"Target" Schools in New England?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I’m finishing up my list of colleges to apply to in the fall, and I need some good ‘target schools’. I already have three reach schools and three safety schools. I’ve thought about Brandeis, NYU, and Fordham, for ‘targets’, but I’m not sure if those would be accurate for me.
I intend on majoring in Biochemistry and Geology.

Reach Schools:
Bates
Vassar
Wellesley

Safety Schools:
UCONN
UVM
Mt.Holyoke

GPA: 4.35/4.0
SAT: 1350 (660 Math, 690 EWRB) (I’m retaking it soon)

ECs:
Student council president (2 years)
Health Sciences Club Co-founder/Co- President (2 years)
Class Secretary (2 years)
Prom Committee Director
School Band (4 years)
School Band Section Leader (1 year)
CT Climate Strike Social Media Manager (A grassroots activist movement, 1 year)

2

These schools appeared in a “best colleges for geology” search, should you be interested in exploring further choices:

Amherst
Bates
Bowdoin
Brown
Caltech
Carleton
Colby
Colgate
William and Mary
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State
Columbia
Cornell
Hamilton
Juniata
Lafayette
Lehigh
Macalester
Miami University
Oberlin
Occidental
Penn State
St. Lawrence
Stanford
Texas A&M
Union
UArizona
UC–Berkeley
UC–Santa Barbara
UC–Santa Cruz
UColorado
UMichigan
UNC–CH
Penn
UT
UWashington
UW–Madison
Whitman
Yale

To avoid arbitrary distinctions with respect to selectivity and geography, the list appears unscreened.

3

Amherst College with their new science center. Their largest capital infrastructure in the college’s history is a marvel. The have geology section of a museum on campus and a small off campus planetarium as well.

4

Mount Holyoke had a 36% acceptance rate this year. I’ve told my kid she can’t count it as a true safety, despite a 1510 SAT.

5

I agree with @allyphoe, I would not consider Mt. Holyoke a safety.

6

Consider St. Lawrence and Union.

7

My Holyoke has a 36% overall accept rate with a much skewed ED rate which brings the RD rate to about 1/3. Union and Brandeis are running in the 30s too. I don’t consider them safeties or even matches. I like the match schools to be where you have at least half chance, no less than 40% . NYU is a reach with a 16% accept rate. Fordham is a good match , St Lawrence , Clark, Wheaton, UMass-Amherst, Hobart William Smith,
SUNY Binghamton, Syracuse, Clarkson are others that come to mind, including NY schools.

8

Regarding your tentative additions (Brandeis, NYU and Fordham), make sure you research them carefully. As far as I can see, none offers geology.

9

Please tell us about the courses that make up your high GPA. Mostly honors/AP? Mostly standard college prep?

10

@mmancini - Please clarify your professional aspirations. You want to major in biochem and geology - with what goal in mind?

11

Mostly honors and AP. During my junior year I took H US history, H precalc, H english, and AP chem. During my senior year I will be taking AP Psych, AP Calc AB, AP British Lit, and AP Physics AB/C.

12

I’d like to go to graduate school to get my PhD, and then maybe work in research or become a college professor.

13

You have good stats.

You reaches are, indeed reaches. Mt Holyoke is a reach.

Focus on Matches.

Here’s a strategy: Look at the book “Colleges that Change Lives” you’ll find good matches there, some safeties. These are solid liberal arts schools that are selective, but not insanely so and offer excellent educations with awesome grad school acceptance rates. There is also a website: https://ctcl.org/ and also see…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_That_Change_Lives. Check out the east coast schools. Allegheny has a solid geology dept. Check out the others.

Also…look at the SUNY’s that offer Geology majors.

https://www.suny.edu/attend/find-a-suny-program/undergraduate/

Of these I’d recommend: SUNY Binghamtom (reach), SUNY Geneseo (Match), SUNY New Paltz (Match/Safety), SUNY Plattsburgh (Safety).