@N’smom. I respectfully disagree. Out children are not our property. OP is looking at a significant amount of time living at a school that she does not feel comfortable with. Young adults have enough issues with the changes that college brings, and being committed to a school that you really feel is the wrong place for you is unnessary.
I have a rising senior as well who seems to be looking at the same schools as OP and at the same major, by coincidence. If I pushed him into applying to a school where he really did not want to be I am 100% sure he would sabotage his application through his essays. But then again I would never force him to live someplace for 4 years that would make him unhappy.
@michelle426 you have a lot to think about. You grades are good (don’t look at them through College Confidential eyes. Look realistically). Your SATs are also great. You also have time to work on your parents. ED is not until Nov for most schools. Do not dispair!
@Dunboyne We do have Vanderbilt on my college list right now, even though it’s a reach, the school supports both an ED1 and an ED2 plan. Harvey Mudd was shot down as soon as it was brought up, so I’ll need to talk a whole lot with my parents if I even want to apply there, much less ED. My dream schools are basically out of reach, one being Caltech (which I am applying regular because I need to get my test scores up in the fall, but it’s still unlikely because of my GPA). I do have a small problem with ED, mostly because of the binding factor. However, I just feel like that the Claremont Schools aren’t the best place to use my ED on. My parents have no problem sending me out of state. I am trying to look for out of state schools with ED2 plans.
@michelle426 the acceptance rate for men at Mudd is 10% while women it is 23%. It is not surprising they didn’t get in. It is not the same thing. Show your dad the common data set.
@LKnomad thanks! I found the common data set for hmc, so i’ll talk to him about it tonight.
@michelle426
Scripps probably isn’t the most selective school you can aspire to with ED. Your 800 M is going to impress. I’m not sold on Mudd for ED, but let me ask you:
–Can you outline your ECs?
–How passionate are you about science/chemistry? Do you think it’s something you can hammer home in an interview or in an essay? Or are you kind of wishy-washy about science/chem/your future?
@Dunboyne well, I can say that the only good part about my CMC interview was the fact that I talked about my chemistry quite well.
My ECs are as follows, kind of basic, not much detail for the sake of this:
DECA- one small sixth place award during a regionals competition in freshman year, went on to compete at states
Member of Chinese Honor Society
Volunteer/Community Service- I should have around 75, if not 100 hours by the end of summer. I do basic volunteering for the school, for fundraising events for local communities, and I start volunteering at a summer camp for disabled children next week
Science Olympiad- I participated on the school’s highest ranked team, won 3 gold medals and 1 silver (at states) and will become VP of Events next year (in charge of all the comps officers)
Chemistry Olympiad- I am doing this next year, but I also did it this year. I did get top 2 in my school, but a high local cutoff prevented both of us from taking the national exam
taking Physics at a local CC this summer
I write tests and help Chem Honors students study for stuff (around 20 undocumented hours)
CMU and Emory would be reasonable targets for ED, stats wise. Emory has ED II. But it’s not really advisable to ED without visiting. Students do it, of course, especially for reaches, but it’s somewhat of a gamble. I don’t suppose you have any plans to visit your eastern schools, especially with dad being sold on the Claremonts?
Here’s an idea. Find out what your Dad likes about the Claremont schools (and Scripps and CMC) in particular and then come back here. If you tell us what he DOES like and what you DON’T like (or even better, what you like better about your first choice schools), maybe people here can make suggestions for schools you can both agree on. (Remember to include geography if that’s important — could be what is important to your Dad. Of course, if having you is SoCal is important there are lots of schools to choose from!)
@Dunboyne I have CC courses all summer long, so there’s no way we can fly out east and look at stuff over there. Even though my dad is letting me apply to CMU, he doesn’t like it very much because of how hard it is and how computer science focused it is (I want to major in chemistry, and it took a whole lot of bargaining to even get it on my list). I know that CMU is a reach for me, but my test scores are ok for MCS (Mellon College of Science), it’s just my GPA is the problem (every single time). We haven’t really considered Emory yet, in fact, we haven’t even talked about it. I know that Scripps isn’t the highest I can go with my ED bid, but my dad feels like it is. I’ve been looking over several schools with ED and EA plans, but since I don’t really have a dream school, it just all comes down to what I think of them when I visit (and I haven’t done this for all OOS schools, my parents blew our second college tour session to Claremonts again and for my interview despite the fact we went there 4 months earlier and I made it very clear I don’t want to go to CMC).
Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about your GPA re CMU. Their average is 3.72. Only 56% of enrollees had a GPA of 3.75+. With your other “weaker” stat, 680 CR, their 25th percentile is 640. And CMU is a pretty solid school for chem. Emory is in the same ballpark, but generally less selective.
hi guys, I talked to my dad today about HMC and about me not wanting to apply to CMC. He handled it much better than I expected, but there was still some heckling involved. Needless to say, he took CMC off the list and has given me the go-ahead to apply to HMC! yay! But there’s still a catch involved: I need to apply ED 2. So hopefully by then, I can get my test scores up (I’m retaking the SAT 1 just for critical reading superscore and for hopefully higher composite as well as both of my SAT 2s for 800s on both). Thanks for your help and advice everyone!
@Michelle426 Well done! Good luck on that ED 2!
Congrats and Good luck!
You should consider applying for HMC’s Fall FAST https://www.hmc.edu/admission/fast/fall-fast-program-seniors/
It would be a great opportunity for you. Just don’t take being denied as a bad sign - it doesn’t mean you’ll be denied for admissions (they take very few students for FAST), but I suspect that being accepted would be a good sign.
@ClaremontMom wow thanks so much! Will having no compsci experience (I am a chem major after all and it’s not needed for apps) hurt me for fast?
@michelle426 - You’re welcome. I can’t imagine it would hurt you at all. It won’t hurt you for admissions either. You will be required to take a CS class your first semester (all students do), but they have a total beginner class with no expectation of prior knowledge (and of course they have advanced classes for those with experience). The professor is pretty terrific too (my daughter, a Scrippsie, took the class and loved it!).
P.S. My son did ED2 to HMC and will be starting in the Fall (and he attended Spring Fast) so feel free to PM me if you have more questions. Good luck!
TL;DR? Main points:
-my parents won’t pay for my college unless I ED Scripps.
-I think Scripps is a great school, and I would consider it as a CHOICE, but not necessarily commit to it right off the bat.
-I don’t want to sink or bomb my app because that’s super immoral.
-my school started college app processing super early, so I’m already 75% of the way “done”
-not sure which is worse: going to a school I might take a spot from someone who wanted it 100 times more than I did, and I probably won’t be super elated there, or being strapped with a financial burden for going to a school of my choice.
Bumping this thread because I feel like I have no other choice. So my school is a large public, which means an office staff of 10 handling college apps is no match for 580 kids and their SSR request forms. SSR forms were due September 1st for all Early apps, which means I already turned mine in. My parents won’t pay any of my college tuition unless I ED Scripps (if I get deferred or rejected ED, then they’re cool with that). I’ll be 18 before the end of my senior year, so my parents just plan on withdrawing all the money I have in my savings account by then if I don’t listen to what they say. I don’t know what to do here. Scripps is a good school, no doubt, and I would consider it as one of my “higher” choices if I didn’t get into anywhere else better or equivalent. I’m scared of the idea of commitment. Since I turned in my SSR form request already, things are in the process of being set in stone. However, nothing’s over until my counselor signs my ED agreement on commonapp. My rec teachers are honestly so stunned when my first choice school is different from my ED1 school. At this rate, I don’t know what to do. If I get accepted ED, then I’ll never be truly “happy”, but at least I’ll be financially secure? I might have taken away a spot for a person that wanted it 100 times more than I did, and I don’t think I can get over that guilt. However, if I do “bomb” (i.e. have my counselor email the admissions office and sink my app, etc. which I DO NOT want to do) my application and apply to the schools of my choice, I’ll be strapped with a financial burden for years after I’m done with college. I don’t know which is worse.
If you took the time to read through that, thank you. I just really need help or any form of advice with this situation. Anything is appreciated.
@basedchem. I know someone with straight As, 35 ACT and half Hispanic who got waitlisted at Scripps. She never made it clear in her interview or application why she wanted to go to a women’s college; in fact, she never addressed it at all. They pegged her for someone who really wanted to go to Pomona, but was applying to Scripps as a backup (yes, people do that, and it was true for her) and waitlisted her. Scripps takes the opportunities that they offer women very seriously and it’s entirely possible that they will sense your reluctance in your application and not admit you. Then you will not have sabotaged your application but you will get to apply elsewhere. Of course, if you do get in, Scripps is a wonderful college and you will likely love it after you give it some time.
@PhxRising I do take everything that is as serious as college apps very seriously. I wouldn’t bs something like this. I would treat it the same as all my college apps, but I just hide the fact that I am reluctant (again, I would never try to bomb my app in any way). And perhaps your friend was waitlisted at Scripps because the admissions committee believed that she would get in somewhere better? Based on her stats, she looked like she had a lot of options. Just a conjecture, but that happens at a lot of schools because of the want for higher yield rates.
@basedchem, I wasn’t suggesting that you would bs it. Just that if you’re not enthusiastic about Scripps the admissions officers might not see the enthusiasm they’re looking for. People with great stats get rejected from elite colleges all the time. These colleges, at least the LACs, want passion, and they want to know that you are passionate about their school. If you’re truly not enthusiastic about Scripps, then the bs comes if you try to convince the admissions officer that you are. And, of course, I don’t know why my friend got wait-listed at Scripps, just that she and her mother both thought that was probably why. She wasn’t enthusiastic about Scripps and they probably could tell that.
Just write this instead of one of the essays
"Hello admission committee. I am applying here not because I want to, but because my parents are forcing me to. Please reject me.
P.S I smell bad"
Alternatively you could point out that your parent’s admission strategy for you is logically flawed.
HMC is the harder admit but you want to go there more. Point out to your parents that you can apply ED1 there, if you don’t get in, apply ED2 at Scripps. ED1 = ED2, either way the school’s yield goes up.
It makes no sense to apply ED1 to your second choice school. You don’t have to resort stooping to the easier school that you don’t like before finding out whether or not you got into the harder school.