<p>My son's list is reach heavy. He already got into his safety and he is very happy with one of his safety schools. So happy that he knocked off schools that I considered a match. For my sanity, can you advise if any of the 5 schools listed below look like a match? </p>
<p>It won't change his list, but it will help the anxious Mom. As much as he loves his safety, I know him and he will be disappointed if he is not accepted to at least one of these schools.</p>
<p>stats: ACT 34/12 writing; SAT 2100 (760M; 720CR; 620W) re-take in October.
NMSF
GPA 3.66 UW; 4.06W
AP Scholar w/Honors
strong leadership ECs and well rounded EC with plenty of Volunteer hours</p>
<p>Schools
Occidental
University Southern California
Pitzer
Tulane
Colorado</p>
<p>He has 2 safeties and 2 high reaches (top 10 LACs). </p>
<p>Tulane’s acceptance rate is too low to be considered a safety, but your son’s scores are in the upper end of their middle 50%, maybe better if they don’t consider writing much. ACT is definitely in top 25%. Colorado College, USC and Pitzer seem similar in stats. Occidental seems considerably safer, but 39% acceptance rate, probably not a total safety.</p>
<p>Both my kids applied to one or two safeties and a bunch of reaches. My younger son loved his safety, older son I think would have been fine at either of his. In the end they both did have a couple of other choice, but not a lot. I don’t think it hurts a kid to get a few rejections. Though I was glad my older son got into RPI early since he got rejections from MIT, Stanford and Caltech before he got his acceptances from CMU and Harvard. :)</p>
<p>Just to clarify - i did not list his 2 safeties and 2 reaches - I just listed the 5 in-between schools. I just think the in-between are more on the reach side due to acceptance rates.</p>
<p>He got 80 on PSAT Writing. He is hoping retaking the SAT will raise his writing score.</p>
<p>He is expecting rejections. I just am hoping they won’t all be rejections. No matter what he says, I know he would be disappointed if all but his safeties (which he already has acceptances for) were rejections.</p>
<p>Based on my knowledge of kids going to Colorado (admitedly Instate), he should have no problems matching at CU. I also think they are going to push for more OOS students for next year. Best of luck.</p>
<p>My D is a sophmore at Tulane, she was admitted in November of her senior year with slightly higher GPA than your son and a 31 ACT. My d even received a nice merit aid package, I’d think your S would have a decent chance of equal or better merit aid than my D received.</p>
<p>Tulane has a free application, go ahead and have him do it now. He should know before Christmas if he has been admitted, and that will leave time to apply elsewhere if he is not admitted.</p>
<p>If he does apply to Tulane, make sure he writes all of the optional essays. Tulane says they are optional, but seem to give extra “showing interest” points if students write them.</p>
<p>Once they have a safety or two academically and financially that they are willing to attend the rest of the applications can really be whatever they want in my opinion. Safety’s are the most important, after that the concept of reach and match are less important.</p>
<p>Good work! Your son already knows he is going to college, and it’s only the middle of September!</p>
<p>The schools on your list all seem like “matches” to me. He is clearly in the ballpark for all of them, it’s just a question of their acceptance rates making acceptance into a question. Definitely have your son "display interest’ at all of them…do the optional essays, and an email or two to the regional rep for each school wouldn’t hurt either. </p>
<p>Also, for some of the schools, your son’s gender might put a pinkie on the scale at some of his schools.</p>
<p>^^When it comes “easy” e.g. an acceptance to a college your kiddo would be willing to attend it seems too simple and you worry S3 got an acceptance last week to a college we can afford and he’s happy to attend 48 hours after hitting submit…I had a momentary panic attack but realized it’s all gravy from here on in when he hits the common app submit and it doesn’t MATTER whether the rest of the colleges are reaches or matches…and I would be perfectly content if he attends the surprise quick accept university as it was actually one of my “favs” for him with the only negative being it’s difficult to ‘get to.’ If your kids make a good “list” it is easy and yet you can get sucked into the CC vortex of angst.</p>
<p>I think they all look like decent matches. I would REALLY not retake the SAT to get a higher W score, especially with that ACT in hand. The weakest point on your son’s application is going to be his unweighted GPA, not his test scores, which are better than his grades. (Not that his GPA is bad, but I assume that it reflects a significant number of Bs.) He would be better off putting effort into getting As first semester than retaking the SAT for a score that most places don’t pay much attention to anyway.</p>
<p>I don’t think your desire to have him apply to at least one school in his match range is misplaced. It’s great that he is already in at a safety he likes, but a lot can change between now and April. It would not hurt at all for him to have choices then.</p>
<p>Another thing he still has time to do, if this is of any value to your family, is some thoughtful targeting to get some merit aid. If he is already admitted somewhere he would like to go and can afford to go, he’s in the catbird seat – he can use the remaining opportunity on reaches, and he can also use it to see what kind of merit money he might be able to pull in.</p>
<p>My son had very, very similar stats with respect to GPA and tests and did not get in to USC. I sometimes wonder if it was because he did not show enough interest even though he was very interested in going there! He ended up on the waitlist at an equally competitive (if not slightly more) school. He got in and is going there very happily. (He showed a lot of enthusiasm about attending the school he was waitlisted at – I think it was key to let them know he really wanted to come.) He didn’t apply to any of the others on your list.</p>
<p>^^just wanted to clarify regarding the enthusiasm – that was especially <em>after</em> he got the waitlist decision. He made it very clear he would attend if an offer was made (visited, sent admissions counselor updates on awards, an extra emailed recommendation letter. Tried to not go overboard to the point of annoyance!)</p>
<p>Assuming that 34 on the ACT is reasonably well balanced, I don’t see any reason for him to spend your money or his time retaking the SAT. Am I missing something?</p>
<p>Oh, a few more things about USC in case you did not know – they don’t do either early decision or have a waitlist – you are either in or out, though instead of a waitlist they do offer the option of spring term admission to some (I guess it’s their version of a waitlist). They also get an astronomical number of applications every year – we are talking over 40,000. Many years they are the most popular school in the country to apply to. If your son wants to interview, the time to arrange that is now. My son missed the boat on that.</p>
<p>Last year USC had 46,000 applications. USC has a half tuition scholarship for NMF. Check their website for application requirements.
If you are not full pay I will advise you to add at least two more schools. FA can vary greatly.</p>
<p>If he is really interested in Pitzer, show interest. They want to know you are choosing it on its own merits, not as a easy way to get access to Pomona and some of the other Claremont schools. Each of the Claremonts has its own vibe, and I think it’s important to respect that.</p>
<p>My D applied early action to Tulane with similar stats . She was accepted and it made the next four months much easier. If there is anything I’ve learned after three times through the process is there’s no sure thing and almost anything is possible. She was wait listed by many of her “safety” schools- personally I think it might have been because her FA “need” was so large. Ultimately she was accepted at her first choice LAC (Wesleyan) with great FA. And I am so excited never to have to go through the process again. Good luck.</p>
S3 got an acceptance last week to a college we can afford and he’s happy to attend 48 hours after hitting submit…I had a momentary panic attack but realized it’s all gravy from here on in when he hits the common app submit and it doesn’t MATTER whether the rest of the colleges are reaches or matches…and I would be perfectly content if he attends the surprise quick accept university as it was actually one of my “favs” for him with the only negative being it’s difficult to ‘get to.’ If your kids make a good “list” it is easy and yet you can get sucked into the CC vortex of angst.</p>