<p>vp: Do you know about Northwestern’s dual degree program – music and (in your daughter’s case) liberal arts? Tough to get into, but excellent.</p>
<p>Just saw Haverford-- gorgeous! I really felt like it must be an elite academic experience. Also the kids take the train line up & down the main line (Drexel, UPenn, Villanova, St. Joes, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore (not sure if that’s on the train line) to go to nearby schools concerts. I am in love with Philly as a college town. That being said -Villanova might be a great match for her.</p>
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<p>The good news is that NU’s acceptance rate is actually higher at 27% for the class of 2013.</p>
<p>[Northwestern</a> News Network | NU acceptance rate increases](<a href=“http://www.nnntv.org/viewstory.php?story_id_key=2288]Northwestern”>http://www.nnntv.org/viewstory.php?story_id_key=2288)</p>
<p>Michigan doesn’t fit some of the criteria you gave, but the city of Ann Arbor is ranked as one of the top 10 college towns. It is similar to NYC, but smaller. On the other hand I have heard that size isn’t too big of a factor once you arrive on campus, but others have disagreed. Michigan’s acceptance rate last year was 42.1%. It’s acceptance rate this year was 49.8%. Even though its hard to get in(People with stellar scores and grades get deferred/ rejected), it is less selective than Harvard, Yale, Tufts, etc. It is harder to get in for out of state students though. Acceptance rate for out of state students is roughly 25-30%, which isn’t too bad. Sports is very big here, so if your daughter is interested in that then I would say give Michigan a shot. Most people that I’ve talked to like the school, hence thats where I’m going this fall. I liked it when I went for orientation. There is a unique atmosphere here. People are friendly. The city also has many things to offer. If your daughter is interested in wildlife, she could even visit the Arboretum, which is 17,000 acres of forest and wildlife. When people think of Michigan they lose interest because they probably are wondering, “What’s so interesting about the state of Michigan?” Trust me I got positive vibes all around. Although my parents complained that the University was too big. I would say Harvard, Georgetown, Yale and Tufts are probably your best matches although I don’t see what’s so great about the atmosphere at Tufts. Everyone has different interests. I’d say let your daughter visit a lot of the colleges she plans to apply to. Only then will she find out what fits her best. Michigan also has a good music department. You could also try to apply for a dual degree in the School of Music/Theatre and in LSA. Many colleges and universities accepted more students this year because of the economic recession. JHU accepted over 100 more students. Michigan accepted many more students this year. Penn did also. Not sure about other universities.</p>
<p>I would recommend: Harvard, Tufts, Georgetown, Yale, Northwestern, U Chicago, Boston College, Brown University and Michigan.</p>
<p>Northwestern sounds like a great fit for her, actually perfect if not for the Northeast preference. I would also recommend Rice, Michigan, WashU (she might qualify for merit aid?), Tufts, UChicago, Emory (merit aid?), and Georgetown. I would add Columbia, Yale, and Brown but their acceptance rates are not much higher than Harvard’s.</p>
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<p>First, I want to apologize that when I posted the acceptance rate earlier for Northwestern, I had written: 22.6 and that was an error in my typing as I meant to type 26.2. I got this acceptance rate right off NU’s own site but it was for the class or 2012.</p>
<p>Now, I see the article you posted that has the rate for class of 2013 at 27%. Oddly, however, the article states that the acceptance rate went up 8 percentage points over the previous year and their site has 26.2 % for the previous year. Hmm. In any case, their “fast facts” on their site are not updated for class of 2013. </p>
<p>Well, the point still stands that it is not as selective odds as someone surmised when estimating them at 15%.</p>
<p>Entertainer, I have been to UMichigan twice as I have a kid of my own who applied there. I also have a niece who is a rising junior there and a nephew who got in but has chosen to matriculate at another school this fall. Great school by the way. However, I don’t see how you can compare Ann Arbor to NYC and say they are alike except that Ann Arbor is smaller. They are NOTHING alike in my opinion! I also have a kid who went to college in NYC. Ann Arbor is a great college town for sure though.</p>
<p>Michigan is less-selective in general, but for out-of-staters it may be as selective as an ivy.
I don’t know the statistics, though. </p>
<p>Ann Arbor is charming but sprawling. I remember the maize and blue McDonalds and some of the beautiful dorms. I wouldn’t describe it as smaller NYC, though.</p>
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<p>I do not believe that the selectivity for out of state students at UMichigan is as selective as an Ivy (most of them anyway).</p>
<p>My take on Chicago, based on readings and visiting: I don’t think Chicago has ever been “cut-throat” and “intensely competitive” and it still isn’t. Indeed, there is a very strong element of shared intellectual endeavor which encourages students and faculty to formulate, share, and scrutinize ideas they have. But “ideas” are the currency on campus and there is a respect for pure intellectualism that is stronger than many places.</p>
<p>I think a few decades ago this played out to mean a serious, humorless, and even somewhat prickly approach to school and life was in order. That reputation lingers. However it is my sense that this is no longer true and that, instead, they have found a warmer and more inviting approach in fostering a sense of play in their intellectualism and in cultivating a certain sly, self-deprecating attitude about themselves. The “where fun comes to die” slogan, invented by their students, is an example of this: it is meant to be an ironic self-criticism by people who are actually having fun that they know not everyone would share. You’ll see the tone in their promotional literature, too. This also seems to be coupled with much more effort to build community among and provide non-academic support to its undergraduates. So, for most of its students, Chicago is an engaging and exciting place, not a dreary one.</p>
<p>However, if you visit NU, you can certainly visit Chicago, too, if for no other reason than to be able to see two contrasting approaches to higher education, albeit both at a high level. As has already been mentioned, at the open, suburban NU campus you’ll find more of concern that the connection between education and practice, school and world, be strong and visible to the student. Hence the strong departments in engineering, journalism, music, and drama. At Chicago, you’ll find a more compact, urban campus where there is less need to connect ideas with immediate application. They have no engineering school there and, as far as I can tell, are proud of it. You can also ponder what it would be like if the schools had actually merged as they had discussed earlier in their histories.</p>
<p>I’d certainly recommend you mine the CC forums for the schools in which your D is interested to get an enhanced sense of what the experiences to be had at them.</p>
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Nope, it said it went up .8 percentage points, hence the 27%. Big difference. Anyway, the OP’s daughter is highly competitive there, especially with the reasonable acceptance rate.</p>
<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>
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<p>Brebeuff…LOL, you can see that my eyesight with my screen is really not doing well!!! First, I switched 22.6 for what was truly 26.2 and now I wrote 8% when it was .8%! Oh boy. Sorry!!! You are correct!!</p>
<p>Ann Arbor: When I went to orientation, there were people on the streets at 2 am hanging around, having fun, taking a stroll through the city. There was a mix of people. People of different backgrounds. It wasn’t homogeneous. Like NYC there are many people up at night visiting attractions and taking advantage of what NYC has to offer in terms of restaurants, bars, night clubs, museums, broadway performances and famous important buildings. Ann Arbor is similar in that regard, although it lacks most important buildings famous historic sites,and broadway performances. Many people are up and about at night clubbing or dining at restaurants; enjoying the culture that is around them. I go to NYC all the time. NYC is different in that there are millions of people confined to a small area, there are many important buildings such as the U-N, NYSE, Empire State building and others. NYC is a booming metropolis. Ann Arbor is like a miniature version of that. Sorry if I sound childish or ignorant. Thats the vibe I felt when I walked through the streets of Ann Arbor for the first time. Ann Arbor and NYC aren’t all that similar. There are obviously big differences between the two cities, but there are some things of Ann Arbor that reminded me of NYC. There are many different people, internationals, and others coming to the city to enjoy life, work and attain bits and pieces of the culture around them. NYC is the epicenter of culture. Ann Arbor is sort of similar in that regard even though it has a feel of a small college town. </p>
<p>Not sure If I made sense here. NYC is different than Ann Arbor, but I think there are similarities. This is just my own personal experience and comparison between the two places.</p>