Davidson College

Colleges and Universities A-Z Davidson College
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@jackwang0703, you would be wise to trust your own research & instincts. Too many people apply to a certain school just because of a ranking. That is problematic–each school has its own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, my daughters toured Harvard and hated it; others love it. It’s an incredible school, but not right for everyone.

Despite what many people say, high test scores and grades are not enough to get someone accepted at top schools. Duke rejects most valedictorians who apply; at Princeton, fewer than 10% of students with perfect grades are accepted.

You have a great list of schools. Importantly, you have a good variety of safeties, matches, and reaches. Focus on those, rather than waste your time filling out too many applications.

82

@wstrav Thank you very much! That’s what I’m going to do. In fact, I might even wanna take out one or two schools off my list if possible.

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I don’t think I’m going to add any colleges or Ivies to my list. I would rather take one or two out.

This is my current list: Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wustl, Boston College, Brandeis, Emory(maybe), William and Mary, Middlebury, Vassar(maybe), Wesleyan, Colby, U of Richmond, and F&M.

I’ve already submitted my applications to Davidson, Case Western(EA), and Penn State(rolling safety).

84

I kinda want to take Emory out of my list because I wasn’t attracted to its campus when I visited in August. Plus I think Emory is more like a top 30 school instead of a top 20 according to USnews. What schools do you think are comparable to Emory?

85

When does Penn State usually release decisions?

86

Rejected.

87

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll be hearing good things from other schools. College selections are subjective and often hard to predict. You’ll do well wherever you end up. Best of luck!

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@wstrav I appreciate that. I did everything I could but still. We are not destined.

Now I need to decide whether to go for ED2 or just RD. I don’t really wanna stick to one single school again. I would like to see all the results. Plus I don’t really have a school that I like a lot.

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If you don’t have a clear favorite, it’s probably wise to focus on RD. As a parent, I didn’t allow my kids to apply anywhere ED, so they could compare schools and their offers before committing.