@RayManta wrote:
So, there IS a particular look DD is looking for?
@RayManta I’m not going to be popular for saying this but I think you’re looking for a needle in a haystack for a safety she will really like. I know, I know. One needs to be honest with their kids and make it clear that they need to love their safety but, if she’s like our S19, she may never be thrilled about the easier admit schools. S19 put on a good face for us and agreed that his safer schools could give him most of what he wanted including merit which we liked. If he had been shut out of the rest of his list, I think he would have come around and made one of the safeties work. My point is this- don’t have unrealistic expectations and spend an inordinate amount of time finding a safety she will love. Find one that checks most of her boxes and where the vibe will work and then move on.
Colby is an example of a campus that is 68 years old. They moved lock, stock and barrel in the early fifties because the old location was tiny and landlocked.
No small sure thing school you know?
Does she seek a particular campus “look?” Not explicitly, but she has visited enough schools that her preferences have become evident. Perhaps Colby is similar to Brandeis in the way mentioned above–that’s a school that, unfortunately, she was unable to visit–she had time to see three of Midd/Bowdoin/Bates/Colby and Colby drew the short straw. Perhaps lady luck rewarded her.
@homerdog: That’s a reasonable, realistic thought. We’re just treating this whole process like a giant chess puzzle–there may be no perfect series of moves, but you start by trying to eliminate the bad ones first.
Something I try to remember, which I’ve mentioned to a couple of you in private messages but don’t think I posted it here (if so, I apologize for the repetition), is that while each student is trying to find the best school for them, the schools are trying to find the students they think are the best match, too. Rejections just mean that the school doesn’t think that there is a good match, not that the student is necessarily not qualified or not smart enough. We just need to try to identify that small Venn diagram circle where there is that simultaneous attraction.
Even though there is no definitive answer, this thread has been enormously helpful in getting us closer to that elusive truth.
^Not disagreeing with the Venn diagram analogy. OTOH, as others have mentioned upstream, there is a certain amount of packaging (is presentation a better word?) that is necessary in order to optimize one’s chances. Synch would have been a nice way of squeezing a few more seconds of eye time spent on DD’s folder.
As for Colby vs. Brandeis, I’m kidding you to some extent because, in fact, they couldn’t be more different architecturally. How the knowledge that they are just a few years older than Disneyland (CA) affects the way you experience them, depends on which is more important: the look or the actual age of the buildings?
Look and feel of a campus is a very personal, generally unreasonable reaction to a place.
I have one that loved stone, and another that loved brick. Some campuses have both…but the “main” buildings tend to lean in favor of one. The older the school…the more likely a mix, but geography is also a big part.
For the Maine schools…Colby and Bates I recall as being nearly all brick. Bowdoin has a bit of everything. Hamilton has even more of everything (concrete and cold war somehow work on the dark side). Colgate = Brick? Philly schools…Stone. Connecticut college…brick. Lehigh…Both? Lafayette…a lot of brick with some stone. Bucknell…Brick. Hopkins…brick. Dartmouth…brick and wood (white). Princeton…every material known. Harvard…brick. and on…and on…
In the end, I think people associate “college” to building material and to a lesser extent the landscape. The smaller the school, the more lasting the impressions. Arboretums are good. Hills and water are nice. Flat not so much, and has to make it up with Architecture.
Disclaimer: there is no science or citation for the opinions expressed above…
Colgate=Brick?
Not so, as a viewing of the website will prove. Mainly blue stone.
Go ‘gate!
As for St. Lawrence, it is a great place with a tight knit community. My understanding is that the Greeks do not rule social lives quite as much as in my day. The bitter cold and snow and the very long dark winters, as well as its distance from much in the way of a city should not be underestimated. Please do not let anyone put a deposit up there unless they have a full understanding of life in the north country winter. I went excited to ski and hike and climb and enjoy the north country but the winters were so cold I never skied once in 3 years. I loved my time there though, and made some wonderful close friends.
If I recall correctly, the OP’s daughter loved the physical environment of Harvard, which tells me she is drawn to the old, gothic, ivy-covered aesthetic. That’s why I mentioned Mt Holyoke, which is more approachable + utterly gorgeous in that vein.
I was surprised to learn that my own child doesn’t care for old, gothic, or ivy. There are so many unknowable aspects of college choice, selection, fit, and vibe. If a kid likes a particular type of physical environment, that’s as good a way as many others to narrow things down.
In terms of comparisons, it’s true that Canton is Minnesota cold. Looking at some of the colder Northeastern schools on this thread, SLU is 3 degrees (F) colder than Colby, 3.7 degrees colder than Middlebury, 3.8 degrees colder than Bates, and 3.9 degrees colder than Bowdoin. It’s a matter of perspective, however, as to whether differences within this range would be important.
(Based on average January low, Sperling’s.)
@Lynnski - If that’s the case, she should probably take Skidmore off the list. The surroundings rival Williams and Holyoke, but, it’s architecture is strictly,the modern-but-not-too modern brick style that was popular in the 1980s. That’s too bad because it’s a very popular choice for people who likewise favor Wesleyan, Brown and Amherst.
Mt Holyoke often appears on lists of the country’s most beautiful colleges:
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/the-25-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-america
https://www.deseretnews.com/top/3086/0/The-35-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-America.html
https://www.bestdegreeprograms.org/best-beautiful-small-college-campuses-america
There is nothing similar between the Colby and Brandeis campuses. Colby in my opinion is stunningly beautiful, both in landscape and buildings. And the hilly terrain makes for some gorgeous vistas. It gets my vote for most beautiful NESCAC campus followed by Middlebury.
@Raymanta there’s a new thread today called Sometimes You Need Another Plan which I think is helpful. Just mentioning it in case you didn’t notice it.
MHC is a nice and compact campus. A lot of the newer buildings have enclosed walkways or other connectors so students can avoid walking outside a bit during the colder times of year. Nice touches like the lab benches being built to the average height of a female, Friday afternoon tea (or milk and cookies), etc. You also get to take courses at the other consortium schools. I heard a couple mentioning taking a course around lunch time at UMass so they could eat at their dining hall so I’m not sure what that says about the food at MHC.
UMass wins a lot of awards for its food, so people are interested. The comment heard ^^ is not necessarily a diss on the food at MHC.
If the colleges listed in post#252 are any indication, it looks like @RayManta will have to look outside the northeast for a green and leafy campus that isn’t a reach.
Can vouch for excellent food at Mt Holyoke.
I’m making my way through the thread (have read about half way and some of the summaries) and want to suggest a closer look at Vassar. It seems like in your summary of Vassar you may not have gotten a feel for why it might be a good fit. It is beautiful, excellent science programs, non-Greek, opportunities for political activism, in the Northeast and full of intellectual and interesting kids. It also has lots of great performances in the arts. It’s definitely worth a visit based on how you describe your daughter.
Also, I know that many have commented about being cautious re: the list and that some matches are really reaches etc. Yes, it is wise to have low or reasonable expectations about acceptance to schools where the rates are under 25%. However, if she continues spending time crafting her list and putting a lot of effort into her essays, it is possible to get into some reaches as an unhooked applicant. You never know. My S19 just finished the application cycle as an IB diploma kid with 36 ACT from GA. He had some strengths to his application but definitely no hooks. He had only two rejections out of 16 but multiple wait lists. However, he was accepted to some reaches including Brown and Vanderbilt. I do agree to get the safety thing worked out but she may get lucky with her reaches as well.