<p>Don’t worry, I’ll throw in my D for free so you can know what it’s like to have a daughter! No, no, you’ll thank me later!</p>
<p>I should probably read over the whole thread…but…was William and Mary ever considered? (History…outdoor and scenery…)</p>
<p>May not need more stretches…but…what about Haverford?</p>
<p>If interested in Northwestern…he should certainly give it a shot. Stats like his would definitely have a chance at Northwestern from our suburban HS.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your S’s 33. My S got a 34, so I know the score is nice but doesn’t automatically open doors. I think it makes your original list perfect, and your S should see some very good results.</p>
<p>Again, great news!!!</p>
<p>Your list looks great, but i would consider adding an LAC or two that fit the outdoor activity / beautiful scenery profile. A love of history and international relations can be filled at any liberal arts school. And it sounds like grad school might be in the future for him, in which case, a Tufts or a Georgetown would be good possibilities if he chooses the LAC undergrad route. Kenyon was the one school my twins both were turned off right away – my D because it was so isolated (and the surroundings were dreary) and my S, because he just felt that the campus looked too churchlike for him! </p>
<p>I think you should consider adding Bates, Bowdoin and Bard to your list.</p>
<p>My boy twin is at Vassar College. Sizeable Jewish presence (Shabbat services on Fridays are available but low key) and good history and philosophy departments. Beautiful campus in the gorgeous Hudson Valley (though the town of Poughkeepsie is far from beautiful.) They have a great film department and would likely be pleased with your son’s film ECs. Intellectual atmosphere with a somewhat laid back environment.</p>
<p>Thank you to all! Great suggestions.
Yes, W&M was on <em>my</em> list for him 
and he hasn’t bitten. Ditto for Bates. I’ll have to re-up those two.
Yes, he will be seeing Haverford, as we are touring Bryn Mawr for D.
Thanks to all! Welcome any more suggestions! I am hoping that the tours really start to focus him. He really is of the “I could go several ways” mentality.
My big concern is … do I have enough on the low end? It’s easy to add high ends.</p>
<p>Dickinson maybe? Very global focus, and near the Appalachian Trail (10 minutes away) for hiking</p>
<p>If he’d consider SoCal, I think CMC might have moved into the high match realm with that ACT score. The five college system is awesome and the government department is amazing. They truly care about the essay, whole applicant, etc. and I think it would be worth a visit. I graduated from there almost 15 years ago, but at the time the jewish student scene was decent (my best friend and XC team mate was pretty involved).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t discourage the “i could go either way” mentality. Let him apply to a variety so he has options come April. That’s what my kids are doing. Vassar is a great addition, which has a huge differential in the male / female admissions percentages.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Here’s my two cents–based on a few places on your S’s list with which I’m familiar. If you weren’t impressed with the area in which Knox is located–Clark may not stay on you list because its geographic location makes Knox/western IL seem like the South of France. Clark is not in the most geographically desirable location. Also, while it seems like Worcester isn’t far from Boston–that 40-some miles makes for a long trip on public transportation. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t cross Tufts off your list, especially if you’ll be visiting Brandeis. For someone interested in IR or Jewish culture, it has much to offer. Tufts has a strong IR program (Fletcher School is a grad program, but undergrad IR is very good too.) Also, Tufts has courses in Judaic Studies. My D’s favorite prof taught several courses in that program and D took 2 of his courses in that field. </p>
<p>Kalamazoo is probably not as well known outside of the midwest, but people who are knowledgeable about higher education recognize it as an excellent program. My stepson went there and was attracted to the many options for studying abroad that were open to all students at K. Stepson got into a grad program at UC-Berkley a few years after K-College.</p>
<p>Here’s my couple cents Bates and K to me are incredibly similar academically. I met a Dean on the Bates tour with my S2 who made that same remark to me upon learning that I was a K alum. What K does have is a very high acceptance rate into grad school and is well regarded by grad schools. The campus’ also reminded me of each other although K is more compact. The Bates kids felt more jock-like than the K kids ever do so there is differences in the student body separate from the academics. He can go do a look see at K up and back in a day. My S2 didn’t like K (too small, too compact, kids were too quirky) and didn’t like Bates (kids were too into sports), but loved Colby and Bowdoin fell somewhere in the middle.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl - Been following your posts. Congrats to your son on ACT score. We are from Chi burbs and DS got 34 on the national test date and 33 on the state test date (the day all Illinois seniors take it together at their high school) but DS has lower GPA than your S. In retrospect, we did too many safeties because he has 8 yeses and 1 deferral.</p>
<p>DS said after tours, Mom, I really think I would be happy anywhere. Now that he has these options, he still has this “I will be happy anywhere” mentality. It is driving me crazy, because I think he should be doing more research, but I think his stress level is lower. </p>
<p>Good luck during the next year!</p>
<p>Thank you to all!</p>
<p>Bromfield, interesting about Bates. On paper and in the guidebooks, it definitely has a different feel to it. My S only saw it in the summer, so if he gets in, he will have to visit in session. Surprising, though, about the perception of Colby. I thought that would have been the more athletic place.</p>
<p>Congratulations to Pizzason!! That is a wonderful score.</p>
<p>My daughter got a 34, 35 super-scored. Her GPA was higher. All A’s in all Honors/AP classes.</p>
<p>Her results prove top scores and grades are not enough.</p>
<p>If you are considering Macalester and St. Olaf, why not Carleton? </p>
<p>Double-legacy at Northwestern and no need for FA, right? You could add it to the list, if they have what he’s interested in studying.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand your reluctance to put Northwestern on your son’s list - it seems like NU has a number of the things he is looking for in a school. What does he think about NU?</p>
<p>I wondered about Carleton, too, but haven’t been following “this twin” closely. Macalester and Carleton tend to draw similar stats kids at least out of the midwest with Mac tending alittle quirkier and Carlton a tad more outdoorsey, but the campuses and environments are very different and cause the division I think. </p>
<p>SDonCC, it was my son that thought “Bates” was more athleticy…but I think it was because the sports promoted/talked about/pointed out were more organized sports. The Colby kids were “outdoorsey” but talked more about skiing, biking, camping, kayaking and canoes and less about this team or that team. We also spent waaaay too much time in the athletic facilities at Bates (both my son and I bailed on the tour at that point as it was at the end) and the athletic facilities weren’t on the tour of Colby which left an impression on my son as he’s more interested in what he can do on weekends and stuff that aligns with what he’s into and he’s never been to his high school football or basketball game except when we force him and drag his butt to see his brother play, but he’ll go skiing, sailing, hiking, biking, kayaking or golfing with friends etc at the drop of a hat so he “turns” off when colleges start talking about “organized/sanctioned” sports.</p>
<p>If your son is interested in Jewish studies, Clark is the only university that offers a doctoral program in Holocaust History and Geonocide studies. It has a robust undergraduate program in this area. And it does has a strong IR undergraduate program as well. Clark is a unique place in that it is a very small university with an LAC feel, with lots of opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with research. It’s also, as you know, one of Loren Pope’s CTCL schools.</p>
<p>[Strassler</a> Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies | Clark University](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/departments/holocaust/]Strassler”>Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies | Strassler Center | Clark University)</p>
<p>As a Clark alum I can tell you that the campus and surrounding Worcester South Main neighborhood are so much nicer than when I attended. Clark has worked very hard to partner with the community, and has received national recognition for these efforts. Worcester is not a small town and does offer some nice urban attractions that places like Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Lehigh, Lafayette, etc. can’t. Boston is a 1 hour drive. Freshman are allowed to have cars now, something that we weren’t allowed back then. I know I’m biased but I believe that if Clark were located in a bedroom community of Boston like Brandeis (Waltham) it would be much more highly rated. It’s a terrific school.</p>
<p>I hope your son visits and interviews there. You all may be pleasantly surprised. I think Clark is a solid match, probably a safety, for you son based on his stats. My daughter was accepted ED two weeks ago, and she is very excited about attending.</p>
<p>Keep us posted!</p>
<p>Pizzagirl your son sounds sooo much like my son (and CountingDown’s S2)</p>
<p>re the list:</p>
<p>High reach: Georgetown (dream opportunities with SFS), Tufts
Reach: Grinnell, Brandeis
Low reach: Macalester
High match: George Washington U, Kenyon, Whitman College
Match: American U, Clark U </p>
<p>I think your son should consider American a safety. FWIW, my son who has similar interests - likes the outdoors, but is happy to go there via an outing club, doesn’t want to actually be at a college in the woods - ended up with a list of 7 reaches and 2 safeties. After getting into U of Chicago EA though he’s dropping one safety and one reach.</p>
<p>In addition to U of Ch, he’s applying to Georgetown, Brown, Harvard (that’s just to appease Dad), Tufts (probably his secret favorite), Vassar (the only LAC, but he liked it a lot), and American. He dropped William and Mary and Syracuse. He’d seriously considered U of Rochester. He didn’t like the Brandeis or GW campuses and dropped them early on, though their programs were right up his alley.</p>
<p>Places that got rejected for various reasons: Johns Hopkins, Haverford, and all those midwest schools. I like Clark, but it didn’t come onto our radar because of its size. Probably should have though. We used to drive through Worcester all the time on the way to see the NH relatives.</p>
<p>This is all SO helpful. Clarkalum, I’ve emailed that link to S. It’s just up his alley. Mathmom, I think I will live vicariously through you this year! Jrpar- NU just has a lot of baggage with us being alums, with it being in our (not literal) backyard, and because S has spent summers there at CTD. A rejection there would have a certain sting for him that the other places wouldn’t, so I really need him to be able to articulate why it should be on the list beyond “oh, here’s a possible in to a top school.”. I also don’t think of NU as being known for IR the way many of the others are. Not that it wouldn’t be perfectly fine, of course. </p>
<p>This is really helping me think through all this. Again, huge thanks!</p>