<p>White Male in New England (not CT...)
Top Public School sends dozens to Ivies/Top LACs
GPA: 3.99 unweighted (Idk weighted...maybe 4.6?)
Courseload: most rigorous, all honors/AP
Rank: School doesn't rank (top 5% I think?)
SAT-2220 (670cr, 750m, 800w), 730bio, 770math2
ECs (keeping it brief): 3 varsity sports all four years (multiple captainships, state championships, all-state), music all four years, usual volunteering and clubs, usual honors/athletic awards etc
Hooks: first generation, semi-recruitment for DIII</p>
<p>I'd like to cap my list at 10 schools, but I'm flexible. Less is still more, though.</p>
<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Brown
Colby
Colgate
Connecticut
Dartmouth
Hamilton
Middlebury
Pomona
Princeton
Stanford
Tufts
Vassar
UVM
Wesleyan
Yale</p>
<p>You seem to like small liberal arts schools, so UVM is a little out of place (unless, of course, it is your safety school). Pomona and Stanford more than a little out of place—you obviously want to stay on the east coast. So you can cut those three right off.</p>
<p>And now I move into more controversial territory: you have so many great LACs on your list that you don’t need the Ivies. The Ivies are high reaches with hefty application fees, anyway. This is not to say that you aren’t a great student; what I mean is that you don’t need to try to claw your way into Princeton when you have Colby. </p>
<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Colby
Colgate
Connecticut
Hamilton
Middlebury
Tufts
Vassar
Wesleyan</p>
<p>I would take a hard look at your school’s Naviance or whatever they use to track who gets in. Your first line of competition at these schools will be your own classmates. Where you rank next to the others applying (colleges will know exactly where you rank) is key.</p>
<p>Your CR score hurts and I’d imagine many at the top of your class will have stronger scores. That and a good but average for ivies math score and your NE location will make ivies tough. H and P seem especially unlikely though being first gen maybe makes it worth trying one (though it sounds like you live in an affluent town).</p>
<p>You’re a shoo in at any of these schools if you’re recruited. Otherwise, I’d take off the schools popular at your HS where higher ranking/scoring kids are applying in droves.</p>
<p>you’re sort of the perfect poster child for NESCAC, so I’d keep them and just add Stanford to give you a reachey-reach at a place where geography plays more in your favor.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. I’d like to keep at least 2-3 Ivies (unless it’s <10% chance) while cutting back on some safety/match LACs. Can anyone give me a revised list?</p>