I need some feedback on my college list. I’m not sure if I am being reasonable. Part of me feels like I do not have enough target schools, while another part of me feels like I should add more reach schools.
Here are the schools I am (planning on) applying to:
Rutgers
Boston University
New York University
Northeastern University
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Harvard University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Swarthmore College
Tufts University
Yale University
I have a 4.0 UW and 4.87 W and pretty good activities and leadership positions. I have school, regional, state, and national awards. I am also interested in studying history.
I really like liberal arts schools like Pomona; however, I do not like LAC like Williams or Amherst–they are too preppy and athletic for me, to be honest. Any advice? I would love to add some LAC that are diverse, open-minded, near a city, 20-30% acceptance rate, and solid program in history. I just cannot think of any
FWIW, Cornell is not in or near any large city, unlike most of the schools on your list.
If you prefer urban or suburban schools there are other choices you might consider such as: U Pennsylvania; U Chicago; Northwestern; Georgetown; Johns Hopkins; Rice;…
Then onwards to Washington University, Emory, Tulane…
As for LACs, there are lots of them, not so many in/outside major cities though. You may need to relax your criteria a bit. Just get an LAC list and go down it. Grinnell and Carleton likely won’t be too athletic for you. Neither will Macalester which is in a city.
I am not qualified to do “target/reach”, so I won’t go there.
As for history specifically, one thing you can do is go on the registrar’s list of courses actually given for each of the last two semesters at each school of interest and count the history courses actually given. And see if the subareas that interest you are well covered.
Every school on your list is probably a reach, with the exception of Rutgers. Do you have any hooks (e.g., URM, first gen, legacy, low income)? What state do you live in?
You do mention national level awards, so depending on what that is, it could bring some of the reaches into target category.
Agree with the suggestions of Grinnell, Macalester, and Carleton. Adding Vassar, U Richmond, St. Olaf.
Trinity University in San Antonio, TX is a smaller-sized LAC in a large city that offers merit scholarships (some full-tuition, but majority are partial.)
Reed College in Portland, OR is a small LAC in a smaller, but still large city on the West Coast. Reed does not offer any merit scholarships, but meets full demonstrated need like most top-LACs.
Some LAC-like universities are CWRU and URochester.
Are you a National Merit Semi-Finalist? There are a variety of schools (primarily public, but with strong honors programs) that will offer full-ride or full-tuition scholarships to National Merit Scholars.
You should post this is another thread on CC (probably College selection,) not on Yale’s thread, in-order to get more people familiar with colleges other than Yale to post.
