I agree with much of this, but school vibes/class makeup can and do change over time. It’s really hard to suss this out in the midst of it happening.
For just one example, there is a certain LAC that is known as being very liberal, yet reports from several different internal stakeholders have said the incoming classes for the last couple of years have been far more mainstream. My point is people have to do their research.
Lastly the whole idea of spending 4 years at a college that is attractive in terms of location and culture to a given student is unfortunately not a primary consideration for the majority of HS graduates each year. Sad, but true.
Edited to add: IMO Lehigh still has a harsh NE edge with relatively more alcohol and hard drug abuse than some similar schools. We will see if the incoming new President (who has not yet been selected AFAIK) can make any headway in changing the dominant culture there.
Haven’t checked this thread since October but great acceptances for your D so far!
Bold prediction, since it’s becoming clear that TO isn’t a big issue and based on your HS profile, maintaining excellent grades senior year, your D will be attending Vanderbilt in the fall (after a waitlist and acceptance).
We just booked a trip for end of Feb. UR has info sessions and tours. We will see Wake and Davidson too. We are reaching out to current students we know to see if they can walk us around those two. This way, D can maybe get a sense of what order she would put these three in. I don’t want to wait until April in case we want to see other schools. I don’t know how many visits we can squeeze into April since her schools all require flights.
@homerdog does your daughter view Vanderbilt as a top contender if she gets in? The campus is gorgeous!
My D interviewed with a very young alum. That interview, combined with speaking to a coworker’s daughter who attended, answered a lot of her questions.
Fingers crossed that your D gets in and views it as a good fit for her!
Honestly I get no feedback from her about Vanderbilt. Her brother with higher GPA and high scores only got waitlisted so I don’t think she feels any hope but we know it matches a lot of what she wants so it’s on the list.
The only thing I will say is that she didn’t love BC’s campus and how it was kind of in the city but kind of not. Felt maybe too busy and crowded to her. I wonder if Vanderbilt feels the same way - same size and kind of in the city. But I am 100 percent sure she will consider it if given the chance. She knows two freshmen there who she was on poms with last year and one of S19’s best friends is there too so we could get the scoop.
I would absolutely try to find a current student not responsible for tours to meet with at Richmond too. I think it is important to try to compare the same level of intel. DS received a different perspective from lunch with the brother of an acquaintance than he did from the class sessions and tour. The student loved the school, but DS and DH realized that it wasn’t for DS and crossed it off the list.
Regarding your post #1687 above: How well does her brother dance ?
Regarding your most recent post in this thread: While familiar & trusted acquaintances are great sources of information, it is also important to hear & read the thoughts of those whom you do not know as there may be less bias/preconceived notions that enter into the discussion.
True. In fact S19’s gut is telling him his sister has a better chance at Vanderbilt than he did. While his rigor and stats were higher, D’s app probably stands out more with dance and with her leadership at yearbook and her social justice stuff over the summer. Also, her essays speak more to her resilience and grit than his did and her recs will back that up. And, unlike when Vanderbilt wouldn’t accept his art portfolio which is the one thing that we think really helped him stand out (they just plain don’t accept art portfolios), D did send a detailed dance resume that they were happy to take. We shall see!
As for getting all kinds of reviews from a school? I feel like what she really needs is from trusted people we know from our town. Their past experiences would be similar to ours having grown up here so they can speak to the rigor of the classes, the social life, and everything else with the same prospective. Plus we know them and know they won’t sugar coat anything.
Thanks, @homerdog, for sharing your odyssey! I spent awhile yesterday perusing this entire story - wow! I, too, will be following closely for the final decision. It won’t be long now! My D21 is close to a “verdict” at this point, but, man - many twists and turns and surprises this year. I’m a fellow Chicagoan and we’re likely headed OOS. Travel and logistics are a huge deal in our minds as well. No “hard to get to” schools stayed on our list. My D is a very “middle of the road” applicant who went TO. We spent the big $$ for private tutoring, then all of the tests got canceled and we opted not to trek long distance to take the ACT. Completely threw in the towel early on and I guess it was the right decision. So far, she’s been accepted at a top choice school EA. Awaiting a few more RD responses and will likely have a decision soon. Good luck to your daughter! My guess is she’ll be at Richmond or Vanderbilt.
March is not soon enough! But I agree with @SDC9160 - I’m predicting Vandy or Richmond, with LMU a distant third, but not yet out of the running. I can’t wait for the final result!
Lots of decisions to get in RD still. My favorite is Davidson but I don’t know if she will get in. She saw is as a high school freshman and really liked it but it’s been so long. We will see if again in Feb. She has some reasons she not sure about it (smallest on the list is the main one) but it was S19’s runner up and it’s a great school without all of the possible political issues of the other southern schools and the snow of the northern schools.
No worries! I think she will love Richmond. I also see her at Wake, Lehigh, and Colgate. I think she will get accepted to at least one of them (hopefully more).
I don’t know a lot about Davidson, other than my coworkers daughter is very happy there.