HYP Reject 1/2 With Perfect Numbers, So...

College Search & Selection
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<p>Would they be considered matches or reaches for a student with these numbers/accomplishments?</p>

<p>--SAT 2380
--GPA 3.97 unweighted / 4.5 weighted - highly regarded private high school
--heavy honors/AP load
--excellent EC's / community service
--excellent rec's
--excellent essays</p>

<p>With liberal arts in mind, what great schools would constitute safeties?</p>

<p>What are the best liberal arts schools which also are likely to award substantial merit-based aid?</p>

<p>This should be interesting.</p>

<p>TIA.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately due to the reason you state, HYP = statistical reach for all, even a student with your stats (which are excellent.) </p>

<p>With all your schools, the degree of focus you put into your application will have bearing on the 'matchiness.'</p>

<p>You've probably heard of the "Tufts Syndrome," where schools that get many 'match ' and 'safety' applicants start turning down high-stat kids they assume aren't really that interested in attending. So even "matches" can't be counted on.</p>

<p>Where are you from? If you are from the north east, the competition is very stiff for all the same schools that are matches or safeties for Ivy stat kids. (Trinity, Hamilton, Colgate, Vassar, Conn College, Bucknell, etc.) You need to show your matches & safeties that you have done your homework and have a genuine, specific interest in them. Visit. Do an overnight. Pick schools where your enthusiasm for them is genuine.</p>

<p>I would advise you to include at least a few midwestern or southern LACs on your list. Carleton, Kenyon, Macalester, Davidson at reachy/match level, Denison, Lawrence, Beloit, Rhodes at safer/match level... For other ideas look in USNWR ranking for schools at the same or similar levels of the above mentioned schools. Obviously you'll want schools that offer excellence in your areas of interest.</p>

<p>Merit aid LACs: Grinnell & WashU St Louis are good here. Look for schools with large endowments who are trying to increase their academic profile with high-stat kids. Some State U honors programs might fit here or other non LACs that will give you substantial merit aid with your stats. You may want to consider some of these "financial safeties" on your list... (Tulane, Vanderbilt..) Lots of threads in Parent's Forum on this topic (I wonder why. ;))</p>

<p>Former Women's colleges like Vassar, Goucher can be safer bets for males. Current women's colleges can be safer bets for females. </p>

<p>This should get you started.</p>

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<p>SBMom--thanks very much for your thoughtful and detailed response. I really appreciate it.</p>

<p>I had heard about WUSTL. I believe it is ranked in or near the top 10 in US News. I'd also heard the people there are friendly, that the whole place has a warmer vibe than many of the supposedly better or comparable schools.</p>

<p>I'd also heard about "the Tufts Syndrome," when I heard it going by the name "the U Penn Syndrome." Some say the only way to avoid it is to apply ED, but I can't do that. I need to remain open to any merit-based aid offers which might come in. In March or April.</p>

<p>As for HYP, the bottom line may be that near perfect numbers only buy a ticket to the lottery. As for the rest of the top 10, it may be those same numbers yield rejections due to the assumptions attendant to the Tufts/U Penn Syndrome. Which leads to my concern, falling through the cracks--which is why I composed the original post. </p>

<p>But good feedback like yours is reassuring. It's amazing and gratifying that complete strangers will take time and expend effort to help one another as is done at this site. </p>

<p>Who said altruism is dead?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
You've probably heard of the "Tufts Syndrome," where schools that get many 'match ' and 'safety' applicants start turning down high-stat kids they assume aren't really that interested in attending. So even "matches" can't be counted on.

[/quote]
So true. My daughter had stats very much like yours, OP--even a tad better--and was rejected by HYP. She considered Colgate and Hamilton to be among her match/safeties, and was admitted to both. But what I found interesting was that the questionaires sent by both schools after she matriculated elsewhere asked the question: did you consider us a safety school? Dartmouth, Penn, and Brown didn't ask that question. (I can't remember if those three actually sent questionaires, but the point is, certain schools are very sensitive to it, and even if you do consider them to be safeties, treat them like your top choice if you want to get in. Definitely visit if you can.) As SBmom says, Wash U has a very aggressive full-ride program. My daughter's ultimate safeties--Lafayette and Franklin & Marshall--both wonderful schools--offered very substantial merit scholarships.</p>

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<p>JoeBob, glad to be of help.</p>

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<p>I know Emory is very sensitive about being considered an Ivy kid's safety.</p>

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<p>you may want to check out a thread in the parents forum labelled "schools known for good merit aid" - its a fairly lengthy thread that will probably give you a good list of schools to look at.</p>

<p>also realize that in looking for a "great school" that would be considered a "safety" - you have to examine for yourself what you consider a "great school" - don't fall into the common trap of thinking that if a school would be realitively easy for someone with your stats to get into that it isn't "good enough" for someone with your stats. and before labelling something a safety - always try to find out how many students with your type of stats get REJECTED - ie not just how your stats compare against those admitted.</p>

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<p>As time goes on, you will see less and less "Tufts Syndrome", at least in schools of around Tufts quality. And the reason for that is simple: the Ivies are saying explicitly that they are now turning away entire classes of applicants "every bit as academically qualified" as those they are accepting. Not "almost as qualified" or "just a little bit less qualified", but "as qualified". These students are going elsewhere. The student academic gap between the Ivies and the next tier of schools in selectivity (not necessarily in quality, just selectivity) has never been smaller than it is now. This is reflected in everything from grad school admissions to Fulbright Scholarships. Just make sure you show some interest in where you are applying, the same as you would if applying to an Ivy, or even more so because, regardless of who you are, it is more likely you will be ending up there.</p>

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<p>Merit aid: Emory, Rice, WUSTL.</p>