I’m a junior and will be applying to colleges later this fall. It is very important to me to go to a school with an open curriculum. And I know these four to be the most popular and well ranked. (Rather than brown which I have no chance of getting into). I was wondering what college you recommend I apply early decision to out of…
Wesleyan
Smith
grinnel
hamilton
(these are in order of how interested I am)
My stats so far are…
GPA: 3.9 unweighted 4.65 weighted (I go to an IB school will have done all core classes for at least 4 years)
My PSAT score: 1200 But I hope to score above a 1340 on the actual SAT. With the studying I’m doing I think it’s possible.
extra curriculars: D&D, Film club, Book club
volunteering: 60 hours of summer volunteering hours passing out free ice cream to kids.
Job: Hostess at a breakfast restaurant
which college do you think is the best and which college do you think I have a shot of getting into? I don’t want to waste applying early decision to a college that diffidently won’t take me.
This isn’t the right way to approach ED at all! An ED application isn’t the advantage you seem to think it is. Some schools fill over 50% of their class from ED applications, true, but the vast majority of those accepted students are recruited athletes or legacy students - 2 types of students where ED is virtually a requirement. If a school is affordable and it your clear first choice, then you can apply ED. To try and gain some perceived advantage, no.
You might want to read about somewhat less selective colleges, such as Skidmore, Oberlin and the University of Rochester, in the context of your current direction:
Others in the first version of this thread posted in the Wesleyan forum asked you disclose more about your IB curriculum.
I rarely if ever jump into the “chances” threads because, honestly, I really don’t have the expertise. But I had a kid at Wes recently and am willing to offer these tips, with no real sense of how important they are. These are just things I heard / observed on the recruiting/admissions trail through contact with many schools in the northeastern US:
IB is very highly respected and represents a real positive point in your application, although it’s not clear whether you intend to do the full diploma or go for a certificate. Reps from three very different and very selective private colleges separately said to us in fairly clear terms that they view IB as the most rigorous pathway and were very complimentary to both kids for having done it. I don’t know this for a fact, but I got a little bit of a nod or suggestion that completing the full diploma (which requires passing IB testing senior year) is more powerful that taking a bunch of IB classes. That may vary from school to school.
We were told Wesleyan likes to see physics. Does that mean it carries more weight than the Bio or Chem or other science track? I have no idea, maybe/probably not, but when I heard things like that I took note, that’s all. So if you’re serious about Wesleyan and you have the room, consider adding a Physics class, unless you think you won’t do well, in which case skip over this.
Agree that if you like Wesleyan, I don’t know why you wouldn’t also take a shot at Vassar. Though it’s also a very tough admissions hurdle.
If you have any flex on open curriculum, then if you like Smith, why not consider Mt. Holyoke (though S. Hadley is pretty sleepy, it’s not far from Northampton. Will you have a car?) And for that matter, and arguably even better (IMO), why not Bryn Mawr? I guess if you have some flex on OC, there is an entire other thread of schools to consider. Having gone and read the Gen Ed requirements of both schools, it didn’t seem that restrictive. But to each their own.
Thanks for the advice! I am aiming to get the full IB diploma. I know I could do well in physics but you have to decide which science class you take beginning of junior year and I already committed to biology. I have looked at Bryn Mawr and other schools but OC is a non negotiable when it comes to out of state schools. If I don’t get into an open curriculum college I’ll probably go to a cheaper school like Michigan State University or Northern Michigan. I’m doing college visits this spring so things could change.
Got it. Understood. It sounds like OC is an economic consideration rather than an academic freedom issue. It tends to be presented as the latter, but it makes sense.
For an indication of the selectivity of the schools you listed in your original post, even a 1400 SAT score might place a student below the 25th percentile at one or two of them. When you have an actual SAT result, you can compare it to the student-body profiles available through Common Data Sets. This will help you determine suitable targets for your final list.
Kalamazoo College is an open curriculum school that may be worth taking a look at. Offers Early Action (and merit money) which could be nice to have in December and could relieve some of the perceived pressure to have an ED school lined up.
Have you seen this list of open curriculum schools? There’s 30 colleges on it. I don’t agree with the author that all of them are open curriculum, but it should provide some additional possibilities to research.
Sure. Wellesley, Pomona and Carleton. I also recall Mt. Holyoke and Bryn Mawr emphasizing it as a particularly rigorous pathway. The Wesleyan coach said their admissions people gave IB high marks as well.