster, daughter is driving herself crazy trying to figure out her list for EA. For the most part, we think there are 3 matches and 3 safeties. She'll have what we think are 4 reaches and 4 matches RD. She'd like some reassurance that her EA are appropriate. She has a few teachers unhappy with her list and encouraging her to choose more selective schools both EA and RD but she based the list on the extensive research we've done re: matches and merit aid, etc.:</p>
<p>White/MA/needs financial aid, custodial = $40K, ncp = $120K
IB diploma student: High: Bio/Math/Spanish and Low: Latin, English, History, straight As and A+s so far in hs
GPA: 4.2 UW, thinks 5.0W but not sure (one class giving her a hard time so might drop a bit)
SATS: CR 600/Math 630/Reading 690, took again, expect small increase, hopefully around 2000 or better
ACT: Not worth mentioning and isn't going to take it again due to time constrictions of the test
School doesn't rank but she knows she is top 5% of 110, they only do deciles?
GSA Gold Award project approved, award projected March 2015
Senior Class Co-VP
School store manager two years
Highest achiever Biology (11), Latin (11), Spanish (10)
National Latin Silver Award (11)
Wellesley Book Award
Acapella (9-12)
Ski Club (9-12)
Habitat for Humanity (11-12)
American Legion Girls State Program (11) and mentor (12)
Work experience: Latin tutor 2 hrs/week (11 and presently)
Work experience: Same restaurant (9-12) 30 hours week/summer, weekends school year
Community Service: Supper Club (first Monday of the month-2 years)
Community Service: Giving Tree (Xmas charity, approximately 10 hours)
Community Service: Soup Bowl for Hunger (once/yearly)
Community Service: Cranberry Harvest Festival (approximately 18 hours)</p>
<p>Dickinson
Simmons
UMass Amherst Honors
UScranton
Ithica
St. Michaels</p>
<p>FWIW, her RD list is Wesleyan, Vassar, Barnard, Colby and Wellesley, Skidmore, Smith, Mt. Holyoke</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I think her teachers have not seen her test scores, and also aren’t the ones paying the bill… you are right to keep your own focus on the search and don’t be swayed by them. (But they might write her great recommendations!). Her challenge is going to be getting merit aid with her test scores, which are pretty low for some of the schools on her list. Test optional schools are more likely to give merit when test scores are provided and are on the high end. That doesn’t mean she won’t get merit, but she may have trouble being competitive for the higher awards at a place like Dickinson or Mount Holyoke. </p>
<p>Do Wesleyan, Wellesley, and Barnard offer much in the way of merit? Have you run the net price calculators for both parents and then added the COA together to see what it looks like? (best tactic I know with divorced parents, but still not a guarantee)?</p>
<p>I think for acceptance purposes, Wellesley is a very high reach. They are not test optional, her test scores are all below the 25% mark, and she doesn’t seem to have a hook. Barnard is also not test optional, and her scores are below the 50% range, so it is a reach. If she doesn’t send test scores to Mt. Holyoke, Smith, and Dickinson (I know they are all test optional, more than that on her list may be), she has a good very good shot at admission. Wesleyan is harder to predict, since they just went test optional this year and only accept about 20% of their applicants. </p>
<p>Thank you intparent. So, it seems you are of the opinion not to send test scores when it is optional? We figured if she was mid-range she should send them…Smith average is 650 and Mt. Holyoke 670 according to CB so 1300 and 1340, hopefully she’ll bring her scores up that much. And you are right, the teachers are not aware of her test scores but will be writing phenomenal recommendations. Could you comment on the original six that she is applying EA if you have a moment?</p>
<p>ED list looks good… is she applying for the Simmons full scholarship? I would definitely recommend it. It’s selective but a rare one that covers everything.</p>
<p>Has she looked at BU? I have three friends whose family were in the same ballpark as you financially and they all got full rides, including a good chunk of room & board. (is the ncp contributing to college at all? I’m guessing not, but maybe make it clear they’re not?) Her SATs are on the low end for BU, but definitely in range, which is why I suggest it. I speak as a stellar student that bombed her SATs but got in and got a scholarship, myself :)</p>
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<p>I assume you mean the Writing is 690. One problem is that most colleges weight CR and Math more heavily than writing. So being under the midpoint on both math and CR is problematic. It is hard to give advice on whether to send them or not without knowing her new scores. My guess is that most of the schools on her list superscore, so she needs to wait and see what her new scores are before sending them. My rule of thumb would be that if she can’t get at the 50% mark or above on CR and Math with her superscored set of scores, don’t send them to test optional schools. </p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about the other schools on her list, so without researching SAT ranges and their merit aid offerings, don’t know how she will do.</p>
<p>Have you found the Common Data Sets yet? Google “<school name=”“> Common Data Set”. It gives you some more detailed breakdowns of score ranges, and on financial aid. You can get a feeling for what % of students get need based aid and how much on average. Figure if your student falls in that x% of the top of the pool, odds of merit aid are good, but they go down as she moves further down in stats in the applicant pool.</school></p>
<p>@proudterrier: Yes, she will be applying for the full scholarship at Simmons. While the school isn’t at the top of her list, it is definately a safety both financially and academically. Her “hook” there is her GSA Gold Award, and the full scholarship is guaranteed to at least one girl scout. She has visited and interviewed with them. My issue is no guarantee of four year housing and she really would prefer more rural. BU isn’t on the radar at all, doesn’t fit any of her criteria (location, size, housing). I’m not sure how else to make it clear that NCP will not be helping other than to put a zero where it asks what the non custodial contribution will be. I do of course have to include child support in my figures and have done that…</p>
<p>@intparent: Yes, writing was 690. We can’t figure out why the CR was so low except that she is very anxiety ridden about testing so that’s why we are really thinking that her scores this time around will be much better. Four more days 
She will then take the subject tests the first weekend in November and, if necessary, the SATS again in December. Thanks for the information on Common Data Sets, I’ll look into that today. For the most part, our spreadsheet (which started with 30 schools and tailored down to 16 after visiting most of them) includes average test scores, credit for IB/AP, that sort of thing, so I was hoping I had a handle on it. If her SATS don’t improve significantly, I think we’ll start researching a couple more schools that are test-optional. Bates comes to mind as one on her list that was removed.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>