I’m finalizing colleges, and my list is long at 13. I might cut a couple before I apply in the fall. Right now, I’m worried that I’m labeling colleges that are reaches as matches, that I have few true matches, and that I have too many reaches as a result. I would love any and all feedback!
Stats:
Quantitative:
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.2 W
ACT: 34 (34E/33M/35R/35S)
Class Rank: top 2% from 675
Qualitative:
Lots of speech and debate stuff, political and government organizations, tons of volunteering, orchestra. I don’t wanna bore you with it all haha, but if you need me to be more specific I’m happy to do so
Reaches:
Harvard
Columbia
Swarthmore
Barnard
Georgetown
Haverford
Matches:
Wellesley
Boston University
Boston College
Brandeis
Bryn Mawr
As long as your willing to pay all those application fees and write all those supplemental essays, go for it! Some people say to apply to less reaches if the person doesn’t have many match schools and risks getting shut out of all their top choices. You have 5 matches which is plenty.
That will be a lot of essays and a lot of interviews.
Better start preparing now.
And no, there can’t “really” be too many reaches unless there aren’t enough safer schools.
would you be HAPPY going to your state school??
if NOT, then you need to find safeties where you have an excellent chance of acceptance AND where you want to go.
Id say you have way too many reaches[ BC is also a reach , unless you apply ED] and far too few matches/ safeties.
Seconding @menloparkmom above. I don’t want to make any judgments, but I’m willing to venture that your state school may not offer a lot of the things you’re looking for in all those other (amazing) schools, whether that be something social or academic. (I could be completely wrong though!)
I’m not saying don’t apply to your state school; I’m just saying find another safety that will also satisfy those other things you want
Of your reaches I’m betting you make Haverford, especially you mention you might seek out joining their orchestra. It’s a small school but takes pride in its music department.
@menloparkmom Okay I got rid of Brandeis and BU and put Smith and F&M in their place, because they’re less selective. Do you still think I need more matches and less reaches? Also, I thought BC would be a match because they admit 29% and my stats are above the 75th percentile? @“pas de bourree”, I wouldn’t mind going to my state school because it has a great debate team & nearly full ride if you’re a NMF, but I have been having second doubts because I don’t know if I’m in love with the school.
Wellesley is a reach, not a match. I wouldn’t call Smith less selective than Brandeis or BU; acceptance rates don’t tell the whole story, especially with women’s colleges. If you like Brandeis and BU, I would keep them - they would both be solid matches for you, and having too many matches isn’t really a problem unless you’re worried about application fees (in which case you should really be eliminating reaches). I agree with everyone else that you need to find at least one other safety, especially if you’re not 100% sure you’d be happy with your state school. You are a qualified applicant and I think you’ll get into many of these schools, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’re going to need some form of financial aid.
Sit down with your parents and run the Net Price Calculator at as many of these places as their nerves can stand for. Have adult beverages and good quality tissues handy, as that activity often leads to tears. When you all have a good notion about your family’s affordability limits, come back here for suggestions about revising your list. No place is a Match if it is not likely to be affordable, and no place is a Safety unless it is guaranteed to be affordable.
