Interesting that Dickinson will no longer have EA. I expect their applications might drop a bit because of it.
I have to disagree with the poster who described Worcester as a dismal city. Perhaps in the past, but no longer true, (though some areas are not the greatest). It’s a town full of students with 7 colleges and a med school. Lots of transformation happening. Train service to Boston. A good art museum, good restaurants, the DCU center offering concerts and other events and some abandoned warehouses/factory spaces being turned into nice retail/dining options. It’s not Boston, but it’s a good college Town all the same.
I always wonder, when schools drop EA, if they do it because they get very low yield from EA applicants. Maybe they just don’t see an upside to offering it if so few enroll.
Well, I figure, why ask for advice and input if I’m not going to take it seriously? There were so many comments that it was hard to mentally keep track of them all. One thing that was interesting was that, among the so-called “true safeties”, there was a ton of mentions for St. Lawrence, although they were all in passing–that is, of the type, “Also consider St. Lawrence,” with no further explanation.
I would think that, for safeties/probables to fill out one’s list that you are unable to visit in advance, a prospective applicant would probably want the least controversial schools. There were several schools mentioned that appeared to be “in the eye of the beholder.” Those, I think, are more risky to apply to if you are unable to see them first-hand. For my daughter, those are the schools that some think may be too Greek (such as Lafayette, Colgate, Lehigh) or too intensely progressive (Oberlin, Bard). I’d like to try to schedule another trip for her to possibly see Colgate/Hamilton/Vassar, though, maybe also hitting Smith/MHC, too, so don’t take the above as an indication that I am necessarily “rejecting” all those schools–just that they require more care. On that possible trip, if it isn’t too far, Connecticut College would be one to see as well, since it is a clear favorite among you.
I know merit isn’t a requirement…
Her 1500 one sitting puts her in line for merit at a number of the less selective schools that have it but probably not at BMC, Smith, MHC, CWRU, etc. If she does take it again she’d need like a 1540 to get to the next bracket and a 1580ish to get to the highest bracket. A lot of it is going to go to under-represented groups that they target.
Just a quick note about CWRU. Great school in a great location but if she thought Pitt was too urban she may think the same about CWRU. It’s a couple of miles east of downtown Cleveland in a nice neighborhood near parks and museums but you only have to go a little west and you’re in Cleveland proper.
Also it might be worth it to check the list of Fly-in programs available for schools of her interest. A large majority are for URMs and other under-represented groups but a few are open to anyone to apply and at worse show interest which is important for some of the schools.
Not to derail this thread but the Oregon LACs (Reed, Lewis and Clark, and Willamette) all have Early Action.
Right. Her problem with the math section recently has been that she has been running out of time to complete the last few questions. She first took the SAT at the start of her Sophomore year and blew through the math section, but each time she’s taken a standardized test more recently, she’s struggled with the time constraint–let’s call it the curse of maturity. She is being slightly too careful and patient. That’s something she can obviously work on in practice. I think that simple improvement by itself would get her to 1530ish on a single sitting. She’s going to take it once more.
Thanks for the additional color on CWRU.
Regarding St. Lawrence, in whichever direction you travel from it you will find something interesting: the protected Adirondack Park, the Seaway, the Thousand Islands, Canada. For this reason, it’s my favorite in terms of location of the far northern tier Eastern liberal arts colleges (a group that might be mostly limited to SLU, Middlebury and Colby).
I think St. Lawrence is a great school but a) it isn’t easy to get to and b) doesn’t really fit the daughter’s desire to be within walking distance to a robust area with amenities.
OP - Personally, I’d be more interested in visit reports from places that don’t get much attention on CC (the bulk of your thirty-something safeties) than visits designed to settle divided opinions on CC. Those opinions are divided because those colleges (and some universities) already get more bandwith than all the other schools on CC. Your own won’t necessarily settle any arguments.
@RayManta My daughter significantly raised her math score by using this book PWN SAT Math Book (designed for high performers to boost score). She registered for late August SAT. Drilled on math for 20 minutes a day all summer (no time during school year) and took one practice test a week (then focused on what she missed). One of the common issues with high performing students is that most of the math on SATs they learned earlier in HS so they get rusty by the time the test rolls around. It was a very effect method and she went from a 650 to a 770.
OP’s D already made a 780 Math and 750. She’s got great scores and just needs to work on timing and get a little lucky.
Surprised that Brandeis isn’t on the list. Very strong in the sciences, quite diverse, great Jewish community, not focused on Greek or drinking culture. The feel of the campus is more 70’s modern brutalist though, which can be a turnoff if she loves the ivy gothic aesthetic. Mt Holyoke’s campus is outstanding in that regard. MHC is a bit more isolated than Amherst or Smith, but it’s gorgeous, academically very strong, and might be an easier admit.
^Brandeis is another one of those colleges that aren’t particularly controversial but don’t generate a lot of coverage on CC. OP would be performing a great service by visiting Brandeis.
. I wouldn’t retake the SAT with a 1500+. IMO…downside risk is greater than upside opportunity.
@EyeVeee Not sure what the risk is since there are very few schools that require all scores and I’m not sure if any that the OP is looking into do. Rice does but doesn’t sound like OP is applying there.
I would pick a few of those safeties that may have EA and then if she gets into at least one, RD apps should only be to schools she prefers. If there is one school that is striking that she really wants to go for, ED or EA for that, though some SCEA schools have restrictions on what can be paired with their EA. I really think a more secure safety should be in place. I don’t think her safeties are true safeties in that there isn’t a near certainty of acceptance. I’ve known high stats kids who didn’t get into those schools.
OP’s D already made a 780 Math and 750. She’s got great scores and just needs to work on timing and get a little lucky."
Another vote for not worrying about the math score. This is darn good and any incremental improvement won’t make a difference in terms of acceptance. At this range, other applicant attributes will result in acceptances - or not - not a perfect SAT score.
Thanks folks.
@cptofthehouse Right, it is that more-secure safety that she would be happy at that we are struggling with.
re: Brandeis: A couple of people here mentioned Brandeis favorably. This was mentioned earlier in the thread, but my family has a history there and my daughter doesn’t want to follow those footsteps. I also don’t believe the campus has the look she’s focused on, being only 68 years old. I concur that it’s a terrific school, and as one of the smallest research universities can almost be considered an LAC+
Thumbs up for doing such a wonderful job of synthesizing the feedback that you have received thus far!