<p>I posted a while ago asking for some additional schools my daughter could apply to, because she has only 5 schools on her list. You were quite helpful, so I ran some of the schools by her. Her answer: Thanks, but nope, I'm doing these 5 applications and that's it!</p>
<p>So I need a reality check here. She has a 4.0 (all honors and AP classes), 2340 SAT (one sitting), 5s on her AP exams (don't think this matters), Breadloaf (soph year), NMSF, plays piano (classical), runs track and XC (captain this year), volunteers in program serving homeless families, had a nanny job for a French-speaking family last summer, lots of awards for academics and art (sculpture), played piano for last year's graduation (pinch hitter because the professional they'd hired didn't show up, but still, it was an honor)</p>
<p>And here is the list (drumroll, please):
Stanford (legacy)
Mount Holyoke (legacy)
Wellesley
Scripps
Pomoma (1st choice)</p>
<p>Is she safe? She says she loved all these schools and would be happy at any one of them. Or are we looking at an unintentional gap year? She is confident she will get into at least one of these schools, but I know the climate is very different from when DH and I were applying.</p>
<p>Thanks Erin’s dad, I have read that and this is what scares me! I’ll send it to her. I don’t want to freak her out (she’s pretty tightly wound right now because of her workload), but I do think she needs to add a safety or low match or two to her list.</p>
<p>Great stats, and definitely ‘match’ schools on her list. But just to make mom happy - couldn’t she apply to at least ONE ‘safety’? Honors program at the state flagship? (For some reason I get the impression she’s a CA resident - maybe UCLA?)</p>
<p>A couple contradictory responses. Your daughter sounds great and I would guess she will get into one of the schools. That said as a parent I teach “hope for the best but plan for the worst” … and this school list leaves a fair chance she will not get in anywhere which as a parent would make me uncomfortable. If this was my kid I would probably not force her to apply to more schools but I would insist on a conversation about what happens if she ends up with a gap year … and in my house this would involve paying rent and having some structured activity going on (job, volunteering, traveling … but not sitting around playing computer games). Good luck!</p>
<p>PS - if financial aid is not a big issue I agree with the suggestion to apply to Pomona ED … and I would throw in any EA applications possible … the ED and EA responses may either negate the need for more applications or motivate more applications.</p>
<p>She’s actually a Mass resident and absolutely hated UMass. It’s just too massive. She really only wants to be at a small LAC or one with that feel, which Stanford does have, even though it’s a big research U. We do have roots in CA, though.</p>
<p>I will definitely have a “fear of God” chat with her, though (again.) And I hope her GC will do the same, although she has been nothing but encouraging so far. However, I don’t think she’s seen DD’s final list of colleges, so there could be some help coming from that direction.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, all. Can I just say how glad I will be when this process is over? I’ve never been much of a helicopter mom, but this is tempting me to start those rotors. The horror stories from this site and from my friends whose kids have gone through this keep me up at night.</p>
<p>erin’s dad great reminder/wake up call.
I would also look at great schools with less selective admissions (which does not have anything to do with quality of the education you will receive)
butler university
hendrix college
u of envansville
university of tulsa
philadelphia university
and many many more</p>
<p>I too think it’s likely she’ll get into at least one of those. However, none of those schools are true safeties and given the trend towards WLing over the last couple of years, I’d want at least one rock solid safety on the list. A early admission either EA/ED/rolling would really help.</p>
<p>I would also explain to her the two considerations when it comes to risk: likelihood and consequence. While the likelihood of her not getting into any of those 5 schools is relatively small, the consequence if that happens is very big after she’s worked so hard for many years.</p>
<p>Despite the horror stories of great applicants with no acceptances, I would predict she will get into at least a few of her schools. She must, must, must show Holyoke, Welesley, and Scripps she is enthusiastic about attending or she may suffer the Tufts syndrome. Her stats are so good they may read her app as “safety” school app. </p>
<p>Will she visit those schools, schedule interviews, and show interest? Are her recommendations going to be stellar, or does she have some skeletons in her closet which could undermine her academic record? </p>
<p>If her record is lily white, her recs glowing, especially on character issues, I predict she will do fine.</p>
<p>I think MHC is a wonderful school, but looking at the statistics on the college board website, it seems to me it is a safety for this young woman, even without legacy status. They admit over half of applicants, and her test scores and grades place her well within the stop quarter of students there. </p>
<p>Given her legacy status, I think the only way this impressive young woman could fail to gain admission would be if she conveyed to Mt. Holyoke that she thought of them as her safety school, rather than conveying genuine interest and enthusiasm for attending.</p>
<p>entomom-Yes, I understood your astute warning of the consequences of a lack of safety schools. </p>
<p>No, I did not imply a guarantee, I am simply offering an opinion, a prediction, a bet. I happen to believe that IF the daughter has great support from recommenders and a clean slate of desireable character qualities, she has a very good chances at Holyoke, Scripps and Wellesley. </p>
<p>This opinion is meant to comfort the mother in the case that her D will not agree to do other applications. Hopefully the D will comply with mom’s request; or accept fate’s worst case scenario.</p>
<p>In the case that her D has only lukewarm support or sketchy traits which could be exposed by her GC/recs, well then the mother better press firmly for true safety schools.</p>
<p>I would generally agree that MHC is probable but with scores only being considered, App essay and Recs being very important, and Interview being important I just don’t feel you can call it a certainty. BTW, according to the CDS alumnae relation is only considered for MHC.</p>
<p>Even with the wonderful stats listed, there are still unknowns. You don’t know how good her essays will be, and you don’t know what teachers will write in their recs. But lets assume those are also strong. I’d echo the advice in post #13 about risk and consequence. </p>
<p>Or put it to her this way: which is smaller, the chances of being involved in an auto accident this month (assuming she drives) or the risk of not getting in. And given the small risk of being in an auto accident, is she also going to decide not to bother wearing a seat belt anymore?</p>
<p>I think she’s fine, really, though if she added one early action safety school like </p>
<p>Beloit, Boston College, Dickenson, Earlham, Elon, Kalamazoo, Knox, Lawrence, or University of Vermont, then she’d “know” her rock bottom scenario in December and it would greatly reduce the stress. </p>
<p>Also, there are always some decent options still available when the space available list comes out in May.</p>