Need to shorten list of schools - Input appreciated

Parents Forum
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<p>However, for what it's worth, Bates rejected my S who had interviews and accepted his friend with lesser stats in every direction who had never set foot on campus before he was accepted. In fact this boy had never even heard of Bates until we told him to apply. </p>

<p>All is well because for S Bates was a safety (Haha!) in that he was admitted to much more selective institutions and this is the school his friend attends and we are very happy for him, and he is happy there.</p>

<p>DS was accepted at UChi without ever stepping foot on campus, and indeed almost decided to go without ever visiting. </p>

<p>DD was waitlisted at Sarah Lawrence where she had visited numerous times, but accepted at Barnard (more selective than either) where she only spoke to a senior. Interviewed by staff at Smith and Sarah Lawrence. The interviewer at Sarah Lawrence (director of admissions, it just so happened) was extremely impressed that D had AP sciences and AP calc. I guess this isn't part of the profile of Sarah Lawrence typical applicants. </p>

<p>So, after this an other experiences I have decided, contrary to what anyone else says, that interviewing can be a detriment at the "safeties" if the interviewer decides that a kid is too ambitious, urban, intellectual for their program. </p>

<p>"Fit" does seem on the mind of adcoms as well as students. I can't explain our results any other way. The places the kids fit the student body best were the places they were accepted. The places they were either not focused and ambitious enough (Dartmouth) or too dynamic (Bates) or not arty enough (Sarah Lawrence) they were rejected. I say this because kid rejected at Dartmouth was accepted at UChi, Brown (never visited or interviewed), Williams and kid waitlisted at Sarah Lawrence accepted at Barnard, Bard, Smith.</p>

<p>So, in my limited experience I would definitely say "showing the love" is not the deciding factor in many cases; in fact, adcoms can meet your kid and decide s/he's not quite what they're looking for.</p>

<p>Call me crazy because I have never seen this idea anywhere else and it runs contrary to all wisdom, including ideas posted here.</p>

<p>Just my observation.</p>

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<p>To Dad'o'2 - Thanks for the suggestion. At this time, since distance is an important factor to my daughter, Case Western (like Cornell) would not make sense. Should we find that the schools on our list (which therefore meet the distance criteria) don't connect with DD then we will need to expand our search and then Case and Cornell might be very appropriate at that time.</p>

<p>To Mythmom - If everything you just described is what happens then life is good. Ultimately no matter how much we don't like those rejections, if it causes a student at actually attend a school that is a right match then the job was done right. Hated DS's one rejection but it actually was good. Should he have gotten into that school it would have been hard to turn down but I don't know it how happy his four years would have been. I do thank that school for doing the right thing. Hopefully, though I may not like it at the time, schools will do the same for DD.</p>

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<p>Yes, I agree.</p>

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<p>well put Somda61. kudos for keeping it all in perspective!</p>

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<p>A great thread and I think your tentative schedule looked great.</p>

<p>I would second an earlier post about Conn. College in the safety group. It was mentioned that it is close to Mystic but it is even closer to UConn's Marine Sciences campus at Avery Point which is on the other side of the river from New London. You will have to check but there might be some synergies there.</p>

<p>I agree with the earlier posts that some of the longer list will quickly drop off once she makes any decision about size and location.</p>

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<p>Mythmom and Morandi, Thanks for the confidence.</p>

<p>CtParent2006 - more votes for Connecticut College. It certainly looks like everyone agrees that is a school that should be checked out. Thanks</p>

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<p>Mythmom: My NMSQT-Scholarship-Winner D visited Sarah Lawrence College before she applied but was wait-listed there and accepted at every other school where she applied all of which are generally considered "more selective" and included two Top-25 U's and one Top-5 LAC. I truly believe SLC is put off by candidates who appear to be using the school as a safety, and they decide not to "waste" the space. In my DD's case, SLC really was her first choice and, after a Dean's-List year at a top-15 U, she successfully transferred to SLC, received an FA package competitive with the top-15 U's, and will graduate this spring having truly enjoyed the last three years at Sarah Lawrence.</p>

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<p>Congratulations to her! Sarah Lawrence was among D's top two so she did not pursue it once Barnard accepted her. The package at Barnard was also generous.</p>

<p>She would have been ecstatic to attend Sarah Lawrence though.</p>

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<p>A few thoughts:</p>

<p>Neither Bowdoin nor Bates is what I would call "rural." Bowdoin is a lovely, classic campus located in a very attractive town similar to Amherst, and is about half an hour from Portland. Bates is a nice, but to my eyes less lovely campus located in Lewiston/Auburn, a pair of faded mill towns. According to those in the know, Bates is more welcoming of quirkier students, where Bowdoin is more prestige-conscious. Colby is generally considered the least of the three Maine schools, although it's still a good place. It is more remote. Williams is an idyllic campus in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Middlebury is also in the middle of nowhere, and reputed has less of an arts scene than Williams. Unless your D is particularly interested in languages, Mid doesn't add anything to her list. </p>

<p>I think that given the breadth of your D's interests you should drop all the tech schools (WPI et al).</p>

<p>I can't see what Wheaton and Fairfield offer your D. There are far more interesting safeties. Northeastern's great feature is its coop program. If she doesn't want that, BU is better known for writing.</p>

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<p>Comsolation: You take a very sane and reasonable approach, but Wheaton is an excellent safety for someone who wants a LAC. It does have a lovely campus, and the young woman I know who attends is over the moon about it.</p>

<p>I don't think OP's daughter will need such a safety, but for anyone else reading this, Wheaton is a good back-up to LAC's and located halfway between Boston and Providence gets speakers, action and offers places to reach very quickly.</p>

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<p>I've known students at Wheaton, too, (some of whom went because it was their safety and turned out to be the only school they got into) and they were very happy there. Given the admissions climate these days, I think the OP's daughter does need a safety like Wheaton. In fact, after viewing the school's Class of 2011 profile, which says that it accepted 39% of applicants last year, I would argue that for some definitions of safety, Wheaton is no longer a safety for anyone.</p>

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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>just did the Bowdoin bates Colby visits in Nov. All are very similiar but have unique qualities to each. D loved Bowdoin and Colby. Travel time for you Bowdoin/Colby day is cutting it close. I found Colby to be very welcoming and the people were very chatty- you may have to detach from the experience to meet your time schedule. It's a good time to visit because it will get very cold during the year and you will be visiting at its coldest. good Luck</p>

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<p>Another angle on Bates:
Bates has an ethos more like Haverford or Grinnell. Although not Quaker, it was founded by a group of Christians who harbored runaway slaves, and offered both education and safe passage to Canada. It also, from its inception, accepted women. Woah, sorry for sounding like a tour guide! Anyways, I felt that Bates' social environment was very warm and accepting, in keeping with its roots.</p>

<p>As for Conn Coll., I would not call it a safety; I'd call it a match, a school she is highly likely to get into, but not a 100% shoo-in. It is definitely not in the same tier as Amherst or Williams, but it is a highly regarded member of the NESCAC league. I've applied to CC, which I did like, with it filling a similar spot on my list.</p>

<p>Also, although your daughter sounds like a great candidate, keep in mind that there will be many others. If she really likes...say...Williams, she should apply. If she has no strong feeling about it, considering its selectivity, there may not be a point. This game seems especially capricious for talented, well-rounded kids in these top-tier LACs. Also, definitely look at Clark; I was glad I did. Not only does this under-appreciated Worcester school offer great merit scholarships, students have the opportunity to obtain a free fifth year in which they earn an MS...free of charge predicated upon GPA. Pretty enticing, and certainly a good safety.</p>

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<p>Hi all. I am very embarrassed to have not acknowledged all your input. In the days after 1/14 I saw no further posts so I assumed that the thread was "dead". I have to say I have been very fortunate to get all this input and it is a wonderful help.</p>

<p>To consolation - Thanks you for the input on Bowdoin, Bates and Colby. Good to hear that at least two of them may not fully fall into the "rural" setting. That will be something that we are going to having to access as we go along in the visits. As for the order of the three schools, I had previously thought that the prestige order was Bowdoin, Colby and then Bates. Thanks for putting Middlebury and Williams in perspective to each other. I am wondering whether, with Middlebury's greater travel time (which distance is a factor to daughter), it should be moved in it's visitation priority. Studying languages is something in which D is currently very disinterested. I will have to look and see what language/graduation requirements it has. We have been making notes on this for other schools at which she is looking. Tech schools and their removal. I think WPI will probably go at this time. In latest converstation w/ D she expressed interest in having the option of post undergraduate studies in Law, MBA or the science itself. MIT has sloan and RPI has a couple of combined degrees. I do think though that RPI will probably be visited much later than the LA schools that we really have many to sort out. Wheaton and Fairfield - in our initial April visits we will probably pick one and go from there. Northeastern and COOP is something unique amongst the schools. and BU with writing - a definite plus. Thanks</p>

<p>To Consolation, Mythmom, Sly_Vt - Thanks all for input on Wheaton. It is probably a school that will get sorted out later with possibly Fairfield. MB once we get in Ds first round of SAT's.</p>

<p>To SueMag - I am also concerned some about time and temperature that day. As for time, Colby will get the short end of the stick. At Bowdoin will stay beyond the info and tour. We have an offer of additional time from child of CC member. We are hoping that will work out for everyone's schedules. As for Colby though, we spend our weekends in Maine and a return visit to it (or the other maine schools) will not me an issue. As for cold, yes we are thinking this should be about the worst of it. But for her to go there, she will need to accept that. Not every day is a beautiful spring day.</p>

<p>To Foghorn - Thanks for the history on Bates and details about its character. As for Conn College, it repeatedly comes up as a logical school. We probably won't know how much is it a match or slightly more safe until she has all her end of junior year stats. Will take a look at the info on Clark. Thanks</p>

<p>As for schools in the wheaton, Fairfield, Connecticut College and Providence. I don't often get as much input on Providence. Any addtional comments?</p>

<p>BTW all, we did out first visit yesterday for 2nd kid. It was a definite experience visiting in the winter. It was only Harvard but we FROZE. First pass of what came out of it is Parking for Admissions is AWFUL a total nightmare and I am surprised that Harvard would allow it to be SO bad. But I guess they don't have to worry about such things, people will still come. D liked proximity to Boston - so that will be interesting with respect to the other schools on the list. Temp was awful 25 degrees and very windy. This was good though so that the other northern schools won't be the only schools seen in the cold. She does want to see again in better weather as a comparison. Turns out we were there during intersession which also meant we really did not get to see students which was infortunate. The Tour was rather skimpy from my point of view. Would have liked more "meat". Was limited to the old and new harvard yards and the science building. Never got near the upperclassman "houses". Would have like to see that - but then I was so cold I was glad we got to leave. But when we go back, we will go informally and just wander using the map from admissions. We will probably use public transport also to get there. Anyhow, that is a brief summary of our visit.</p>

<p>Thanks all. I promise to check more often</p>

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<p>To suggest another safety (small urban), as she narrows her interests she might consider UPitt. While it doesn't have the marine science, it does have one of the country's only undergraduate majors in neuroscience (the campus adjoins several hospitals), and there is a national research center in Alzheimer's disease across the street. With her credentials, she would be in the running to get a full ride.</p>

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<p>Smoda61 - if you are not "subscribed" to this thread, you can go to the top of this page and click on thread tools. The last option on that list is "subscribe to this thread." If you select that option you will receive an email each time a new post appears on this thread.</p>

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<p>Neonzeus - Thank you for suggesting UPitt. It sound like it would have great opportunities. Due to its distance though, it will not be part of our initial school visitations. Distance, to date, has been an important factor in what school made the first list with the furthest school being 3 1/2 hours. UPitt would be considerably further. Should there not be enough appropriate schools left in the first round then UPitt will certainly be examined. Thank you</p>

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<p>DeniseC - I actually had just tried exactly what you suggested earlier this morning. Receiving the e-mail notification was nice. I am just surprised that the OP is not automatically "subscribed" at the time that they begin a particular thread. Is there no other way? So I do have to take the step to subscribe to my own thread after I start it? Thanks</p>

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<p>I'm new at the thread subscription stuff. When you start a new thread, there are "Additional Options" at the bottom. One of these options is "Thread Subscription" - select what kind of notification you would like.</p>

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<p>When I first joined CC I automatically got e-mails about any thread I'd posted on - I hated it and turned it off. Anyway that leads me to think there must be a way to be automatically subscribed to all threads where you've posted.</p>