Need reach suggestions that make sense.

College Search & Selection
1

Hi All,
I would like some reach suggestions for my son (junior) that might be a good fit for his interests, even though he doesn’t yet know what his major will be. Given that applications to top schools take a lot of time and are a long shot, I’d like to narrow the number down to a reasonable amount.

S will apply to two great state flagships and will likely attend one of them (GA Tech) So, for reaches, he’s looking to apply to a few schools that he thinks would be equally as good (in ranking/reputation or fit) or better. So, top-30 universities or LACs would be what we’re looking for. If he were lucky enough to get into a top-20 school and he liked it, the financial aid might make it doable. Otherwise, he will get free tuition (and maybe more) at UGA or Tech.

He tends to really like his Economics, History and Spanish classes. He is also enjoying AP physics this year so could possibly go in that direction. I could see him going into business or law but I’m not sure. I’ve done some reading on the PPE major and that seems right up his alley, especially since he has mentioned liking philosophy. He wants to be fluent in Spanish and hopefully study abroad.

Also, does he definitely need to take SAT subject tests for those schools?

GPA-3.97 UW
ACT-34 (35 superscore)
Top 2% of class (very large suburban high school, very diverse)
IB Diploma candidate (Higher level: Lang, HOA, Spanish) (Standard level: Math [includes AP Calc], Psych, TOK)
This year also AP Physics
Previous AP classes (World, Lang, Chem, Gov. Econ) AP scholar with distinction
Likely National Merit Commended (PSAT-1460)

Varsity Water Polo since sophomore year, junior year went to state finals (he was named MVP by coach)
Varsity Tennis (started as a sophomore and went to state semi-finals last year)

Class President (class size close to 900)

A few other ECs, limited volunteer work, good job experience.

2

You can get in the car and visit Duke, Vanderbilt & Emory, or if he wants to go smaller, Washington & Lee and Davidson.

3

Georgetown. He would need three subject tests.

4

For economics, look into Williams, Middlebury, Claremont McKenna, Colgate, Hamilton . . .

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html

These colleges would also be generally excellent choices for history, Spanish, physics, pre-law and study abroad.

Testing requirements and recommendations can be found on the respective websites for these schools.

5

GA Tech students with better stats than his (in state) were rejected already this year. I’d put that on the reach list for that reason.

6

Add Wake Forest and Richmond to the list.

7

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone. I liked Richmond a lot when I visited with my daughter and I think he did too. I hadn’t really thought of Georgetown for him (but probably should have), but most of the others suggested are on the list to narrow down.
@merc81 - Thanks for the helpful link. I think he would really like a liberal arts college. He makes fun of his sister for going to one (as brothers do) but I think he would thrive in that kind of learning environment.

8

Look at Dartmouth (suits his academic interests to a T and has outstanding study abroad and language programs). Look at the other elite LACs such as Williams–already mentioned–Amherst, Bowdoin, look at Colby as well as Hamilton and Colgate. Really, with his stats, if he is a PPE type, there are many choices. Reachy, of course, but he is well within the profile for such schools. Especially as a class president and athlete in a more specialized sport.

I guess I must know even less than I thought about Georgia Tech, because I wouldn’t think of it as a target school for someone interested in the social sciences, language, and study abroad.

BTW, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst all have excellent FA.

9

I agree with @intparent, Georgia Tech doesn’t look to be a safety or even a match for anybody these days. Take a look at the thread for EA decisions. Good luck to your son!

10

If it might matter to him, he should be aware that many liberal arts colleges – notably NESCACs, but others as well – offer very strong sports programs, as well as top athletic facilities available to all students, @elena13.

11

I strongly second Wake, which has the school spirit, D1 athletics, and academic variety of a much larger school while remaining one of the smallest of the top universities.

In fact, a smaller percentage of classes at Wake have >50 students (1%) than at some of the top liberal arts colleges (Middlebury, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, etc.). One can’t assume that universities always have larger classes.

12

Start with your financial planning so that you know what you can afford, keeping in mind your retirement and any younger kids’ college costs.

Then run the net price calculator on the web site of each college under consideration, so that you can see how financially realistic it is. If a college is not affordable but can be with merit scholarships, be sure that he knows that he is aiming for the scholarships at that school, not just admission there (this can move a school from safety or match to reach for the scholarships, for example).

13

@elena02 W.r.t. https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html
N.B.The ranking is experimental and meaningless.

14

Looking further afield, LACs like Carleton, Grinnell, and the Claremont colleges might be worth considering. Grinnell is a low reach with his stats but he could be in the mix for merit aid (they have a stunning aquatic facility too).

Your son’s stats and your in-state options will give him a ton of great choices.

15

Re #12, The OP should be allowed to interpret the methodology of the analysis in its full context.

The authors state, for example, that

which suggests they believe in the at least partial validity of the current version of the analysis (though they’ve also included more conservative language, which would be scholarly appropriate).

16

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions and feedback @merc81, @Consolation, @warblersrule , @Otterma and others. Even though I’m familiar with all these schools, I don’t know enough about their programs and strengths, so it’s really helpful to get others’ feedback about what comes to mind for him. I do think he will apply to a few LACs as well as some larger universities. @Consolation you’re right about Tech, it’s not the best fit for him, but they do have a few majors that would be ok. And if he gets in, and the instate options are the only affordable ones, I’m thinking he’ll choose Tech.

17

@suzy100 Yes, I agree that Ga tech is by no means a sure thing. I’ve been reading the EA thread since decisions came out and it’s scary for sure. While the vast majority of kids rejected with similar stats are OOS, and I’m thankful that the in state acceptance rate is much higher, I have told my son multiple times that he can’t count on it.

18

@elena13 It should be noted that research at LACs is not at all comparable to universities.

Source: Economic Research at National Liberal Arts Colleges: School Rankings
James E. Hartley and Michael D. Robinson
The Journal of Economic Education
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~mirobins/papers/econrank.pdf

Although I still contend the list is of little value, for your purposes the ranking of the top 25% US economics departments inclusive of LACs and universities is of more value. https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.usecondept.html

19

Frankly, if your S has 2 strong essays, they can be adapted to apply to the vast majority of elite schools and the applications are not that much work. There is no need to start from scratch each time.

20

To the other LACs mentioned, you might add Vassar. Their admit rate for men is a fair bit higher than the overall admit rate.

And Princeton is the closest among HYP if he wants to take a shot at one of them. Among private universities, they feature very strong student-prof interaction and, like Dartmouth, are mainly undergrad-focused.