Middle-range ACTs
Connecticut College: 28-32
Hamilton (for comparison): 31-33
(Mixed sources.)
One consideration with safeties is that a student who attends a safety is likely to be an outlier at the high end of the academic range. If the student desires a cohort of other students in the same part of the range, a small school may have very few such students in absolute numbers, while a small percentage at a large school may have many students in absolute numbers (e.g. 5% of 5,000 = 250, which is a lot more than 5% of 500 = 25). This can also affect whether the school finds it worthwhile to offer honors courses or other courses aimed at the high end of the academic range.
@ucbalumnus I never thought about it that way, that’s a fantastic point! Do you have any recommendations for medium sized schools in the Northeast with good English programs that would except my ACT score (32) and current unweighted GPA (3.8)? I don’t think that I qualify for any Ivies as many kids from my school apply to them and they almost always have parents who attended, so they have an edge. Of course, my scores are below Ivy standards anyway, so good thing that sort of cutthroat competitiveness is NOT my style!
My daughter visited both Colgate and Hamilton, along with half a dozen other schools. She had the same impression. Colgate was just too sterile, preppy and lacking in an LAC vibe. She really liked Hamilton, though was not thrilled with the “darkside” modern architecture. Ultimately, both schools were too isolated for her. She was looking for a friendly, small, tight-knit, non-Greek intellectual community on a beautiful campus where inclusiveness and kindness matter. She found everything she was looking for at Haverford when she visited last fall. She applied and was accepted early decision and is definitely planning on taking classes at Bryn Mawr. Cross registration is seamless and a shuttle bus makes the five minute run between the schools 20 times a day. She is a strong writer (800 on her SAT writing portion, 750 reading), but not much above average when it comes to math (SAT 610). Haverford gives amazing need based aid and does not consider the home as an asset. Bryn Mawr uses 100% of the home’s value as an asset. When we ran the NPC for both schools, Haverford’s generous financial aid grant for the first year estimated over $30,000 more than the Bryn Mawr calculator’s grant. I would definitely look into visiting both schools. My daughter visited, toured, spoke to students, sat in on a class and interviewed at Haverford. The train station is right across the street and you can be in downtown Philadelphia in less than 20 minutes.
@hiislandmom Thank you so much for your suggestion! With my statistics (32 ACT, 3.8 UW GPA), do you think that Haverford is realistic for me to apply to or a complete stratosphere school?
Haverford’s median ACT score is 32, so by this metric the school would seem to be within your range.
I think that Haverford is looking for the right fit. My daughter’s school does not offer AP courses and they do not weight GPA’s. 4.0 is a perfect GPA at her school. She has a 3.92. She did take the Literature and Language AP Test and scored a 5.
The honor code is very important to Haverford and the supplemental essay about the code is an important part of the application. Showing interest is important. Visit, tour, interview. My girl spent two days there. She is so excited to be going there. The acceptance rate for ED is 48%! RD is 23%. If you visit and it feels like the right fit, apply there ED. Do you have any hooks? My husband did not attend college and on Haverford’s website they graph a statistic-“At least one parent did not attend college”. Letters of recommendation are also very important.
My daughter ended up taking the SAT three times, though Haverford lists test score as “important”, not “very important”. She first took it in March of her junior year. Again in May of her junior year and for a third time in October of her senior year. Her scores improved each time. From a 1900 in March to a final super score of 2160. No need to settle with the scores you have now. She really didn’t study or prep any further for her final test in October. She just went in and took it. You will also need to take SAT subject tests. Pick the ones you feel you would do strongest in. No need to take a math or science test if the humanities are your stronger subjects. Hope this is helpful!
Do you have any recommendations for medium sized schools in the Northeast with good English programs that would except my ACT score (32) and current unweighted GPA (3.8)?
Holy Cross has an excellent English department (ranked 9th in a recent survey) and your stats make you a solid match
Re: #62
Not the most familiar with English departments or northeastern schools, but you may want to investigate whether the English major offerings at the various state flagships in your area are interesting enough for you to apply to them as low match or safety schools (assuming that they are within whatever cost limit you have).
On-line class schedules may be available to tell you what class sizes are like in English and other subjects, if that is your concern about school size.
@wisteria100 is Holy Cross a Christian college? I’m Jewish…
@hiislandmom This was so helpful. With all of the schools I’m going to apply to, I know I have to like them, so I’ll tour all of them and demonstrate interest. Haverford is probably a reach if I’m being realistic, but it sounds like an awesome school and who knows- I might end up applying! Thanks!
Holy Cross would probably consider itself a Catholic college that is dedicated to educating students possessing a range of beliefs.
OP, Hamilton and Haverford have VERY different vibes. Both offer exceptional educations, but they have significantly different social atmospheres.
@lr4550 How so?
@elenaclaire828 is Holy Cross a Christian college? I’m Jewish…
Holy Cross is a Catholic college (Jesuit) like BC and Georgetown
Haverford is a bit smaller than Hamilton though its connection to the tri school consortium (and of course close proximity to Philly) allows for a larger community than it is on paper. Haverford has strong Quaker roots, and its honor code permeates every aspect of the student experience. Hamilton has a very strong Greek presence, even if a student isn’t Greek s/he is somewhat dependent on the Greek system for social events. There is absolutely no Greek presence at Haverford.
Now I am not saying that matters to you, and if you do like the idea of a strong Greek presence I can imagine Hamilton is an excellent fit for you. I just wanted to point out that there is a major difference in campus vibe, not that one is better than the other, but it can make a huge difference if an applicant is otherwise unaware.
“Strong Greek presence” usually implies residential organizations, which do not exist at Hamilton.
Hamilton is the product of a traditional, historic men’s college and an adjacent, progressively oriented college for women. To this day, Hamilton benefits from the curricular, architectural, spatial and, to some extent, cultural legacy of this history. Along these lines, the current Hamilton is decidedly more expansive, imaginative and diverse than its enrollment alone would indicate.
Hamilton’s honor code is alive and well, of course.
The Greek presence at Hamilton is no where near the level of a school like Bucknell or Lehigh
^^True, but for a small LAC in an isolated location Hamilton does have a strong Greek presence socially (regardless of whether or not the members live in Greek houses). The college I am specifically comparing Hamilton to is Haverford since upstream posts have suggested OP take a serious look at Haverford.
A Greek presence does not diminish Hamilton’s prowess as a top tier LAC, it is simply an observation that Greek life impacts campus culture. The campus culture at Haverford is very different from Hamilton’s, and I find it hard for anyone familiar with both schools to deny that they have unique vibes.
I have no doubt Hamilton’s version of its honor code is strongly upheld. The Honor Code at Haverford is a different beast, and it goes well beyond the academic realm as it permeates all aspects of community.
http://honorcouncil.haverford.edu/the-code/
http://www.hamilton.edu/student-handbook/studentconduct/honor-code
@lr4550 Do students have fun at Haverford? I’m not the type to party all that often, but I don’t want the social scene to be completely dead…