<p>Looks like a good list. If he doesn’t mind big Boston U is a possibility. Other schools he might like for international relations (but they are more reaches) Tufts, William and Mary, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>Folks have already mentioned a lot of the schools S2 considered – will second/third W&M. If he likes big, BU has a large IR department. If you’re already heading to Boston, check out Tufts and BU for comparison to Brandeis. Carleton has a very good polisci dept; Bowdoin is known for history/gov’t. Vassar might be a good fit and males have an advantage. S also really liked URoch – they have a very highly rated polisci dept. at the grad level. Several folks suggested Dickinson to us. Occidental might be worth a look, too.</p>
<p>I will note that CMU’s Global Policy major is largely a secondary major for students there. When S2 visited this summer, someone from the dept. told him there were two students who graduated with it as their primary major last year. It has a quantitative bent, though, and even though S2 is not the world’s biggest math fan, he liked its approach. Getting into H&SS is somewhat easier (about 33% acc rate) than the engineering & CS schools – avg SAT for H&SS was ~2030.</p>
<p>One thing you might want to consider about the “reachiness” of W&M is that it is apparently substantially harder for a girl to get in vs. a guy. I can’t recall the exact statistics, but it seemed like it was about three to four times harder for a girl. I do remember a quote from either the admissions director or the president, who when questioned about the apparent discrimination in favor of guys said “It’s called William & Mary, not Mary & Mary.”</p>
<p>I agree Gtown is more super reach but when in DC…
I am more than happy to add Tufts to a Boston visit but I just fear I’m adding more reaches to a reach heavy list?? He might spark to BU though and that feels more matchy. </p>
<p>I think I’m too freaked out by the perfect kids on cc and am psyched out before beginning.</p>
<p>Sounds like a great fit for American. Agree that Gtown is a reach…I would definitely add something at the match/safety level.
My son was accepted at GWU, waitlisted at BU, accepted at Northeastern with higher stats…I would say BU is a reach and may be too urban a campus for your S’s taste.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, my son sound’s like your son’s twin. Ultimately he decided that if he had a safety he loved (American) it didn’t matter if everything else is a reach. If worst came to worst he’ll take a gap year and learn a modern language - which would probably make him a more attractive candidate.</p>
<p>Skidmore… beautiful college and setting. The college offers an International Affairs major.</p>
<p>[Skidmore</a> College: International Affairs](<a href=“http://cms.skidmore.edu/international_affairs/index.cfm]Skidmore”>http://cms.skidmore.edu/international_affairs/index.cfm)</p>
<p>Interesting video. Worth listening to.</p>
<p>[Skidmore</a> Campus Map](<a href=“Maps, Directions, and Tours”>Maps, Directions, and Tours)</p>
<p>I had no idea my kids had so many twins. I must have really blocked out the delivery!!</p>
<p>My son’s safety was Clark. He really loved the school and would have been happy to attend. He was very impressed with the profs, the warmth and happiness of the students and the depth of course offerings. After visiting Clark he ended up canceling some visits at others schools saying, “why visit when I know I’d attend Clark before them”?</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, as I told you before, here’s another mom of your son’s twin (and my son is also a boy / girl twin). Regarding Jewish life, my son is applying to some schools that do not have large Jewish populations, but he did contact students there to be sure that there is at least a small, committed group that meets each Shabbat. You’ve got some great suggestions here. I would add Bates on the East coast – has a politics major and check out the info on Jewish life on the website. A good friend of mine who lives in the DC area advised me against having my son apply to Georgetown because it would be too Type A for him and too big. Better off going there or U. Chicago (which was also originally on our list) for graduate school, if that becomes a future option. We’re going with small – whether liberal arts or a smaller university like Brandeis. </p>
<p>I also wouldn’t worry yet about the classifications until your son gets his future ACT results. If he goes up, those schools may still be reaches, but reasonable ones. </p>
<p>here’s to wise old souls in teenage bodies!!</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, I think some of the schools mentioned including Gettysburg and Dickinson might be a little reachy. I would second American as a match/safety and also U of Rochester. I think I mentioned U of R for your daughter but tried not to “sell” it too much as D2 is a freshman there.</p>
<p>That said U of R has a Jewish population of 15-20%. It borders the Genessee River. There is a bike path which follows the river into the city of Rochester. Rochester is not huge. The university is easy to reach from the NY state Thruway. There is bus service to a local mall every weekend. Also Eastman School of Music is a couple miles away and the city has several minor league sports teams. The university is also bordered by historic Mount Hope Cemetery where Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglass are buried. There are alot of pre-med students at U or R but the university are offers alot of other programs including about a dozen foreign languages. The unique Rochester curriculum enables many students to double or triple major. The campus is small with gorgeous brick buildings and a carillon. The university does a great job with activities for the students for example movies are shown every Friday and Saturday evening on campus. So far this year Seth Meyers, Steven Chu, and Bill Maher have had events on campus.</p>
<p>Do you want the twins to end up in the same region to make visiting/travel easier?</p>
<p>Will he take the SAT? </p>
<p>Sorry if these questions were already answered elsewhere. </p>
<p>Grinnell might be a bit of a high reach, but I’m basing that on my midwestern daughter’s results. She had a 34/35 ACT, high 700’s SAT IIs, GPA-based and other HS honor societies, all A’s, 9 AP classes, National AP Scholar, varsity athlete, First chair musician, etc., very much an “old soul” and got waitlisted at Grinnell. We needed FA, which you don’t. Being male will help, too. </p>
<p>My daughter’s classmate, whose only apparent strength was playing baseball, was admitted to Grinnell, so who knows.</p>
<p>You should also consider George Washington University. They have a tremendous international policy program, a great government program with lots of connections and a decent philosophy department.</p>
<p>Anther possible good choice,especially for philosophy, would be NYU. They have the highest ranked graduate program in the area, to my surprise. I would also bet that they international policy program would be very good too.</p>
<p>Finally consider the Maxwell School of Foreign affairs at Syracuse University. You child would have a decent shot of admission, and Syracuse is a very good school for the majors that you noted.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not so sure. 43% admit rate and only 64% in the 10% of graduating class. ACT Composite: 28 - 32 [College</a> Search - Grinnell College - At a Glance](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board) </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if your dtr was waitlisted because admission assumed she applied to Grinnell as a safety.</p>
<p>Just doing a little brainstorming here:</p>
<p>Has he looked at Carleton or Pitzer? Knox? Kalamazoo?</p>
<p>Bard has a lot of international opportunities. Lewis and Clark has a fabulous Outdoor College.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, I see Whitman is on your Ss short list. Every year a couple of kids from Ds HS will go to Whitman …have never heard regrets or transfers. If you plan to visit Whitman and will be in the area, look into Whitworth and Gonzaga in Spokane. Spokane doesnt have a large Jewish population but there is a Synagogue. Several of Hs colleagues in Spokane are Jewish, if you would like to talk with them, PM me and I will give you their phone numbers.</p>
<p>I would also suggest looking at Lewis and Clark in Portland.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Doesn’t matter if they wind up in same region or not (of course, it would be easier, but that wouldn’t be a driving factor in decision-making). Yes, he may wind up taking the SAT later on.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Love Carleton, but Carleton is too reachy IMO (we don’t need more of those!). We are familiar with the area Knox is in and it’s not impressive. Not looked at Pitzer or Kalamazoo yet … concerned that Kalamazoo isn’t well enough known.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl - my D’s list last year included many from your S’s list plus others that have been suggested here. Here was her take on some of the schools:</p>
<p>Macalester - loved it, but eventually decided she wanted Jewish studies which they don’t offer. we attended Shabbat services with the student group and she felt right at home.
Clark - it was her safety. she loved it and would have been happy there. (she was particularly taken with the “Hookah in the Sukkah” event ;))
Grinnell - my alma mater. she did not like the isolation - we live in a small midwestern town and she really wanted access to a city. I think Grinnell’s 43% acceptance rate is misleading - Grinnell applicants tend to be self-selecting, so there are fewer obviously unqualified applicants to deny.
Brandeis - visited, fell in love, applied ED, and is a happy first-year now.
Pitzer - she loved it and it was her first choice until she visited Brandeis. make sure you are looking at the most current admissions stats for Pitzer - their acceptance rate has fallen and avg GPA has risen significantly over the last couple of years.</p>