<p>Hey! I'm entering my senior year of high school and am looking at small, liberal arts schools to apply to. I've visited a number of them, and right now, I'd say my top two choices (in no particular order) are Swarthmore College and Carleton College. However, those may be a reach for me. </p>
<p>My current, unweighted GPA is about 3.8. I've taken AP English Comp, AP Modern European History, and AP Biology, and scored 5s on all of them. My ACT composite score is a 33, and I've taken the biology and math II SAT 2s. I scored 760 and 680, respectively.</p>
<p>I'm also interested in Pomona, Pitzer, and Vassar, with Brown as an extremely long shot (however, I would be a legacy at Brown). </p>
<p>All of the aforementioned schools are kind of a reach. So, I need a couple safety schools that I still would be happy at. I'm looking for a smaller school with a computer science degree, and possibly engineering, although I could live without it. </p>
<p>If you liked Carleton, definitely look at U Minnesota - Morris. St. Olaf is also very good but has a different vibe. Both have 3-2 programs with UMN - Twin Cities.</p>
<p>Lafayette and Holy Cross might be of interest. Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious) has very good science facility-new $70 million building and offers a major in computer science. HC has nice campus-1 hour from Boston and the school is need blind for financial aid. Lafayette is a little smaller-about 2500 students but also has decent reputation. Both schools would be easier to gain admission to vs Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious) has very good science facility-new $70 million building and offers a major in computer science. HC has nice campus-1 hour from Boston and the school is* need blind for financial aid**.*</p>
<p>Most schools are need blind for FA. The important distinction is whether HC meets need without big loans. Does it?</p>
<p>Lafayette was the one I was going to suggest. Not too many smaller schools have engineering. Lehigh (near Laf) is on the smaller side but is known for particularly good engineering. Bucknell in PA is another LAC with engineering, Union College in NY…those are all I can think of atm</p>
<p>My son really liked Colorado College. So did I! It isn’t exactly a safety, but it is a bit less selective than Carleton and Swarthmore. Smart kids, great environment. It has a CS degree, although it’s pretty limited. When we stopped by the department, one of the CS instructors spent 45 minutes talking to my son without an appointment. He talked about great opportunities for one-on-one research and independent study.</p>
<p>It also has an unusual calendar - one course at a time, for a month. You still end up with four classes a semester, but they are sequential, not simultaneous. They also have 3-2 arrangements with a few schools, and as I understand it, they are well-known for science.</p>
<p>brian, you have some great schools on your list. It looks like you have a chance for all of them, though none of them will be a shoe-in. So I congratulate you on looking for some good safetys.</p>
<p>Though not safeties, Grinnell and Whitman are great schools and a bit less selective than Carleton and Swat. For another great school, but more of a safety, look at Beloit.</p>
<p>I second Lafayette. You seem like a good match for it if you like Swarthmore. Lehigh and Bucknell are also good choices for CS. It’s hard to find small schools with good CS that aren’t tech schools that are good matches for a 33 ACT. I know because my son had the same profile and I looked through the listings. He ended up at CMU, but didn’t apply to the school of computer science. When it finally came time to apply he decided to go for statistics and/or economics. He also got into USC, but that’s a much larger school. They do have good CS and engineering, though. Unfortunately, he didn’t get into Rice which is a great small school for CS.</p>
<p>Lafayette, Bucknell, Holy Cross are all in the Patriot League which is comprised of smaller (~3000 students) academically rigorous colleges in the northeast. You may want to look at the rest of the schools in the conference as well: [Patriot</a> League Official Athletic Site](<a href=“http://www.patriotleague.org%5DPatriot”>http://www.patriotleague.org)</p>
<p>Definitely Grinnell, if Carleton and Swarthmore are at the top of your list. S visited all three and ED-ed at Grinnell because he liked the understated and slightly less conventional vibe (and the merit aid appealed to us).</p>