<p>I feel flummoxed and gob-smacked silly by the process of trying to discern which schools my daughter would have a good chance at getting accepted. GPA 3.3 at top private school in Georgia; 34 ACT; Crew Rower-multiple team medal winner, individual silver erg time 2K 8:00:0 improves every time- she wants to row in college all 4 years and make the A boat not be stuck in JV; extras-drama, youth liason for civic association, independently researching the history of a burned black church and its graveyard in our community for the history society. She wants small, great town, cares not for partying, prefers no greeks, excellent history dept, student body that is optimistic and good-humored, not snarky and cynically ironic. She's going to St. Andrews this summer to study Scottish History and will most likely apply there. Crew program is club only-shabby boathouse and equip. No Vespolis! She's totally enamored of Bowdoin but it seems really tough with her gpa. Others: Tufts,Bates,Colby, Trinity, Wesleyan, Bucknell, Colgate, Hamilton, Hobart William Smith, Vassar, Middlebury, Princeton? She WILL NOT consider women's colleges unfortunately. Looking forward to some experienced advice!</p>
<p>Where aprox would she rank in her class? I’m sure they don’t rank but is 3.3 at her school as low as it would be at most? It’s also unclear whether you think being recruited is a possblity. That would greatly impact possibilities.</p>
<p>The only way she’ll be recruited is if you start E-mailing coaches ASAP. Otherwise, she doesn’t have a chance with a 3.3 GPA.</p>
<p>I think if she brings it up to 3.4 she will graduate cum laude. She’s in the second quintile. That’s an unweighted, core only gpa also. Recruiting is funny. Only Div I can recruit in a NCAA-scholarship way. She’s only interested in Div III except Princeton. We’ve been emailing coaches. “Recruiting” for these schools just means that if the coach wants her he can put a word in with admissions but no guarantees.</p>
<p>With small private schools, especially elite ones, the best indicator is previous graduates from that school. The usual rules re: GPA may not apply if colleges have a high enough opinion of the school. (The bottom third of the class at Exeter does just fine in the admissions race.) You need data that only the counseling department at the school can provide. If they allow you to access the Naviance system, that’s the best place to begin.</p>
<p>Thanks Hanna. I can access Naviance but they only report the previous years data. With the economic downturn and the Hope Scholarship (in state schools are free if above 3.0) the majority of kids are staying instate. The small number of kids applying to the schools my D is interested in makes the Naviance worthless as they don’t show graphs “to protect student privacy”. The school is Woodward Academy, most AP courses offered in Atlanta, and always kids going to Ivies. The school profile is very high. It’s a very tough school. Grade deflation!!!</p>
<p>Maybe U Rochester. They have a nice boathouse. The Genesee River runs through campus.</p>
<p>Skidmore (D3)? Connecticut College (D3)? University of Washington- (UW is not in small town but beautiful campus and great rowing- D1)? Not sure how GPA will play in to this…</p>
<p>St. Mary’s College of Maryland is that state’s public honors college. It has a beautiful waterfront campus at the junction of the Potomac River, St. Mary’s River, and Chesapeake Bay. They are about to construct a new rowing center, though I don’t know how competitive their team is. Sailing is the big sport at SMCM.</p>
<p>Even if they won’t show you the Naviance data, if the counselor’s been there for a few years, s/he should be able to give you a pretty good idea about the scores/GPAs that it takes to get into your target schools.</p>
<p>Maybe Bates, Hobart, William Smith? I’m not sure but I would guess Rutgers had a good rowing team.</p>
<p>Second quintile anywhere would make Princeton not worth an app unless you gave double digit millions. I’d have to agree with bates level schools as a reasonable reach.</p>
<p>Her 3.4 seems a little low for most of those schools, but great essays, letters of rec and demonstrated interest can boost her chances everywhere. She has a good shot at Trinity, Hobart and Hamilton. I agree that Connecticut College is woth looking into. If she is really enamored of Bowdoin, would she consider a PG year at someplace like the Kent School? They have a new boathouse and I think that the crew coach is the admissions director.</p>
<p>A 34 ACT is higher than the test scores of most students who have an unweighted 4.0 and also is in the top quartile of accepted students in most, if not all except Princeton, of the schools you have listed.</p>
<p>The geographic component should certainly come into play at many of the schools on your daughter’s list. Always tough to get students out of Georgia, so that is a plus. The gpa is certainly a reach for many of the schools listed as well, but the geographic coupled with crew can certainly sway some decisions. Just to clarify one item, Colgate and Bucknell are both Div I schools.
[Patriot</a> League Official Athletic Site](<a href=“http://www.patriotleague.org/sports/w-rowing/patr-w-rowing-body.html]Patriot”>http://www.patriotleague.org/sports/w-rowing/patr-w-rowing-body.html)</p>
<p>I’d suggest posting this on the sports-related subforum. There are some VERY knowledgeable posters over there - just be sure to put rowing or sculling in the header. It may look more dead than it really is because some of the posters prefer to respond by PM. </p>
<p>I think Hobard and William Smith would be a ‘meet’ along with St. Mary’s College of Maryland. That said, I’m guessing that both rowing programs are pretty competitive so the idea of coming in and being on varsity … might be unrealistic. </p>
<p>St. Andrews would also be a ‘meet.’ Hopefully your daughter is only doing this Scottish history bit out of some keen interest of hers. Because it won’t be an impressive EC activity. Others may kill me for saying this, but time might better be served by a summer at a rowing club improving her fitness and rowing times. </p>
<p>I also agree with the poster who suggested reaching out to coaches NOW at Div. III schools. If a coach shows some interest, have your daughter follow up with her progress at the end of the summer/early fall too. </p>
<p>Finally, that research on the burnt down church … that might make a great essay. I’d want to read it.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for solid advice so far! She’s been emailing coaches like mad since her season finally ended last week with another gold medal. She knows she’ll have to earn her place on the college squads, it’s just that at DI schools, while she may make the team, she may never be on the boats that race. Thanks for the reminder about Colgate and Bucknell. </p>
<p>I think I might give some cc offices a call and see if I can get an honest pre- appraisal on her chances. For example, with my son last year, I spoke with the admissions dir. about his stats and he frankly told me that S would not be a good candidate. </p>
<p>Re the EC in Scotland, she plans to major in European History (at least at the moment). She doubled up on History this year and will do same next year. She’ll be doing a rowing camp at William and Mary and possibly Princeton plus hitting the erg at St. Andrews so I think she’ll stay in good form. Main summer EC is researching and writing that report. She has a lot of interviewing to do. She has found some original members of the church who are still alive and in Atlanta. I think she will definitely be talking about this experience in her essay.</p>
<p>Update: gpa went up to 3.41 and SAT was 760 CR, 720 M, 750 W. </p>
<p>We just visited:
Cornell - too big but beautiful campus.
Hobart William Smith - nice but she wants more academic challenge.
Hamilton- she loved it. Haven’t met coaches yet.
Williams - I loved it but she got the impression that every student has to be an out-there, gay extrovert. She’s more reserved (ISTP)- but not a computer junky. Our tour guide was kind of a goof and we couldn’t get into a dorm. Lame. I still want her to apply.
Bates - meh. Architecture samey-samey. Kindof icky town and you are right in it. It just didn’t make much of an impression.
Colby - really great vibe here. People seem happy and relaxed - of course it’s summer…
Bowdoin- she’s not quite as enamored of it now that she’s visited. Bowdoin REALLY thinks a lot of itself. Great campus though and neat little town.
Tufts- campus is just ok but you’ve got BOSTON! Also quite a bit of city noise. We met the coaches and my daughter really liked them a lot. The boat house is amazing.<br>
We went to Conn. Coll on a day when the office was closed. Gorgeous campus with view ot the sea. Stopped in on Yale (stunning, incredible campus who cares that half-way houses are right across the street) and went to Pepe’s for white clam (MUST!). Went to Princeton which is like Yale light in architecture (incredibly gorgeous) and the little town across the street was really charming. Excellent gelato! My husband was accepted there but didn’t go. Sadface.</p>
<p>Is it just me, or do I see this student eventually ending up at Hamilton?</p>
<p>She will have no problem getting into Hobart / William Smith and could get some merit aid there.</p>