<p>BU, Smith, Mount Holyoke should admit you. If you decide to apply to Sarah Lawrence and Clark, should be safe there, too. You might look at Rhodes College, Ohio Wesleyan. Are you applying to a SUNY state school at all? Quite a few of the smaller schools have late deadlines. You could have a few more safeties on a backup list, and not rush on their applications unless necessary. One or two safeties should be fine.</p>
<p>Hmm, though it may not be a safety for you, you should definitely add Reed College to your list. It's a wonderful school, highly intellectual environment, and located in Portland, OR. Another thing that I've noticed about Reed, however, is the fact that its accepted students appear to have extraordinary stats (3.9 GPA, 30 or higher on ACT, 2100 or higher on SAT, etc) but students from my own school have been accepted with lower stats than that.</p>
<p>Reed admissions officers search for a "Reedie," an individual. Having impeccable grades and stats is not all it takes for LACs you know, especially Reed...</p>
<p>Bard College is also worth looking into. As is Lewis & Clark College. Sarah Lawrence College as well. Even Vassar College has that intellectual environment you crave, but not so much as Bard or Reed.</p>
<p>Okay...so Sarah Lawrence I really like (as stated before), I think BU will be one match or so, i'll check out Clark, Rhodes, Reed, and Lewis and Clark. I'll peep at Tufts again although I think right now, I should be staying away from the dream schools since I have plenty on my boat right now.</p>
<p>I have a question for you all right now though. I'm considering taking three APs next year as a senior. But I don't know if it'd be too much work. I was considering</p>
<p>AP French literature
AP Literature
AP Physics</p>
<p>My reasonings behind wanting to take these courses are pretty good. For French Lit, I admit although i'm not the best French student, I love french. It's very odd...and reading french novels like L'Etranger and Huis Clos were extremely rewarding. It was tough but really interesting. I've taken AP French Language this year. So I think it'd be very impressive to continue my french even after taking a AP French class. I want to show the college admissions officers that i'm going to be persistent about it.</p>
<p>This is the same reason for Physics. I'm not a strong science student and this has really been making me sensitive. I remember when I was smaller, science was my favorite subject. I don't want to lose that. I want to prove to myself that I shouldn't be afraid of science. For AP Physics (my school might and might not have it depending on the administration) we have a really good teacher who's nurturing and told me, "I promise you that i'll let you love Physics." If we have the class, there might be only 9 people in the class, offering maximum attention. </p>
<p>As for AP Lit, the teacher isn't really great and gives tons of work, but I looove english and I want to be an English Major. So that sounds fitting. </p>
<p>What do you suggest I do about this? Do you think it'd be a good idea to load myself this much senior year? Thanks!</p>
<p>IMO, as long as you're taking AP courses for the passion and not for the "showy factor" on trasncripts, I think those AP courses are fine. I'm taking AP Lit and AP Spanish next year, and they are both academic areas in which I have great interest. And if you're passionate for them, as you seem to indicate, I'm sure you will keep up with the work load.</p>
<p>Since you seem to have done a lot of music related ECs, I would like to point out for you that Lawrence Univ. (in Appleton, WI) and Bard College are 2 of a very small handful of colleges that have a conservatory actually at the school (Oberlin is the only other one that comes to mind). And I have been impressed with the opportunities for leading an intellectual life at these schools.</p>
<p>If you don't like the Lit teacher that would be the one to drop. AP credit hardly ever does much for you in your major - it just means you have to start with harder courses in college.</p>
<p>Do you know what is in the syllabus for the AP English course? If the syllabus is not exciting, and you already know that the teacher is not, that would be the one to drop. I agree with Ricegal. But, if you want the course, take it. Taking it seems to fit with the path you are on. You are into intellectual development, as opposed to crafting a transcript that will impress some admissions officer. They say that ability to take on and succeed with challenging courses is the number one indicator of college success. If you take those three courses, you will prove that, even if getting an A in all of them is not possible. The AP French course- definitely. You will never regret taking that.</p>
<p>Some people have been mentioning Reed, but I don't know if you could eer consider it a safety. It's one of those schools with a strange, seemingly random admissions process. I know a kid that got into a bunch of Ivies, including Harvard, but was rejected from Reed this year.</p>
<p>Reed is one of the quirky "fit" schools where interview and level of interest are considered important. Reed is often seen as a liberal student body coupled with a conservative curriculum.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Very intellectual with excellent study abroad, internship opportunities and offers good merit scholarships.</p>
<p>When I saw this subject, the first school I thought of was Reed. Oberlin and Carleton may be worth looking into to too. While Middlebury, Colgate, Bowdoin are good schools with smart students (and probably three of my favorites), I wouldn't necessarily call them intellectual schools in the spirit of Reed, UChicago, Swarthmore, St. John College, etc.</p>
<p>Actually, that looks like a pretty good list. There are a lot of matches, if not exactly safeties (Boston University? Psh, you're so in!). Financially you might not be looking at scholarships from those schools, though, so if by safety you mean where you can get a full ride...then you are missing those.</p>
<p>All right guys! I guess for now, i'm taking AP French Lit, AP Lit, and AP Physics. Thanks for supporting me in this whole thing...and boosting up my self esteem. You guys are also making me more curious about Reed! I have to really take a look at that school. I've also emailed St Johns College about some questions I had about their curriculum too. </p>
<p>Thanks for writing so much for my benefit! Please give more advice if you'd like. I'm always open.</p>