<p>Hey all. I am looking down south for college but my high school has no admission history for any of the colleges I am interested in so hopefully you guys can help. </p>
<p>I am from Massachusetts, and my public school had the highest average SATs of any school in the state. My school has been ranked in the Top 100 nationally. I am in the top half of my class. </p>
<p>My UW gpa is 3.2 and weighted is 3.5. I have received straight B's in mostly accelerated classes (in between AP and college prep). I will have taken 5 honors classes (weighted as an AP but not officially an AP) and 2 AP classes. </p>
<p>1330 SAT's (out of 1600)</p>
<p>I am involved with my church, have two presidential community service awards, numerous varsity letters, an internship with a major financial company, and a house painting job.</p>
<p>I am going to apply early decision to Sewanee-The University of The South. Other schools I am considering in the south are Centre, Furman, and Wofford.</p>
<p>If anyone could let me know what you think my admissions chances to these schools namely Sewanee that would great!</p>
<p>You can size up your chances on your own. Look up the Common Data Set (here is Sewanee’s [Sewanee</a> Common Data Set 2010 - 2011](<a href=“Sewanee”>Sewanee)). Section C7 states GPA is more important than scores (and most important with class rigor and Recs). Section C9 shows your scores are near the top. Section C11 is not so good (note that the data is on a 4.0 or UW scale). If your recs are good and your class rigor is very good (can’t tell how you compare to your classmates) you would be a match. </p>
<p>The real question is can you afford all those schools? $42K/yr for Sewanee.</p>
<p>Yes, thankfully I will not need to apply with any financial aid. Could that help me? And two visits (one overnight), early decision, and northern diversity. Hopefully that could help as well? Also, my class is incredibly smart, 22 people placed in the semi finals of the National Merit Scholarship (1600 nationally). Also I will have very strong recs and and should have a strong interview.</p>
<p>I will. But with my academic record, ECs, a good interview, strong recs, payment not a problem, and being from the northen would you estimate I get in?</p>
<p>Do you want to live and work in the South? Degrees from these schools simply won’t garner much respect in Boston, New York, Chicago. If you want respect, go to Vandy, UVA, Emory, or, of course, Duke. That’s just the way it is. Think long and hard before making this decision. A SLA in the East or Midwest will get you more respect in the job market or grad school (unless you are going to stick to the South). I am from the South, but have lived and worked outside for most of my professional life.</p>
<p>We are also from the New England area, Connecticut. My D looked at several southern LAC’s, including Sewanee and Furman, along with a lot of LAC’s in the Northeast and a few in the midwest. </p>
<p>Sewanee is an outstanding LAC. My D thought it was just too rural for her and had concerns that the remote location and small student base would not be for her. It is also heavily Greek and she heard all about the “drinking” culture on campus from some of the students. Academically, it is a great school. Socially, for my D, she had concerns about fitting in. It appears from your post that you have already visited campus and judged for yourself, is that correct?</p>
<p>My D fell in love with Furman and applied and was accepted ED. Furman is close to the downtown section of Greenville, has the academics she wanted and she felt comfortable there. It was her “fit”. It still has a very Southern feel to it but there are quite a number of out of region students, may from the New England states. It may be worth a look. My D could not be happier. Good luck in your search!</p>
<p>I think you will get into Sewanee. I am assuming you have visited. It is a wonderful school, but IS isolated and does have a big drinking culture. I love the place, but it isn’t for everyone. I also disagree with the rep in the midwest and northeast. Yes, many will not be familiar with it, but those who are hold it in high regard. The OP isn’t going to Vanderbilt or Emory, and Sewanee sounds like a good fit.</p>
<p>To think that Southern SLA colleges are held in the same regard across the country as SLA colleges outside the South represents a basic misunderstanding of how businesses and academic institutions think in this country. Again, I come from three generations of PhDs and I have hired employees in the East and Midwest for the last 20 years, and I can tell you that there is a strong prejudice against most things Southern. I would challenge this student to go around Boston and ask people if he should go to a SLA in the South or one in the North (of approximate equal ranking) and 95% will say North. I love the South, grew up there, and went to school there, but I have fought this my entire adult life.</p>
<p>Scudder- I, too, am very familiar with how businesses operate. I am not saying that the average person in Boston will regard Sewanee the same way they would Williams, but that’s not really the issue. Besides, who would want to leave the South anyway? :)</p>
<p>Scudder- I had the same concerns you did. I spoke with a recruiter from a very reputable financial company in Boston and they actually said Sewanee produces great talent. However, to get into a good job in the business world you need an MBA. So if I can do well and get into a great grad school that really negates any conerns about coming directly from SLA. It is really about how you do at the school, and I truly believe Sewanee is a great fit socially and academically which would help me out in the long run more than doing poorly at a similarly ranked school up north.</p>