Please help fine tune college list (i.e., add safeties and matches)

Parents Forum
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<p>Please, I need help finding safeties and matches for my D...her list is FAR too top heavy, IMO. We're planning our summer college visits (will be unlikely to go in the fall due to parent and child scheduling conflicts) so are firming up her list. So far, she's interested in HYColumbia, Northwestern (though very concerned about the level of Greek influence there which she does not care for), perhaps Oberlin and Wesleyan. Has our local state U (a good one) as a safety, but doesn't want to stay in this city. Her interests are attending a school that is not too small (hated Amherst) and not all women. Wants mid-sized city or suburban or urban (but not NYU urban). Wants ability to double major in unrelated fields (music or theater and science), so didn't care for Princeton for this reason and because their theater class offerings are so limited. Please help with putting together a reasonable list and whether you consider the school a reach, match or safety. Here are her updated stats:</p>

<p>GPA UW 3.96 (no weighting at this school, no classes taken at any other place e.g., community colleges considered, will have one B+ in history, rest A's, prob 3 A+ in sciences)
Class rank: prob ~5-7/65 in a college prep school that each year sends 5 to 10% of class to Ivies (many with major hooks like URM), another 5 to 10% to mini Ivies
SAT I: will not take
ACT: composite 35 (all sections 35 except math 33, no prep)
SAT II: Math IIC 800 (no prep)
French 730 (no prep...is retaking June 4th after prep and got 780 on recent practice test)
Will take Chem in October and will prep</p>

<p>Classes (has all AP offered so far, 1 more than all rest of juniors):</p>

<p>9th grade:
Accelerated Math (I forget which one)
English
French II
History
Honors Bio
self-studied French III and placed ahead over summer break
music</p>

<p>10th grade:
AP European History (grade 3 on exam)
AP French IV (grade 5)
Accelerated Math
English
Honors Chem
music</p>

<p>11th grade:
Accelerated Pre-calc
Honors Physics
AP Stats
AP US History
AP English (took the language and comp exam and will take the literature exam next year)
French 5 (no AP French 5 offered this year at the school)
music</p>

<p>12th grade:
AP Calc BC
AP Physics
AP Chem
AP French 5
AP English (1 sem Acting Shakespeare, 1 in advanced writing)
music
1 semester Leadership course</p>

<p>Awards:
4 years Top 5 National French Exam, 6th in nation this year
Cum Laude Society as junior
State math contest finalist
I's at regional and state solo and ensemble festival past 2 years
Regional honors ensemble
School journalism award</p>

<p>EC (major):
School musical ensemble 4 yrs
School advanced music ensemble 4 years
School paper 3 years, co-editor-in-chief this year, wants to just be a writer for it next year)
Varsity golf team 3 years, co-captain this year
Theater, theater, theater...all school plays and musicals (lead this year), benefit performances for breast cancer research, student run plays
Dance for 9 yrs, including benefits for local homeless shelter
3 summers at national music camp: 1st as non-audition major, 2nd as voice major, this summer as one of 30 students accepted to advanced institute at this camp</p>

<p>Many thanks to all of you for considering this. I don't want to blow her dreams of attending HYC out of the water if she has a chance, but want her to have a safety she loves and several matches as well and don't want her to concentrate her time on these elite schools if she has no chance.</p>

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<p>quiltguru, if your D's safety is a place she doesn't really want to be than it will not be a safety in April. I guarantee it. Find one that she really loves. That is so important...and a few matches.</p>

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<p>There would be several Southern schools that would be good choices, particularly with the geographic hook of being from the Midwest, but there is that darned Greek problem - most of them will have active Greek life.
Not a safety, but look at Rice (no Greek), Emory, and Vandy (Greeks are important). More in the safety range, Uni of Richmond (they are building a new science building, and trying to beef up the program), Rhodes (small and Greek, but very unique science opportunities, it is just up the street from St. Jude's).
Small and half Greek, but with some cool offerings in science and theater would be Davidson, outside of Charlotte - the Royal Shakespeare Company will be doing 2 week residencies there each spring for the next few years (they have a small top notch theater), and they have an excellent science program with one of the finest pre-med programs in the country - think Williams caliber academics, but with water skiing, more conservative, more toward life sciences tahn physics/math and closer to civilization.</p>

<p>In major airport hubs - Rice, Emory, Rhodes, and to a lesser extent Davidson.</p>

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<p>Oberlin is one of the few places where you can double major in music and something else. At many places this simply is not possible. Remember that if she plans to major (even double) in music at most places she will also have to audition (Oberlin requires an audition for the conservatory as well as acceptance into the college for double majors). I agree about the safety needing to be a school your youngster wants to attend. The suggestions we have heard is to build your list from the bottom up...pick your safety first and then your matches and then your reaches. Even though your child doesn't want a "small school" would she consider the consortium of schools in Phili including Haverford? What about Tufts, or BC for the Boston area? How about the DC schools....Georgetown, American (would probably be a safety, I think) or George Washington? In the south...Tulane (where I think she could double major also). U of Miami (another probable safety)...big music program....don't know about double majors though.</p>

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<p>Here's a discussion of double majoring and music at several schools that offer the option---<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/archive/index.php/t-43249.html"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/archive/index.php/t-43249.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>QUILTGURU</p>

<p>I don't have a lot of time to put into this at the moment but will do just a little bit here for now....</p>

<p>First off, I would not say that your daughter has NO chance at those reaches. She is definitely an appropriate candidate and my thought is that she has a chance as much as anyone. However, as you know, one must be cognizant of the lottery nature of the reaches like those ones because of the very very low acceptance rates. So, you are absolutely correct that your daughter needs to have match and safety schools, not because she has no chance at the reaches but that these schools admissions can be unpredictable so nobody should have a top heavy list, no matter how qualified. </p>

<p>I am a little confused when you say not NYU urban since your daughter has Columbia on her list. That is pretty urban. </p>

<p>Her list so far is very good but too top heavy. </p>

<p>For match schools, given her criteria...
I suggest Tufts and Vassar....both good with theater, both near a city, both mid sized. Tufts is also strong in science. Possibly Boston College might be another match for her. If more into music than drama, Vanderbilt might be worth looking into as well. Take a look at Macalester as a match in terms of location/size/theater. I also think that while your D does not want all women, she might add Barnard as a match because she likes Columbia and a Barnard student mixes with Columbia students and can take courses at Columbia. Barnard would be more of a match for her. I would have added Kenyon here but the location does not meet your D's criteria.</p>

<p>For safety schools, I would add Skidmore....also very good with theater and is in a lively biggish town, also not far from a city. </p>

<p>I would likely not have bothered with your state university because you said she is not interested in staying in your city so why bother? Find safeties she really WOULD like. AND, for an excellent student like yours, the safety NEED NOT be an easy school, just a safety for HER. For instance, my child was also an excellent student and her safeties were Conn College and Lehigh. She made sure she liked 'em. So, I suggest the same for your daughter. That is why I think Skidmore is an excellent option for her safety. Ideally one more safety should be added. How about Sarah Lawrence though there are more girls than boys. A very big school but one that fits her interests that could be a safety is Indiana University.</p>

<p>I hope that helps a little and I am sure others will make suggestions. Your daughter sounds like an excellent college applicant by the way!</p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>Actually, I did not see any of the other posts when I posted above but a good safety that someone mentioned that actually has musical theater that is a BA program is American.
Susan</p>

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<p>Indiana is a safety but the school of music is no safety! If financial aid is something that may shift a decision than forget Indiana unless you apply very early in the process and get a sizable merit award from the school of music or the university for academic achievement. It's a great school with many options and wonderful music...just a little warning here.</p>

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<p>The reason I mentioned Indiana is because I don't think Quiltguru's child plays an instrument. She is into voice/dance and musical theater, it sounds and there is a BA dept. at that school in those areas (NOT by audition) as my girls' friend is there and she went to this school which was her safety because she did not get into any of the BFA musical theater colleges she auditioned at and Indiana has no audition for that field. I realize for instrumental music, it is difficult to get in.<br>
Susan</p>

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<p>That's right soozie, she's voice. She likes Columbia because it's enclosed in a city, but NYU doesn't have a true campus.</p>

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<p>What about Brandeis? My understanding is that there are MANY opportunities for choral singers in ensembles...not as majors or minors. We know a student there who chose the school because he wanted to sing but didn't want to major in music at all.</p>

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<p>By the way, I know you are not asking about reach schools, but given your daughter's criteria and interests, I truly believe Brown fits the bill. I see she has Yale and I also think that one also does.</p>

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<p>Bumping for more input please!</p>

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<p>For the most part, when I hear unrelated double-majors I think LACs, but I do like the idea of Brown as the lack or core or distribution requirements might make that easier. </p>

<p>Here are a few LAC suggestions. Some are small schools, like Amherst, but that's generally what you get with an LAC. </p>

<p>MUSIC and SCIENCE
In small towns, Oberlin (match) and Bard (match) don't quite meet the criteria but are worth looking into. In a small city (70,000), Lawrence (safety) does. </p>

<p>THEATRE and SCIENCE
Macalester (match), Connecticut College (safety, but still pretty selective)</p>

<p>MUSIC or THEATRE and SCIENCE
Vassar (match), Wesleyan (match), maybe Skidmore (safety) if biology is the science interest.</p>

<p>Dance is supposed to be pretty good at some of these schools (like Conn College) and can be checked out as you go.</p>

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<p>guiltguru, If it were me with what I know now, I would give the list above to your daughter and see if any seem interesting to her. She can write to people who run different departments she may be interested in and see what response she gets back. With those, I would plan to have her visit the campuses this summer. Summer is better than never. It will give her an idea. Let her keep her dreams of HYC. But you never know. Dreams can change in this most tumultuous of senior years. She should find a school like those above to love as well. All of them are more than fantastic. But she shouldn't fill out applications to places she would never consider attending. It would be a total waste of time.</p>

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<p>P.S. If she is considering auditioning at any schools for music, then don't consider that part of the application a safety anywhere.</p>

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<p>Thank you all very much, you have been very helpful. Tonight we met up (at Meijier's of all places) with the parents of a girl who had transferred from my D's high school to a performing arts academy as a senior and who is headed to Lawrence for a combined 5 year BA/BM next year! Very illuminating and, I think, caught my D's interest.</p>

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<p>I cried when my son chose Lawrence University since I wanted him in California where family is. I am over it totally! Kids know what the best place is for them. He is over the moon and already has lined up a fabulous on campus job for next fall. He is doing a 5 year double degree in Music and Government. I am not saying that Lawrence is the right place for your daughter, just that he let go of reaches that he had considered for years to go to Lawrence. So in the end, they don't always select first favorites.</p>

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<p>Qg - My D (your daughter's clone, if you'll recall) tried very hard to create a plan at Davidson that would accomplish what you're seeking. If you're interested in the details, PM me.</p>