Good/Realistic Match/Safety Schools Ideas+how to choose?

Yes, math: 770, english: 750. My essay scores weren’t very good though.

I’ve talked to a couple of my stem teachers, and it seems like the general recommendation is that even for kids who maybe COULD get into a top tier school, it will probably be better for them long term to go to a excellent 2nd tier school where they’ll really stand out and be able to take advantage of all the opportunities available. Particularly if they’re looking at grad school. So I’m looking at Macalester (the math department looks excellent, so does physics, also recommended by my physics teacher), RPI, Harvey Mudd, and Reed. Any thoughts on these, or ideas on other similar/complimentary places (i.e. larger, non-LAC)?

You did really well on your SATs.

Though some of the schools on your new nascent list would be desirably notable for their undergraduate focus, note that they mostly fall into the top-50 of U.S. schools when considered by measures of selectivity (and therefore would not be 2nd tier). Harvey Mudd, for example, reports the fourth highest SAT scores in the nation:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10/#4-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-average-sat-1500-47

That said:

HMC: Very strong in math and physics. Pure undergraduate focus.

Reed: Strong in your direct areas of interest. However, offerings are limited to non-existent in science fields that could be a source of interesting electives for you, such as geosciences and astronomy.

Macalester: Has produced an Apker Award recipient (for undergraduate research in physics).

RPI: Very strong for physics.

In terns of additional choices, you might want to consider well-funded colleges (in terms of financial aid) such as Haverford (has produced an Apker), or the somewhat more athletically inclined Hamilton and Williams – which also have produced Apkers – and Bowdoin. All from this group would be very strong in math and sciences.

Ok, I’ll keep the selectivity in mind.

Here’s a list of colleges other people might find useful. It’s from a prof at stanford who’s a family friend, for best machine learning undergrad schools.

Berkeley
Stanford
CMU
MIT
Columbia
University of Washington
USC
University of Michigan
Cornell
University of Texas Austin
Penn
Univesrity of Toronto
McGill
UCSD
Cambridge
Johns Hopkins
U Mass Amherst

A lot of them are top tier schools obviously, but there’s some other interesting ones on there. Thought someone else interested in machine learning might find it useful.

Also, I’ve been on and off considering applying this year and graduating early. How much would that affect my admissions chances?

If you decide to graduate early, your application needs to clearly make the case that

  1. You are running out of classes to take and there is little left to engage you in your present educational environment. (Don't try to make the case there are no local opportunities if, say, you live in NYC or something.)
  2. You are mature for your age and won't be out of place on a college campus.

Many posters on this board don’t recommend early graduation to kids shooting for ivies and elite schools as most applications are better with that extra year of high school education than without. But I wonder how many of them appreciate how nuts gifted kids can go when they are not in an appropriate educational situation.

I’m pretty sure you’d get in somewhere, even if it isn’t an Ivy or MIT. And there’s no guarantee of getting in to schools like that even if you do stay the fourth year.

I can make the case for both of those fairly well.

  1. I CAN take college classes (and I am already), but I’m limited to one per semester, which isn’t even enough to take a single class in each subject I’d need. Other than that I’m out of math and physics courses at my high school. This year one math class there are only 2 other kids in, and it’s not even an official class.
  2. I’m on the older end of the spectrum for kids in my grade, so I’m the same age as lots of Californians who’ll be entering college. Beyond that I think I can demonstrate a lot of personal development particularly through the startup accelerator program I did, and now mentor.

I talked to Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and Reed today. Caltech is obviously a reach, but I think I could hit a lot of the things they’re looking for in my app, hardest one would be academic preparedness, because there will be lots of applicants with better gpa’s and/or SAT’s, more college classes, etc. Harvey Mudd seems like a high match/reach. Reed seems like more of a match.

Going back to your first post - I’m now confused as to whether you are a junior or a senior? How early and when are you graduating?

I’m a junior, sorry if that wasn’t clear. If I graduated early it would be a year early, at the end of this academic year.

When do you have to decide whether you are graduating this year? Can you apply to colleges and then decide whether to graduate based on your acceptances?

Is there a 2-year or 4-year college nearby where your could take dual-enrollment courses next year if you decide not to graduate?

Ok. If graduation is this year, your application season is going by FAST. There is not much time left to ponder your options, as there are a lot of moving parts to line up, including recommendation letters, financial aid forms, etc.

If your parents and you guidance counselor are behind you, it can be done, but there is a lot to do and every week counts at this point.

@Ynotgo Yes, I can apply and then decide, but the applications would need to be EA (which doesn’t help on time).
^^See above, I’m already dual-credit and college classes. In fact I think all my classes this year are AP, dual-credit, or college. So yes, there are places nearby, the 2-year college doesn’t have any math classes I won’t have taken by the end of the year either, but Lewis and Clark, Reed, and PSU do. However, I am taking a class at Lewis and Clark now, and it’s wonderful, but it’s missing a lot of the components attending college has: hopefully more interesting and intellectual people, easier access to professors, etc.

@AroundHere I’m aware, I’ve started on my recommendation letter stuff already. My physics teacher offered to give me a letter of recommendation last year, in fact he wrote my Lewis and Clark one, I gave him the stuff for it today. I’ve started working on all the other stuff my school makes us do for letter of recs. Talking to my parents already of course, they’re getting on board it seems, guidance counselor is for it.

As far as actual schools go, I’ve shifted to looking at a lot of the top LAC’s, because they seem to tend to has some of the best math and physics undergrad programs, they also offer potentially more interaction with professors, and hopefully, students who are interesting and inclined to intellectual conversation.

Right now the schools I’m thinking about are:

CalTech (reach, might not apply if I decide it’s not worth it to take SAT Subjects in October)
Harvey Mudd (high match/low reach)
Reed (match)
Macalester (match)

___^^Those will probably make final list^^
Williams (I think reach, but maybe not)
Swathmore (want to look more into)
Case Western (want to look more into, not LAC)
RPI (want to look more into, not LAC)
Washington University in St. Louis (want to look more into, but apparently has good math and physics).

Suggestions?

WashU and Case both have business schools, so your startup ECs would look great on an application.

Oh thanks, that’s great to know! I’m definitely not at all interested in going to business school, but I bet that would be appealing to them. I was planning to write my essay about that my experience starting and running a startup freshman year (in the program and some outside). It involved a ton of learning and personal development, so I have a number of possible topics from there that I could choose.

@ewinkelman,
You may want include Wesleyan as another LAC. Because Wesleyan has M.A and PH.D programs in math and physics, the breadth of classes may prove to be beneficial.
Should you be interested in the BA/MA program in math, “tuition for two semesters of post-BA work toward the MA degree is waived.” http://www.wesleyan.edu/grad/degree-programs/ba-ma.html

Middletown has a great deal to offer. You’ll also enjoy the area around the Connecticut River.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/wesleyan-university-1424/photos?slide=7

@CrewDad has a great thought in keeping schools that include grad programs on your list. If you chew through undergrad the way you’ve done in high school, you might appreciate the opportunity to sit in on graduate level classes your junior and senior year.

That would be Wes, WashU, Case on your list so far. I’m not sure who competes with Wes, but WashU would compete with Northwestern, Rice, Rochester, maybe Vandy? At the far upper end of selectivity, Chicago, Hopkins, Brown, maybe Yale?

Re #36: In the OP’s case, this would not apply in my opinion. Beyond multivariable calculus and linear algebra (which the OP has indicated he will not yet have taken), a strong undergraduate-only LAC math program may offer an additional ~17+ courses. This represents more courses than most college students would – or even, based on general requirements, could – take over the course of four years. This would be without the very realistic option of a Budapest semester for advanced math students. In terms of physics at an LAC, courses could range into advanced topics such as general relativity and mathematical physics.

Have to agree that the OP’s first concern should be how divorced parent finances will affect financial aid and net price at schools that use mainly need-based financial aid. Get that sorted out with parents, and with net price calculator estimates as soon as possible, in order to make a financially realistic list of colleges.

@AroundHere @merc81 Running out of courses is definitely some concern, however because I have a strong interest in both mathematics and physics (and comp. sci. but depends more on the topic or application) a school with less strong major requirements might allow me to explore both topics more equally. There are some topics of each I’d really like to take, I think most of the schools offer most of them though.

Mathematics: Normal sophomore (diff. eq., lin. alg., multivar) of course, abstract algebra, real analysis, complex analysis, diff. geo., abstract alg., and topology. Not sure if I’d be able to make it to all of those anyways.
Physics: I’ve done a lot of self teaching around relativity, read the On the Thermodynamics of moving bodies paper and some of the gen rel one, so a general relativity class would be awesome. Any quantum mechanics classes would be great as well.

Comp Sci.: Anything machine learning or AI, but that’s hard to find in undergrad anywhere.

@ucbalumnus: I’ve talked to them, they’ll be able to help some. However I definitely want to try to find some schools that would offer me good merit aid, that would make everything easier for everyone. RPI might fit there. Also Case Western. My cousin got a full ride at USC but not sure how common that is.

Another thing I noticed recently is that apparently some of the small LAC’s have a very strong liberal bias, I’m liberal, I have no problem with that. However I have heard that at some schools (especially Macalester) there’s a super strong politically correct norm, again, I’m almost always mostly PC. Except I don’t want there to be a lack of ability to converse about things and get multiple viewpoints, which can’t happen if someone knows they’ll be reprimanded as soon as they open their mouth. Just something I want to watch out for.