As much as I like to agree with @International95 about things Reed, I think the 5000+ number is a bit high. Various sites (e.g., colleges,niche.com) put Reed at 3131, Haverford at 3585, and Grinnell at 3979. These appear to be Fall '13 numbers (i.e., applying in for Fall '14) and maybe the following year’s numbers were higher but I’d be surprised at at an increase of over 60%. Whatever the actual number, it’s a lot of applications in light of the size of the admitted class.
From 2014-15 Common Data Sets - Number of applicants:
Reed: 3,956
Haverford: 3,496 (smallest school/better yield rate than Reed)
Grinnell: 6,058 (impressive upswing in applications the past few years)
Williams: 6,316
That’s a much better way of finding the relevant data. Thanks.
I think at Williams it would be tough to walk on in swimming, though not absolutely out of the question. Of course it depends on how fast he is. Grinnell, on the other hand, I believe it would be a possibility for a motivated swimmer.
I’ve shared some of these posts with my son and he seems to be favoring Haverford, Grinnell, and Reed (in that order) right now. The honor code at Haverford mentioned above was one of the major selling points for him along with the customs program and the non-gender-segregated floors and bathrooms. Oberlin didn’t make his final cut because he had a bit of an uncomfortable occurrence when he visited and didn’t feel like the students were as serious there. One concern he has about Haverford is the lack of a swimming pool; while he doesn’t require varsity swimming, he thinks it would be nice to have easy access to one. Does anyone know if there is one at Bryn Mawr or Swarthmore that Haverford students have access to?
And he is actually a very talented swimmer–he’s made states in 50 free since freshman year and 100 back last year as well as being on a couple relay teams (this is just his varsity).
Swarthmore’s honors program provides the intimate teaching environment your son seems to be seeking while having a culture more in line with his preferences. Williams is an awesome college, but definitely preppy jocky outdoorsy.
For ranking/perception purposes all colleges are seeking to reduce their admit rate and increase their yield. It is true that historically ED/EA were predominantly for hooked applicants (recruited athletes and legacies). This is no longer the case, and most admissions officers will tell you there is a clear advantage to applying early. This is particularly true among the top LACs and the all universities competing against HYPS for students. They want to lock in the students that are qualified to get into the very top schools, but would rather have a guaranteed admit at a school they like and not risk the RD crapshoot. Williams consistently has an ED admit rate in the low 40s and an RD rate in the low teens. Even Harvard has an SCEA admit rate in the low 20’s and an RD rate in the low single digits. Demonstrating interest through an ED/EA application for an unhooked applicant makes a substantial difference in a rankings/selectivity crazed environment in which schools are focused on improving their relative statistical position.
Haverford students are welcome to use - and do! - the Bryn Mawr pool which is a couple miles away. There is the intercampus bus running throughout the day and evening.
There is a new and beautiful pool at Bryn Mawr and the Haverford students are welcome to swim there. I will add that the customs program and the honor code at Haverford are really amazing for kids who are drawn to them. 
Not to try to talk him back into it (really), but the students at Oberlin are at least as serious as those at Haverford & Grinnell.
I think the volume of applicants is a meaningless statistic unless you know how many are international applications and what the financial aid picture is for internationals…
These are application totals for the classes of 2019, from the respective college websites:
Grinnell: 6414
Reed: 5396
Link? Where did you find these numbers? I’d like to know where to look in the future because this type of question comes up every year.
What the heck, my two cents…
ED to Grinnell makes a lot of sense on many levels. It has the close knit intellectual community he is looking for and a swim team that could be a lot of fun. If he goes ED his chances for acceptance are strong, and he could possibly/likely get merit aid. My biggest question would be whether or not he is concerned that the isolation/location would bother him?
If so Haverford seems like the second best fit. He would have the advantage of the consortium with access to Philadelphia. The down side is that while he might have access to a pool at Bryn Mawr he won’t have the option of being on a team if that winds up being important to him.
Of course he can’t go wrong with Williams. It is preppier than the others- and shares isolation issues with Grinnell- but if he is at all outdoorsy there is at least a lot to do with regard to hiking/skiing. He could easily find his intellectual community and he would have access to excellent sports facilities and swimming. Again, question of location and the additional issue of whether or not the presence of a NESCAC type vibe fits.
Reed is probably the biggest risk in terms of fit. He might love it there or it might not be at all what he would expect. Reed just seems to be more hit or miss in terms of campus community. But if isolation concerns him at least Portland would be an excellent college town with a vibrant music scene.
At the end of the day it seems as though he can’t really go wrong, they are all exceptional schools
@AboutTheSame: Try a combination like, “Reed College Admission Statistics Class of 2019,” adjusted for what you happen to be looking for.
@cmom101 The customs program is an essential part of the Haverford experience. It’s something very special that not too many colleges have. Also, just to echo the posts above, there is easy access to the Bryn Mawr pool. The consortium with Bryn Mawr is known as the Bi-Co and it is not a gimmick, it is extraordinarily easy to get back and forth because the bus runs all the time and the ride is only ten minutes. Many Haverford students enjoy eating meals at Bryn Mawr.
This whole concept of “fit” is fraught with more risk than throwing darts. Let’s be realistic, the analysis is unscientific, bias and superficial. It entails looking around campus for a few hours trying to mentally calculate what students look like, what they wear, how many are in the vegan line, who has purple hair, how many jocks and preppy kids are there, who is friendly and who isn’t. It’s totally ridiculous because life isn’t like this. Oh no I saw three boys at Williams wearing Cape Cod Red Pants, all they must think about is sailing and working at Daddy’s hedge fund.
I can’t understand why parents get so worked up about putting there child in a place where it is easy socially to adapt because part of going to college is to start adapting to the diversity of the real world. This whole discussion of fit seems more appropriate for grade school or even high school.
The smart choice is a school that has balance and people from all walks of life. Being in a study group with a hipster, jock, preppy kid and fanatical liberal is a good lesson in life. You would be surprised how much all kids have in common.
In response to the above, I think the NESCAC Vibe is pretty balanced even if Wesleyan has a slightly more eccentric student body than Williams.
Of course there are many opinions regarding the value or lack thereof of “fit”… and OP’s original thread was specifically posted regarding the best fit out of the four schools mentioned. While some families might feel that an overall vibe is not significant, others feel that when given the choice and all other factors are equal (academics, size, etc.) it does make a difference to pay attention to fit especially when submitting an ED application without the benefit of further visits in April.
Oldest D went ED to a NESCAC school last year after a TON of tours and research and is over the moon with her experience 2 months into freshman year. Guess what, it came down to fit for her and she nailed it. Could she have been happy elsewhere? Sure, but she had a choice and this school rose to the top regarding fit for her. A friend of hers a few years older went ED to a different NESCAC school and was miserable… wound up transferring and is now thriving in a different NESCAC school. Her friend hadn’t done a lot of research and went for the program that she thought she had the best chance of getting into (was recruited for sports) not realizing there was more to the culture of the school than met the eye during their visit. There is a difference in community/culture among NESCAC let alone among other small LACS nationwide.
Of course not all applicants have the luxury of spending the time and money worrying about fit, but for those applicants who can think about campus culture it is worth a thought or two. It doesn’t mean the student is unwilling to meet/study/socialize with different people or to step outside their comfort zone. OP’s son seems to have a strong transcript and above average chance for an ED acceptance so he may as well look at every angle possible.
“Being in a study group with a hipster, jock, preppy kid and fanatical liberal is a good lesson in life.” (#55)
If this represents the balance a student would do best in, then this is simply another way of saying that fit is important.
@lr4550 Very Well said!
@merc81 Depends who you ask, usually “fit” is described in a way that expresses a desire to be with one’s kind where it is comfortable and where you are not challenged to work and play well with a diverse group. Many liberal students seek out other liberal students not to exchange ideas freely but exactly the opposite.
If you ever wonder why some people advance in their careers while the arguably more intelligent don’t it is due to people skills and organizational skills learned in a more chaotic situation.
All I am saying is despite some minor discomfort which passes 99% of the time quickly, there is a lot less risk in not being obsessed with “fit” determined superficially. Like my child is dedicated to issues XY&Z so he or she must be in a school where this is a priority. Or my child hates sports so no schools with teams or where she or he will be pressured to go with friends to Spin or Yoga class. Or schools with Greek are totally out, a position held because of the untrue yet publicized cases in news. Kids that say this have never been to a frat or sorority function. Just what they"hear".
Fit is a highly overrated consideration for the vast majority of students and schools they consider.