As someone who has a very humanities-oriented profile, I’ve been considering some LACs. However, I’m worried that LACs are too small, and I’d like to find a larger (maybe 7000-15000 students?) university. Ideally, I’d like a school which is not in the middle of nowhere and very academic and discussion oriented (vs. sports/Greek Life heavy; I don’t want a school with a strong drinking culture/lots of Greek life, and have never been a fan of intense school spirit at sports and such). I’m not entirely sure what I want to major in so flexibility in course offerings/majors will be nice- for example, the ability to major in both English and Comp Sci (which I understand can be difficult, as colleges can have different schools and such). Schools strong in those areas would be a plus.
Quick stats: 3.8 UW GPA, 1560 SAT, 800 Math II, 770 USH, all 5s on APs so far. Probably will be a NMSF; AP Scholar with Distinction. From New England (would prefer to stay in New England, but willing to travel), no hooks. Am planning to apply to my state flagship.
Case Western Reserve University would be a good match for you. It has a total enrollment of just over 11,000 students though at least half will be grad students. It is in the University Circle which also includes the Cleveland Art Museum, Botanical Gardens and Symphony. In my opinion it has the characteristics you’re looking for.
Chicago would probably be ideal for you, but, of course, it’s very competitive. You would definitely want to visit and apply early, which was a distinct advantage this past year, when the school modified it’s early application rules.
Northwestern and Washington University in St. Louis would also be top choices. They are also very competitive. Wash U, in particular, looks at interest, so you would want to visit and probably interview, if possible. The campus is pretty spectacular.
Others that are top-notch but not quite so insanely competitive would be Tufts, Rochester, and William and Mary. All three have 5000 to 7000 undergrads. They nicely combine the best of LACs and the opportunities of research universities. I’m not sure about Greek life at Rochester.
Denison University might be another option. It’s a little smaller but has a beautiful campus, and I’d think you’d be in line for some generous merit aid. Good luck!
@TTG Tufts is more selective in its admissions than WashU, and with an average ACT of 33 among students this year, its applicants are comparable to those of WashU. In my experience, after showing interest and applying to both universities, I found WashU admissions to be a little more forgiving when it came to admitting certain applicants. I did end up getting into both schools, and, in my opinion, I think WashU is an easier admit as long as you show heavy interest. Tufts accepts many of its students based on the quality of the applicants’ supplements (of which WashU has none), making it a little bit trickier to be accepted than at WashU where it is more statistics driven. And, from a more objective point of view, washu’s acceptance rate it a tad higher than Tufts’.
I find Tufts to be a little more humanities oriented; WashU has a very large pre-med population and thus carries more of a pre-professional vibe.
As long as you show heavy interest in WashU, you should be admitted. With great supplements, Tufts would likely accept you too. However, I would call both these schools reaches for all applicants. Good luck!
I agree with the comments about Tufts/Wash U. I think showing interest and introducing yourself to Wash U, and applying early, can significantly improve an applicant’s chances of admission, although strong numbers are also crucial. This is all also true of Tufts, but probably less so. I believe Wash U gave the ACT 25/75 range for the incoming class as 33-35. According to the admissions stats thread on the CC College Admissions board, Tufts accepted 29.2% ED and 13.1% RD. It gives Wash U’s total acceptance rate as 16% (ED and RD). The ED rate at Wash U has traditionally been much higher than the RD rate, so the Class of 2021 RD rate was probably in single digits, or almost. That number may be available somewhere online; I’m not sure if the school has reported it. Yes, they are both reaches for everyone because they receive many more fully qualified applicants than they can accept.
In contrast, William and Mary accepted 51.6% ED and 33.8% RD. Those numbers include in-state students, so OOS rates would be pretty much lower. Rochester rates are probably closer to William and Mary.
It appears that Chicago’s RD rate was in the low single digits, so incredibly difficult.
I’m a fan of all these schools. It seems to me that Tufts, Rochester, and William and Mary are basically the Boston, Upstate NY, and VA versions of the same school.
@TTG If I remember correctly, WashU accepted 14% of RD students last year. WashU is also a big fan of using the waitlist. Last year, 129 students were enrolled from the waitlist, meaning that many more were offered a spot from the waitlist and didn’t take it. This idea of “cherry-picking” the waitlist allows WashU to artificially lower its acceptance rate since students admitted from the waitlist are not accounted for in the actual acceptance rate (strange, I know). Conversely, Tufts rarely ever uses the waitlist. If WashU added admitted students from the waitlist into its acceptance rate, it would be much closer to 20%; however, the ability for the school to lower its acceptance rate by later taking many applicants off the waitlist allows the school to create an augmented prestige that comes with these lower acceptance rates. So WashU’s admissions are not actually as competitive as they may ostensibly seem. It’s difficult to really say that so blatantly, but because WashU often uses the waitlist due to its yield problems, the acceptance rate is not actually as low as 16%. And since Tufts rarely uses the waitlist (and saw its highest yield ever this year), its acceptance rate is a much more accurate reflection of its admissions.
And I would agree that Rochester and W&M are truer matches/safeties than the two aforementioned schools.
If you can put up with a few hot weeks at the beginning of the academic year (before very temperate weather kicks in for the remainder of the year), then Rice would be a school worth considering.
It checks off all of your boxes: a size (3900 undergrads) that splits the difference between a liberal arts college and a typical research university, a location in a diverse and vibrant metropolitan area (but still with a lovely, pastoral campus), a residential college system that encourages close connections between students without the exclusionary excesses of Greek life, a vibe that is at once intellectual and laid-back, and strength across the disciplines.
While Rice is particularly well known for its STEM programs, the English department is excellent, and English is actually one of the most popular majors on campus. Moreover, Rice’s relaxed distribution requirements make double-majoring fairly easy, even when the majors in question are in quite distinct fields (e.g., English and Comp Sci). I recall reading that something like 40% of Rice undergrads complete a double major.
Finally, though such things should be taken with a grain of salt, your might be interested to know that Princeton Review just ranked Rice #1 for Overall Quality of Life, #1 for Lots of Race/Class Interaction, and #2 for Happiest Students (last year it was #1 in that category). Like Northwestern and Wash U, Rice is very selective, but your academic record would make you a strong candidate.
If your interest in English revolves around creative writing, you might also want to take a look at Emory, another mid-sized school in a happening metro area. It would probably be considered a high match for you.
Thank you all for the suggestions- they’re much appreciated @taverngirl Thank you- I’ll definitely look into URochester. @lvvcsf - CWRU sounds cool, will look into that too! @Tufts2021 Thank you for the information! I visited Tufts last year and wasn’t feeling it, for whatever reason (probably because it was in the summer and there weren’t many people there…) I’ll definitely look into it again. @TTG- no problem, and thank you so much for the suggestions! (Anything is appreciated at this point ) I’ll look into WashU, although it’s a bit farther away from home than I’d like, and I don’t think I’ll be able to visit regardless. Will definitely check out W+M, though. @MrSamford2014 - will definitely look into Rice, although it is a bit far. Will also check out Emory. Thanks for the suggestions!
Emory seems to be a good fit for all your requirements in a mid-sized match school. Since it’s a Div. III school (no football team) the students aren’t sports crazed and are more supportive of the arts. Atlanta has nonstop flights to the NE, which made the decision easy for us. Our D graduated in May with a double major from Emory.
As Mr.Samford2014 mentioned, Emory has a strong English dept, especially in creative writing. Emory, W+M and URochester should be high matches for you (our D had similar stats and was accepted at UR.) Applying to schools outside the NE could help you at Emory, W+M and Rice.
Emory would be a reach though. As would W&M, which wouldn’t have any financial aid for an OOS applicant.
Both are great low reach recommendations though.
Look into Denison (smaller than what you wish, but excellent), and NCF (much smaller). Both would work for what you want and would be safeties provided you express interest starting now.
For a NMF UOklahoma has excellent Writing programs and its honors program would allow you to double major.
@hope469
You have some great advice in this thread. I would say if applying RD…
Tufts- Low Reach ( if you show interest)
Emory- Reach
WashU- Reach
Brown- Reach/ High Reach
Dartmouth- Reach
BC- Match
@PiccoloMom1995 Thanks! Emory sounds great- is it also strong in STEM? (If I do decide to double major with CS). @MYOS1634- I’ll take a look at Denison. Does NCF stand for New College of Florida? (Not familiar with abbreviations, sorry). I’ll definitely take a look at UOklahoma (I think I should be a NMSF, based on my selection index, but not sure about NMF), the biggest worry there would be distance. I also didn’t realize that W+M doesn’t give aid- my family will need some form of FA, so that’s definitely good to know. @VANDEMORY1342 Thank you so much! Every school suggestion is appreciated at this point would just visiting Tufts be enough demonstrated interest?
hope469: if you post your STEM question in the Emory section, bernie12 will probably answer with a wealth of information. Or perhaps VANDEMORY1342 knows?
If you are not from Vermont, then you might nonetheless want to look at UVM. It is a very good school in New England and with your stats would be a safety. Burlington VT is a beautiful little city. Of course, if you are from Vermont this is your state flagship so you are already considering it!
