My daughter has made up her mind on where she want to go to college (Middlebury College), but she does not know how to make sure the Admissions Office knows that this is a great fit and is extremely interested (other than applying Early Decision). Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Go over the common data set for Middlebury with your daughter. It is one of the most difficult colleges in the country to get into. 8894 applied this year for admission, and probably each also felt it was a perfect fit. 17% were offered admission.
Visit several times. Interview. She’ll need to write an amazing essay that sets her apart. But probably the best thing you can do for your daughter is to help her visit, and become excited about, some similarly rigorous but less selective colleges. St. Lawrence, Skidmore, Union, Mt. Holyoke, etc in the northeast. Denison, Kenyon, Rhodes, Sewanee, Centre, Wofford further away. At the end of the process, you’ll want your daughter to have some excellent choices.
If you go over the website and visit, you’ll get an idea of what Middlebury thinks its strengths are. Then you need to look in yourself and see what qualities you have that will compliment the college’s vision of themselves. This doesn’t need you need to parrot back exactly what they expect. For example, my younger son felt that probably half the students who apply to Tufts probably say they like it because of their International Relations program and various offerings. My son was interested, but really had nothing in his high school experience that could speak to that. So for his “Why Tufts” essay he wrote about something that had amused him on a visit (the way events are all announced with chalk on the sidewalks). He didn’t talk about international relations per se at all - though he did talk about his hobby folding origami and how he regrets not having properly appreciated a visit to Japan when he was very young. He wrote another optional essay that was a creative writing piece of alternate history. I think his essays made him come off as intellectually curious, creative, quirky and with a sense of humor. But no where did they say, I am the perfect student for Tufts. I think your best bet is to show your best self and cross your fingers.
I also agree with MidwestDad3’s advice not to fall in love with one college too much. There are some real gems in the slightly less selective, less popular colleges.
Can you afford full pay if necessary? (Before she gets her heart set on it).
Madison85: We are able to pay full tuition.
mathmom: Do you think that she should not write about languages in her essay (although she does like languages) in order to be unique?
One small thing could help at the margins. When my kids were applying to college, they each prepared a little cheat sheet or summary for their letter writers to use. On that sheet, they put in a sentence or two about each of the colleges to which they applied in which they expressed what particularly attracted them to each college. In effect this gave the letter writers something to draw on if they chose to comment on “fit” in their letters of support.
The schools will be looking for updates after first semester grades are posted. Your D can take that opportunity to tell Middlebury not only about her grades and any recent achievements, but also that they are her first choice.
One thing to consider is that Middlebury will offer some applicants an admission starting in January, mid-year. Would your daughter still be willing to go if that is what they offered her? Would she actually prefer that? (Few students do, but sometimes someone has a Gap-semester opportunity that they want to pursue.) If she was one of the people who would accept a mid-year admission, she can let them know that too, even if a regular fall admission is her first choice.
Some ways to show interest include: visiting the school for an information session and tour, arranging an interview (at the school if possible or elso asking to interview with a local alumni or an admissions officer if he/she comes to your area), get on the school’s mailing list, and if the school visits her HS or gives a presentation locally she should attend the meeting. If she becomes 100% certain it is her top choice she should think about ED or ED2 if she is more certain by that later deadline. I don’t know if Middlebury has a supplement but that may be a place where she could talk about why the school is such a good fit.
And I agree with the others. It is dangerous to fall in love with one very competitive college. Be sure she keeps her options open and develops a well thought out list of schools she would enjoy attending.
As an aside, there is no “perfect” in this world. No place, no person, no time, no perfect. It is likely that your D can thrive at any number of places. Don’t overstress the importance of this one school. Make sure she has other options and safeties that would serve her just fine should this particular version of “perfect” not work out.
I think the “if you like this then why not this” is a good way to build a list especially if she 'knows" what it is about Middlebury she likes. Off the cuff with no knowledge of what she likes the following come to mind: St. Lawrence, Hobart William Smith, Colby, University of Vermont.