Clark is an excellent college in a dismal city. It doesn’t meet the OP’s daughter’s non-urban area criteriona since it is in downtown Worcester. While the OP’s daughter enjoyed the vibe in urban Cambridge–Main South (where Clark is located) is not Harvard Square. That being said, the Clark campus is pretty self-contained and students spend a fair amount of their time there. If Clark were in another city, I’m sure it would attract more students. I worked at Clark (Advancement/Development) and was impressed with the faculty, students, and alums I met. It would definitely be a safety for the OP’s daughter. She should definitely visit before applying.
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@RayManta, I’m coming in a bit late, but I read through the whole thread, and what seems missing to me in your description of your daughter is what her most important interests and activities are. What she likes to do when she’s not in class or working on academic assignments. You mention swimming and music, both activities that could round-out her profile, but only if she presents them as such.
All of these highly selective colleges are looking to recruit students who are academically strong and intellectually curious, AND who will also contribute to the campus community outside of the classroom. Checking one of the many diversity boxes is one way to fulfill this requirement, but failing that, applicants need to expand their non-academic accomplishments and articulate what they can bring to the campus. I think ECs, talents, interests etc. can play a significant role in admissions, especially at small LACs where “fit” is a two way street.
My (very unscientific) observation is that most of my son’s classmates at Williams offered what I call the trifecta: Academic achievement, involvement in sports or outdoorsy activities and excellence in of the one performing arts or visual arts. My guess is that many other small LACs are looking for the same 3 in 1 profile, though the specifics will vary depending on the college’s personality and culture. It’s up to the applicants to understand the campus culture and personality and to communicate how their continued involvement in their interests/talents/achievements will benefit the community.
Colleges clustered in the northeast and mid-Atlantic share a cultural heritage that is difficult to replicate in other parts of the country, but I would urge your daughter (and you) to try a little harder to generate interest in some of the other midwestern schools, e.g., Carleton, Kenyon, Macalester, Grinnell. Plus Oberlin which you’ve already identified. My guess (again, speculation) is that if she were to visit she would become a convert.
If there is any doubt where the CC heart resides !
Just start a thread about a star student looking at northeast lacs. 4K views and 142 posts in less than 48 hours. Lol.
Maybe only a “I deposited at Harvard but I got off the Yale WL which is better ? “ Might compete.
Good luck OP you have received wonderful advice. I concur with Amherst Bates Hamilton as must consider.
However, Florida is such a populous state, you’d be surprised how many star students attend many other private schools in the northeast and elsewhere. The percentage is small compared to UF but the numbers are for real.
As an example, when Swarthmore listed the states where most of their kids are from, Florida is number 10.
@melvin123
How is Wash U a match? With 15% acceptance rate?
“Just start a thread about a star student looking at northeast lacs. 4K views and 142 posts in less than 48 hours. Lol.”
One reason is the OP is responsive which creates a dialogue which means more back and forth and more posts. Not always what you are implying. 
@doschicos - You’re absolutely correct, but @privatebanker is right in the sense that when you throw NE LAC up for discussions, it’s bound to generate a lot of “informed opinion”. The NESCAC and Centennial conferences should pay a finders fee per application to CC.
Maybe I missed it but is she planning on applying to UF or any FL school? She should definitely apply to 1 even if she has no intention of going to one at this time but you never know. Life happens and she may find herself wanting to stay close to home for whatever reason or finances may suddenly change and she needs to take a cheaper option and UF would be a great option. It’s nice to have that backup plan just in case.
OP has mentioned that his daughter has no desire to go to college in FL and that there is a good chance the family won’t stay in FL after daughter graduates from HS.
Thanks again folks! The suggestion that we consider honors colleges at publics is an interesting one, and my wife has begun looking into both Vermont and Mass-Amherst.
Yes–I do like the back-and-forth! I find that often you can reach what I’ll call a “higher truth” through engagement, and it may make the discussion more beneficial to others facing a similar decision. And of course I want to show my appreciation to all of you for taking the time to share your viewpoints and experiences.
Of course, there’s no “perfect” school, and she has to decide (for example) whether it is more important to be within walking distance of a cute town and being in New England, or whether to travel to the Midwest for that environment. We actually started her thinking about colleges when she was a sophomore, and took her to visit Swat and Penn, and over the past year and a half her preferences have gradually been coming into focus. Starting early was a great benefit, and I recommend it. Even though, obviously, back then we couldn’t foresee that she would continue to be on a track which would make her a candidate for those schools, it allowed her to think big-picture: big school or small? city or suburban? etc.
I’ll try to respond to many of you in tranches, so bear with me.
@Dolemite Originally, I was pressing her to apply to UF as a backup, but there’s around a 75-90% chance our family will leave the state in the next year, with our daughter (and one parent) following as soon as she graduates. That has complicated things, especially since we have no idea where we may end up (my wife is a government scientist). We’ve been told that we would qualify for one year of the in-state rate here in FL, and then be considered out-of-state. She’s ready to leave the south anyway.
@cjpski I think I listed Washington U as a reach in my first post. I’ll fully admit that the classification of reach/match/probables isn’t very accurate. Among my family, I really think of the school sas being in five categories instead of the usual three, splitting matches into “high matches” and “low matches,” with the “high matches” being schools with a low acceptance rate but not as much of a total crap shoot as the tip-tops. (the “safeties,” I usually split into “probables” and “safeties”) I’d probably put a school like Vandy in the “high match” group if it was on her list. Anyway we haven’t visited Washington U, although I’ve wanted to. If it is right in the city, like say Hopkins, then I think it would immediately come off her list. I know they have a terrific STEM program there. I’ll also add that my daughter is willing to simply take it off her list as she narrows her list down.
more soon
I think what Dolemite was saying was that unexpected things happen, and a local option is wise for every applicant. Death, divorce, mental illness, sexual assault-no one expects these things to happen to them or their loved ones, but sadly, they do. Even if you expect to move now, even if you can’t imagine her staying in Florida-things happen, more often than you might think.
And Vandy isn’t a high match for anyone.
WashU is not right in St Louis but west of the city bordered on the east by a large park with Museums and the Zoo nearby. To the north through a lovely residential area is the Delmar Loop with great restaurants and shops (kind of like a small town’s downtown). All in all it’s a very nice location. The Med School/Hospital is on the other side of the park quite a ways but there is a train that she could take if she had to go there for a research position. Highly ranked dorms and food too. The people are the nicest you’d ever meet. They like full pay. Lots of upper middle and upper class kids - I believe they have the highest average family income for students.
@roycroftmom - Planning is hard enough. If something terrible happens you adjust as needed, but what-if scenario’s to determine where to apply (even if you don’t want to go there) creates chaos. Maybe they should make a list of potential relocation sites and apply to the 10 or 12 flagships they might live in 3 years? It never ends.
If their daughter wants to be out of the south (and knows FL well), why spin on scenarios?
Because it takes very little time and effort to apply to such a safety that is also a great school, @eyeveee. Even if the chances are slim, it is always wise to have a true safety in-state. it is even more unlikely your house will burn down, but you likely have fire insurance, which is much more expensive to maintain than a quick application fee.
@AriBenSion I think I missed responding to your earlier comment. It sounds like we need to do more research into Colgate. I do know that as one of the larger LACs, and possibly the one with the largest bio program, they are probably more likely to have a seat available for her than some of the others. But that obviously wouldn’t help fill the low end of her list.
@melvin123 regarding post #118–She has in fact visited Williams and Wellesley; those were the two schools on her “bubble” list that she had seen. She loved Wellesley and found it inspiring–her word–but needs to come to a decision as to whether she will seriously consider a women’s college. If so, that would put Mt. Holyoke and Smith in play, too. Maybe Bryn. They obviously all go together. But, again, one of the overriding issues is that we are trying to reduce the number of schools for her to apply to, to reduce the stress and work. Someone mentioned that there are common app schools that don’t require supplemental essays, and we found a list, and may hit a couple from there. Some of the safe schools mentioned here are on the list, which would make the process of adding safeties completely painless.
@homerdog and @AlmostThere2018 Yeah, she’ll change somewhat; we all do. But it will be with and at the same rate of the friends she makes no matter where she goes. We all find our tribe–for me it wasn’t until I was in my 40s, but we all do.
@roycroftmom - But she knows she doesn’t want to go there?
Your analogy is bad because there is no recourse from a fire after the fact. If something terrible happens, maybe she takes a year off? She has options, but it’s clear that she doesn’t want a FL parachute. Given all the family has going on, why waste any time?
@homerdog writes
This jumped out at me because my D19 is headed to W&M and was heartbroken when two of her closest friends did not get in RD. One sounds a lot like your daughter—enthusiastic, engaging, interested in everything, IB, 1500+, non-recruitable athlete, plus valedictorian from a very underrepresented state. Her personality is such a match for W&M, too. The second also has high stats and high rigor, with unique EC’s. I’m sure her LORs said things like contagious positive energy and thirst for knowledge. (They both chose wonderful schools where they will thrive.)
W&M doesn’t break down their acceptance rate for OOS girls, but someone on this thread speculated 15%.
I agree with @doschicos that threads with responsive OP’s tend to get more activity. Also, many parents on CC can relate to RayManta. The realization about average excellence and the number of seats at “top” schools is a common experience, as is the dilemma of SCEA, ED etc.
@melvin123 That’s a great recap. We still are unsure about Oberlin due to the conflicting information about the vibe, and I don’t know how much a two-hour visit would even help. The other possibilities–Colgate, Hamilton, etc., would just bulk up the match group–or the “high matches”, if you want to use my five-category system. I think she has a great chance at Rochester due to her status as a third-generation student and their focus on IB students, and if it were a sure thing, we’d be done. But it isn’t a sure thing, not the way there’s no sense or predictability these days.
Earlier I said that we had left Case Western off the list because it was similar to Rochester, but as someone has pointed out, it doesn’t require a supplement, so maybe it is a painless way to increase chances. It isn’t a safety, of course, not without a hook, but they may be it could be considered a “low match”–with a slightly lower probabililty of admission than Rochester due to the things mentioned above.
@Theoden (and I have to say it feels weird typing that name, lol): Thanks for those two links–I hadn’t looked there but you’re right, it’s a good place for additional ideas for her.
I think Bryn Mawr could be a potentially good fit for your daughter based on your postings. One benefit is it has EA.
If she could get an EA acceptance from a match/safety that she likes, that could help streamline her list quite a bit. One of my kids was able to remove several schools from the final list in December once receiving an EA acceptance from a very likable school.