Should I bother applying to these liberal arts reaches?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I've only got two spots left on my Common App, and I don't feel like I've applied to enough reaches. I'm mostly interested in liberal arts colleges, and here are the ones I've already applied/definitely will apply to. I know I've already got a lengthy list, but I am looking to compare financial aid packages, so I want to be thorough in my approach. (scroll down for Sparknotes version)</p>

<p>Reaches:
Carleton College
Vassar College
Wesleyan University</p>

<p>Matches:
Colorado College (accepted, which I didn't expect!)
Grinnell College
Oberlin College
Macalester College
Kenyon College
Occidental College
Whitman College</p>

<p>Safeties:
Lawrence University
Lewis & Clark College (accepted w/ merit)
Beloit College (accepted w/ merit)
College of Wooster (accepted w/ merit)</p>

<p>White Male from Illinois, Public HS
Rank: 18/644 (top 3%)
GPA: 3.8 UW
ACT: 33 (35 E, 32 M, 32 S, 34 R, 10 W)
APs: Psych (5) APUSH (5) Spanish (5) English Lang (5) Comp Sci (4)
SAT Subjects: Math II (690) Lit (690) Spanish (690) US History (740) </p>

<p>Dunno if I should bother sending those.</p>

<p>My grades (upward trend):</p>

<p>Freshman Year (3.4 UW)
Honors Bio: C/B </3
Honors Algebra: II B/A
Honors Spanish: II B/B
Honors English: A/A
Global Studies: A/A</p>

<p>Sophomore Year (3.7 UW)
Regular Chem: A/A
Honors Geometry: B/A
Honors Spanish III: B/A
Honors English: A/A
AP Psych: A/A
Science Research: A/C (explained in additional information)</p>

<p>Junior Year (4.0 UW)
Honors Physics: A/A
Honors Pre-Calc: A/A
AP Spanish: A/A
AP English Lang: A/A
AP US History: A/A
AP Computer Science: A/A</p>

<p>Senior Year:
AP Physics C
AP English Lit
AP Calculus AB
AP European History
Adv. Spanish Topics</p>

<p>Assume I get one B in a class. Possibly Physics.</p>

<p>ECs:
Urban Exploration Club (President 9-12)
Student Tutoring (11-12)
Job at Movie Theater (10-12/15 hours a week)
Model UN (President 9-12)
Naturalist (Environmental) Club (Vice President 9-12)
National Honor Society (12)
Theater (9/20 hours a week) <- had to quit because it was affecting my grades.</p>

<p>My essays are unique, and my recs are strong. I think.</p>

<p>Long story short:
33 ACT, 3.8 GPA, lots of APs, good ECs.</p>

<p>So, my question is which two schools are worth applying to?
Bowdoin College
Pomona College
Bates College
Pitzer College</p>

<p>Do I have a shot at the first two? Do I have enough reaches? What combination of these schools would you suggest? Thank you very much.</p>

<p>Note: I was recently deferred from Georgetown, but it's not really a good fit for me.</p>

2

<p>You look like a good candidate for many top liberal art schools. Was surprised to see Georgetown rejected you. Apply to Holy Cross!</p>

3

<p>I think you have good chances at some of those liberal arts school because you have a solid resume and well rounded! Since the process for them choosing people is a huge toss up for what there looking for in that class it is hard to say the exact chances but I think you do have chances at all of them! APPLY AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS! good luck!</p>

<p>Chance me!</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the positive feedback. Does anyone have any advice on those particular schools? I’m just trying to determine which would be best to apply to.</p>

5

<p>You are already accepted to Colorado College plus 3 perfectly nice safeties. Even though your aim is to be able to compare financial aid packages, it’s really hard to predict that. So go with the schools you would most like to attend and see what they offer. Sometimes you’ll get a better offer from schools where you are amongst the top students, but sometimes the more selective schools have the larger endowments.</p>

6

<p>You look pretty solid. You will get into several of those. Not sure you need anymore, but apply away if you’d like. Best of luck.</p>

7

<p>Pomona and Bates! Good Luck!</p>

8

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1435334-final-college-list-chance-me-bunch-colleges-will-chance-back-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1435334-final-college-list-chance-me-bunch-colleges-will-chance-back-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>Thanks for the advice. I feel like Pomona is basically the LAC equivalent of Stanford though…</p>

10

<p>Pomona’s average ACT is a 33, sooo I sort of feel like it’s too much of a longshot.</p>

11

<p>Sorry for bumping, but I guess it boils down to whether I should apply to two reaches or two matches or one of each… And I’m kind of leaning towards the matches b/c Bowdoin and Pomona are incredibly difficult to get into, and I don’t think I have what it takes.</p>

12

<p>Not clear why so many “matches” or any more “safeties” when you are in at Colorado, Wooster, Beloit and Lewis & Clark(?). Why L&C and possibly Whitman but not Reed?</p>

<p>I’d apply to:</p>

<p>Pomona (long shot)
Carleton and/or Bowdoin (pick 'em)
Reed (35% admit rate)
Grinnell (possible merit aid)
Oberlin
Wesleyan
Vassar (you’re male)</p>

<p>I think you’ll get in at Oberlin. The question is if you’d like another match better like Bates. CMC would be a better second Claremont over Pitzer.</p>

<p>BTW, you have till January 15 for Oberlin, Carleton or Reed if you apply to these.</p>

<p>Midd is a nice place too and a hair easier than Bowdoin in admissions.</p>

13

<p>EDIT: If you can only pick two, then scratch Bowdoin and Pomona. What part of the US do you want to be in?</p>

14

<p>Whitman: Low match
Lawrence: Safety
Kenyon: Match (beware the waitlist)
Occidental: Low match
Oberlin: Match
Macalester: Match
Grinnell: Match
Pomona: Reach
Carleton: High match
Reed: High match
Wesleyan U: High match
Vassar: High match
Bowdoin: High match
Pitzer: Reach</p>

15

<p>Thanks for the feedback. The schools that I put in my OP are ones I have either already applied to or just haven’t done the supplements of yet. Bowdoin, Bates, and Pitzer are my three choices that I’ve narrowed it down to for my remaining two spots. I was also thinking about Reed. </p>

<p>rhg3rd, I appreciate your thorough advice. I really am drawn to the West Coast, but I’m worried about financial aid, which is why I’ve got such a long list. I see why Pomona is not worth the time and have dropped it from my list. I’m just concerned that Reed may be too intense. I love Bowdoin, but I’m worried that it’d be a wasted app. What do you think?</p>

16

<p>If you are worried about FA scratch Pitzer - not much history, not many alums and virtually no endowment. Frankly, I would put Reed in and see what you get for FA. It has a nice campus in a city. I have to believe that Reed is about the same as Carleton or maybe a little more in terms of workload but definitely not the U. of C. Further, you have too many small colleges with not much around. You were in President of Urban Exploration Club. Indeed, what are you going to do at Grinnell?</p>

<p>“I love Bowdoin…” Then go for it. Keep in mind that Bowdoin is testing optional so that CDS and other reported data show test scores of only those that reported and are thereby inflated. You are definitely well qualified academically for Bowdoin by tests, grades and class rank. Bowdoin is more preppy and jock than your other choices except Bates. Both tend to like sports as EC’s, but your EC’s may do. I don’t think Bowdoin is a waisted application but is about as difficult as Carleton. </p>

<p>Then it’s Reed and Bowdoin. Indeed, Reed is better endowed than Bates.</p>

17

<p>Wow, thank you for actually giving me real advice. I just worry that Reed is too intense.</p>

18

<p>“I just worry that Reed is too intense.” You shouldn’t given how well prepared you are. You’ve already got 5’s on 4 AP’s and a 4 on another. This year you’ll have some more. In some instances you’ll receive BOTH an AP credit AND you can and should take the intro course in the subject, but as an extremely well prepared student. In other cases like CS, you may want to sacrifice the AP credit and take a different first CS course as an extremely well prepared student. AP’s in history and Spanish is just a credit with no college equivalent course as is the case at most LAC’s.</p>

<p>If a guy like you gets cold feet in just applying to Reed, then who actually goes there? Only the people that aren’t as well prepared as you and then stress out actually go? You are definitely in the top quarter of enrolled freshmen by test scores and class rank plus you’re male. You’ll get in but will have to see what the FA offer is.</p>

<p>Incidentally, Bates is another test optional school with misleading data. Indeed, you may be such an exceptional candidate at Bates that your applying there is suspect. The admissions people may not be too keen on working FA numbers as you’ll likely go elsewhere. The same is possibly more true at some of your other places like Kenyon, Lawrence, Whitman and Occidental. Why not toss one of those four and take the long shot at Pomona? Besides, your ACT is in Pomona’s 31-34 range. You’re “drawn to the West Coast.” Do you want to be in Gambier, OH or Appleton, WI?</p>

19

<p>Reed is “a horse of a different color”. The kids I know who go to Reed are true intellectuals, meaning that the life of the mind is all consuming. Being academically prepared is not the same as wanting to spend most of your waking hours in the library.</p>

20

<p>“I just worry that Reed is too intense.”</p>

<p>If you have had to work hard in HS you should have no problem adjusting to the heavy Reed work load.</p>