Hey guys, I’m currently a junior trying to make a list of colleges I want to apply to. I’ve found some reaches that seem like good fits for me, but am struggling with finding matches and safeties.
Some background info:
Want to double major in compsci/enviro science (or cs major, es minor)
Want to stay relatively close to home (northeast, basically)
Want college culture that is very active, lots of opportunities, pretty competitive (stress serves as a motivator/energizer for me; too much obviously is bad though - want a happy medium)
1510 PSAT, 1580 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA, 4.3 W GPA (upward trend; GPA has potential to rise to 4.4), all hardest courses (11 APs by end of senior year)
Lots of ECs, leadership positions, strong essay skills, good recs (very close with superintendent, science supervisor, math supervisor, english teacher; relatively close with GC) (you can look at past chance me threads for more details)
Want good food, music/arts scene
Want to avoid the deep South (too conservative for my liking) and California (paranoid about the predicted upcoming major earthquake hahaha); want to stay in US
Both small towns and big cities are ok
High cost is not a dealbreaker, will not factor into college decision-making (our family is pretty well-off)
You should probably research some of the NESCAC schools. They may not generate the overall activity levels that result from sheer size, but their academics and opportunities for participation in college life could more than compensate for that.
Have you looked at Tufts. Based poorly on the fact you are from the North East it would be hard to get into but I also recommend look at the New England Small College (NESCAC) schools in general!
If Wellesley and Columbia are already on your list, add Barnard. Other women’s schools like Smith, Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr should be considered too. PA has tons of mid-level schools that you could look into.
My guess is Rutgers is a solid safety, you don’t need many safeties really (just one if you’d be satisfied going there). Do they allow an EA admission early on so you know for sure you’re in somewhere.
As for identifying safeties and matches, to find other safeties you’ll need to find schools that admit > 50% of their applicants and where you are above the 75% mark for their stats. And for your matches, you need to be in the upper 50% of the stats - closer to the 75% mark the more likely you’re a match.
Look at the NESCAC schools for environmental science, particularly Middlebury and Bowdoin as reaches, Hamilton as a high match, and Bates and Colby as matches
@chembiodad@merc81@desperateplea@stemmmm@lalalemma I will definitely look into NESCAC schools, thank you. Are any of them good for computer science though? I haven’t heard much about them in that regard.
Thank you everyone for the advice so far btw, I really appreciate it! I think I still need another safety though @lz57c4 since literally everyone at my school goes to Rutgers, and while it is a good school and I wouldn’t mind going there, I would definitely want another option.
Match-range schools for you I think will be LACs ranked roughly 20-70 and universities ranked roughly 30-80. (USNews LAC and U rankings), except perhaps for some OOS flagships – their admit rates are usually quite a bit lower than in-state. LACs below 70 and u’s below about 80 should be pretty safe for you, if you show some interest in them – nobody wants to be a safety.
To actually figure out if a school is a statistical match (40-60% chance of getting in; high match is 25-40%, low match is 60-~90%…):
– Look at the admit rate of the round you’re applying in. (for state schools, also figure in-state vs. OOS differences…) Now, if your scores and GPA are about average for that school, then you probably have about the same chance as the admit rate. So, if the admit rate is 30%, and you have average stats, I think you can call that school a high match. If the admit rate is 30% and your stats are at or above the 75th%, now maybe you can call it a match. If admit rate is 10%, and you have average stats, the school is a reach. If it’s 50% and you have average stats, it’s a match. So on and so forth.
To figure out if a school is a safety, i think it's "safe" -- and i have recently become more conservative on this -- to start with schools that have at least a 45% admit rate; the higher, the safer. Your stats at such a school should also be at or above the 75th% to bring it into safety territory. In other words, a safety school is one that is not terribly selective; where your scores and GPA are at or above the 75th percentile; that you can afford; and that you wouldn't mind attending.
Yes, definitely add Barnard to your list. You get a degree from Columbia and graduate at CU graduation when you go to Barnard. Plus, you take classes at CU, join sports team/ sororities/ clubs/ societies at Columbia when you go to Barnard. You also share libraries, cafeterias, and academic buildings. Columbia people also take classes at Barnard. I think Barnard is the best of a large, co-ed Ivy League University and small, liberal arts women’s college. Plus NYC is the best! Tons of opportunities for jobs and things to do!