<p>My son would like one more safety on his list and I'm thinking that a school that admits between 50-75% (or more) of its applicants would be a good choice. St Olaf has been mentioned several times to him because of the good math and music there and it looks like last year, they admitted 58%. Would it be a good safety? If anyone is very familiar with its scholarships and f. aid or anything else about it, please feel free to PM me. </p>
<p>U of Pitt was another school but acceptances aren't quite in that %age. Furman is one more school that might be considered, particularly because they seem to have some hefty scholarships in math, but it might be a weaker program than St. Olafs.</p>
<p>Are his stats above the 75%ile? If so I’d say yes-- unless St. Olaf particularly values demonstrated interest (sounds like you haven’t visited). </p>
<p>But I’ve been worrying about this too-- D has a school on her list like this-- her stats are well above, the (endless) marketing materials we get have seduced her…it looks like a very nice safety to her but she hasn’t visited and won’t unless she gets in. So I wonder-- does that mean they’ll waitlist her?</p>
<p>OP, not familiar with your kid’s stats, but I think of Pitt as “safer” than St. Olaf, although both could be considered “safe” for a high-statted kid. I assume–perhaps wrongly–that Pitt will go more strictly by stats, which St. Olaf will place more emphasis on intangibles than Pitt, which is a significant part of what makes it less “safe.”</p>
<p>Pitt and St. Olaf are two very different schools! Does your S want a small rural experience with a heavy preppy, Scandinavin, Lutheran flavor or does he favor an urban, larger and diverse campus? I am originally from Pgh but now in MN. These schools have totally different feels.</p>
<p>We’re in So. Cal. My son’s 1/2 Puerto Rican (we, his parents, are white) and he’s used to diversity but he says he’d be fine at a mostly white school. It’s really hard to know, though. We’re a Christian family but all schools except one are secular and that’s ok. </p>
<p>He doesn’t want a large school but he’s from a large city so he has no clue what it’s like to live 4 years in a rural town. When visiting different cities, he loved Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, didn’t like Baltimore or Chicago. Does like Milwaukee and the Dallas area. Did enjoy his visit to Taylor Univ. because the students and profs were so nice. Loves the idea of a city like Nashville because of the music opportunities. Doesn’t like heat or humidity too much.</p>
<p>His stats are high (not perfect 2400; a couple of 800s on subject tests, 5 APs), lots of college classes in math & physics (but has no interest in astronomy), some national level stuff in physics and chess, doing physics research, and music (violin) is his biggests EC in addition to work (math tutor, violin teacher and freelancer). </p>
<p>We just know how crazy college admissions are so I think we’re both feeling the pressure of finding another safety. The two on his list are UTD (50% admit) and Baylor (48% admit). His other schools have an acceptance rate of between 7-27%.</p>
<p>I keep trying to find a safety that fits him interest wise and fits us financially wise. (ie. good scholarships)</p>
<p>It has been said often on here that for those students that are advanced in math, that small LACs are not always the best option. He may very well run through the math opportunities at that school as well with no place to go. It is often recemmended to apply to a school with a strong graduate program so additional math courses are available as are individualized research.</p>
<p>I am NOT the expert here, but I wanted to share that concern since it has come up often specifically for a math student.</p>
<p>If grades are over 3.7 unweighted I’d aim pretty high. Maybe not Stanford high but darn close. Minorities with very high test scores are pretty rare and he’d qualify as one most places. Don’t be afraid to aim high with a backup at the Rochester or Grinnell level.</p>
<p>Don’t count on colleges affiliated with churches being “Christian”, and don’t let that facet of your family deter you from secular or public schools. He will likely find likeminded people on most campuses and learn from those who disagree with him.</p>
<p>Right. I don’t consider St. Olaf to be a “Christian” college in the traditional sense of the word.</p>
<p>Barrons, I’ll think about that. Rochester is one school that has been considered because of the optics (which is what my son is currently researching) but it’s awfulllllly cold and with admit of 38%, I’m not sure that’s a true safety. His prof actually did his PhD there and he said two years of the cold was enough. When you’re from So. Cal, I think you get lazy and spoiled by the weather (at least I am lazy and spoiled; I can’t speak for my son in this case).</p>
<p>He found the snow in April when we were back east visiting Penn to be refreshing. I wanted to come home. :-)</p>
<p>His UW GPA is 4.0, W is maybe 4.84 ( I forget exactly). He is homeschooled/part time college.</p>
<p>I just checked the college board website (might be out of date) but it showed Pitt at 58% acceptance and St. Olaf at 57%. St. Olaf’s scores were higher generally. And Pitt is about half the price of St. Olaf. And much larger, so takes more students. Put that together with the fact that your son likes Pittsburgh, and it sounds like a pretty good spot for him. Also, the snow in Pittsburgh will be nothing compared to the snow at St. Olaf!</p>
<p>St. Olaf is not a very “rural experience;” Northfield has two colleges and is pretty darn close to the outer ring suburbs of the Twin Cities. The music program is outstanding.</p>
<p>U of Rochester sounds like a perfectly good academic safety for your son. (It was my son’s safety.) The question is, is it a financial safety also? (It turned out no to be for us. But luckily there were other choices.)</p>
<p>St. Olaf ranks FIRST in the nation among LACS - ahead of Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Reed, etc. - for students going on to doctoral degrees in mathematics. It has 19 mathematics faculty members (compare that with the other schools.)</p>
<p>Minnesota is much colder than Pennsylvania. Northfield is a nice little town, very rural, but only about a half hour drive from the outer fringe of Minneapolis. I believe Carleton and St. Olaf allow for each other’s students to take courses, depending on availability, which could give a St. Olaf student access to Carleton’s strong science departments.</p>
<p>In the same vein, you might also want to consider Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Good math and sciences and a good conservatory. You don’t have to be a con student to take lessons and you can get a BA in music and not be in the Con (which grants a BM). Appleton and the Fox River cities are substantially larger than Northfield, but not as large as Pitt. Academically comparable to St. Olaf, although it sounds as if St. Olaf has a larger math dept. Lawrence does give merit money.</p>
<p>For reasons that are unimportant here, we know a lot of college students from around the country. I am aware of a couple of “high-statted” kids with good HS educations who are happy at St. Olaf’s. Both (they come from separate areas of the country) had 5s on APs, both are MUSICAL also. One came from a similarly cold area but the other came from California and is not complaining.</p>