So I think the current list is:
Brown
University of Chicago
Pomona
Harvey Mudd
Haverford
Swarthmore
University of Michigan
Carleton
Macalester
Wisconsin
Is it worthwhile to add schools like:
Amherst
Carnegie Mellon
Washington University
Duke
Or is the list long enough?
Also, a parent from S22’s school told me that NESCAC schools take a relatively small number of boys who aren’t varsity athletes. Is this true in general, or is it a college and/or high school specific thing? Thanks.
Rather than adding another reach, I’d add another safety or low match.
I would not add any reach schools…if you do, I would eliminate one from the current list. Some of these apps are time consuming, and he needs to take his time on each with the essays and demonstrating fit for the school. Only way he can do that is by researching each school, attending various virtual sessions, etc. As I said upthread, some of the schools on his list are dissimilar, so he needs to understand how.
It is true that at many of the highly selective d3 schools there are relatively few slots for unhooked students (whether male or female).
What about Pitt for a highly likely admit, and with rolling admission? Should have an acceptance in hand by October if submits app soon.
On the other hand, an excellent strategy is to find an auto-admit and/or apply to a rolling admissions school ASAP that your son would be happy to enroll in assuming every reach is a ‘no’. He might be placed in said school’s Honors College and offered a few perks. After the auto-admit/rolling admissions acceptance, it is a waste of time to spend ten minutes on any match or safety he doesn’t prefer over the acceptance. In which case, he can spend all of his time on reach schools that are preferred over the September acceptance. Rather than something like a typical S, S, S, M, M, M, M, R, R, R, R, application strategy, it could be far more beneficial to have an S (Honors), R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R application strategy.
If you both are happy with the list, I think it’s good. I definitely agree with no more reaches…time for him to write a million essays, and they’ll all need lots of research.
We’re having trouble finding a safety that he would be happy at, especially one that is auto admit and/or rolling admissions. I think Wisconsin and Illinois would be okay, but neither let’s you know early.
Maybe throw in an application to Mizzou to have that true safety. My kid doesn’t want to go to our state flagship either, but they’ll be applying even so.
Would drop Haverford or Swarthmore and include Rochester or Case Western.