<p>I am a very strong student stats-wise (4.00/4.15 GPA, 2390 SAT), and my parents are strongly encouraging me to devote half my application list to admissions/financial "reach" colleges. I understand where they're coming from-- it seems a waste to have worked so hard in high school and not at least apply to several top-tier colleges. While I do like one of the possible reaches (Claremont McKenna), most of the schools that have the qualities I'm looking for are safeties or matches. </p>
<p>I'm looking for: an LAC, challenging academics, engaged students, not strongly liberal/PC, not in the deep South.</p>
<p>My current list, roughly in order of increasing admissions difficulty: Hope, St. Olaf, Santa Clara, Hillsdale, Rhodes (an exception to the not-in-the-South rule), Claremont McKenna. Colleges that dance on and off the list include Wooster and U Chicago. I've been considering adding a couple "top" LACs (perhaps Whitman or Haverford?) to appease my parents...</p>
<p>Two questions-- Is it necessary to have several reaches? What reaches would you recommend for me?</p>
<p>It’s not necessary to have ANY reaches if you don’t want them. The one that should always be there is a safety. If you do want a reach, I would look at Carleton, maybe Colorado College.</p>
<p>You must have at least one safety which you know that you will be admitted to and you know that you can afford to attend. Many recommend more than one in case you chance your mind about the schools’ desirability, or mis-estimate whether the school is a safety.</p>
<p>Remember also that schools that consider “level of applicant’s interest” in admissions do not want to be used as safeties.</p>
<p>They can only track it if you apply for financial aid (the FAFSA is the only place I am aware of where they can see this info, although maybe someone else knows of another way). Don’t worry about the eight for that reason… but it IS a hassle to apply to more, especially if you are applying for FA. Agree you might like Colorado College, but it is not really much higher ranked than what you already have. Haverford and Whitman are not “top LACs” – both are probably second tier, although Haverford is on the cusp. Your stats are better than that, your parents are right. What about Dartmouth? It is a little bigger than the average LAC, but considered the most conservative of the Ivies. And your stats are well aligned – obviously they have a low admission rate, but that is what a reach is for. If you are female, what about Wellesley?</p>
Would you consider a medium-sized public school? You might want to look at William and Mary - 6000 undergrads, with a LAC feel to it. This isn’t exactly a reach, considering your stats, but admissions are tricky for OOS students because 65 percent of the student body must be from Virginia. It’s expensive for OOS students, and their financial aid is primarily reserved for Virginia residents. But your stats are strong enough that I believe you’ll be considered for their top scholarship, awarded to ~4 students yearly, in the amount of in-state tuition, room, board and fees. </p>
<p>My perception is that the political atmosphere there is more balanced than at many other schools, though it’s more liberal than conservative; the student body does seem to model acceptance of differing viewpoints. Spoken as the mom of two alums: the faculty is outstanding and the student body is engaged and challenging.</p>
<p>Your list is … a little odd (hard to see a commonality there). It ranges from big urban Catholic to small-town evangelical to super-smart LAC. Assuming you are female from your screen name, do you have any interest in one of the women’s colleges?</p>
<p>If not, look into Amherst, Williams, Oberlin, maybe Colgate. Coming from WA I’m a big fan of Whitman. For your stats, no college is out of the question.</p>
<p>And Magnetron… I don’t see a “super smart” LAC on the OP’s list. Claremont McKenna is pretty good, but they got dinged for “mis-reporting” SAT scores to US News just last year (overreporting their average scores consistently by about 25 points, and the % of students in top 10% of their class by about 13% as well).</p>
<p>If you’re doing Claremont McKenna, you may be interested in Pomona, although I think that’s more liberal than CMC. I’m also going to suggest Princeton because while it is a research university, there are just over 5,000 undergraduates and that can give it a more cozy feel. I agree with the suggestion of Williams, Carleton, and Amherst; you also may be interested in Middlebury, Bowdoin, Davidson (it’s in NC which is kind of Deep South, but if Rhodes is an exception Davidson may be one too), Wesleyan, Grinnell, Macalester, and Colorado College. If you are a woman and you are interested in women’s college, I suggest Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Scripps.</p>
<p>I’m of the opinion that you should only apply to schools that you would like to attend if you were admitted. And I also think it’s okay to only apply to safeties and matches - that’s what I did when I applied to college, with the exception of Emory (which was a low reach for me). You’re likely to be a top candidate almost everywhere you apply, so it’s only natural that a lot of the schools you like would be safeties and matches.</p>
<p>The college I went to was a safety school for me, and I loved it.</p>
<p>Intparent, CMC is still a top 10 liberal arts college. Even if they overreported their SAT scores, they still have to be in the top 25. Test scores aren’t everything, but even if they were, 25 points on a 2400 point test is nothing - I believe it’s smaller than the standard deviation on a single section. If the numbers on BigFuture are correct, their mid-score range is 1970-2250, which is about on par with the range at Williams and Amherst. Moreover, Claremont McKenna’s acceptance rates are about on par with Amherst and Williams, too.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all your suggestions! I wasn’t expecting such prompt replies :)</p>
<p>I’m not terribly interested in women’s colleges. Most of the colleges listed by CC as “top Liberal Arts Colleges” (Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Middlebury, Whitman, etc.) lean left. I’m fine with that, but I would rather not have an overwhelming leftist majority on campus. Can anyone speak to the conservative presence on these and similar campuses?</p>
<p>Will definitely look into Dartmouth, thanks for the suggestion.</p>
<p>Macalseter and Wesleyan were suggested above, they lean quite far left. Carleton is a quieter vibe, but also pretty liberal. I think Byrn Mawr and Smith are going to lean too far left for the OP, too.</p>
<p>Regarding acceptance rate, CMC is pretty low, but Amherst and Williams are lower (again per Fiske 2011):
CMC: 22%
Williams: 17%
Amherst: 15%</p>
<p>OP, you really should open your mind a bit on women’s colleges. There isn’t a much better education around than Wellesley in particular.</p>
<p>Yes, I picked up on the politically conservative tone to the OPs list so the OP knows what the OP is looking for. Carleton is liberal, Middlebury is pretty liberal so while the OP is looking reaches…“super smart” as someone put it, the OP is looking for colleges that have a stronger mix of politically liberal and conservative students as most colleges tend to be quite liberal but the OP is NOT looking for the Christian right (or the Christian left depending on how one defines it). Colorado College is liberal. There are probably other matches that go with the OPs list, but reaches are a tad harder to come up with. SMU would be a match but would fit the list I think. I’d still shoot for Dartmouth or Princeton :-)</p>
<p>Princeton has a strong conservative presence with Robert George on campus. Biola University is a great school for conservative Christians (although maybe a little pricey).</p>
<p>There are plenty of “christian” colleges that are conservative, but I don’t think that is what the OP is looking for otherwise the OPs list would have Wheaton, Grove City, Biola, Westmont, Calvin and those types of schools. I think the OP is looking for a dynamic mix of students and professors where there is discourse on both sides of the political table. OP if I’m guessing wrong, correct me.</p>
<p>By “conservative” do you mean politics of social issues or fiscal/economic issues? Or more in terms of students’ personal habits (less drinking and partying)? A school may be “conservative” in some areas but not so much others.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys-- thanks for all your advice. While I am interested in Hope and <em>possibly</em> Wheaton, I’m certainly not looking primarily at typical conservative Christian colleges. Academic challenge and, as you put it, a “dynamic mix” are what I’m interested in.</p>
<p>intparent-- I have seriously considered women’s colleges and visited one (Scripps). I am concerned that most women’s colleges are very strongly leftist with very few (if any?) exceptions.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus-- probably the most important of those is fiscal/economic. I consider myself conservative in most areas (fiscal/economic among them) and moderate in others; I want a college where my views are respected and shared by at least some other students.</p>
<p>I do not plan to drink/party in college, but I realize that those elements will be prevalent on most campuses. I’m ok with that, but hopefully will find a school where the atmosphere is not dominated by partying.</p>