<p>My niece, a current Junior, is interested in Midd and her mom asked me whether it's realistic. Her SATs are CR 670, M690 and W700. Her GPA is 3.7uw. She's in an IB program and we expect she'll get the IB diploma, but don't know what the test results will be.<br>
She's taking French and German (taught herself Germ 1 over the summer so she could go into Germ 2 at school). She's always been a history buff, and is a counselor at a colonial summer camp (after years as a camper). The biggest argument she and her mom have had was whether Henry the 7th or Richard the 3rd killed the princes in the tower. Her favorite movies are Gilbert and Sullivan and Shakespearean; she's travelled a fair bit touring historic sites in Europe.<br>
Her other passion is Theater - she ushers at several Shakespeare theaters, takes Tech in school and has travelled to London to spend a week going to the theater.</p>
<p>So my sense is that her grades and scores are mid-range, but I don't know how much IB counts. Seems like her ECs are fine if her app and essays demonstrate passion and consistency.</p>
<p>Personally speaking, I think her SAT's might be a bit on the lower side unless she has some sort of hook -- first generation, URM, etc. I know it doesn't seem right, but it's the truth of college admissions. This being said, she might want to try her hand at the ACT to see if she can get that one into the mid 30's (out of 36).</p>
<p>Essays etc count however, and they also require a paper from a current English class with grades and teacher's comments, so I'd advise her to keep track of all papers for this year as well and work especially hard to get good comments. Junior year is crucial in all of this stuff.</p>
<p>All of this said... she will never know IF she can get in unless she actually applies and sees for herself. You can do all the chance threads you want and you'll hear an equal number of different or varying answers, but these are not Midds admissions people talking. It's just regular folk who have either gone through the process or are going through the process making judgements.</p>
<p>Her scores are average at Middlebury, almost exactly average. If she had a hook she'd be fine, but for a white girl who likes the same kind of things everyone else applying there likes, it doesn't look too promising. She has an OK shot-it's not a certain rejection, but it's not incredibly likely. Have her take the ACT-I know lots of people who benefited from doing that.</p>
<p>I would tend to agree with Modadunn, and I'd also add that where you're from can also have something of an effect on the admissions process (unfortunate for some, fortunate for others). Another factor to keep in mind is demonstrated interest--if you make it clear that Middlebury is one of her top choices, that's a bit of a boost. </p>
<p>I highly suggest a visit to confirm her initial interest before she actually applies--no need to waste effort and money on an application that's based on just a first impression. Visiting Midd was by far the most helpful to me in forming my own opinions and feelings about the school (actually, any school really), and I definitely have a better idea of what I specifically love abut the school from being on campus. </p>
<p>As for Midd being realistic or not, it sounds like she's in the ballpark (although perhaps a little towards the lower end). Ask the admissions officers on your visit about SAT score consideration and how they look at the IB program, if you need to. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that I'm a Middlebury RD applicant right now and have only as much access to SAT/ACT score ranges, extracurricular information, and other admissions stats as you do. </p>
<p>Bottom line: no need trying to limit her college application list based on whether or not it seems likely or unlikely that she could get in (you've heard the lament that "admissions is a crapshoot, anyway" right?). If she likes Middlebury, then why not try her luck? </p>
<p>I hope she's successful and finds a set of colleges that she'd be happy with to apply to!</p>