Hi CC, as deadlines approach I’m getting a little bit nervous about my list. I’ve already gotten into my state flagship and a nearby state’s flagship, both really good schools, but I’m not super excited about either of them. I would really like to get in to at least one from my common app list, and it’s causing me some stress. I hope some people would be willing to take a quick look at my list and give me some feedback, based on my scores and grades and ECs? I don’t want a “chance me” thread, just anything people think, like if should I add more safeties or remove a school. Please feel free to move if this is in the wrong place!
Stats:
ACT - 31 (E 35, M 27, R 32, S 28, W 10)
SAT subjects - Lit 740, World hist. 730
GPA - 3.7 UW (school doesn’t weight) - Course rigor is really high because of my school’s curriculum, counselor letter explains this.
College courses in Art History and Spanish, independent research in Art History about New Media art
I’m an upper-middle-class kid with two parents that have doctorate degrees. I’m mixed race (black and white).
ECs -
Aerial acrobatics since 9th grade, teacher in training
Theatre, acting, production, playwriting, directing, and design, since middle school, president of my troupe jr year, led student produced theatre all 4 years
Model UN since 8th grade, Secretary jr year, VP sr year
Taught 1-week courses on art history and crafts to my peers once a year since 9th grade in an experimental program at my school
LGBT alliance, president grades 8-11
Rotary Youth Exchange to Argentina fall of Soph year
Singer in local University affiliated salsa band jr & sr year
Internship at local art museum between jr & sr year in education and collections
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s my list:
Barnard
Bryn Mawr
Carleton
Columbia (huge reach, I know)
Mount Holyoke
NYU Tisch Performance Studies
Smith
Wellesley
Do I need to make any changes? I really don’t want deadlines to roll around and to still feel too unsure about this if I can avoid it.
You’ve listed some schools at which you’d be accepted, so I think you’re OK in that respect. Nonetheless, based on your current mix, Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, Skidmore and Kenyon should probably be considered for a possible addition or two.
Your list above is entirely high-match/reach. You have no mid-range, and no safeties other than the two state Us that you claim you don’t like. What, exactly, is wrong with those state Us? Why were they even on your list if you don’t like them? What about the next tier of women’s colleges (Agnes Scott, Hollins, Spellman, Sweet Briar)? If Tisch, why not the next tier of theatre programs, or a broader range of theatre programs (e.g. Columbia College Chicago)?
The state Us are fine, just not exciting-- they’re both really big, one is in my hometown, lots of other little things. I’d be happy going to the one that isn’t where I live, I think.
About Tisch, I’m not actually applying to their theatre program, I’m applying to their Performance Studies program which is a theory-based program that looks at a bunch of different disciplines of performance, there’s virtually no performance training. There’s only one other program like it in the country, and it’s at Northwestern, which isn’t exactly safer :/. I was worried about having not enough mid-range/safeties. I’ll probably add Oberlin and Kenyon to my list since I’ve been interested in those places.
Your choice to add Oberlin and Kenyon is wise as it expands the number of schools with acceptance percentages of 30% or above.
Low match schools that fit your criteria: Bard, Sarah Lawrence
Safety schools that fit your criteria: Clark, Muhlenberg.
The value to adding small private safety schools like Clark or Muhlenberg is that they are more similar to your other choices than are the large state universities. You still might choose the state u at the end, but at least you will be able to weigh the pros and cons of each environment if you get into both.
I agree with everyone to add a few matches / low reaches to increase odd you’ll have alternative to big publics comes April. Glad to hear you’re excited about the OOS public flagship.
Last year my D also did not in the end want to attend our excellent state flagship b/c it’s in our hometown, though a surprising number of her HS classmates did!
Congrats on your success and hard work in HS and please keep us posted on your decisions!
A lot of high school seniors are not very excited about their in-state public universities and would prefer to go elsewhere. I have a friend from Vermont with a kid who just graduated from U.Mass because UVM was boring, and another friend from Massachusetts whose daughter just graduated from UVM because U.Mass was boring. Both paid about twice what they would have paid in state. Both got very good educations. The reality of course is that both universities are very good, and if you live on campus are an entirely different world compared to living at home and attending high school.
I think that you have a couple of reaches on your list which are unlikely (particularly Columbia), and some others on your list which you are likely to get into. However, if you end up attending one of the two large state schools that you have already gotten into, then I think that you will discover that they are a lot more interesting and a lot stronger than you are giving them credit for.
@h3m5e7–I like your original list AND your possible additions! I think you are quite likely to get in to some of your original list, including Smith and Mt. Holyoke, but it never hurts to have backups!
@TheGreyKing --Do Kenyon and Oberlin have acceptance rates of 30%+? They are schools my young person (currently a junior) is going to tour soon. In my preliminary notes, I have Kenyon as 24.5% acceptance rate (2018) with average SAT 1280-1470 and ACT 29-33 and Oberlin as 28% acceptance rate with average SAT 1320-1520 and ACT 30-34. (She is also going to look at Bard and Sarah Lawrence, which you recommend to the OP above and which I am excited to see as I have never visited either campus. I recently learned that Bard’s performing arts center is designed by Frank Gehry.)
@BookLvr- It is possible that my source may have been outdated. I used US News 2019, but their data is always a year behind. If your sources are reputable and state a 2018 rate, trust yours!