LACs and suggestions please?!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, I'm a rising senior and am looking at Amherst and Pomona as my top two so far. I have a clump of other schools after that, but none I've researched as thoroughly as my first two choices. That being said... Please chance me and if you can, throw some suggestions my way? </p>

<p>Female, Korean
Large Californian public school
Middle class</p>

<p>Rank: 1/520
GPA: 4.0/4.0
SAT: 2210
SATII: Physics 740, MathII 800
ACT: 32</p>

<p>Taken 3/3 honors courses offered at my school
Taken 3/4 AP courses allowed up until now</p>

<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Gov
AP Econ Macro
AP Calc BC
AP Euro
AP Lit
Biotech
Physiology </p>

<p>Haven't gotten any AP scores back, but I'm guessing 4-5s on Physics B, Calc AB, and Language. I'm also waiting on my SAT Lit score tomorrow. </p>

<p>Extra-curriculars:
CSF officer 2009
Founding member and publicist of a health club 2010-present
NHS, MHS 2011-2012 (school only allows selected seniors to join)</p>

<p>Volleyball 2008-2009
Varsity school track 4 years
Club track (year round) 2009-present
Track Outdoor Nationals relay finalist 2010
West Coast JOs 100m finalist 2010
Simplot relay finalist 2011 </p>

<p>Piano (14 years), National Guild Member 3x
Violin (7 years), I've done a handful of school/youth orchestras and string quartets... Held some positions (concert mistress, etc), and a high rating for a solo from a judging competition-like event </p>

<p>Work
Teaching music to little kids since 2008</p>

<p>I'll probably send in arts and athletic supplements, and I'm already talking to a few of the coaches from some schools, Amherst included. </p>

<p>That being said, chance me for Amherst + Pomona, and any other suggestions? I like smaller sized schools over large universities (although schools like NYU I wouldn't mind- SO much going on there!), I like the New England area, and it can't be located in the middle of nowhere... Not heavy on the partying/drinking/drugs/frats/sororities, and not too cutthroat (you know, competitive, but not so in your face about it). And North Carolina is about as far south as I can handle- the weather and I below there do NOT mix well!</p>

2

<p>Look at Davidson and William & Mary as well. Bigger sports/school spirit as well as much, much better weather. New England winter would be a huge change from CA.</p>

3

<p>chrrch, You should definitely look at Williams (even though it’s more rural than you think you might like). Everything on your resume makes you a strong admit for Williams – academics, athletics, music, Asian. Lots of overlap in character/ambience with Amherst and Pomona, but greater emphasis on the arts and (in my opinion only) higher acceptance rate for Asians. Talk to the coach and visit before you eliminate.</p>

<p>Davidson is a good suggestion. I would also look at Wesleyan and Bowdoin. For less selectives: Conn College, Trinity.</p>

<p>As a safety I would add one of the women’s colleges – Smith or Holyoke.</p>

<p>What’s your financial situation? Do you need financial aid? If yes, do you qualify for need based aid? This is the most important consideration right now.</p>

4

<p>You should look at Bowdoin, Williams, and Colby as well. Colby and Williams might be a little too isolated for you though. </p>

<p>Sent from my iPhone using CC</p>

5

<p>Deffinetly suggest tufts university. It is a 5 minute drive from Boston in the nice college area of Medford and Somerville. Don’t be fooled by the title of the most dangerous college in America. There are actually two campuses, the main campus in medford and the dental/medical school in a rough neighborhood of Boston’s Chinatown. It is also a NESCAC, in the same league as Williams and Amherst. Haverford and Swarthmore are in beautiful neighborhoods right outside of Philly, and even Barnard in NYC is a good choice.</p>

6

<p>Holy Cross would be a good option-very good LAC with nice campus and great science programs located just 1 hour from Boston. HC seeks diversity, has no frats/greek life, and a fantastic alumni network. HC is not that religious like Georgetown. HC and Davidson are 2 of a few selective LAC’s located near major cities.</p>

7

<p>I was actually looking at Davidson a bit too. I’ll need to do more digging up about it to find out more though!
And I think I should be okay with New England weather… I actually used to live up in Idaho for a few years- I know it probably doesn’t compare, but I absolutely loved the snow there, and I love when it rains! I actually prefer cold weather over the hot. That’s why I think NC is the most southern state I can tolerate… I was right above in Virginia last summer, and oh man, humidity was NOT my friend. </p>

<p>momrath- I actually was looking at Williams too and even went to one of their presentation nights in California earlier in the year. I loved almost everything about it (especially the tutorials and their winter study), except for that it’s more rural than I like, even though I heard that there’s always something to do there. I am still planning on applying and filled out the recruitment prospective form, but were I to get into Amherst, I’d definitely go there instead! </p>

<p>I know I’ll be needing financial aid, but I’m still a bit confused about need based vs non need based. My family is middle class, but I also have an older brother in college and my dad has returned to school to take classes, hoping to switch careers. </p>

<p>Returning back to Amherst and Pomona though, would these schools be reaches for me? And if so, how much of a reach? (And these schools are kind of completely in different fields), but what about NYU, U of Chicago, and Northeastern? All three of these schools flooded my mailbox with their ‘apply here!’ flyers (U of Chicago actually sent me mail 5 straight days in a row at one point, with posters and everything)- so much so that I actually decided to look them up and dig around a bit, and while they’re not the smaller sized schools I’m looking at, I love their locations and how much activity goes on around.</p>

<p>I’ll look into the schools all of you have suggested. Thank you!</p>

8

<p>Amherst and Pomona are reaches for everyone. As such, it is very difficult to accurately evaluate your chances; the best thing you can do for yourself at this point is write great essays that show that you’re a good fit for the schools. (What do you mean by “different fields”? Geographically? Academically?)</p>

<p>UChicago is a reach for you as well, but NYU and Northeastern are probably matches. Chicago has a fairly small class of undergraduates, but is definitely not an LAC.</p>

<p>Pomona seems like a good fit for you, except for how it’s really, really far away from New England. Some good choices might be Wesleyan, Haverford, and perhaps Vassar? It’s not as selective as some others, and although it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, it’s pretty close to New York.</p>

9

<p>Financial aid: “Middle class” with two children in college is difficult to predict. A lot will depend on your family’s assets.</p>

<p>Most selective colleges in the Northeast like Amherst, Williams, Pomona only offer need based aid. I’m not sure about Davidson. </p>

<p>To find out how much you may be eligible for ask your parents to use an on-line calculator. This will give you an estimate of what to expect, but your actual package may be more, may be less. Or it may be more loans and less grants. </p>

<p>If the estimated family contribution is doable for your family, then proceed with the colleges on your list. If it’s not doable or if it’s borderline, then you need to look at colleges that offer merit aid. There’s a lot of information on this site about good merit colleges, but in general, they are not the most selective colleges. </p>

<p>Some suggestions for good merit aid would be Smith, Macalester and Grinnell. You will undoubtedly say you don’t want all women’s and you don’t want Midwest, you don’t want rural. But if it turns out that you need merit aid you’re going to have to make some tradeoffs.</p>

<p>You should also look into the possibility of an athletic scholarship. Not doable at many on your current list, but something to investigate at other colleges.</p>

<p>Pomona and Amherst are reaches for everyone, but there’s nothing in your background that would keep you out and a lot that would get you in. You do, however, need to clarify your financial situation first thing. Of the three your best bet would be Williams for the reasons mentioned above: big emphasis on the arts, Asians are still considered URMs.</p>

<p>Northeastern would definitely be a safety. I’m not sure about UChicago or NYU. Again, work out the finances first.</p>

10

<p>I don’t have anything helpful to add but I just wanted to put out there that we are eerily similar-- stats, location, family, ethnicity, classes, piano, colleges you’re considering, your opinions… Very odd! I could have posted this thread a year ago. I’m an incoming freshman at amherst (chicago was my first choice), feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.</p>

<p>I’m still reeling at how weird this is!</p>

11

<p>I would say, definitely Wesleyan if you’re serious about pursuing some type of science resuearch during the school year (with its tiny year-round graduate population you won’t have to wait for summer internships to find projects) and if you like rain, there’s plenty of that in southern New England. Though, Middletown is not exactly big, Wesleyan’s location puts it pretty close to its center; a CVS, Burger King, pizza parlors, sandwich shops, ethnic restaurants, and a nice hotel are all within walking distance. </p>

<p>While its party scene gets lots of publicity, the best thing about Wesleyan socially is probably the housing system with its graduated doses of independent living culminating in literal neighborhood houses that have been converted into small dormitories (with high speed internet access, regulation college furniture and, of course, kitchens.) Frankly, the pot-luck dinner is probably Wesleyan’s most ubiquitous social occasion.</p>

12

<p>Wheaton College (MA) with Providence (RI) & Boston (MA) accessible by public transportation. About 1550 undergrads, small classes, Division III Athletics (women’s track & field & volleyball), merit aid, need-based aid. Highest merit is the Balfour, which is $17,500/year and a one-time $3,000 stipend for research, community service, or career development, which can be used during the summer of your sophomore or junior year.
Housing for all 4 years, and no Greek Life. </p>

<p>[About</a> the College | Wheaton College](<a href=“http://wheatoncollege.edu/about/]About”>http://wheatoncollege.edu/about/)</p>

13

<p>I go to Pomona. If at some point in the admissions process you would like some advice, feel free to message me, and I’ll do my best to help. Same with any questions regarding the school. Obviously nothing on your application would keep you out of Pomona or Amherst, but to be blunt, it’s extremely to get into Pomona if you’re an Asian or white girl from California. Definitely emphasize your passion for track and music in your application and your accomplishments in those areas. If you can get a recommendation from the coach at Pomona, it would do a lot toward getting in. If you can separate Amherst and Pomona, applying ED would help too.</p>

<p>As for other suggestions, Claremont McKenna is very similar in quality to Pomona. If you like Pomona, there isn’t a lot to stop you from liking CMC. Definitely look into Swarthmore and Haverford as top LACs near a great city. Wesleyan is also a great option, but it’s not urban. Same for Vassar. As a safety-match, consider Bard. Williams and Middlebury are obviously extremely rural. Columbia, UChicago, and Harvard can work if you’re really interested in the big cities, though I’ll throw out there that I think the top LACs are better for undergrad.</p>