Insight, advice, thoughts.

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi....
I am a junior attending a private school in the south.....</p>

<p>Basically, this whole process is sort of baffling and I would like some insight from adults (ie: experienced individuals who know what they are talking about) </p>

<p>-I have mostly Bs (a couple of As) in honors (all honors)and AP courses( will have 7 APs by graduation...4s and 5s).
-Based on my psat scores, I should do well on my SAT (2000+, with prep, maybe higher).
-I don't play a sport (other than frisbee), however, I have been actively involved in my school's thesbian society, the literary magazine, newspaper, and yearbook.
-I have accumulated about 140 hours of community service and expect to be at 300 by the end of the school year. </p>

<p>Right now, I feel stuck in the middle, so to speak. I am definitely in the top 20% of my class at a dificult "prep" school, maybe even 10-15% (we do not rank), but, clearly, I am not headed for Harvard. Truth be told, I don't know where I should be looking. I definitely know where I would like to go, of course, but feasability is questionable. Carleton, Grinnell, Whitman, Sewanee, Smith, Tulane, and Vassar currently are at the top of my list, but, are these schools practicable? Do "B" (unweighted, weighted, well above a 4.0)students in rigorous courses get accepted to such institutions or are they reserved for the 3.7+ unweighted crowd? Writing, if anything, would be my hook, so essays should be fabulous :)
-Something else just jolly that will work against me (oxymoronic, I know): it looks like I might make my first C in math this year...Wahoo! (TERRIBLE teacher, just bad luck) </p>

<p>Again, I am a good standardized test taker, but my grades are unremarkable (but my school is tough). I am not a minority. I will be full pay. In short, do B students without extenuating circumstances get accepted to top 25 liberal arts colleges?</p>

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<p>Sure they are. Of course, you’re not as much of a garauntee lock as some, but at colleges where they value most the rigor of the curriculum, you will be well off. I know that Smith is one (might be a bit of a reach at 3.6, but not unfeasible). Whitman is a good match. Some on your list will be a reach, but it will be a low-reach, especially when you think of your weighted GPA and the fact that coming from the south gives you a little geographic diversity edge. </p>

<p>Your prep school must have some pretty decent college counselors (most prep schools do), right? Have you gone to them for advice? They are probably much more knowledgable regarding feasability than anyone on this board (though the people here know a lot).</p>

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<p>thanks…
Hopefully, I’ll earn a couple more As this year to balance out my GPA…</p>

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<p>Quote: “Something else just jolly that will work against me (oxymoronic, I know)”…
“school’s thesbian society”…</p>

<p>You may be a competent creative writer but take care that when you are writing your essays that you use words properly. This first statement is not indicative of an oxymoron; an example of an oxymoron would be something like “deafening silence.” And I believe you mean to say thespian. Make sure you have a good proofreader lined up.</p>

<p>You are at a private school in the South? Do you not have an experienced guidance counselor who can give you advice about your standing and stats relative to your HS and the colleges on your list? Are you from the South? Or are you at a boarding school? Do you not want to consider more schools from your region? What kind of atmosphere are you looking for? What are your interests? Strengths? What do you like about the schools on your list?</p>

<p>It’s often difficult to give good advice with just a brief sketch.</p>

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<p>kantianethicist, </p>

<p>Thank you for correcting me. I sort of plowed through that without much thought. Grammar was definitely not a priority. And yes (I know I am not supposed to begin a sentence with “and”), I do know how to spell “thespian.” Yes, I do have a guidance counselor, but I feel like, during peak application time, they have much more important people (ie: the seniors) to take care of. </p>

<p>In terms of colleges, I am looking for an liberal arts school, preferably out of the South, actually. I don’t have a strict set of requirements… I am not at a boarding school ( just “college prep”, K-12, single sex).</p>

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<p>Oxymorons are two adjectives next to eachother that contradict eachother, right?
I don’t think what I wrote is that far-off. Something can’t be “jolly” and “work against” you. But I do see your point.</p>

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<p>juniormints,</p>

<p>Have you considered Kenyon? It has an excellent writing program and is interested in full pays. It might be a good school to add to your list.</p>

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<p>I think you’re on the right track. You seem to have a fairly clear idea of what you’re looking for (rural/small town LACs) and are not too unrealistic. Carleton, Grinnell, Vassar could be tough with mostly Bs; you’d want good scores (~2100 or above) and a very strong application. Whitman’s a good school and about right as a high match for someone from the South. If you build your applications around that as a target, keep up your grades etc., you should do fine.</p>

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<p>Your school counselors should have some “down time” after January/February to consult with you about your choices for senior year applications. </p>

<p>You’re right to concentrate on getting some A’s this year. That “upward trend” will look good to colleges. As for math, get a tutor for that…when a math teacher is bad, the only answer is a parent who knows higher math or a tutor.</p>

<p>If you have some upcoming days off of school in the spring, you should try to do some campus visits to determine which schools you like best.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids,
Yes, we will begin meeting with them after Christmas break to determine, schedules, where we will apply, etc…We are trying to make plans to visit Carleton, which is sort of why I posted this…I didn’t want my parents to waste their time looking at a college I don’t have realistic chance at. Getting up to Northfield, MN isn’t like jumping in the car to look at a school two hours down the road. I want to find a realistic pick.</p>

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<p>I don’t know too many LACs, but Vassar does reach into the B+ pool, especially for ED and especially for boys. They probably also give some brownie points for not being within a 200 mile radius of the campus.</p>

<p>Try not to get a C in math - that really will hurt your chances at a reach school. There is nothing more important than your junior year grades - you can get forgiven for some lapses early on, but you are expected to have it together this year. Anywhere you apply early won’t even see senior year grades.</p>

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<p>Carleton might be a bit reachy but St Olaf is in the same town so you could visit both of them. My impression is that midwest schools are a little easier to get into than east coast schools so perhaps you should research other schools in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.</p>

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<p>You might check out Illinois Wesleyan.</p>

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<p>Definitely consult with your guidance counselor. That will give you a better feel for where similar kids from your school have gone.</p>

<p>Don’t sell yourself short. Good grades from a rigorous private school and 2000+ SATs are nothing to sneeze at. There will be a lot of great schools which will be looking for students like you. </p>

<p>If you enjoy writing, check out Kenyon. Also, if you’re in the Carleton neighborhood, check out Macalester (I think i’ve suggested this to you before)</p>

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<p>Stay positive. You will be a strong candidate, but don’t fixate on the top 25 LACs–instead, think about what exactly you want/don’t want in a college:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How big is too big?</p></li>
<li><p>City, suburb, rural?</p></li>
<li><p>What region of the country–the weather difference alone makes Carleton and Tulane different places?</p></li>
<li><p>Coed–Smith is not?</p></li>
<li><p>Atmosphere (politics, alcohol, drugs, conservatism, workload, diversity)–again I hear very different things about Tulane and Carleton, or Bucknell vs. Oberlin?</p></li>
<li><p>School strength–there are LACs with much stronger science, or theater, or study abroad connections than others?</p></li>
<li><p>Spectator/intramural sports, extracurriculars, ease/expense of travel from home?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>You have plenty of time to hone your list. See if your parents will tour with you on school breaks, so you can visit places in regional groups. On the trips, sav e some hours for sightseeing so it is less of a drag.</p>

<p>All the schools you and other posters mentioned are very good schools. There are dozens more, many of which will give an edge to a Southern candidate for geographic diversity, so do not panic if you get a C or a middling PSAT score. Maximize your visits by doing as much advance research as you can. Many schools are now conducting online Open Houses where students answer questions.</p>

<p>Consider the Haverford/Swarthmore/Bryn Mawr trio–all top schools with lovely campuses near a major city with a major airport and convenient to DC and NYC. Easier to get into fine schools in the area are Muhlenberg and Ursinus.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

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<p>Wow, you are all so helpful. Thanks so much.
To the person who mentioned the boost applying to Vassar as a boy, unfortunately, I am female…but the ED tip great. I understand writing “top 25” looks elitist, but, it was really just an easy way to generalize what I was asking about…I must be honest, however; I probably won’t apply anywhere really obscure…Prestige, while not the main factor, will be taken into account. My parents are pushing for Sewanee and Tulane- two good schools that aren’t representative of what I am looking for, but that I will inevitably end up applying to. Carleton is, <em>unfortunately</em>, my number one pick at the moment. I love its reputation for smart, yet fun loving, maybe even dorky- students and Minneapolis, supposedly an hour away, is an awesome city (from what I have heard).A representative is visiting this week…I am very excited :)</p>

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<p>I have never heard a bad thing about Carleton and Minneapolis is a fine city–make sure you are comfortable with major league winters, however–there is cold and then there are places where parking spots have heaters to plug into your motor. Ohio, MA, NY etc have snow, but nothing like MN</p>

<p>For smart, maybe dorky, some folks will suggest Bard, Oberlin, Vassar, Haverford, Juniata , Goucher, Sarah Lawrence and Hampshire.</p>

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<p>I have never heard a bad thing about Carleton and Minneapolis is a fine city–make sure you are comfortable with major league winters, however–there is cold and then there are places where parking spots have heaters to plug into your motor. Ohio, MA, NY etc have snow, but nothing like MN</p>

<p>For smart, maybe dorky, some folks will suggest Bard, Oberlin, Vassar, Haverford, Juniata , Goucher, Sarah Lawrence and Hampshire.</p>

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<p>If merit money is a consideration, you may want to look into the University of Denver (it’s really more of a LAC). Everyone I have spoken with who has attended gives it high marks. Also you may want to look into Occidental College (hardly rural) for a great LAC with good weather.</p>

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<p>Thanks idad, </p>

<p>I will look into Occidental.</p>