<p>Whoops, I see that you have not enabled PM'ing. If you want more specific information, you could enable that. Up to you.:)</p>
<p>Thank you all for good suggestions and thoughts. I don't think there will be any storms as far as the parents are concerned. Point well taken though. That's why I'm bringing in my "big guns"...an international school head to help explain. I do think that the American system is a mystery to them. Most folks here have heard of the big names. They don't know of anything else. Also, safety is a major concern of most folks here when they consider going away to college or sending their children away esp. daughters be it in the UK, the EU or the States. It is very safe and protected here; too much so maybe for our own good when considering the wide world. I do think it played a role in my son choosing Appleton over LA.</p>
<p>I totally agree that the SAT scores are very important and I will not say anything more until I see this months' scores. My son used the Xiggi Method and it made a huge difference in the end...so I know what it is. We will see on that. </p>
<p>I did mention Rhodes. :) I took a list of schools she had been given and highlighted Bowdoin, Swarthmore, Rice, Chicago, Brown, Rhodes, etc. (and of course Lawrence!!!!..:)...)just to have her look online after her exams in a few weeks. There are so many wonderful schools. She already knows the big, big ones.</p>
<p>And yes, UPenn, Georgetown....I should print this out. </p>
<p>I really enjoy helping students with this and I know you all do as well.
I had dinner last night with the brother,mother, whole family of my last "kid." It was nice.</p>
<p>epip...done</p>
<p>I actually have done some thinking about what sort of a schools someone who loves Princeton would also like. Since my D was lucky enough to get into Princeton we were OK, but I have since thought, hmm, where should she have looked for matches where the school shared Princeton's characteristics but wasn't so selective. It is hard to find. The schools I thought of, but haven't visited so I don't know if they are good proxies, are Duke and Rice. Princeton is the southernmost in feeling of the Ivies. If the OPs friends' daughter liked Princeton because of the feeling of the kids, these places might be good. Stanford is also, IMO, the West Coast version of Princeton as far as kids go, although much bigger. But it's no less selective of course. </p>
<p>I just don't know what the Rice and Duke campuses are like.</p>
<p>People who like Princeton for the campus want: lawns, a coherent campus space, mostly gothic but some modern architecture, a small affluent suburban main street nearby, and an - at maximum - hour-long affordable train ride to a major city.</p>
<p>Thanks Alumother. She did love Princeton...the feel, the people she met. After talking with her, she will apply and I have never been there. Had a cousin who went. I know Stanford well and did think there was a connection. West coast is pretty far away....though.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with Rice and Emory (both their programs and the physical location). Both have attractive campuses, and both have museums on campus or nearby. However, neither can be described as "gothic" if that is important to her.</p>
<p>One more word of warning. Glowing recs, all A's, and SATs over 1500 do not guarantee admission to Ivies, even some of the so-called lesser ones. Our family knows this from pesonal experience. Just make sure she understands the importance of having "match" schools as well as reaches. It's one thing to have a personal disappointment. But the lack of good matches can turn a personall disappointment into an "admissions disaster" (something we thankfully did not experience).</p>
<p>Cami, Point well taken! I told her about reaches, matches, safeties...! I don't think gothic is important. Tell me more about Rice and Emory. Emory came up in conversation today.</p>
<p>Overseas, her background and interests just screamed Dartmouth and Georgetown to me. And of those two, Georgetown has the edge. I bet she'd adore DC with its history, culture, and politics. But I know someone at med school at Dart who loves it. I think visits to those schools would be in order. Both lose out on one or two specific criteria, but overall I can't think of a better potential fit. </p>
<p>Outside of those two, like others here I'd suggest Rice. A pretty campus, an oasis in the medical center part of Houston with a nice public park right outside the gates that many Rice students frequent. Good potential fit with many of her other criteria. Fabulous school, but I just don't see the "international" and political scene she's apparently used to. Weather would be a huge factor for someone like her. There are only two seasons in Houston: hot and humid and hotter and more humid. (On rare occasions throughout the winter months, though, you do turn the heat on.) In many ways, Texas really is a "whole 'nother country" and for some people it takes getting used to. To me, Rice is one top school that has a stronger regional flavor than others. (I love Rice and Houston but am simply acknowledging that not everyone does.)</p>
<p>In a similar vein to Rice, I'd suggest Emory.</p>
<p>Good luck to her!</p>
<p>p.s. Funny! I was posting and didn't see the last two messages until now.... ;)</p>
<p>Glad to be of help. I am an alum of Emory, and my son has sent in his deposit there as well. I live in Houston and have various contacts with Rice. Let me send you a p.m. later this afternoon as I am running off now to be with family.</p>
<p>Mudder, We know about heat here!!! We are having an unusually hot early summer and with humidity as well. It is normally dry. Horrors.</p>
<p>While I agree that Stanford and Princeton draw a similar kind of student, Stanford lacks the "feel" I get from her list. It is very suburban, no cafe society, and though near San Francisco, not near enough for the city to be a central part of the experience.</p>
<p>IF safety is as large a concern as you describe and that is the main reason she eliminated Columbia, I'd really suggest she and her family look into it more closely as they may be operating on out-of-date assumptions. Columbia is in one of the safest neighborhoods in New York City, which is much safer than it used to be, and the campus routinely posts lower crime statistics than some of the other colleges mentioned, including much of the Ivy League. The campus is self-contained and most students live in Columbia housing, which is kept very secure, for four years. I bring it up as worth another look because it does have so much of what she is looking for -- cafes, museums, a large international undergrad student body (perhaps the largest in the Ivies, or perhaps second to Harvard?), as well as people from all over the world in various neighborhoods throughout the city.</p>
<p>If she's willing to look at large schools, Berkeley and UCLA also came to mind. Also, University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Son had a similar list when all was said and done. Princeton, Chicago, Rice, Dartmouth, Duke, Swat, Amherst, Emory, and Vanderbilt. He also added and after visiting really liked UPenn, Emory, Duke and Princeton. </p>
<p>He had visited Harvard and Yale during his summer for research 2 years previous and for him they were not what he was looking for, so he did not apply. Had he also visited MIT previous to his EA app he would not have applied there either. However, when we were in So Cal he had visited and liked Cal Tech, where he was also accepted. Stanford was also a possibility for his list early on.</p>
<p>West Point and Annapolis also were in his very first top choices as well, which when he was visiting surprisingly had a similar feel as some of his other choices, again surprisingly so. Taking into account they are military service academies.</p>
<p>Dartmouth, Colby, Penn, MIT and Chicago went above and beyond making him feel wanted and responded quickly and efficiently to all our questions and concerns. And of those Colby stood out! And of all his financial aid packages theirs was the VERY best, followed by Penn's and then Princeton's.</p>
<p>As you give us more info, I'll see if I can come up with other schools.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Thanks All! More information next week. :)</p>
<p>For a foreign diversity flair, and less selectivity than the super-selectives, perhaps Macalester in MN deserves a look.</p>
<p>I would strongly encourage your friend's daughter to consider Stanford. It has a very similar feel to Princeton, yet is more centered in the sciences. If she wants to go to medical school, Stanford has the number one biology program in the nation. Further, it still retains an extremely strong political science department. From what I read, she would enjoy the feel of Stanford. Also, statistically, Stanford is the most ethnically diverse of the top private schools.</p>
<p>I think what distinguishes this student from others is the range of languages that she would bring to her classwork and to the community. To me, this trumps the 1390 SAT score, and the score will be forgiven for an international more easily than for an American.<br>
While Princeton is a reach for everyone, it is not an unreasonable reach.
Gerogetown would also be a great fit, but I was wondering whether D.C. qualifies as a small safe city. I'd recommend Chicago, too, but I had the same concerns as with D.C. The Art Institute is wonderful.</p>
<p>I also think Georgetown SFS would be worth exploring. S will be a senior this year and has loved his experiences at Georgetown and in DC. He loves the fact that there are so many museums to visit (free!) and that there is always something going on at school and in DC. Plus, it seemed like every time we spoke to him this year, some well-known, politically connected person was either speaking at Georgetown or had signed on to teach a course or two. All in all, G'town would be an excellent school to consider.</p>
<p>The way I see it, proficiency in languages allow cultural awareness, the ability to cross boundries and have a wide understanding of the world. Combined with a sporty, fun-loving, grounded, studious female whose family represents a few cultures that make the headlines daily, well, I'd look twice.</p>
<p>Northwestern
Tufts
Georgetown
Davidson (although may be too small with not enough language diversity)
Any of those Phili schools...Haverford, Swat, Bryn Mawr
Harvard (I personally think Cambridge is nicer than New Haven)</p>
<p>Just FYI...we know a fabulous kid...very similar stats, but didn't have the language thing. However he was class val, had 800's or close on all of his SAT 2's, strong leadership and community service. Got denied at Brown, Princeton, and Cornell. Went to OOS public (which turned out fine, but April was a mighty disappointing month for him his senior year). This star student needs something in between those Ivy types, and some safety. Don't ignore schools in the middle (for a strong student) like Haverford.</p>
<p>Thumper,Well taken!</p>