LAC suggestions?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! Current junior here. I very much like what I see in LACs, and I’ll probably apply ED to one. I’m not too sure about which one is the wisest bet. I know that “fit” is more important, but I also want to combine that with a solid chance ED. I’m not completely hung up on prestige, but I’d like to keep the suggestions at #23 or above in the US News list, as these are the schools I perceive to have the best reputation and anything below that is a target/safety according to admissions stats. In a previous thread, I made a somewhat arbitrary list and asked CC, but the best policy given my limited knowledge seems to be letting CC make the list.

Just a note: I’m already interested in Grinnell, but its location is a bit off-putting. I’m definitely applying (ED or RD) but I’d like more schools with similar fit and a Northeast or Mid-Atlantic location so that I have more freedom to decide.

If it helps, I’m an Asian Indian male in the Bay Area. Stats:
3.7 UW GPA with 7 APs and 6 honors classes taken so far. Yes, yes, it’s bad. I know. I predict (pessimistically) that the GPA will stay around a 3.7 after junior year is done (see more detail below). I’m currently taking 5 APs and 1 honors class.
4.2 W GPA according to my school’s system, which is similar to the UC system except it accounts for pluses and minuses.
ACT: 36 Composite
Gonna take the math 2 and physics subject tests. Hoping for 800 in math and something ok in physics.

I think that more detail about my grades is required to give the full picture. Key points:

  • Definite upward trend. Worst grades were freshman year (6 B grades in total for both semesters, with the worst grade being a B- in honors biology) with 3 honors classes. 1 B+ per semester sophomore year, and the rest were As or A-es with 2 APs and 2 honors. In junior year, I’m looking at 2 B+es first semester, as APUSH and AP English are very deflated at my school, and 2 A-es in Calc AB and honors physics. Can probably do better second semester, but the pessimistic estimate is that I’ll do the same and keep my 3.7.
  • Math grades have been consistently poor (straight B+es) until this year, as I’m on track for an A- in AP Calc AB. In fact, my only B grades sophomore year were in honors precalculus.

Interests: Computer science combined with the humanities, and applied to solve social issues.

Extracurriculars (nothing special here):

  • Board member, creative writing club and quiz bowl team at my school
  • Very good quiz bowl player with lots of top-10 individual finishes in Bay Area tournaments. In fact, I and one other player may have gotten our team nationally ranked.
  • Currently contributing code to a well-known nonprofit that builds education infrastructure in a 3WC
  • 3+ years teaching computer programming at public library
  • Won 5 hackathons with interesting projects (eg. using face AI to help Alzheimer’s patients)
  • Yoga. I’ve got a 200-hour teaching certification from Yoga Alliance. Currently I teach at my local library. This is by far the most unique one.

Essays: I know it’s early to comment on this, but I’m highly confident in my writing skills and I’m sure I can craft a great essay. I’ll probably write about yoga for the Common App, and the supplementals will come together after I learn more about the colleges.

Intended major is computer science with some combination of the humanities, such as philosophy or linguistics. This is what steered me towards LACs, as I’m far from your typical UC Berkeley STEM applicant and I wouldn’t do well there. Incidentally, UIUC CS+X appeals to me for this reason.

So what are your thoughts? What LACs are a good fit for my interests and give me a good shot, ED or RD?

2

Not quite sure what you are looking for. If Grinnell is your first choice, coming back East feels like you would be going in the wrong direction. The Amherst-Wiliams-Middlebury lacrosse guy stereotype doesn’t sound like you although they each have their charms. Williams has a very popular Math Dept.

You say, you are interested in “CS-Humanities”, but Wesleyan with its humongous list of writer alumni - specifically - did not do it for you in a previous thread.

Have you thought about Swarthmore? I forget what you said about it in the other thread.

Basically, that leaves Vassar and Hamilton.

3

OP, you should do well in the college application process, but some of the LACs in the 23-50 range are not safeties. Be careful, and best of luck!

4

It sounds as though your academic interests would be best furthered by free choice in course selection. If so, then consider open curriculum schools such as Hamilton and Amherst.

5

Be careful; some LACs have experienced increasing popularity in CS the department has difficulty accommodating while maintaining the traditional LAC attribute of smaller classes. For example, Swarthmore has limits on the number of CS courses that a CS major can take: https://www.swarthmore.edu/computer-science/2018-19-changes-to-cs-major . There is also a lottery to get into CS courses: https://www.swarthmore.edu/computer-science/lottery-wait-list-info .

Beyond that, check to see what CS courses the department offers and how frequently. LACs vary in the size of and offering in their CS departments.

6

Not an LAC but URochester might appeal to you, given your interest in both sciences and humanities. Open curriculum so somewhat easy to double major if you wanted to do so.

7

If you like the vibe of Grinnell, I think you’d like Wesleyan, Macalester (not East Coast), and maybe Haverford.

8

Do you have any financial constraints? If you are not okay spending $300,000 over four years, have you run the NPCs on some potentially appropriate LACs?

9

Reed in Portland should give you a good shot, and could be a good mix of CS, humanities and social issues. Reed meets full need, in case you have any.

10

Not an LAC, but since you are from the Bay area, have you looked at University of San Francisco?

11

@ECmotherx2 nope, and I’d never go there. Why would I pay private-U tuition when I have excellent public safeties like San Jose State University and UC Santa Cruz? Even if I wanted to go to a private university, SCU is markedly better known than USF and still a semi-safety for me.

@vonlost Yes, Reed is great, and possibly the only exception to my top-23 rule. My parents would definitely be opposed to it, however, as they want “mainstream” choices (it was already difficult to convince them that LACs in general were actually good). I’ll probably apply to it RD though.

@circuitrider forgive me for not doing enough research on Wes. I did some more, and I do think Wes is an option. I must have spoken too soon in the previous thread. As for Swarthmore… haha, I think my admissions chance there is pretty clear (hint: it’s a number that rhymes with “hero”). And there’s the CS dept issue that @ucbalumnus mentioned.

@taverngirl Yes! I was looking at Rochester way back in June, but my relative doing her master’s degree at NYU said she hated the Rochester students she saw, haha. Clearly, her sample size was too small; Rochester seems to be a very good smallish university with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary studies – almost like Tufts, with which it’s tied this year in the rankings. My only qualm is my lack of knowledge about its CS department; could you shed some light on that?

12

@deneuralyzer I don’t have any specific knowledge on the CS program. My d has a friend that is majoring in it and happy so far, but nothing further than that.

13

What about the Claremont consortium schools. They are all considered top schools and different vibes.

14

I didn’t read your other thread. I think you should take a close look at Macalester - it’s going to be a little easier to get into for you than Wes/ Vassar/ Swarthmore, and even though it’s in the midwest it’s right in St Paul which aside from the weather is a really nice city. While you are there, if you go out to check it out, go look at St Olaf. I don’t think this would end up as your top choice but could end up as a good safety-target option for you although Northfield might be too rural for you (at least it’s only about an hour outside of the twin cities though, which is better than Grinnell).

15

‘but I’d like to keep the suggestions at #23 or above in the US News list’

Okay, so there are only 23 school you are interested in, and even among those, you only want information on those in the north east or maybe midatlantic.

Seems you already know which schools you are interested in. What do you want from CC? I don’t even know which schools are listed in the 23 but you do.