<p>A question is, are those grades weighted?
The schools mentioned are excellent, however depending on entire package, some may be a stretch for admission with those grades & scores.</p>
<p>Reed for example is more competitive than 10 yrs ago.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Reed</a> College | News Center | Reed admits a strong pool of applicants for Class of 2013](<a href=“In the Media - Reed Magazine - Reed College”>In the Media - Reed Magazine - Reed College)</p>
<p>How can unweighted grades average 4.034? The highest possible should be 4.0. Or am I missing something?</p>
<p>Adding to what others have said:
Earlham, Hendrix, Colorado College, Ithaca College, Bates (which is SAT optional)
Have you checked out UC Santa Cruz? I really don’t know about the intellectual nature of the students there. The setting is gorgeous, though!</p>
<p>Agree, those SATs are not typical of applicants most “intellectual” schools seek. A 3.5 UW GPA can be offset by, e.g., 2200+ SAT at such schools. But the most intellectual schools, like Swarthmore and UChicago, are often considered “pressure cookers” so he might not be interested anyway.</p>
<p>How can unweighted grades average 4.034? The highest possible should be 4.0. Or am I missing something?</p>
<p>Don’t ask me? Maybe that was the homeschoolers.
;)</p>
<p>With those scores, most of the suggestions here (including mine) have been too reachy. </p>
<p>
Some schools have A+ and count it as 4.33.</p>
<p>My Junior S has just started researching colleges and this is basically the criteria that he is seeking, but add outdoorsy… he is huge into the outdoors and it is like air to him…
Anyway, he has a 3.5 UW at a VERY rigorous top prep school. His SAT’s are 2100+ so far, as taken in Nov. Some of the schools he is interested in are… Reed… visited and fell hopelessly in love, Whitman, Colorado College, Sewanee, Oberlin, Bard, Vassar, Lewis and Clark, Carleton and Hamilton. Likes the “idea” of the Maine schools but can’t really get a feel for the intellectual vibe yet. He loves to learn but is not a 'grind" of a student and is NOT competitive.</p>
<p>Beloit, Whitman come to mind. As reachier LACs, Oberlin and Vassar.</p>
<p>I know this doesn’t apply to your son, but just in case others with the same question read this thread - pretty much all of the women’s colleges would be good.</p>
<p>For the OP: Clark in Massachusetts would be a great fit!</p>
<p>Oberlin would be a great fit.</p>
<p>I like this thread because it notices something I think is true-- intellectual interests don’t necessarily correspond to perfect grades/scores. Often they do, but plenty of people who love to think and read and talk deeply about life just don’t care about getting perfect grades. And plenty of kids who manage 4.0 do it because they memorize well, cross every t and aim to please, not because they are intellectuals. </p>
<p>I’m guessing OP’s son could get the SAT scores up with a bit of tutoring and might be more competitive that way.</p>
<p>I think kids need a gap year between middle & high school.
Both my kids attended very good high schools, but really only began taking advantage of all the wonderful opportunities when they were juniors!</p>
<p>( they did both take a gap year after high school)</p>
<p>I love this thread! SO many fascinating kids who are very intellectual and creative are not perfect students - they’re either lopsided by subject, late bloomers, or just too interested in their own thoughts to do everything perfectly.</p>
<p>Lots of great school suggestions. I agree with looking at Loren Pope’s books (CTCL, Looking Past the Ivy League). I’ll plug Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.</p>
<p>As for late bloomers, which my D2 definitely has been, she had terrible early test scores and was expecting to stress test-optional schools, but by late spring junior year and especially fall of senior year she had matured and focused enough to raise her scores significantly.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^seconding that on improved test scores. What was weak initially turned around with a prep course (about which I was not initially enthusiastic but which clearly helped) and a reasonable amount of focus. </p>
<p>On the other hand, my daughter’s guidance counselor insisted that one should take test optional schools at their word, and not submit if the results aren’t going to be a definate boost. </p>
<p>Two of my most intellectually engaged junior colleagues went to Earlham and Lawrence, respectively.</p>
<p>My Ds were strong students but not strong test takers. D2 did some of the Xiggi method (found on CC) and just took shorter timed practice tests repeatedly, but no studying, and it really worked, especially with the ACT. Her scores went up a lot between those first fairly depressing sophomore PSATs and the ACT at the end of her junior year.</p>
<p>I hate that our smart, even intellectual kids have to deal with this standardized-test business, but there you have it.</p>
<p>I know smart, thoughtful, intellectual kids who have found happy homes at Grinnell, Earlham, Dickinson, Bryn Mawr, Colby and Hampshire. My D is also an A-/B+ kid of similar interests, and she’s likely to end up at Clark, Dickinson, Conn or Muhlenberg. Mostly likely Clark or Dickinson.</p>
<p>@op, - Considering the “talk 24 hours a day” part of your description, I would say St. John’s in Annapolis is your best bet. They have another school in Santa Fe if he wants to do a semester or a year there. They play the USNA every year in croquet and usually win!</p>
<p>Actually William and Mary would be very reachy here, especially for out of state.</p>
<p>Lots of other good options, though.</p>
<p>setting a bookmark.</p>
<p>American, GW, Brandeis, Davidson, Wake Forest</p>
<p>I find this idea of grades vs. intellectualism very interesting. One of my thoughts is that getting good grades is not the same as being smart. I was always confused as to why my S who is incredibly smart and intellectual in every sense of the word, is not an A student. I think it has something to do with what gwen F had to say. He is sometimes to into his own head and doesn’t always do all the little stuff that he thinks is " silly busy work"… his words. Although he usually ends up with B+'s instead of A’s because of this, his teacher’s absolutely adore him. A LOT of comments on his report card about how he makes discussions more interesting, is a leader in the class, has brilliant observations and questions etc… one teacher said he would rather have a class full of kids like my S than a class full of A students that never speak up and care only about what is on the test and what they need to memorize. He is looking for a college that will embrace his learning style and where he can have conversations late into the night about anything and everything.</p>