Looking to narrow my list (LACs and Ivies)

College Search & Selection
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<p>My college list right now is fairly extensive, and as I am going to need to start my applications within a month or so (I'm not going to apply ED anywhere), I would really like to narrow my list to about ten schools or so. This is proving very difficult, as there are so many schools to choose from! I was hoping that you guys could help me out by letting me know which schools most fit my requirements (stated below).</p>

<p>Anyways, here's my list of schools:
Top schools: Kenyon, Oberlin, Swarthmore, Carleton, Haverford, Grinnell, Cornell University, Brown, Prinecton, Yale
Others of interest: Harvard, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Stanford, Mac, Reed, Pomona, Middlebury, Amherst, Bowdoin</p>

<p>So far, I've visited Kenyon and Oberlin, and I hope to get out to Haverford/Swarthmore and the Ivies within the next month or so. I have safety schools on my list as well.</p>

<p>Here is what I'm looking for in a college:
1. I want to major in English, and minor in either History or a Foreign Language. So I'm looking for a school with strengths in these areas.
2. I'm looking for cultural/economic diversity (which I understand isn't strong at some of my LACs, so this one is not quite as crucial)
3. I'm looking for schools with students that are Liberal, but not... crazy, I guess? I consider myself a Liberal politically and socially, but not an extremist.
4. I'm looking for a student body that is open, friendly, and noncompetitive.
5. I'm also looking for a student body that is nerdy/quirky.
6. Campus setting is pretty important to me. I want to be around beautiful scenery, yet still within an hour's drive or so from a city.
7. I am a religious person. I don't mind if the students around me are nonreligious, though, as long as they are open to others' beliefs and don't discriminate against me because of my religion.
8. I don't want to go to a school with a lot of peer pressure to do drugs and alcohol. I don't mind if the party scene is present as long as I don't feel pressured to participate in it. I would also love to go to a school that offers fun sober activities. (I like to socialize, I just don't drink).</p>

<p>Once again, my goal here is not to choose my top school; I just want to narrow down my list so I'm not overwhelmed with all of the applications! Also, I have strong test scores/ a high GPA, so I figure I have a decent chance at any of these schools (and if all else fails I do have my safeties). </p>

<p>Thank you! :)</p>

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<p>Hard to help without more details on your statistics (test scores, GPA, general feeling for ECs) and financial situation. Also, without visiting, it is hard to narrow down (IMHO). Setting foot on campus can feel completely different than you expected. There is so little time to visit once acceptances are in…</p>

<p>Are your safeties on the list you have given, or in addition to these?</p>

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<p>My GPA is a 4.2 weighted, 4.0 unweighted, class rank in the top 2%. My SAT score is a 2280, ACT a 35.
Basically, I’m not the absolute strongest candidate for the Ivies/ Top LACs, but I’m in the running at least.</p>

<p>I’m not worrying too much about financial aid until I see which schools accept me, and then from there I will see which ones offer me the best scholarships/aid. I’m applying to other scholarships as well, including National Merit. </p>

<p>I would love to get out to all of these schools, but I don’t want to miss too much school (I’m in some difficult classes), and it really wouldn’t be plausible for me to visit 18 schools in two months. Hopefully I’ll get out to some of my top schools, though.</p>

<p>My Safeties are separate from this list.</p>

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<p>Your ‘top schools’ list is 10 now–why not just forget the ‘also of interest’ ones entirely? </p>

<p>Many/most of your LACs are pretty rural–I can’t speak to the ones on your list specifically, but it does seem that drinking/drugs/party culture can be quite strong at some schools that are isolated (there’s just no other scene). I’m not sure how to figure out if that is the case at your SPECIFIC list, though. Maybe cruise the forums here for those schools and ask students what they’ve found?</p>

<p>Also, you say you’re looking for a school within an hour of a city–will you have a car on campus? In the midwest especially, there’s no train into the city. Not even a bus, usually!</p>

<p>Is money an issue at all? If you are full pay but your parents can’t/won’t pay for 60k/year, or if you have significant need–some of these schools could be impossible. If money is a factor, be sure to have financial safeties along with admittance safeties!</p>

<p>If money is not an issue, then you have one less thing to worry about!</p>

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<p>Now that colleges have net price calculators, you can use them to get estimates to see if it is worth applying to them. If any are so far out of reach financially that no merit scholarship can bridge the gap, it is an easy decision to drop them from the application list.</p>

<p>Of course, your safeties must be definitely affordable.</p>

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<p>My Safeties are very affordable ($10,000-20,000 a year), and I am a strong candidate for their top scholarships. At this point, what I’m looking for are the intangible aspects of schools-- financial aid and the like I can look up online. I was hoping to find some people who are attending/have attended the schools that I listed. </p>

<p>(Also, according to what I’ve read, Yale would only require my parents to pay for $12,000 of my tuition based on their income level, and I would assume most Ivies are similar when it comes to financial aid)</p>

<p>I want to find out more about my ‘also considering’ schools before taking them off the list, which is a reason why I posted this thread.</p>

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<p>I agree with the suggestion to drop your Others of Interest. The Top Schools list tend to have a lot of cross applicants because they are similar in terms of vibe. They also fit the nerdy/quirky friendly/non-competitive description (except maybe Cornell - that an outlier). I’d probably toss Mac back in there (an urban school with a pretty diverse student body relative to it’s size - 11% international).</p>

<p>All these schools have strong English, History and FL depts. Check the course catalogs just to be sure they have enough of what you want.</p>

<p>Re the drugs/alcohol: Most of these schools have sub-free dorms as an option. You can still party, but you party elsewhere and come back to your own clean quiet dorm. And it’s an easy way to meet others whose social lives don’t revolve around the party scene.</p>

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<p>Why not apply to one of the SCEA schools - Harvard, Yale or Stanford? You can still apply to your other schools RD and choose the RD school and negotiate FA and so forth. If you are applying to a large number of schools RD, consider some taking visits after AFTER you are admitted.</p>

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<p>I’m taking my subject tests in December, so they wouldn’t get there in time for Early Action, regretably. And I will certainly visit any schools that I am accepted in.</p>

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<p>Don’t assume; get estimates from each school’s net price calculator. This should not take too long, and it will be an easy way to screen out clearly unaffordable schools so that you can concentrate your research on the schools which are affordable.</p>

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<p>I don’t see any safeties on either of your lists.</p>

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<p>Not all schools require subject tests if you took the the ACT with writing - Yale, Brown, Amherst as I remember. Check the websites for confirmation. If your essays aren’t near completion, forget applying early.</p>

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<p>Erin’s Dad - wintertree12 wrote, “My Safeties are separate from this list.”</p>

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<p>OP what are your ec’s?</p>

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<p>wintertree - I understand what you’re asking. I’d love to hear some responses too b/c my daughter is in a similar boat.
From my reading and web searching (and photo searching on instagram) I get the impression that there is a lot of drug use at Kenyon. And at Reed (big time). Hopefully, there are plenty of exceptions.
Good luck to you!
P.S. Have you considered Vassar?</p>

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<p>I was going to suggest Vassar as well, and if you are female, look at Wellesley.</p>

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<p>Clubacres, yes but there are two lists given and the OP said “this list”. That’s why I said I didn’t see any safeties on either list.</p>