@prezbucky I’ve been told something similar:
High reach <10%
Reach < 20%
Low reach <30%
High match <40%
Match <50%
Low match <60%
High safety <70%
Safety <80%
Low safety >80%
My GC thinks Hamilton is a high safety for me, but I can check again. But then he said Vassar is a high match so idk if his method of calculating selectivity is based on the colleges’ acceptance rates
I don’t think anyone (aside from royally hooked applicants…) can consider Hamilton a safety given the following:
This means plenty of high-stats kids don’t get in. If your stats are out of the park (4.0/1600) you might consider it a high match, but it’s hard to imagine it being a safety.
Re #20, this depends on the factors your college counselor has weighed. While the overall acceptance rate at Vassar (27%) was recently higher than that at Hamilton, the rate for female applicants to Vassar would be lower than that for Hamilton, which is gender balanced in admissions.
GC is still wrong if they think Hamilton is a safety, though.
Nearer to Safeties than you have, but not shoo-ins: Clark, Boston U., Brandeis.
Test scores, grades/course rigor as there aren’t any safeties on this list?
It’s unclear, to me at least, whether you have visited Hamilton and Wesleyan?
I agree with the suggestion of Rice. It checks off most of the things you are looking for. Good luck!
I have a daughter in Rice and a son in Vassar. Rice is a wonderful school that has given my daughter fantastic opportunities, paid research as a freshman. Vassar is also fantastic. Concerning Vassar’s acceptance rate, their acceptance rate went up last year but also did the average SAT score of those accepted which I believe is higher then Hamilton’s. I wouldn’t say it is any easier to get accepted. It probably has something to do with how Vassar is marketing itself.
Looking at the college matriculation for Hothckiss, it looks like your school sends 2-3 each yr to Hamilton, but no one to Vasaar. So that likely factored into your gc’s categorization of match/safety. If your school has a good relationship and track record with a certain college, that definitely can help chances for you
For the record, over the recent four year period, Hotchkiss sent eleven students to Hamilton and one to Vassar.
If you want something larger than an LAC and if you are interested in research, consider schools like the University of Rochester. You’ll have to see if they have mock trial options or not. I’ve no idea. I just see many other LACs being recommended (definitely good options), but not many of the larger schools. Some others that came to my mind have already been suggested (U Chicago, etc).
Intro to the “Game of Tufts”
Don’t ask. TELL the college counseor you want more match schools.
With as much as tuition costs at Hotchkiss, you are the customer.