<p>I disagree, Hope. His test scores are above the 75% mark for Math and CR, and 1/3 of Wesleyan students were not in the top 10% of their class. With a 30% admit rate to boot, it’s not extremely difficult to be admitted.</p>
<p>I’d say it’s a match.</p>
<p>^If Cornell is a reach, then Wesleyan is a reach. Wesleyan is definitely not a sure thing for anyone, being a part of the Little Three, and one of the top liberal arts colleges out there.</p>
<p>also:</p>
<p>For the class of 2013, 22% of applicants were admitted</p>
<p>^^ from wiki.</p>
<p>These numbers are very close to Duke and Cornell’s admit rates. </p>
<p>The middle 50 percent of accepted students’ SAT scores were 670-770 on the Critical Reading section, 670-760 on the Math section, and 670-770</p>
<p>^^ these numbers are also close to Duke and Cornell.
If Duke and Cornell are reaches, then so is Wesleyan.</p>
<p>If not, then Duke and Cornell are both matches (which we know is not likely…given how college admissions is never guaranteed or calculateable, and that Duke/Cornell are pretty much reaches for everybody)</p>
<p>Hope- Fair enough to use the 2013 rate; mine is for 2012. It’s worth noting that the admit rate for males is quite a bit higher than for females, though – so don’t place undue emphasis on 22%.</p>
<p>I’m always a bit skeptical about using admitted test scores rather than those of enrolled students. The former includes people who use that school as a match/safety or don’t enroll (2/3 of admits) and masks the lower test scores of the many people who do get in. The OP’s son’s test scores are more than on par with those of current Wesleyan students.</p>
<p>Duke’s admit rate this year was 14.8%, by the way. Not really that close to 22%.</p>
<p>I think in this discussion, it is important to point out that if your chances are 50:50, then it is not a reach, but it is not something you can count on. Also, there is continuous variation, so disagreements over categories like “reach” are expected.</p>
<p>I think he has a shot at Wesleyan because of the top schools, there is a greater emphasis on SAT relative to GPA. This is also why you see the sex ratio closer to even. At UVA for example, a high GPA is relatively more important, they accept fewer boys, as one might expect, relative to W&M. I see Wesleyan as a more competitive W&M.</p>
<p>I see Oberlin as relying even less on GPA, and so I think his chances are high. I see none of these as locks, though W&M perhaps in the likely category. </p>
<p>This is all very helpful by the way, your opinions are so much appreciated!</p>
<p>Hi, I have a son with similar interests who was accepted to W&M - they accept boys at about a 40% rate, girls at a much lower one. While it certainly is not a safety, it should be very high on his list. My son wound up at Vanderbilt on a partial merit scholarship, and he loves the atmosphere, athletics and history program.</p>
<p>On your other schools, while Macalester is very nice, my son thought it was too small, and Madison too big (but both are excellent schools and solid matches.) Cornell and Duke would be reaches; does he see himself at either of these schools? i think it’s best to visit the reaches and safeties first.</p>
<p>I would think that the U of Virginia would be on his list, and Davidson is an excellent small school from which my older son’s best friend just graduated. Judging by his experience, they do a great deal for their students, including merit awards.</p>
<p>I second IBClass06’s recommendation of Davidson, although it’s definitely on the selective side.</p>
<p>As an incoming frosh at Duke, I’ll just say that I think your son would find many students here like him! His personality sounds a lot like mine and that of the general student body, I think. Duke kids tend to be very smart and successful in the right ways without being huge Type-A resume-padders. Anyway, it’s definitely a reach, but tell him to get straight As in the first semester of senior year and hopefully raise his SAT score by 100 points or so.</p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>
<p>Hi Hookem, I am a Duke grad school alum so know the place well. Thanks for the input.</p>
<p>Midwesterner, UVA is on the list. I know alot about it…go there every day for work.</p>