<p>I'm having trouble getting a list together... I have one, but I'm not at all sure what I want from my college so don't know how to narrow down/add.
I'm looking for a northeast/mid-Atlantic college that's laid back, but where people still take academics seriously. I think I want a medium sized 4000-12000 undergrad school; too small and I wouldn't have as many opportunities in friends, EC's, etc, and too big and I'll be overwhelmed as a relatively shy person (at first). I'd like it to be either naturally beautiful or in a decent city, if possible.
Here are my stats:
SAT 2260, SAT II's in Math, bio, and history, a little less than 700 for each
GPA 3.8 (might go down to 3.7 or 3.6 with senior year)
in top 5% at public hs
EC's: on and off clubs, soccer 1 year, honor societies, martial arts</p>
<p>Also, I was looking at UVM, but my mom said it'd be a safety school and would prefer me going somewhere else. I was considering the honors program... Honors program at less prestigious university vs. more prestigious one?</p>
<p>I know there's no way I find a school that will fit me perfectly, but I can be flexible.
Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Have you looked at UNC-CH? It seems perfect, has a super nice and friendly student body, great academics, and arguably the nicest campus in the country. I agree with your mom, UVM seems random and personally I think the value of honors programs just isn’t worth it unless you are going into something like medicine where the job placement or network don’t matter.</p>
<p>Other than that also look into Northwestern (low reach…its worth the trip to chicago), Duke (reach), Cornell (low reach), Dartmouth (reach), Georgetown (low reach), and Brown (reach).</p>
<p>I second Brown for a reach school. It meets your criteria and Providence is a great little city. also consider Tufts for more of a low reach/high match. It’s just north of Boston with easy access to the city.</p>
<p>I would not limit the list to schools in the 4000-12000 range. there are a numberr of LACs (1500-3000) in the NE that offer strong academic programs and outstanding list of ECs. students attending usually do not have trouble making new friends.</p>
<p>School you might want to look at:
Williams
Hamilton
Bowdoin
Amherst
Colby
Bates
Trinity</p>
<p>I don’t consider Duke or Cornell to be laid back at all. Students at both tend to be quite ambitious, type-A sort of kids, and they take a lot of pride in how hard they work, etc.</p>
<p>I think Brandeis fits your criteria pretty well, and isn’t as reachy as Brown.</p>
<p>The Lehigh/Lafayette/Bucknell group might also be what you’re looking for, depending on how you feel about prominent Greek systems.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies! I’ll check out these schools.
I’m not at all sure of what I want to do, but had some ideas, one of them being engineering, but again, this is only a possibility, so i’m not sure whether to cross of the LACs that don’t offer engineering. I’m decent at math but don’t enjoy it too much, but hated bio, was ambivalent about chem, and am only starting physics. I think I wanted a strong pre-professional program because I had no idea what you would do with a history major or something. I’m visiting Tufts tomorrow and doing the engineering session, so hopefully I’ll have a better idea.
I heard that small LAC’s often feel like just an extension of high school, and I’m looking for a college experience… is this true?
My friend’s sister goes to cornell, and she said that the reputation of being a pressure and stressful school comes from its ease, relative to the other ivies, of getting in. Any one from cornell here?
Thanks again!</p>
<p>From what I have heard about Tufts, it is not “laid back” at all, LOL…
You will be able to form your own opinion after Friday’s engineering session, though!</p>
<p>Brown only accepts about 10 percent of those apply, so I think it is a bit of a reach. Cornell would actually be a little easier to get into, though I can’t vouch for its mellowness. Some schools that might work are Haverford (though small–okay, wait, it’s just probably too small), Brandeis, William and Mary, University of Richmond, Franklin and Marshall (again, maybe smallish), SUNY Geneseo or Binghamton, The College of New Jersey, BU? and I agree with schools like Georgetown, and others mentioned above. University of Virginia’s another great one.</p>
<p>PATRIOT LEAGUE SCHOOLS (football). They are very strong. Prestigious. Well balanced. Not cut-throat. Not pretentious. Outstanding feeders for graduate and professional schools. Varied locations. All unique with programs to suit individual needs and aspirations. Right size for you. </p>
<p>They will all throw money at you big time. You will excel academically (and maybe socially) at these schools, yet be very challenged.</p>
<p>[2011’s</a> Most Stressful Colleges - The Daily Beast](<a href=“2011's Most Stressful Colleges”>2011's Most Stressful Colleges)
That’s a list of the most stressful colleges 2011, notice how all the best colleges are considered stressful lol. That’s just something I think everyone has to deal with, but it won’t be too bad.</p>
<p>For the size that you want, you said up to 12,000, consider Syracuse. It’s loads of fun, lots of campus spirit, good academics, and a wide variety of majors available.</p>
<p>“I heard that small LAC’s often feel like just an extension of high school, and I’m looking for a college experience… is this true?”</p>
<p>I’ve heard this only from students who attend the residential prep schools in NE that feed into the preppier NE LACs, so I assume there is similarity. But I don’t think this is true for the majority of the student body at LACs generally. If you are really worried about this, take a look at some of the excellent not-especially preppy urban and suburban LACs in the NE and mid-atlantic: Swarthmore, Haverford, and Vassar would be examples.</p>
<p>two more things:
I have plenty of reach schools that I’m interested in, but very few matches.
Also, the schools should have an engineering program, even though i’m only considering this.
Thanks!</p>
<p>I"m glad you’re focused on finding matches, because to be perfectly honest, apart from your class rank, I don’t see anything compelling in your record to think that you’d get into the Ivies or a school like Williams. Your SATII scores are low and your ECs don’t indicate a sense of passion or achievement, unless the martial arts fits that bill, or you have some other interest that you pursued but aren’t putting down here. For the LACs remember, they are also looking for students who will contribute to student life on campus, so outside interests are important to them.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong: you are a great candidate for many wonderful schools. But, focus on the matches, and even make your reaches less of a stretch than the Ivies and the uber-selective LACs.</p>
<p>I agree with suggestions like Brandeis and Rochester and with M’s Mom’s suggestions about the types of LACs you should look for. </p>
<p>Would you consider broadening your search to the midwest? There are alot of really wonderful schools there, particularly for LACs where the atmosphere really is different than in the northeast.</p>
<p>Extension of hs. *I’ve heard this only from students who attend the residential prep schools in NE that feed into the preppier NE LACs…*At first, fast read, I thought you wrote “feed into the crappier NE LACs.” </p>
<p>Most of the better NE LACS are pretty laid back- and NOT like hs- because they are a collection of motivated kids, many of whom were prepared for Ivies, but didn’t get in. Most are, I’d say, a cooperative educational/intellectural experience rather than competitive. The kids work hard, but bond. The issue is that most LACs won’t have engineering. But, they can have rigrorous math-sci.
Swarthmore has eng; Vassar offers a dual program with Dartmouth. Haverford doesn’t have it.</p>
<p>You want engineering, but said, “I’m decent at math but don’t enjoy it too much, but hated bio, was ambivalent about chem, and am only starting physics.” Understand that the stronger the rep of the college, the fiercer the expectations and competition within a STEM program.</p>
<p>Sdoncc, yeah, this is what I’m worried about. I hate not having much to show for myself in the EC’s; for 16 years, I’ve pretty much been wasting my free time and half-assing things that I do (I’m mainly into art, martial arts, and longboarding). I decided to get good at these things and become passionate about them too, but with senior year, it’s hard to find the time (I work part time every day, have a decent amount of homework that i procrastinate on, etc). I’m working on it though. </p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys!
my tentative list:
reaches: i won’t bother listing them, there are too many
matches/low matches: (not too sure about these): UVA, virginia tech, lehigh, GWU, Boston college, and others. UNC-CH, but since i’m out of state, it seems like a reach
Safeties: University of Washington (random, but I have family out there and love seattle, and it’s a good school), Umass amherst, UVM, CU-Boulder (again random, looked pretty decent), and otherrs. this section won’t be hard to expand/modify either</p>
<p>I agree completely with SDonCC re your chances, based on what you’ve told us here. Is your GPA weighted or unweighted? How is your course rigor? What is your SAT breakdown? </p>
<p>I think that you should be concentrating more on the Lehigh/Bucknell range of schools when looking for matches. I think that Tufts is a good idea, but would classify it as a reach also; albeit a lower reach than Brown, which is a super-reach. I don’t think I would count on U VA as a match. Based on the results of OOS kids I know, it is a low reach, at least. It is quite possible that UW is more of a match than a safety for an OOS student, not sure.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that you shouldn’t apply to reaches: I think you should cast a wide net. BTW, maybe I missed it, but do you need significant FA?</p>
<p>U VM seems like a good safety for you. All of the kids I know who go there like it very much, and none of them were academic slouches in HS.</p>
<p>You might want to investigate Wesleyan. Swarthmore is a LAC with engineering, but a big reach for you.</p>