I’m a female high school senior from B.C. Canada and I’m trying to applying for America LACs. I applied to Williams but got rejected, which is very unfortunate because it is the only school I’ve done very thorough extensive research on. Nonetheless I need to decide which school I want to apply under EDII. I got pretty good SAT score (1560) and self studied 5 APs (three 5/5 and two 4/5) and have 4.0 GPA (in B.C grading system) so I’m pretty confident with my academic record?? (That’s one reason an Williams alumnus I know encouraged me to applied).
I want to apply for LACs because even though I’m leaning towards majoring in political science or economics or sociology, and taking a science minor/concentration (probably astrophysics), I still need more time to figure out if the path I choose if right for me, which is practically impossible in Canadian university and maybe for American universities too since you choose to apply to department in university instead the university in general; and switching major is getting harder and harder, especially the ones that have more competition getting in, such as science and engineering.
For extracurricular I’m super passionate in performing arts, especially musical theatre as I consider myself a triple threat, plus I play many instrument; almost all my volunteer and leadership activities are also evolved around it so I’m also looking for a college that has a less dominated sport/drinking culture. Also it might helps me to get int the college in the first place since I don’t face fierce competition with the athletics recruit.
I don’t have too much fancies on school location since I’ll far away from home anyways. Btw I’m an asian so plz comment if these schools have racism to a degree that is worth mentioning… Overall I just want to find a place where I can really study with calm and steady pace, have fun (snowball fight and etc rather than partying), and sort of satisfy my parents ego for rank (they really want me to go to good school). And last piece of info would be I’m definitely going to grad school so laying good foundation for that would be one of my top concerns too.
Your comments will all help immensely on my application process. I thank you all for your contribution!!
In many respects, most of the top LACs (including Bowdoin, Carleton, Middlebury, Williams, Swarthmore) are quite similar. S,B,M, and C are nearly (if not equally) as selective as Williams. Swarthmore stands out (a little) for its proximity and access to a major city, and for its membership in multi-school consortium. In other respects, Carleton might be the best choice of those 5 for what you seem to want. It seems to be slightly less selective than some of the others and to have a little less emphasis on team sports.
However, I think you need some schools closer to match/target territory. Characteristics of schools in the USNWR 21-50 range, or so, aren’t all that different from most of the T20. Check out Colorado College, Grinnell, Kenyon, Macalester, Whitman, Dickinson, etc.
I think of those options, Carleton could be a good option. In terms of what you are looking for, I would add Haverford and Bryn Mawr to the list. You would probably be offered merit at the latter.
Given your strong interest in performing arts and musical theater, I would add Wesleyan to your short list. It’s an LAC in the same tier and caliber as the others on this list – it usually gets slightly dinged in the US News ranks for various reasons, but when you look at the stats and when you listen to it’s real-world rep it’s on par with these others. It’s very strong in economics. But what stands out for you is is has a very strong theater and film program. Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and his producer both came out of this program and he’s still an active booster for the school. The school has an entire dedicated theater on the core part of it’s old campus that is operated entirely by a student-led extracurricular theater group, in addition to an entire section of the campus with arts-related buildings, including another theater for school-led productions.
I’m not taking anything away from the rest of the schools on this list, just pointing out that if performing is a big part of your passion you should give Wesleyan a serious look. As @merc81 noted, Vassar is also noted for performance.
Of those on this list, I can speak best to Bowdoin, which has an incredibly well regarded political science department (called Government and Legal Studies). It’s also extremely easy to get involved in the arts there and even double major in it if you want. The professors put on a few productions a year including always a musical, but there are also two other student-led groups that put on productions in the theaters including one dedicated to musicals.
Each of these schools mentioned have a different culture and I encourage you to investigate each one to find the best fit.
Swarthmore students are known to be very intellectual/quirky. They have an extremely high number of students who go on to earn PhD’s.
Middlebury and Carleton are slightly less diverse than Swarthmore, Haverford, Williams and Amherst, although they are making strides in that direction. Carleton retains the friendly, down-to-earth vibe of the Midwest. Of the colleges mentioned, Middlebury has the largest number of students from high-income backgrounds, with a median family income of $244,000, making it less socioeconomically diverse than the others.
I recommend checking out Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Grinnell.
Also look at Mt. Holyoke – not sure if they have EDII.
If you don’t end up with an EDII school, for the RD make sure you are showing some interest in these colleges by signing up for their emails, clicking on emails they send you, ‘attending’ any admissions webinars (e.g., ‘ask a student night’) they offer, etc. Demonstrated interest can make a difference for admissions to LACs.
Good luck and congrats on your great success in HS!
There are many misconceptions in OP’s post. She needs to tackle those asap, with deadlines looming. Many LACs won’t offer astrophysics or it won’t be easy to schedule humanities classes around it. You’ll need prerequisites to get to astro. We don’t even know if your math-sci experiences let stem make sense.
Self study isn’t an “it,” for top colleges, not a tip. And we don’t know what courses. Performing arts isn’t related to either poli sci/social sci, nor stem. It’s nice to have a rounding, but what else have you done, related to these possible majors?
At this level of competition, “showing interest” is much more than email lists. It’s your background and how you show your match to what they want. The Why Us is critical. This isn’t just what you want.
Many, btw, feel Williams does have a big drinking culture.
I regard the study as astrophysics as being equivalent/identical to the study of astronomy. Quite a few LACs offer a minor in this field, irrespective of designation. As a minor, astronomy should combine quite well with a major in a humanities or social sciences discipline.
@syy6527: You may also want to consider Hamilton, which should appeal to you for its notably flexible curriculum, beautiful theatre facilities and top-level economics program.
Yes, but it’s usually not an elective or easy. You qualify to get to the higher courses. It’s nice to have this side interest, but we have no idea if OP even qualifies.
My kiddo took astromony in college. At hers, an intense lab based course.
And a flex curriculum only works when the courses don’t conflict. OP has things to learn about applying to top US colleges.
I like Carlton the best on your list for social and academic options. ED2 will give you a huge boost at Carlton. Since they are in a cold state, Minnesota, in a small town with St. Olof College a Lutheran LAC that has no cross registration with Carlton because Carlton has a quarter calendar and St. Olof has a semester calendar , Carlton may not quite as interesting location as Swarthmore’s location, although many Swatties do not leave campus to get into Phili so often. One of my friends interviewed at Swarthmore and asked students : “Where can I go for an ice cream?” The answer given: we don’t have time for that!
Swarthmore motto is “where fun comes to die”. Swarthmore has difficult grading, and brilliant students, and offers pass/fail for at least a semester. Expect Bs at Swarthmore, getting As means working all night. There is way less social life at Swarthmore than Carlton, because of the intensity. About 1/3 of Swarthmore students choose a one on one mentor and spend a year on a research project, which is so high level many schools would offer a masters degree for that level of work, so be prepared to work a lot if you attend Swarthmore College. Carlton offers a quarter calendar and is a much more fun loving school than Swarthmore.
Pomona College in CA, is in a town with four other colleges, (Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd College and a women’s LAC ). The weather is very nice there, and it offers access to Los Angeles. It may be just as hard for harder than Williams College for admission though, so maybe assess why you got rejected by Williams if you can. Do you think your essays were strong enough? You may want to look at Claremont McKenna instead of Pomona College if you want a good chance at getting in, depending on where you think your weaknesses are. Claremont McKenna matches your economics and political science interests well.
“Swarthmore motto is “where fun comes to die”.” This is actually nobody’s motto, but the school it’s most associated with is U Chicago. And Swatties have plenty of fun.
Nearly all of the schools mentioned would lay a good foundation for grad school. The parent/prestige piece is tougher.
What I’m seeing in the OP’s post is that the performing arts piece matters. The posters who are suggesting a closer look at Vassar and Wesleyan are worth listening to, for that reason and others. Mt. Holyoke is a good thought, too.
@syy6527 I may have missed it, but did you say if you will apply for financial aid? The need for financial aid can be a BIG negative factor in international admissions, and budgets vary widely from LAC to LAC. Conversely, if you don’t need aid, that can be a plus.
Aside from spelling Carleton without the needed “e” (as noted above), you also misspelled its neighbor, St. Olaf, with an “o” instead of correctly using an “a.”
There IS limited cross-registration of classes between Carleton and St. Olaf, but the differences in their academic calendars certainly does severely hinder this cross-fertilization. Carleton is on a TRI-MESTER system of three 10-week terms, not a “quarter system,” as there is no fourth term during the school year. Carleton students are allowed to take a class at St. Olaf if the same or similar class is not offered at Carleton. St. Olaf is on a 4-1-4 academic calendar with the “1” being their January or “J Term.”
I am both a Carleton alum and current parent, and I can attest that Carleton can be academically stressful. But its culture does seem to differ from that of Swarthmore – a college to which our Carleton student immediately decided not to apply after visiting there in Pennsylvania.