Hi! Would you mind sharing why Muhlenberg and Bennington dropped off the list? My D sounds like a very mindset and we’re looking at those two…plus a few more on your list. 
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List looks good, and Occidental and Oberlin were the first two that jumped to my mind when talking about your son.
It’s funny, I toured Oberlin when I was applying to colleges and liked it, but I got into my ED school and didn’t apply. Then I made D21 tour it (RIGHT before Covid hit). I loved it again, and D really liked it, but she also got into her ED school and didn’t end up applying. Sigh. Maybe D #2 or an eventual grandchild will apply…
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I would 100% EA to Lawrence. If you get good news on Dec 15th, that becomes you safety. If you get bad, time to radically modify the list.
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He might want to look at Brevard or UNC-Asheville (super liberal in a super liberal city).
When I read your description Oberlin was what popped in my head too.
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I’m also a co’22 applying to college. I live near LA and near the consortium pitzer is in. keep in mind that pizter is part of the Claremont consortium which is 5 colleges clustered together, so realistically it wouldn’t feel as small as it may be advertised.
swarthmore (near Philly) is very very reachy but it’s personally a top choice of mine. don’t know much about the music department but good for poli sci I think (which is my prospective major). the school is small (1.5k ish). I’ve heard that it’s a very tight knit and welcoming community, and it’s based on quaker traditions but not religiously affiliated.
Look at Franklin & Marshall as well. They divide the kids into “houses” in their dorms (like Harry Potter) to help facilitate a sense of belonging. They were interested in my daughter because she plays a classical instument and the orchestra director contacted her. She didn’t end up going there ultimately but they seemed friendly an I had a good feeling about them.
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Why no Vassar or Wesleyan if Conn College?
And Dickinson would be a likely as well.
Yes, a visit to Lawrence is planned for the fall to see if the reality matches the great first impressions. Meeting with a music student is a terrific idea. Thanks!
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I think Wesleyan and Macalester would both be awesome fits for him (especially Wesleyan). I suppose the only reason that they didn’t get a closer look is because the list already felt a bit reach heavy with Pitzer, Skidmore, Oxy, and Oberlin, and I wanted to keep as many “match” schools as possible in the mix given the uncertainty with T.O. applicants. Also, I’d rather that he do a great job on 10-12 applications, than be one of those kids who’s flinging out 15-20 apps indiscriminately.
That’s reassuring. I’d love to see him at Oberlin…just not sure how competitive he’ll be. I’m assuming being full pay will help him at some of his schools, but I suspect less so there.
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Wesleyan full-pay might not be as reachy as you think; even if it was, it is such an awesome fit that I would drop one of the other schools. Don’t underestimate the value of full-pay for schools with smaller endowments and significant financial aid commitments, such as Vassar and Wesleyan in your potential group. Why not Vassar?
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I’ll admit that this list is more of a 95% + 95% +90% +90% = 100%. And I know that’s not technically how math works, but then again the small LAC’s are holistic enough that there aren’t many auto-admits. I’m also planning on including EA for at least a couple of his highly likely schools to take a bit of the pressure off.
Honestly, I think Muhlenberg would have been a great match. No good reason it dropped off other than he looked at it alongside Dickinson, and it didn’t impress him as much. Bennington fell into the same category as Reed for him in that it was a tiny bit too far “out there” (whatever that is supposed to mean). Of course, Oberlin and Pitzer passed the test, so I can’t really claim that he’s 100% consistent 
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Agree. That’s definitely part of the plan.
We’re visiting Pitzer next week, so it will be good to see if the consortium makes it feel too big. Love Swarthmore to death, but yes, it is almost certainly too reachy. Also, I think the workload is pretty intense, and honestly might be too much for him
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Thanks for the suggestion about F&M. Like the school a lot, but was concerned about the Greek system there. Will have him take another look before we head out to visit Dickinson. Thanks!
Vassar was just teenage randomness. My impression was that Wesleyan would be a much bigger stretch admission-wise than Conn. Am I way off base?
Gosh, I hope you’re right. I was assuming it was a bit more of a 50/50 - but then again, I tend to be pessimistic about these things, and I’ll admit I don’t know the Dickinson admission process well (though I gather they care about demonstrated interest quit a bit).
I was really thinking Vassar when I first read your description of your son. It seems like a great social fit for him and they have lots of artsy and quirky kids. Oh well, your list looks great. Good luck!
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