<p>They don’t need to compromise their admissions criteria; they are simply dealing with only half of the available population (or a bit more considering that there are more females in the app pool of many colleges). So women’s colleges may be able to accept 40 percent of their applicants while a coed school that is comparable in other ways is only accepting 20 percent, and of that 20 percent, half are male. This has little if anything to do with how good the students are, simply with degree of difficulty of admission on the basis of size of applicant pool.</p>
<p>Before it was even mentioned, I was going to say both Scripps and Harvey Mudd. (Claremont Colleges). HM is reachier to get into, but since it’s 2-1 male to female, gender may be a tip. Both have name recognition outside of CA.</p>
<p>Grinnell
Carleton
St. Olaf
Kenyon
Macalester</p>
<p>You could visit Carleton and St.Olaf together and possibly Macalester all in one day, then head over to Grinnell and then up to Kenyon and other schools that may be in Ohio.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Scripps. She knew she wanted a woman’s college and loved the fact that the five C’s are virtually on one big campus. She loves everthing about it. It is an amazing place in terms of close relationships with faculty and you get the benefit of the other schools at your fingertips. It is also beautiful!</p>
<p>In regard to Goucher, I would highly recommend a visit that includes spending time in the cafeteria and just walking around the campus and observe. I found this school to be very specific to a certain type of student and I cannot say that about any other campus that I visited. My daughter was offered a great financial package at this school but could not see herself there.</p>
<p>What kind of student/person?</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this school is too much of a safety for your daughter to consider but mine took a look at Agnes Scott in Decatur,Georgia.She had to w/d her app after getting an ed admit but she was very impressed by the dean, loved Decatur and the school seemed to send a buch of women to medical school. My d grew up in the midwest. Aid mattered tto us and she would have gotten merit because of her stats.</p>
<p>oops , bunch.</p>
<p>Regarding Goucher: To answer Pizzagirl–Goucher is not a school that fits the mainstream profile of a typical 18 to 21 year old. I think most of the kids at Goucher march to their own drummer. It’s a great school for a certain type of kid, which is why I think it requires a visit which extends beyond the student directed tour and information session. I liked the school but I understood why my daughter could not see herself there. This school appears in the book “Colleges That Change Lives”. It is a great place for a kid who does not feel the connection at a mainstream college.<br>
I actually visited this school for a second time, thinking we might have misread our first impression but the second visit only confirmed what our original impression was.</p>
<p>Goucher is definitely an individualistic place. S graduated there 2 years ago and always followed his own path. Even now he is living in Asia, having founded a small, mixed-culture theater company. He absolutely thrived at Goucher. Second S would be a disaster, as he’s looking for a rah-rah school with a good business program. Colleges definitely have their own culture.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Barnard: admitted: 28%
Wellesley:admitted: 36%</p>
<p>Barnard:74% in top 10th of graduating class; /90%/ in top quarter of graduating class</p>
<p>Wellesley:76% in top 10th of graduating class; /97%/ in top quarter of graduating class.</p>
<p>Wellesley doesn’t publish its admitted student gpa</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You keep saying that. How? </p>
<p>Columbia :93% in top 10th graduating class; 98% were in the top /20%/of graduating class.</p>
<p>Barnard:74% in top 10th of graduating class; 90% were in the top /25%/ of graduating class</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight on Goucher. I am influenced by a wonderful teacher I once had who went there, and honestly she was as Sweet Briar preppy and mainstream as they come.</p>
<p>^ ^ </p>
<p>If you visit Lewis and Clark, look at Willamette too.</p>
<p>Ryan Holznagel, an alum, won an Emmy Award in 1992 for television scriptwriting and was a national Jeopardy champion. He loved the college.</p>
<p>I’ve heard nothing but good things about Willamette.</p>
<p>Reading the earlier part of this thread I immediately thought of Earlham, which in the meantime has been recommended by several people.</p>
<p>People keep recommending Carleton when it is a big reach. If your DD likes Colorado College for the block scheduling she might like Cornell College and she would be competitive for some good merit aid. DD2 looked at Carleton and Cornell both, liking the geek factor of each. Gotta like their sense of humor - they put on their web page “We are not in Ithaca”.</p>
<p>My D is a senior at Lewis & Clark. Great school. Yes, it’s laid back but very academic and the campus is stunningly beautiful. Quiet residential area but 10 min from downtown Portland, a city consistantly rated at the top of many lists (public transit, green, bike friendly, low crime, etc. etc.). Very nice and non-competitive students but I would say overall they are very bright, curious, and vibrant. </p>
<p>We also looked at Willamette in OR and Pitzer and Occidental in LA. I would consider a west coast trip at some point to get a feel for these schools. You could spend 2 days in the LA area and see Occidental then Pitzer and Scripps (both part of the 5 Claremont Colleges). Then a couple days around Portland, OR to see Willamette (in Salem, the capitol) and Lewis & Clark. The pacific Northwest is beautiful and offers so much culturally as well as in the way of outdoor activities. My daughter teaches snowboarding part time at Mt. Hood during her spring semesters. So in about 4 days you could get a good feel for these schools and decide whether to keep them on the list or to concentrate on East Coast schools. BTW weather is great in the west, both So CA and Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, you have a bunch of good suggestions. Your strategy (building from your original list) could look something like this (starting w/at least 2 target & 2 reach apps by Thanksgiving):</p>
<p>High Reach Schools<a href=“%5Bi%5Dapply%20to%201%20or%20more%20by%20deadlines,%20if%20interested%5B/i%5D”>/u</a>
Carleton / Haverford</p>
<p>Reach Schools<a href=“%5Bi%5Dapply%20a.s.a.p.%20to%202%20or%20more%5B/i%5D”>/u</a>
Bryn Mawr
Colorado College (apply non-binding EA)
Oberlin / Macalester </p>
<p>Target Schools<a href=“%5Bi%5Dapply%20a.s.a.p.%20to%202%20or%20more%5B/i%5D”>/u</a>
Lawrence U
Lewis & Clark
St. Olaf / Beloit </p>
<p>Likely Schools<a href=“%5Bi%5Dapply%20by%20February%20deadline%20only%20if%20EA%20decision%20is%20negative%20or%20late%5B/i%5D”>/u</a>
Earlham / Goucher</p>
<p>You could start soon with apps to Lawrence, Bryn Mawr and Colorado. Maybe visit Minnesota in November to decide on Carleton, Mac, St. Olaf. Visit other schools in Spring after decisions are in. By using EA, you can keep it to 4-6 schools; add safeties only if the early decision(s) don’t go your way.</p>
<p>Thanks. She’s a jr not a sr but I appreciate the strategic thinking. We are planning visits for D and her twin brother ( another thread, different criteria!)</p>
<p>Erinsdad thanks - I agree Carleton is a high reach (as is Swat mentioned upthread) and I see no need to set her up to focus on high reach.</p>