<p>Based on your other picks, matches to consider are Bryn Mawr, Oberlin, Macalester and Carleton. Occidental and Reed if you will consider West Coast. I also like the suggestions of BU and JHU.</p>
<p>But note that music program quality and opportunities vary widely among this group. You need to figure out what sort of music activity you want at college and ask specifically if that activity is (a) available, and (b) available to non-music majors.</p>
<p>I just checked Vassar's website, showing class of 2008 mean SAT as 1377. That puts the OP at close to 100 points over. However, the 2009 class stats of Wes. does show a mean of 1430 which is as you say, SBMom, very close. Still, I think that these schools are far from the "lottery" category of the reach schools listed in the original post, --and the idea was not to identify safeties.</p>
<p>I also think that SAT's will never get one into a school, they can only keep you out. By that I mean that once a student is solidly in the ball park, the adcoms look to everything else. A valedictorian with strong ec's is definitely a serious candidate for these schools (in fact, Wes likes to tout how many vals they have, which is very different from the ivys). If the OP's guidance counselor can make clear that this student is this years top kid (which often happens at schools that don't rank), that will tell the adcom's the equivalent of a #1 rank.</p>
<p>so then how do I judge what a match is if i can't do it by SAT scores? (This is the trouble I've been having for a month) Thank you all so much by the way, I really appreciate this.</p>
<p>I was thinking the medians for each seperate score were about 700. But maybe most kids are stronger in one subject and weaker in another, resulting in your cited stats.</p>
<p>Anhow, still MHO that Wesleyan & Vassar are not matches just because of selectivity.</p>
<p>You can still do it by SAT scores, but with your academics, I think if you're at least at the mean or better, you can consider it a match. Most of the matches suggested here have about a 25%-30% selectivity, as opposed to the 9-15% of the "lottery" schools. By the way, I think Northwestern is less of a reach for you: my son's friend, who had similar SAT's but not your academic standing, is going there. I also think you might consider U. Chicago if you like Swathmore (again, this school, with a selectivity percentage in the 30-40% range, makes it more realistic than your other reaches). So, in sum, your match group should include some of the upper matches that have been suggested, along with some like Brandeis, U Mich, etc. which are very solid targets.</p>
<p>alright, thank you very much for the help!</p>
<p>One more note: if your list starts to seem unruly, I wonder if you could eliminate one of your three safeties. I'd like to know what others think, but it seems to me that two real safeties would be plenty.</p>
<p>One last post script: I remember that the boy going to Northwestern applied ED. That kind of thing can really seal the deal at an upper match school.</p>
<p>The thing i would consider determining a reach/match/safety:</p>
<p>(1) selectivity<br>
(2) class rank, GPA
(3) SATs
(4) region
(5) "needs" of school (athletic, demographic, departmental)</p>
<p>Keep all options open for the time being. Visit, research, etc. When you develop your final list, include all the levels-- high reach, moderate reach; upper, middle & lower match, & safe schools (two fine here if you have sufficient focus and love them. Good to do one or both EA if possible.)</p>
<p>Your list is a little perplexing because your reaches are quite dissimilar. Brown, Harvard, Swat & Northwestern are each quite different from one another. I suspect that over time, one of them will nudge ahead and suit you best; your matches & reaches may be easier to pick in function of the best "fit."</p>
<p>rochester - good music, science and intellectual place.</p>
<p>belljar - just wondering how important your "suburban" criterion is. I wouldn't consider Harvard or Brown suburban. American U is in the city, but I guess you would call it a "suburban-feeling" part of it? Folks have suggested GW/Georgetown/JHU which are very urban, esp. GW.</p>
<p>Let us know how important suburban is to you, for better feedback.</p>
<p>Belljar-- your school is the best source of data from here-- take a look at where the Val (or other top ranked kids) with SAT's like yours have applied and where they've been accepted/rejected over the last few years to get a better idea of your match schools. Even if statistically speaking, a school is a match for you, if the top kids from your school never get in there, put it in the reach column. Either the ADcoms don't understand the rigor of the curriculum, or some other factor.... but the past few years is the best source of information for you going forward.</p>
<p>I could tell you that most kids who like Brown also like Wellesley, but if kids from your school never get into Wellelsley, I haven't helped you much.</p>
<p>I guess the suburban feel is more imporant, or at least a really nice part of a city. I really wouldn't want to go to Columbia, for example. Nor do I want to go to a school in the middle of nowhere. </p>
<p>Regarding where kids from my school have gone, my school is really very new (maybe 8 years old?) so it's hard to tell my chances at a college.</p>
<p>It sounds like your looking for a "campus-y feel within or near a city. Brown is like that, as is JHU.</p>
<p>SBMom: I was rereading one of your posts, and saw that you noted that Brown and Harvard are very different. Actually, I disagree...I have one kid going to each, and think that among the ivies, they have a lot in common in terms of diversity, cultural feel, size, location within a New England city, etc. Certainly, there are differences in terms of intensity and some other factors, but a large pool of applicants are drawn to both.</p>
<p>belljar,
you are a strong candidate, but remember that one of the needs of the colleges is financial. Regardless of how 'need blind' a college says it is, required no finaid does seem to help one. If you need finaid or merit aid, you probably have to be a little more careful.</p>
<p>Thanks ohio_mom. I live in MD, and both MD schools I listed are public so I can already afford those. I guess I'm just hoping to get lucky with these other schools, but I will definitely need some sort of aid. I'm afraid of over-reaching a bit.</p>
<p>The intensity was exactly what I was thinking about. When I was at Brown I had a boyfriend at Harvard and it was a very different enviornment. More competitive, intense; of course, H is also fun for the kids that want that. Brown was more laid back by far (at least when I still fit 27" levis...)</p>
<p>Rice is a reach. S has a good friend attending Yale who was waitlisted at Rice.</p>