@OnTheBubble which northeastern school in particular should I apply ED to? Would Bowdoin or Middlebury be good choices?
Yes I think they are. I would also look at Bates, Colgate, Holy Cross, Hamilton, Lafayette and Boston College. Holy Cross and Lafayette are solid matches. The others are tough but you have a competitive advantage that could tip the scales. I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Holy Cross for Philosophy because it’s an important part of the curriculum for all students. Go on the website and look at the size of the department for a small school.
You don’t have to apply ED.
I think Middlebury and Bowdoin are serious reaches, but being male and a URM does help. Your stats are still below average for these two, but it’s worth a shot. They’re both great schools, but considering that all the other schools you are looking at are large universities in good sized cities, I’m not convinced a small elite LAC in a more rural environment is a good fit for you. Think very seriously about this before applying ED to either.
@lavishdolphin seems to me, if you are attracted to USC and Tulane and perhaps UofChicago you are thinking along the lines of midsized to large urban?
Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colgate etc. are not really the same vibe as USC/Tulane/UChicago.
If I were you I would hone in on the size/environment/locations of a school that is important to you. Your stats are good enough you would have a lot of opportunities, but why swing a chair in a dark room?
If you like larger/urban you can look at a ton of schools - anything from BU in Boston with a very highly regarded Philosophy dept., and a 35% +/- admit rate and a 50K tuition - but I’ve heard they can be generous with aid, to UWash in Seattle, which has a pretty well-respected philosophy dept, and a 35k tuition, but will be hard to get much aid, I would guess, as it is a state school an therefore probably a trickier fit.
For reaches Brown and Penn are also midsized urban with good philosophy reps - and would also be a reach, but probably basically on par with Chicago (depends how good a swimmer you are as well. I’m sure you’ve checked your times against the DIII, DI and Ivy (DI ‘with a twist’) times to see if you might interest anyone. Penn does ED, as I think Brown may as well.
Pitt, CMU, both mid to large Pittsburgh schools. Pitt has a good rep for philosophy and your stats make it a pretty good match although it’s pretty competitive too. Dunno about OOS aid. Pitt does rolling admissions, so you can apply pretty early and hopefully find out earlier.
If you are interested in smaller rural/suburban LibArts or Small University you have even more options.
As far as USC goes, they do not have an ED/ED but they do have an early deadline (maybe Dec. 1) for merit aid. If you are serious about USC you should hit that date. It seems like even if you don’t get aid, that is their version of “EA” - I would bet they take a much higher % of the students who get apps in by that date.
But really, there are a ton of good schools - a number of Canadian schools, esp. UofT have good reps for philosophy. BC, the New School in NY… lots of choices. Money will be the question with the Can schools. Not sure how they are for aid.
As far as ED, if you are sure about your school and hoping for need based fin aid (which you will have to be hoping for at any Ivy, or “need only” school in order to pay 35k) you are not bound to most schools ED acceptance if their aid does not meet your need, and some privates allow you apply ED and apply to state schools as well, understanding that the money might be considerably different.
If I were you, I would try to make a list of things I really wanted in a school: is size important, academic rank. merit aid. specific type of program. ability to study abroad. location etc. and once you get some limiting definitions it will be much easier to populate a list.
my 2 cents.
@CaliDad2020 wow thanks for the detailed response!!! I will consider some of the schools that you mentioned, maybe Penn and CMU would be some good reaches… I think that what I’m going to do now is build my list, send my applications, and try not to worry so much, I’m bound to get into a school I enjoy. Thank you all so much!
@lavishdolphin If you go the LAC route, Bowdoin will be the hardest. At Middlebury, Bates, Colgate and Hamilton your 31 ACT is the average but again they have low acceptance rates and unpredictable admissions, but I would say you have a great shot at one of those four.
@lavishdolphin yeah, unfortunately it seems you have to do a decent range of schools these days - although if you are guaranteed an in-state admit that takes a lot of pressure off.
Hit up an EA state school too - Michigan does EA, Maryland College Park too (not that either are what you’re looking for - just as examples) - they are generally non-binding. Hit up Pitt for their rolling (apply as early as you can - you’ll find out sooner and if you get in you can relax earlier.) Their philosophy is great. Don’t know about their aid.
One tip on USC if you really want to try to go there, if you have a chance to get to LA for an interview, sign up early - they fill up fast and they are a great way to get some good insight into the school and establish a bit of a rapport with admissions.
UChicago is EA, not ED.
Take a look at University of Rochester! I believe they are ranked around the top 30 cutoff, but they have a really intellectual-focused curriculum where you’re only forced to take subjects you like in their three academic divisions: humanities, social sciences, and sciences. You’re allowed to take “clusters” of classes. For example, if you really like a certain science like biology, you are only required to take a biology cluster and not physics or something. They’re also really good with need-based aid with their average at 95% of need met. Plus, they also have an acceptance rate of around 35%, and they’re a suburban mid-sized school. It also helps that their average ACT is right at 31.
You mentioned atmosphere as the reason you don’t like TAMU, but stats seem to be your only concern with regard to Tulane and USC. Is there anything about the atmosphere at Tulane and USC that appeals to you? Then it would be easier to suggest matches with an atmosphere that appeals to you more than TAMU.
@nw2this well I don’t like the party or Greek atmosphere at TAMU, I have been there a couple of times and have friends that go there, and it just doesn’t seem like the place for me. Now this may also be the case with USC and Tulane, but they have better philosophy departments, and for that reason I could live with the atmosphere. Also, I love New Orleans, it’s such a great city!
Op you say your parents will pay up to $35,000.
What do the financial calculators for the schools indicate?
Yeah that’s something that I should look into, I’ll go do the net price calculators now actually. One thing that I forgot to mention, is that I’ve been in contact with the coaches from Brandeis and Hamilton, I might be a swimmer there if things turn out well. Also, what is the difference between EA and ED?
Do you want more of a Greek atmosphere than A&M has, or less of one? Only 3.3% of undergraduate men are involved in fraternities and 6.6% of undergraduate women are involved in sororities at A&M.
FWIW, TAMU does make it into the rankings of best philosophy schools.
http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/overall.asp
But this one suggests lacs for undergrad philosophy, so I will throw out Reed as a match and Southwestern as a safety.
Tulane has 40% Greek participation, and is known for a “work hard, play hard” atmosphere. I believe Greek’s about 20% at USC.
I think Reed is more of a low reach. It has a lot of self-selection and a higher acceptance rate than other elite LACs, but its average UW GPA is 3.9.
I agree @fewdews , hence why most of them are reaches for me. However, my ACT is average for some of these as well.
I will assess the whole party atmosphere when the time comes to make decisions. I am very thankful to have TAMU as an option, and will be applying there. Im just lucky to have a guaranteed safety, not many kids have those.
Should I consider Brown?
Brown is a reach for everyone.
Reed has a free fly-in program for minority students, if it interests you.
http://www.reed.edu/apply/visit/multicultural-programs.html