Less Selective LACs

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My current list is very top-heavy, meaning I have more reaches than anything. I'm very into the artsy, liberal colleges where I have open choices in choosing my classes. I'm interested in economics. </p>

<p>My overall stats are 28 ACT, excellent EC's (president, VP, etc.), good grades with a 3.7 GPA (upward scale from freshman to senior year, with almost all A's junior year and senior year). I live in a low-income family.</p>

<p>My current list includes Vassar, Bowdoin, New College of Florida, Brown.</p>

<p>What are some more schools similar to those above, but are more appropriate for me to apply to as a target, or even a safety?</p>

2

<p>Lafayette College has well-respected economics department. It is the school’s most popular major. LC also offers good merit aid, as about 10% of each incoming class are offered Marquis Scholarships.</p>

3

<p>Well, take a look at these & see if any of them interest you, best of luck in your search! </p>

<p>Hobart & William Smith (NY)
Hamilton College (NY)
Middlebury College (VT)
Skidmore College (NY)
Bennington College (VT)
Wheaton College (MA)
Connecticut College (CT)
St. Lawrence University (NY)
Colgate University (NY)
College of Holy Cross (MA)</p>

4

<p>^wow, that’s a great list from Slumom! </p>

<p>I would also suggest that you buy the book, Colleges That Change Lives (you’ll see if mentioned here on cc alot as CTCL). Here’s the link the their website with the full list of colleges:</p>

<p>[CTCL</a> E-News January 2011 | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/news/e-news-jan11]CTCL”>http://www.ctcl.org/news/e-news-jan11)</p>

<p>I would specifically suggest Beloit, Ohio Wesleyan, Knox. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Skidmore sounds like a great match for your interests and profile. Hamilton, Colgate, and Middlebury can’t be considered less-selective LACs, and are reaches for almost anyone. Middlebury’s admit rate was 17 percent last year; Colgate and Hamilton were around 33 percent. Your ACT is within Hamilton’s middle 50 percent, though toward the lower end (27-31). At Colgate, the mid-50 range is 29-32; at Middlebury, it’s 30-33.</p>

6

<p>^^I agree with frazzled. Some of those schools are difficult to get into. Not safeties. Middlebury? Colgate? Hamilton? Connecticut College may be a possibility. </p>

<p>How about Goucher, Clark, Ithaca, Alfred as safeties? Skidmore sounds like a perfect target school for you. Don’t know much about Sarah Lawrence, but you can check that out.</p>

7

<p>St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a public LAC.</p>

8

<p>you haven’t mentioned your class rigor. Your grades are great, but are they in the advanced course levels offered by your school? What class rank / percentile are you in (ie, how easy is it to get As at your school). And, while you have leadership positions, do your ECs demonstrate some clear passion, commitment and achievement? For the reach schools you’re talking about, these factors are going to be very important, particularly given your ACT score. </p>

<p>You say you are low-income. Are you also first - generation college student and /or a URM? </p>

<p>Also, are you male or female? If you’re male, then your odds will be better, and where are you from? </p>

<p>All of these factors play into how competitive you can be at some of these schools and help people figure out what really might be reaches, targets and safeties for you.</p>

<p>Edit: Okay, I looked at your other posts and see you are from south Florida. You also say in another post that you want urban, not rural. That’s important for people to know, but it does make recommending LACs more difficult!</p>

9

<p>Also look at Bard, Hampshire, Sarah Lawrence. Hampshire in particular has total choice in picking classes and you create your own major.</p>

10

<p>Dickinson? Union?</p>

11

<p>The other great thing about Hampshire is the “5 college consortium”. My D is very interested in Hampshire since she can take Japanese language at Amherst or Mt. Holyoke. There are many courses that students can take advantage of at any one of the Amherst MA area colleges (Smith, U Mass. are the other two in the consortium). You can also use any one of their libraries which is a huge benefit. Plus, Amherst is a great college town :).</p>

12

<p>Grinnell would be a match for your stats. Beloit would be a low match, not quite a safety but easier than your other schools.</p>

13

<p>Colby, Holy Cross, Carleton, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke (if you’re female).</p>

14

<p>I have not heard of some of these schools, and I will definitely look into the ones that I have not previously eliminated (Middlebury, Wesleyan, etc. - they are great, but they seem very similar to Vassar, which is exactly what I’m looking for, but they also have low acceptance rates and high test scores). </p>

<p>For clarification, I am male. I come from the hardest academic program in my area (a combination of AP, IB, and dual enrollment). I’ve exhausted my school’s offerings (taken more APs than offered at the school; have 2 years of college done, basically; have scored well on both AP and IB exams, with 4’s and 6’s respectively). </p>

<p>My class rank is 22 out of ~400, or the top 5.2%. I am trying to push myself in another online class to get into the top 5%. Or I’m hoping one of the people in front of me will receive a B or C. Either way, I am not too focused on that, I feel comfortable being in the top 10%. I am NOT a first-generation, but I am black and Native American. </p>

<p>And finally, my EC’s do show depth. I have been involved in them for years, so, as I mentioned, they are excellent. I honestly have no fear in regards to the EC’s because I have been involved in one for almost 7 years (gone to conferences, won awards, etc.) and another for 4 years (gone to district meetings, conferences, etc.). </p>

<p>Also, location is less important to me. I have grown to accept that the environment I am looking for is in a rural environment, but I know many schools that are in such situations are also able to identify it as well (i.e. Grinnell offers transportation to and from the airports/campus during holidays). </p>

<p>I would love to be in an urban environment and not have to worry about transportation, but the community I am looking for is mostly situated in rural areas of the US (i.e. being centered on a campus, everyone is on campus, there are many things to do on campus, etc.). </p>

<p>Hampshire seems like an interesting school, definitely researching. Thank you! Let the lists continue!</p>

15

<p>Per Fiske 2011, the following schools have strong programs in Economics. I’ve listed their ACT range and acceptance rate.</p>

<p>Wabash College 23-28 49%
Willamette 26-30 67%<br>
St Lawrence 25-29 34%
Rhodes College 26-30 42% (Memphis… that’s nicely urban)
Rollins 24-29 53%
Connecticut College 25-29 38%
St Olaf 26-31 57%
Lake Forrest 24-29 59%</p>

<p>Although another “reach” school, I think you should look at Macalester ( 29-32 46%). It has a great Econ program and it is in an urban area.</p>