<p>Soozie,
maybe what changed in the overall acceptance rate was the overall number of applicants which caused the bigger delta? number of applicants went down so more got in? or because of the economic uncertainty, they accepted more for 2013 not knowing who would actually take them up on it? financial aid issues etc?</p>
<p>To the OP:
we had a local kid here who was definitely going to decide on U Mich and then the financial aid offer came from UNC Chapel Hill and that was the trump card… </p>
<p>I know of several kids who did Wake Forest and LOVED it…challenging and yet fun… </p>
<p>what about the University of Virginia? it isn’t in a big city…but it is a great school…</p>
<p>Univ of Richmond in VA also a nice alternative… our valdictorian chose it… full ride…
and not that money was a true factor, but it made the kid realize how much the school wanted them… which was also similiar to curmudgeon’s daughter’s experience with Rhodes… </p>
<p>Your daughter’s stats are excellent… and it seems to me she is being extremely thoughtful and open about this process… I would really like to throw Amherst onto her pile for serious consideration… I know of 2 kids, friends of my oldest child, who graduated from there in recent year(s) and they both LOVED it… they are the only peers who cite their professors first as a reason their college experience was so excellent. One is consulting now…other is in grad school, also full ride in grad school. </p>
<p>Williams is a smaller school, remote… but what they tell their accepted students is we take kids who HAVE interests … these are kids who can handle “remote” cause they are so active…and engaged… location doesn’t trump their ability to go and do… your daughter might want to give that some thought… cause if she was a bit open about location, then Dartmouth might also be worth serious consideration…</p>
<p>Cornell might deliver the size she needs on the campus instead of in a city… </p>
<p>I will keep my fingers crossed for Yale…</p>