We were just looking at Whitman the other day, thanks!
I actually think Agnes Scott would be a good fit and corresponded with someone there about the culture. My daughter is not keen to consider Georgia for the same culture and climate reasons as Florida, she had a negative experience living in Little Rock and I can’t convince her that the Atlanta area would be different. This is one that I wish we could visit (not during the summer).
1 Like
Thanks for these thoughts, good reminder to think about logistics. We will at least be back in the US after her graduation but it could be Hawaii or across the country so that’s a factor for sure. If she wants a small town she’ll need to consider airport access.
She’s definitely seeking a liberal environment and LGBTQ+ culture would be a plus, no labels currently attached. I can understand what you mean by not all students being comfortable.
For those criteria, this survey-based ranking could serve as a source for ideas:
3 Likes
Agnes Scott College located in a very liberal part of the Atlanta Metro - Decatur. School has a small, but beautiful campus. Definitely LGBTQ friendly. I am so very impressed with several alumnas I worked with in the past.
I understand your D’s hesitation as far as GA culture and GA climate:).
2 Likes
I understand your bringing an engineering mindset to this and wanting data to submit, but in the current climate and with your daughter’s specific barriers regarding math prep, I’d be solution oriented and focus on test optional schools.
5 Likes
I second the suggestion of Scripps.
6 Likes
Agree 100% on the lack of grade discussion at Haverford. Swat was the same. Our student was inside the mid 50%, but not by a lot. What I remember most about the acceptance was going back into Naviance afterward and laughing at what I’m sure others have since assumed was a (non-existent) hook. There were dozens of kids with “better” numbers who were rejected, but none of them would have likely been a better member of the community. Most of the selective LAC’s seem very good at picking students that will thrive. It’s actually been amazing to witness.
@milgymfam - what I was left wondering by your comment is if your schools are somehow not teaching to the test as much as others? I don’t say that as a negative…I support learning for learning…not testing. It strikes me that maybe a lot of families in your community might struggle with comparisons that aren’t truly indicative of performance or ability?
For the OP, I would suggest that the experiences of your student would be very attractive at all of the LACs mentioned.
7 Likes
I was talking about how unimportant grades are that are given in college, that the whole obsession with grades could be left in high school. I was suggesting the OP’s daughter would enjoy a college where everyone isn’t comparing GPAs all the time (something my D has seen in some of her friends). Haverford, for example, has an unofficial rule that kids don’t discuss their grades with each other- I was guessing Bryn Mawr to be similar because of how close they are to each other, institutionally.
As for high school itself, my kids were homeschooled, so it was more an observation of how obsessed their friends/teammates were with grades and placements and whatnot during that time. The only time my kids had any way of even seeing a comparison of themselves to others was in DE- one was on the deans list and both invited to the honors programs at their community college… which they took to assume their grades were comparatively good.
2 Likes
Sounds like OP has been given a good list, and I really think that with the exception of Wellesley and Barnard, she is a likely admit at any other women’s college if she applies ED. Best of luck to her.
3 Likes
A few more to think about:
Vassar
Sarah Lawrence
Skidmore
Hobart/William Smith
Occidental
Whitman
3 Likes
With regard to Agnes Scott, I understand your daughter’s concerns about culture & climate. A couple of things to note:
-
Atlanta is the highest city on the East Coast (1100’ elevation)and as a result has a milder climate than most other places in the South. Yes, summers are hot, but she’s not going to be there in the summer except August/September, bit those same months can be hot up north too. For most of the school year, the climate is pretty mild.
-
And as was pointed out by RussianMom and Merc81, it has an LGBTQ+ friendly campus culture.
3 Likes
Thanks to all for taking the time to share your thoughts, maybe I can come back for more input down the road… 
5 Likes
I went to Haverford and can confirm that discussing grades was not a thing. I was very internally competitive as a high school student, so it was a great decision for my mental health. Re. the women’s college environment: she could also take classes or even major at Bryn Mawr.
1 Like
We also live in Japan. Pre-pandemic, there used to be several college fairs in Tokyo each fall - one was under the auspices of EducationUSA, which is connected with the US government, and the other was held at one of the international schools but with other schools’ students invited to join. It seems that EducationUSA is trying to do something similar online during the pandemic, and it might be worth checking with them. The college fairs were quite helpful to my son, and he was actually able to form pretty accurate judgments about the participating schools after speaking with their representatives (sometimes alumni, sometimes AOs). The AOs for a number of schools also did the rounds of the Tokyo-area schools individually. That’s probably not happening this year, but your daughter should consider reaching out to the AOs at schools she is particularly interested in. If you look at the Admissions staff on the colleges’ websites, you can find which AO has responsibility for international applicants or Asia. My son is a US citizen, hence, like your daughter, not really an international applicant, but these AOs will be the most familiar with your area and they were very happy to be contacted and to help.
1 Like
Our D started with ACT 29, and SAT ~1310, and at one point, she insisted she just couldn’t process fast enough to improve it. It was extremely frustrating for her and for us - we knew her potential.
With some one-on-one tutoring that soon moved to Zoom, she ended up with ACT 34 in one sitting and 1530 composite SAT, almost exclusively improving the math and science parts. Her story is not unique, and I firmly believe it is all teachable.
Even though she will attend the next-door Pomona, admitted ED1, we strongly considered the gorgeous Scripps too, and just look how close these 5 colleges in Claremont are for cross-registration.
Bryn Mawr would be our second choice. We’ve had similar preferences for an LGBTQ-friendly place.
But the most important piece of unsolicited advice comes now: I’m sure your daughter has quite a story to tell. I can only imagine all these culture clashes between the military, the exotic foreign places - fitting in must have been a high-wire act! If she can tell it really well in her essays (it’s naturally interesting), she can aim really high!
4 Likes
(how do you delete a post? I accidentally hit reply to the wrong person.)
She should definitely take a look at Hollins University in the mountains of Roanoke VA. It’s is a women’s university (some male grad students, all women undergrad), very collaborative rather than competitive, very fiscally healthy, great study abroad programs (including in Japan), very liberal and politically active, friendly LGBTQ scene. It can get warm in the summer, but she would probably be off doing something else then. I think her stats would be great for Hollins. It seems like the young women who go there really really love it. Definitely worth exploring online if you can’t get there in person.
3 Likes
If she can get her SAT up, or go test-optional, these are some additional options for an all-women experience:
Wellesley
Bryn Mawr
Smith
Barnard
Scripps
At Wellesley, she could also take classes at MIT.
At Bryn Mawr, she could also take classes at UPenn, Swarthmore, and Haverford.
At Smith, she could also take classes at Amherst College, Mt Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass-Amherst.
At Barnard, she could also take classes at Columbia. Barnard is actually part of Columbia U.
At Scripps, she could take classes at the other Claremont Colleges – Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer.
So each of these schools offers curricular flexibility through arrangements with other great nearby schools.
2 Likes