<p>Mootmom, Relax. Just keep in mind that something like 70% of all schools in the US accept over 50% of applicants. I would encourage you to not only look at the stats of students, but also at the acceptance rates. As I said, your son will also get a boost at many LAC's simply by virtue of being male. The key is to get him focused on thinking outside the box in terms of school possibilities. I have been very excited and, to be honest, surprised, by the quality of some of the schools my daughter has been looking at --- and they do accept kids with "B" averages and SATs in the 1200s (and even lower). True, as idad says, some of the schools in CTCL's have become more selective but many are still excellent admissions values, especially the schools outside of the Northeast and west coast. But, there are also literally hundreds of other terrific schools out there that are not in the CTCL book. It's a nice starting point, however, because it introduces you to some "names" you might not know --- yet! Have no fear, there is a great school out there for your son!</p>
<p>We attended the presentation last year. A few of the schools were on my daughter's radar screen. Although she ended up not even applying because they did not have her ultimate choice of major, she had the opportunity to learn more about these schools. Her interest in Reed was validated and we loved Macalaster. (Their Admissions Director gave one of the most entertaining admissions presentations we heard during this entire process.)</p>
<p>I can recommend the tour as it will help some kids to fine tune what they are looking for in a college - and may just find that great fit.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your comments. I really appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts. :)</p>
<p>I think the ones that are the most solid academically are: Wooster, Denison, Earlham, Kalamazoo, Lawrence, Ohio Wesleyan and Reed (?). They are the schools that probably won't be on the CTLC list in the next few years. Why? Because unlike "who will be a good matchintellectually and personallywith their campus" these schools are more and more aggressive in attracting stats applicants: high SATs, GPA, etc and a bit less emphasis on a fit. Denison is good a example of that this year. Same story with Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster which are in the same "cluster".</p>
<p>Thanks BULMINI, you are as resourceful on this board as on BTFD. </p>
<p>Would it be best to buy the book before attending one to the programs?</p>
<p>Take a trip to you library and see if you can borrow either one of his books - this one, that the presentation is named after or Looking Beyone the Ivies..or whatever it's called. ;)</p>
<p>I know that there are a bunch of colleges represented that I am sure my daughter will not be interested in for a variety of reasons - but one of the main ones will be their locations... Be that as it may, I think that this could be a nice "first step" for someone who has no older siblings and hasn't visited any colleges at all... I'm also looking at is an opportunity to encourage our daughter to be as open minded as possible because she has a number of older friends who are well into their college modes... So from my point of view this is sort of a nice appetizer. We'll see. I will promise to post my impressions if we do go.</p>
<p>Thanks for the compliment, TutuTaxi! :D</p>