<p>My parents and I finalized a college list after much discussion. My mom thinks nearly every college on this list is a reach except OSU. I just wanted to ask if this is a balanced list with reaches, likelies, and safeties. I don't want a chance thread - because, honestly, I know I'm a fair candidate, and no one on CC can really "chance" with accuracy - just say whether colleges are matches or reaches.
Anyway, does my college list look balanced enough to you? I've vaguely sorted them by descending difficulty.</p>
<p>Yale
Brown
Williams
Amherst
Bowdoin
Middlebury
Grinnell
Colby
Oberlin
Connecticut College
Ohio State</p>
<p>Without your stats and GPA it’s tough to tell. If you’re competitive for Yale then you should make it into Oberlin (as a match). Would you be happy at tOSU? If you would be and your parents can afford the cost then you should be OK.</p>
<p>Ohio State is much different than any of the schools you’re applying too. Are you sure that if you ended up there you would be happy? A safety is not just about auto-acceptance, but you have to be ok with going there and it should be good financially (which I’m guessing you’re IS Ohio). Most of the schools you’re applying too are smaller so I would look at a school like St. Olaf to be your safety.</p>
<p>Apart from that, your list looks good to me. I think you would get into at least 2 of your reaches.</p>
<p>With no information on your stats, it’s impossible to say, though LACs are wary of students who don’t demonstrate interest. If you’re truly Yale/Brown material, make sure not to get too cocky–email your regional adcom, visit campus, etc for the smaller schools.</p>
<p>Thanks. Erin’s Dad - here are my abbreviated stats.
4.34 W 4.0 UW 2230 SAT
rank: 2/200
very competitive high school, top 10 accepted to highly ranked schools
AP: 5,5,5,5 Leadership in gov’t, science
a few state awards, one national
very deeply involved in history - 3 summer courses, research assistant, historical society volunteer, 2 ind. studies, have done a lot of personal research</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be that happy at OSU, but I think it is a good financial and academic safety. And I’d graduate in three years because I will have enough AP classes.</p>
<p>Glassearechic - the LAC are my first choices! I would choose Williams or Bowdoin over Yale. I’ve demonstrated interest - I’ve visited the campus, visited classes, emailed profs, etc. Bowdoin is my dream school!</p>
<p>Do you love Bowdoin enough to apply ED? That would save you quite a bit in app fees, essay time, general hassle. And you could also apply rolling to OSU (which you’d do anyway). AND I believe that Yale EA would be possible as well (someone correct me on that if I’m wrong).</p>
<p>I wish I could apply ED - but my parents need a good deal of FA (hence most schools I’m applying to have no loans). We all think that it would be best to be able to compare FA packages.</p>
<p>I think that you will be accepted to enough schools on your list, but am worried about the financial aid aspect. Maybe you should apply to a few schools that are known for giving good aid, including merit aid. Tulane and Rhodes may be good. Also, if you are not thrilled with OSU, I am wondering why you are not applying to Ohio University. Isn’t it better?</p>
<p>You are selling yourself short, you are an excellent cadidate with those stats. Now the Ivies and other top schools, as well as top LAC’s are always a “crapshoot”, no matter how good the stats. But you should get into at least a couple of your top choices, and Conn. Coll. for sure. CC has 2090 SAT for 75th percentile, so you should have no trouble there. I think Grinnell is likely also. Of course OSU goes without saying.</p>
<p>Still, having said that you really have almost all reaches just because they are all top schools, and admissions can be a funny process. Conn. Coll. I would say is a match, but anything could happen, and OSU the only safety. There are much smaller schools that would be far more of a “safe match” or outright “highly likely” than the schools you list.</p>
<p>I agree with OneMom that Tulane should go on your list. With your stats you would have a good shot that the full tuition scholarship call the Deans’ Honor Scholarship (DHS). It requires an additional application and a project, but obviously full tuition for 4 years, no matter how much it increases is worth some effort. I don’t know much about Rhodes, but Tulane is a lot more like an LAC than OSU, for sure. There are many others, and if you want a few more let us know.</p>
<p>OneMom, Ohio State University is considered a much stronger university than Ohio University. I would also recommend you to maybe add another safety/match LAC that know you would get some merit aid at, so that if everything falls through you are not forced to go to tOSU.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the replies. OSU is much better than OU, btw. </p>
<p>The problem with safety/match LAC is that they don’t give much need based aid, and I stoutly refuse to graduate college with too much debt. I also have regional preferences for college - midwest, or very much preferrably - New England. </p>
<p>I’ll look into Tulane, but I really don’t want to go South. Too hot - I want snow!</p>
<p>Hi sara - Hey, it snowed for one day in New Orleans 2 years ago. Isn’t that enough? LOL. OK, that helps eliminate the south and California, and some other areas. These are really good things to know, seriously. I will only make one last pitch that while it is hot the first month or so, most of the school year it is quite pleasant, but snow is rare, no doubt.</p>
<p>You are very smart to avoid much debt. My own personal rule of thumb is no more than $25,000 total after 4 years, but everyone has their own comfort level. Preferable (well, none is preferable of course but you know what I mean) is $15K-20K. $25K is my “if all else fails” number. After that I would swallow hard and go to tOSU. Not saying it is a bad school of course, just clearly not what you want, size-wise.</p>
<p>OK, so focusing on the upper midwest and New England, there is Denison in your neck of the woods, who has good merit awards. <a href=“http://www.denison.edu/admissions/academic_scholarships.html[/url]”>http://www.denison.edu/admissions/academic_scholarships.html</a> My D looked at St. Lawrence in Canton NY (not to be confused with Sarah Lawrence). Charming place, good students, with your stats you would probably get one of their $30K/year or $20K/year scholarships. This might be just what you are looking for to balance size, academics, financial considerations, and snow! If it is of any interest, they also have one of the top women’s hockey teams. Lot of history in that area too, if you like the era of pre-revolutionary and revolutionary times. Very small town, but Montreal, Ottawa and some other places are accessable for weekends. I think that might be a winner!</p>
<p>Wow! St. Lawrence looks like a GREAT safety. I might add it to my list, and possibly drop one.</p>
<p>I hope some of these colleges release supplements soon. Amherst has, and I’m starting on that. I don’t want to have 12 supplements to write in a month!</p>
<p>sara12–is there a reason you’re not considering Kenyon? Fits your stats comfortably while still being great academically, beautiful LAC, and right there in Ohio (though not an “Ohio” vibe on campus). And when considering St. Lawrence, think about climate–some recent students I know have complained about lots and lots and LOTS of cold, grey, skies.</p>
<p>Well, you have to get some gray skies to get snow! LOL. It was bright and sunny all 3 days I was in that area, in February 2008. Of course being in the famous “snow belt”, there will be a lot of cloudy days in the winter, no doubt.</p>
<p>St. Lawrence is more of a safety, but it is also fairly isolated.</p>
<p>Sara, it looks like a good list. My D always wanted a LAC and applied to our state school as a financial safety as well. Williams and Amherst have in the past given excellent need based aid. You might want to think of adding Davidson if you want to consider the south.</p>