hi - would love any input. D24 is debating ED1 between Middlebury and Bates. She’s a legacy at Bates but we, her parents, are agnostic about where she goes. She has strong leadership, potential English/Psych majors, 3.8 GPA, 35 ACT. Very academically rigorous public high school in Northeast. Besides the legacy, no hooks.
Would love any input including likelihood of getting in. Thanks!
I think she’d get into Bates ED - she has a strong academic profile as well as being a legacy. CBB like ED and, generally speaking, acceptance rates are much higher (even accounting for athletes). A WL is more likely if you go RD (although the legacy factor could influence that). I can’t speak for Middlebury, but I assume her chances of getting in would be enhanced by going ED.
Two great choices. She has a shot at each. Can you give us more info about her interests or possible major?
My D attended Bates. She had a very high SAT and the same GPA. She applied to colleges that she felt were very friendly, noncompetitive, not too preppy, with a creative, “quirky” edge. So she applied to Carleton and Kenyon, but not Bowdoin or Middlebury.
There is probably a lot of overlap between all these types of students at both Midd and Bates. That’s why it would be useful for us to know what your child is looking for.
Thanks @Thorsmom66 and @Lindagaf! I think that she’d get into ED1 at Bates - I’m not sure how ED2 compares to ED1 in terms of selectivity/athletes? Middlebury seems more of a risk - it’s slightly more selective and they’re overenrolled currently so not sure how that will affect admissions this year. She’s also not willing to be a Feb which lowers her chances. My worry is what if she does ED1 at Middlebury, get rejected or deferred, and then ED2 at Bates is more selective than we anticipate…?
My D is interested in a school where there’s some outdoorsy environment - she is an excellent skier and would love a low-key opportunity to ski but it’s not critical. She really values a strong sense of community, non-competitive environment, and is interested in writing and psych.
We visited both campuses twice and she loved both but didn’t have a strong feeling either way, which surprised her.
Likely to be admitted to Bates while Middlebury is less certain.
Sports seem more important at Middlebury than at Bates according to reports.
English is strong at Middlebury.
Is your daughter more concerned about getting admitted early or getting into her top choice school ? Does she have a preference ? Is she considering Bates primarily because of her parents affiliation with the school ?
Really comes down to your daughter’s preference.
To state the obvious, ED is an admission boost at most LACs.
P.S. Was writing before OP posted again.
If your daughter is truly undecided, then maybe ED isn’t the best approach for her.
Has she considered Dartmouth College ?
@Publisher - ha! Her status as a legacy is a deterrent actually - she didn’t want to like either school we went to, and wants to get in on her own merits and pave her own way - which she’ll do. I know what you’re saying about ED not being the best choice, but her odds in RD as a non-demographically diverse kid from the Northeast are not good at either school. She knows that she’ll be happy at either school and wants to leverage the advantage with ED. I don’t think that she’s competitive enough for Dartmouth - it was never on her list.
Really appreciate the feedback - please keep it coming! Thanks!
I think Bates might have a slight edge on the community aspect, in part due to a lot of involvement with the town of Lewiston. It’s also a bit smaller than Midd. Both schools will be excellent for her possible majors. Plus, Bates has great food.
My kid loved her profs at Bates. She got great opportunities through them and her recommendations helped her with scholarships and grad school. She loved her fellow students and the overall laidback atmosphere. She wasn’t involved in sports and found her group with the more creative and nerdy students.
Skiing will be accessible at both schools. Lewiston has good restaurants and a few fun things to do in the immediate vicinity. If she cares about having an urban area and airport nearby, Portland is a really nice small city with good food and shops. Bates runs regular free shuttles.
Agree with others that she has a very good chance ED1 at Bates, and probably ED at Midd. She will probably be able to indicate on the application if she is ok or not with starting in Feb.
I’ll tag @MWolf who can share his thoughts on Midd.
Friend’s child is at Bates, reports trouble getting into classes that they want. I’d go with Middlebury ED1. If they don’t get in, they can always try for Bates ED2.
If the GPA is unweighted, your daughter certainly has the academic numbers for Dartmouth College.
ED rate at Dartmouth College was over 19% last cycle. Consider ED to Dartmouth, then, if unsuccessful, consider Bates & Middlebury for ED 2.
Leadership is a highly valued attribute for elite colleges.
P.S. Much may depend on one’s view of applying ED. Some like near certainty, while some use ED to increase odds of admission to a reach school. But, with ED 2 option at Bates & Middlebury, ED 1 opens up additional options that satisfy your daughter’s preferences.
My daughter is a first-year at Bates, and this is the case with some high-demand classes in popular majors, but not necessarily across the board. My daughter was able to get 3 out of the 4 classes she wanted or needed her first semester with no problem, and the 4th had a long waiting list, so she ended up in another class she really likes. There is a “shopping” period at the beginning of each semester in which a lot of shuffling around happens. Bates has been great for my kid – she loves her professors, found activities that are right up her alley, and found a circle of friends pretty quickly. The college’s community outreach has been a big plus for her, as well. As for Middlebury, last year they took about 70% of their class ED – so not only does ED confer an advantage, RD is an extremely tough admit. My daughter, with similar stats to yours, got into Bates RD.
Bates appears to have high ED acceptance - if you believe 3rd party data.
But one shouldn’t ED somewhere because they’ll get in. One should ED somewhere because it’s their top choice.
I guess she likes both because you said she didn’t want to and yet now is applying to both.
But which does she prefer ?
Even if she went Midd, then Bates and struck out, there’d be others she’d love too.
Good luck.
It’s so hard when they are deciding between two schools. I just advised mine to get on the phone with a student (friend) at each school and ask them to convince you to go there.
After rereading the thread, it appears that your daughter is considering applying ED simply to increase chances for admission as opposed to having a clear first choice school.
Applying ED becomes less stressful if the applicant has carefully selected safety schools. Many colleges and universities will offer your daughter substantial merit scholarship money even if applying in the RD round.
Because your daughter is considering majors such as English, psychology, and writing, most schools remain in play. Add in her interest in snow skiing and the University of Denver might be of interest (even offers a joint BA/BS plus Masters in psychology). U Denver would almost certainly award a 4 year renewable merit scholarship award of $30,000, thereby substantially reducing the all-in price tag of $70,000.
Bear in mind that Denver is located on a plain, two hours’ drive from the nearest ski area. There is great skiing in Colorado, and often, people fly into Denver, but it’s really not that close to skiing. Now, if what she really wants is skiing, the place to go is the U of Utah, which has of course English, psych, writing, but also has no less than SEVEN fantastic ski areas, all within <45 minutes drive, some of which can be reached via public transportation, and a usually dependable ski season that runs from Thanksgiving thru early May.
Dartmouth has a different vibe than these two, do I wouldn’t add that into the mix.
Bates is a hair less selective and she has the legacy benefit. If it’s truly a toss up and she is hoping to be done with the college search by New Year’s, I would say she should pick Bates for the best odds.
If there is something about Midd that she truly prefers, she should ED there and she can ED2 at Bates if it doesn’t work. No point in wondering what if.
Both are great options and not so different from each other.
The University of Denver has a very active ski club. Several are about one hour away.
Interesting assessment. I see lots of similarities between Middlebury & Dartmouth, but campus vibe is an individual perception. Middlebury is a very common application overlap school for Dartmouth and vice-versa.
You know, I just visited my son in Ogden Utah (where he’s working) - and everything I read about Utah - you guys don’t give it enough justice.
Colorado - my daughter’s BF goes to U Denver and it’s 90 mins I think to Arapahoe. Even if you go to Mines - it’s still a distance - Boulder - watch out. Nothng close at all.
The U - is close to big time stuff. Where my son lives (Weber State, just a regional school) but we hiked at Snow Basin like 15 mins away and Powder Mountain and others are nearby .
Logan - where Utah State is - more skiing.
They have Westminster in SLC for a small school.
It was the first time I spent substaintial time in the SLC area. There are not just tons of resorts and not hours away - but every time you find a parking lot with a trail head - it’s like 5 trails in one place. And the mountains are EVERYWHERE.
For anyone who loves the outdoors - and I know Utah is less diverse and some don’t love that and yes, the people seem a bit different (maybe that’s just internal bias) - but whereas at other schools skiing is a chore to get there…my goodness, Utah (pick your school) is an absolute kingdom of nature - and it’s all literally right there. Everywhere.
I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t think I can imagine anything like it. And the fall foliage - it’s spectacular. I didn’t know about that.
Obviously, it’s not for this OP given the subject line and schools - but yeah, you’re not kidding. The Colorado schools are great for outdoors - but at the flagship level, they don’t compare to all that Utah offers.
For a student with good stats, only 2 schools in utah. Byu, which is really not a good choice for non mormons, or the U. Every other school is far less selective. The U gives merit money, and she can become in state. But if she is going to school for an education, middlebury.
My kid is at Bates and loves it! With the legacy, it seems like chances there would be better than Midd (with no hook and student from the Northeast). Mine is also a psych major and roommate is English/rhetoric and both seem very happy with classes, etc. With psych at Bates, there is usually a community internship/job component, which I think is great. Things like Boys and Girls Club (3-5pm, once a week) or Clover Memory Care (one afternoon a week, seniors with dementia) – these experiences involve recorded observations that are then used in a final paper of some sort (and add to the resume!). I think it’s great to get out in the community, and also be able to choose what setting is most interesting to you. When we looked into Midd, it seemed that psych there was not as popular as it is at Bates, and it’s also further from a major city (Bates students enjoy weekend trips on occasion to Portland and Boston). Is GPA weighted or unweighted? Assume some APs taken? We know someone with a higher GPA who was deferred ED1 last year but then got in after that. Unhooked, female, no legacy, around 4.0. But she is at Bates now and also loves it. Congrats on the 35 ACT - that’s fantastic and will help!