Regarding your matches/low reaches/reaches, you can learn quite a lot before visiting between Fiske/Princeton guide, student review sites like niche dot com, the conversations specific to each college here on CC, and spending some quality time on every college’s website. Many colleges and universities have campus tour videos on youtube or on their own websites.
Just looking at your list, I see a few ways you might start to differentiate. For example, the campus vibe at Macalester is vastly different from that of Lehigh even though both are LACs of similar size. Colorado College’s block scheduling is not for everybody. Many of the schools on your list are urban but not all - how do you feel about small town living?
@mamaedefamilia I am pretty sure the campus location/size/vibe I like the best is similar to Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame. Smart kids, but not crazy competitive, close to a big city but not in a big city, and the opportunity to party to some extent on the weekends.
The block scheduling at Colorado College is parts of its appeal along with the location…who doesn’t love the mountains
Quite a few on my list are virtually unknown to me with the exception the NPC costs was in my range, and they didn’t seem too terribly small or conservative. Besides that I have a lot of research to do. We just got the 2017 Fiskes guide this week. I think I’ll start there and then move to the websites you mentioned.
Question: I am planning on studying for, and retaking the ACT in Sept. Do any of you know if that score will be available for any schools I decide to apply EA (nov 1st for a few on my list)?
You should be fine. I recall that schools’ web pages that show the admissions deadlines often include the last date you can take the ACT/SAT, and they list the October dates.
