Safeties/Matches Potential English Major with Typical CC Stats

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey, guys! I know that today is Christmas Eve (happy Christmas/Hanukkah/holidays, by the way), but nevertheless I would like help with probable safeties/matches. CC is usually so much more helpful than my guidance counselor that I decided to ask for suggestions on here. I just got my SAT scores back yesterday; I've been waiting until I received them to post one of these threads.</p>

<p>I'm a junior, an upper-middle class white female from a Plains state.</p>

<p>My stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 UW, most challenging courseload school offers (several AP's this year and more next year, including self-studying).
Class rank: Currently valedictorian in midsized, mediocre public school (~200 kids/class).
SAT: 2220: 800 CR, 780 W (11 essay), **640 (!!!) M<a href="you%20can%20see%20where%20my%20weak%20spot%20lies">/b</a>
ECs/Awards: Good, but not earth-shattering: Several regional writing awards, EIC of school paper, band section leader, 300+ volunteer hours, probable NMSF, part-time job. I'm trying to get more recognition for my writing.
College major: English (I want to become a writer.)</p>

<p>My Ideal Characteristics in a College:
-Midsized (around 4,000 to 10,000 students)
-Private
-Student body friendly and diverse--would like students to be engaged in campus life and possibly a little preppy (because I am preppy, but preppiness isn't very important to me)
-Competitive but not cutthroat
-Moderate (not overpowering) party scene
-Attractive campus with defined boundaries--definitely don't want the NYU feel
-Located outside of Midwest/Plains region (preferably West or East coasts or nearby, although willing to make exceptions)
-High-quality student newspaper (want to write for one in college)
-Surroundings (city/suburbs/rural area) not too important; as a small-town girl I'd probably feel more comfortable in midsized town/suburban area instead of urban, but I'm definitely interested in the city
-Ideally, should offer merit aid if a safety.</p>

<p>Current list:</p>

<p>Yale (top choice)
Dartmouth (top choice)
Princeton
Harvard? (unsure)
Northwestern-Medill
Wake Forest? (unsure)
State U (financial safety)
UIowa (parents want me to apply because it has a great creative writing grad school)</p>

<p>As you can see, it's a bit top-heavy. Do you have any suggestions of schools I should add/remove from my list? I especially want safeties/matches, but if you think of other reaches I should consider please suggest. </p>

<p>Also, do you think I should retake my SAT for a higher math score? I feel that I can improve with more studying.</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

2

<p>Why not Duke, Stanford, WUSTL, Vanderbilt or Michigan?</p>

<p>Those all fit the type of school you are looking at.</p>

3

<p>Johns Hopkins and University of Rochester</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate them!</p>

<p>I have not seriously looked at URochester and Johns Hopkins. Aren’t they more science schools than humanities-oriented?</p>

<p>I have considered Duke, Stanford, and Vanderbilt (all appeal to me), but they all have low admissions rates and I must limit my applications to ten or fewer. Also, UMich is OOS public, meaning no aid, and perhaps a bit too large for my tastes</p>

<p>Bump. Any less selective schools anyone can recommend? Any schools on my list I should not consider?</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>That is a common misperception. JHU has top-notch humanities programs, including an English department ranked in the top 10 in the nation for grad schools (other standout programs include art/art history, music, German, and classics… not to mention econ and poly sci in the social science realm). Rochester is very much like a “light” version of Hopkins with easier admissions and more merit aid available.</p>

6

<p>Great, I will definitely consider! Thanks.</p>

<p>So far:</p>

<p>Reach:
Stanford
Duke
Johns Hopkins (lower reach?)
Vanderbilt (lower reach/high match?)</p>

<p>Match:
Rochester</p>

<p>Any more suggestions? I know I probably won’t get much advice today (Merry Xmas) but I could still use some advice on true safeties. I’m getting little help from my parents or guidance counselor.</p>

7

<p>If you have two to three more to add I would consider Amherst, Middlebury, and Brown. Brown is far more preppy than people make it out to be and Amherst and Midd have great undergrad focused educations and great friendly campuses. They are small, but big for LACs. All offer great college experiences. Colgate migth be a slightly less selective LAC to consider as well, its about 2700 students with a lot of the qualities you are looking for.</p>

<p>I agree with adding Duke and Vandy, not so much Hopkins and Rochester. Those two are hardly beacons of a friendly-community driven college experience.</p>

8

<p>More top LACs to look into include Williams, Bowdoin, Colby, Holy Cross, Bates.</p>

9

<p>Pomona College I think should be on your list. Not as big as you want it but with the other claremont colleges immediately in the area, it feels bigger.</p>

<p>Also Occidental College offers a ton of merit aid. You should look into Oxy.</p>

<p>also usc may not fit your wants and needs, but you should apply to a big school that has a large endowment in whose student body you exceed in terms ofstats. they’re bound to have good resources for their campus papers. and usc offers big merit awards.</p>

10

<p>Yay, more suggestions! Thank you!</p>

<p>I have actually been considering Brown, but for some reason my parents have a prejudice against it (I don’t know why they don’t like Brown in particular). I will definitely add it to my list, though. </p>

<p>Thanks for the LAC suggestions. Although I prefer midsized schools with university resources, I do want to attend a school with an emphasis on undergrad education if possible (hence one reason I like Dartmouth). Will consider Amherst, Williams, Midd, and Pomona (although I can’t add that many more reaches). Would Oxy and Holy Cross qualify as matches/safe matches? And Colgate as a high match?</p>

<p>Any more suggestions (esp. for private safeties)? Should I keep Harvard on my list of schools? I’m a bit concerned because I hear that students there have the worst general undergrad experiences in the Ivy League. What about Wake Forest? I added it as a potential match.</p>

11

<p>As you know, you have a lot of lottery schools/extreme reaches on your list…I agree with the idea of considering JHU, Rochester, and Pomona, but I would add the University of Chicago to that list. For a mid-sized U, you also might want to consider Rice. I think you should consider some of the women’s colleges that are part of consortia and located well, namely Wellesley, Smith, and Bryn Mawr. I think they would be matches for you, and Rochester would be a safety. Another safer possibility known for writing would be Syracuse. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t consider Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, or Carleton if you are really set on a larger school experience. If not, they are all great places. If you are looking for something similar but easier to get into, Hamilton and Colgate are the usual recommendations.</p>

<p>Lastly, Kenyon would seem to be a great place for an aspiring writer, and a safety or match for you, but it is a comparatively small and comparatively isolated school in the midwest, which you say you don’t want.</p>

12

<p>I completely agree with Johns Hopkins and Rochester. Hopkins is known for high quality teaching and small classes at the undergraduate level and this is on the small end of what you’re looking for, smaller than Yale, larger than Dartmouth. Rochester, while colder, has a great campus and interesting students. Larger than Northwestern, smaller than state U.</p>

<p>[The</a> Writing Seminars: The Johns Hopkins University](<a href=“http://writingseminars.jhu.edu/]The”>http://writingseminars.jhu.edu/)</p>

<p>[Department</a> of English - Rochester.edu](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/College/eng/]Department”>Department of English : University of Rochester)</p>

13

<p>Thanks for the great advice, everyone. I knew I could find help here. How does this look?</p>

<p>Yale
Dartmouth
Princeton
Brown
Northwestern-Medill
Johns Hopkins
Rochester
Syracuse (a bit large, but seems safe)
State U (absolute safety and double legacy; will not be totally unhappy if I end up here)
One or two other schools</p>

<p>Might apply:
Kenyon
Harvard
Duke
Pomona
Vanderbilt
Rice
Wellesley </p>

<p>I think my two or three safeties (not sure whether to consider Rochester a safety) should be enough, considering that I’m almost certainly in at my state school (the acceptance rate is ~75%). Am I right?</p>

14

<p>The one things you haven’t mentioned is finances. Is that a factor? Do you need merit or need-based FA?</p>

<p>Personally, I would select Pomona and Wellesley from your “might apply” list, adding two top LACs and geographical diversity.</p>

15

<p>Oh, sorry, I’m considering UChicago as well.</p>

<p>As I am upper-middle class and from a small family, I doubt that I will qualify for much (if any) need-based financial aid at most institutions. My parents would ideally like me to attend a college where they will not have to pay full ticket price (meaning merit-based financial aid), although I have enough money in my college fund to emerge from undergrad debt-free regardless of the school. My parents will support me no matter what, although their concern is that if I use almost all of the money up for undergrad I will not have anything left for grad school. That is why I was looking for safety schools with merit aid.</p>

16

<p>Are you sure you would like Chicago. Its not overtly friendly, has VERY intense students, not a great social scene, and people are hardly happy-go-lucky. Doesn;t seem like you at all. I still think Colgate, Middlebury, or Amherst are worth considering. Colgate is a very big LAC (close to 3K students and I think you’lll get in). Amherst is surrounded by the five college consortium so it FEELS much bigger than it is, and its a very fun area with lots to do. Midd is a good high match, and it seems like a great fit (just a little smaller).</p>

<p>Lastly, have you considered Georgetown? Seems like a good fit. Probably over Hopkins (which has a not so great social scene/ science FEELING focus…my english major friend there said while the humanities academics can be great, they are not a school or student priority). </p>

<p>I would dump Syracuse…you already have Rochester and Iowa as safeties. You need more reasonable matches. Right now you are heavy on reaches and safeties. If I were you based on what you describe my list would be:</p>

<p>Yale (top choice)
Dartmouth (top choice)
Princeton
Brown
Northwestern-Medill
Middlebury (good match, smaller, but seems like a good fit otherwise)
Colgate (good match for you)
Georgetown (good high match)
Rochester
State U (financial safety)
UIowa</p>

<p>Also would consider Tufts, WashU, Emory, Pomona, Duke, Vandy, Rice…ten apps seems restrictive!</p>

17

<p>Your stats, location, and priorities are very similar to my D’s and her list overlaps with yours a lot. I notice you got no response to one question: Yes, definitely take the SAT again to get the Math subscore up. Also don’t forget to take subject tests.</p>

<p>One factor to consider is the amount you will have to travel (actually number of flights you will have to change) to get back home during holidays. See the thread in the parents’ forum on the long journey back. This consideration would weigh against places like Dartmouth and Rochester. </p>

<p>Harvard is a fine place for English majors but if you are more interested in adding a safety/match, you could also apply to Tufts. Finally, I know you are averse to NYU, but do give a thought to Columbia. It is very good for English and it does have a campus that can seem like an oasis in the City.</p>

18

<p>On second thought, Chicago sounds like it isn’t for me.</p>

<p>Great list, Slipper! I’ll save this and show it to my counselor when I meet with her next. I’ll consider adding Rice, Tufts, Vanderbilt, or Pomona also. The reason I’m trying to keep my apps to ten is the expense, and because my counselor told me, “You really shouldn’t be applying to more than four or five schools.” </p>

<p>Vicariousparent, I’ll take SAT Subject Tests this June. I already have taken the World History and Biology tests. Will look at the Parents Forum, thank you. I have considered Columbia, but my parents are very reluctant to let me attend college in NYC (no idea why; they have no problem with Boston, New Haven, etc.), so I reluctantly struck it from my list a while ago. I’m still undecided about Harvard…</p>

<p>Thanks for all your advice! This has really helped me sort things out! :)</p>

19

<p>^^^my parents are very reluctant to let me attend college in NYC (no idea why; they have no problem with Boston, New Haven, etc.), so I reluctantly struck it from my list a while ago>>></p>

<p>Ha! This is an enduring myth all over the world, especially I guess in Iowa, that New York is a dangerous place. It really is one of the safest places you can be. Look it up, the violent crime rate in Davenport Iowa is twice that of New York City. And New Haven is far worse!</p>

20

<p>Wigwam. Just fyi, Johns Hopkins has one of the most highly rated English departments in the country, and its writing program, called the Writing Seminars is usually #1 or #2 in the country. I love it here, having had a wonderful experience, including the social scene which can be lots of fun. At least it is for me and my friends. Everybody I know loves this place. I also don’t think it has a particularly “science-y” feel to it, although it is true that the sciences are among the best. But so are other departments, and there are tons of students who major in a myriad of other very strong areas.</p>