HELP! Need suggestions for matches/safeties

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am struggling to pick out matches and safeties.</p>

<ul>
<li>White Female living in Virginia</li>
<li>4.0 (weighted) GPA</li>
<li>Rank: 59/400</li>
<li>SAT: 1880 (680 CR, 540 M, 660 W) </li>
</ul>

<p>Am taking now:
AP Govt.
AP English
AP French 5
AP Environmental Science
Honors Anatomy
Trigonometry</p>

<p>AP Results: World History 5; English Comp. 4</p>

<p>EC:
- National Honor Society
- French National Honor Society
- Quill and Scroll
- Varsity Tennis
- Music (Second Chair Flute Local Youth Symphony, Local Flute Choir, Virginia Honors Band – First Chair, private study)
- Competitive Horse Riding (11 years)</p>

<p>What I am looking for:</p>

<ul>
<li>School where I can major in pre-med (I think), but with a good foreign language program for a possible minor, and a good music program, for participation (probably not a minor) </li>
<li> Located out West or in New England (not south or Midwest)</li>
<li> Student body size is not critical</li>
<li> Prefer a campus setting but with reasonable proximity to a decent size town/city</li>
</ul>

<p>As an example, I’ve been to Middlebury and that is my dream school although I know I can’t get in. Also love U.Va., but have same problem. </p>

<p>University of Vermont is on my short list of matches.</p>

<p>Any others? Thanks for any and all help.</p>

2

<p>College of William and Mary Tribe
University of Richmond Spiders
George Mason University Patriots</p>

3

<p>Consider Hollins U. Good equestrian program. Not sure about its academic programs except writing which is top notch.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the input, but I probably won't ride competitively in college so the equestrian program isn't so important, Plus, I'm not really interested in an all-girls school either.</p>

5

<p>Take a look at Ithaca, Clark University, University of Connecticut.</p>

6

<p>Occidental College in LA. They would probably like you because you're from VA.
Also look at Trinity College in Conn.</p>

7

<p>Goucher (MD), Ursinus (PA) and Drew (NJ). Best of luck!</p>

8

<p>connecticut college has a lot of similarities to middlebury but easier to get into. it offers free music lessons for all students and a flute ensemble in addition to the usual band/jazz band/orchestra. also has an equestrian team.</p>

9

<p>Thanks. Conn. College is something I hadn't considered but will take a hard look at. That's why I posted to this board!</p>

10

<p>Conn College would be a good choice, though it's not particularly similar to Middlebury. Other New England schools: Clark, Wheaton, Colby, Bates, Bard (NY) and Skidmore (NY). You might also look at Sarah Lawrence (NY), Bennington and Hampshire all a bit more "quirky." Trinity is ok, but more conservative than the others.</p>

<p>I see that a number of posters have suggested suthern schools, despite your "not south or midwest" request, so too will offer something you didn't want: Smith, Barnard, MHC, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley and Scripps. Women's colleges are about as good as it gets in terms of academic bang for your buck - - and everything else you're looking for. </p>

<p>In general, women's colleges (especially the remaining 5 of the orig 7 sister schools) have solid endowments, small classes, great facilities and supportive/accessible faculty. The sisters are nationally recongnized for the strength of their respective academic programs (all are top ranked LACs), boast impressive track records at top graduate/professional school, provide great opptys for leadership and they are all strong in all the traditional areas of female accomplishment (music, art, riding, foreign language study). And, each of the women's colleges I suggested is not only within reasonable proximity to as city - - NYC, Philly, Boston, Northampton (not a city but recently voted "best college town") - - but each also permits cross-registration at near-by uni/LACs (you would take classes at Columbia, Amherst, Haverford, Swarthmore, MIT or Pomona).</p>

<p>In terms of social life, yes - - it's considerably more difficult to "meet" boys at a women's college than at a coed school with close to 50% male enrollment. Of course, at many coed schools women out-number men by close to 50% (ie: 60/40 split, as at Vassar - - it 75/25 at Sarah Lawrence and 68/32 at Goucher). Competition for a boyfriend can be keen and some female students complain that the shortage of males fans the flames of the hook-up culture. And, in an effort to keep male enrollment respectably high, adcoms pass over girls with stronger academic profiles in favor of boys with weaker profiles - - did you read the Kenyon letter? </p>

<p>OTOH, my D would not have applied to women's college but for BF of two yrs attending neighboring coed school. Now that they've split, she considers herself "stranded" - - but she's socilalzing every weekend with a coed circle of friends, has been the subject of a respectable amout of male attention (though not from the "right" boys) and, though it's a secondary or terciary concern to her, she's getting a truly great eductaion.</p>

11

<p>Thanks again. I have also looked at, but haven't decided whether to apply to, Skidmore and Bard. All this is helpful.</p>