<p>Okay, so you like Wheaton ... I am thinking you might identify yourself as a practicing Christian. You might want to look at some southern schools. D found them to be a better fit for her than eastern schools. She's not particularly conservative, but she just liked the vibe better. You may or may not find that to be true for you, but it's worth looking into. Some good southern LAC's fit with your list, including Centre, Rhodes, Furman. Although you probably would have to get your scores up a bit, Vandy, Duke, & Davidson are worth investigating ... you would not be at the top of the heap, but you'd have a shot. If you are into the whole ranking thing, Centre, Rhodes, & Furman all rank above DePauw, which is a fine school.</p>
<p>Consider that playing a varsity sport will take time away from studies ... it is time well spent, of course, but it's time just the same. You might not want to go to a school where your stats put you in the lower end of the class. Try to find a place where you will be challenged, but not overwhelmed. You can go for the big name in grad school, when you won't be playing the varsity sport. Go to a school with strong academics & get to know your profs. They'll help get you into the grad school of your dreams, if you do well in their classes. </p>
<p>Remember, you don't have to impress people with the name of your school to be successful in life. It's tough to be met with blank stares when people ask where you are going to school & they have never heard of it ... we are from your area & D is going to Furman, so I know! ... but that has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the scheme of things.</p>
<p>Once again, great post kelsmom. I absolutely realize what you are saying, and I will look into those southern schools. I am just concerned about getting into a top law or MBA program for grad school, and admissions to these places can be insanely competitive. For this reason, its hard for me to break away from a prestigious name, although I'm trying to convince myself to go for fit instead.</p>
<p>does anyone have any more suggestions for schools that I should look into based on my stats? I'll take all the suggestions I can get.</p>
<p>You can get into a top law or MBA program from non-"name brand" schools!! Do a bit of research ... find out where the students accepted into ivy law/MBA programs got their undergrad degrees. My D did that with dental schools & found out that people went to plenty of schools that aren't even in any rankings. You probably are familiar with Kettering U ... not even known outside the MI area ... LOTS of ivy MBA placement from KU. The important thing is your preparation in undergrad. Schools that offer strong advising for law/MBA are good bets, as are schools where profs are very accessible (thus, great recs). Internships are also important (top MBA schools want more than just book-smarts ... in fact, work experience is a top reason why KU grads are so successful in ivy MBA acceptances). </p>
<p>Another thing to research: placement of grads into law/MBA programs. You can find this on college websites. Look into placement rates, average entrance exam scores, grad schools attended, etc.</p>
<p>If you like the smaller size, LAC's are good because they offer an excellent background for law, a curriculum that grad schools recognize as helpful for law/MBA school success, strong student/prof interaction, personal advising. You can get that at lots of schools, though, if you choose carefully for yourself & if you take advantage of all the opportunities available to you. That is why I really push the whole "fit" thing over everything else. I believe that students who are happy are more likely to take advantage of what is offered to them. In the end, these students are most likely to be happy & successful. You can start in cc & end up at Harvard Law!</p>
<p>Thanks again. That is an extremely encouraging post and you make a lot of great points. </p>
<p>In the mean time, seeing as how this is a chances thread, would anyone else like to offer their opinions on my chances at the aforementioned colleges?</p>
<p>I was surprised when I first heard this statistic, but apparently it's more or less true. Kettering is a great school for anyone wanting to get a head start in the real world, as kelsmom noted.</p>
<p>Besides, phoenix, you might get one of my close relatives as a professor, and who wouldn't want that?!</p>
<p>bump. I would really apprecaite some chances from you guys. There have been a lot of things posted on this forum, but very few statements of actual chances. Any chancing/suggestions woud be great. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Hahaha, any assessment here is far from accurate. If there's anything I've learned from college admissions, it's that admissions to elite schools are quite unpredictable. You're a smart kid, and you're certainly in the running for getting into the top schools, but nothing is for certain. That said, my assessment of your overall chances:</p>
<p>Ivies-- all high reaches, considering that you won't be playing tennis for them.
UChicago-- lower reach, but more dependent on your written materials than other schools. If you can rock the uncommon app and show that you want to attend, I'd say you have as good a shot as any.
Wash U-- even lower reach, a high match if you are a recruit.
Bowdoin-- match if recruit, low reach if not recruit
Carleton -- match if recruit, low reach if not recruit
Swarthmore-- reach if recruit, super high reach if not recruit
Williams -- high match if recruit, reach if not recruit (I think Williams has a history of being kind admissions-wise to its athletes)
Amherst -- high match if recruit, reach if not recruit
Wheaton (Illinois)-- low match/ safety
Depauw-- safety
Northwestern-- reach
Colgate-- match (I think Colgate's a great school! It's in the Amherst/Williams frame but less unpredictable with its admissions)</p>
<p>Thanks again unalove. I appreciate your input. But just curious, why would Swarthmore be characterized as a "super high reach" compared to the ivies being considered high reaches.</p>
<p>Um.. Most tennis kids are extremely smart anyways.
When you get to a sport like football they will give some lax on academics; not tennis recruits though. Recruiting for tennis truly will not help you much in the addmissions process, too bad your agency didn't tell you that.</p>
<p>I happen to know a tennis player at Amherst who has a similar/worse academic profile to the OP. (I say worse because he might have had higher SAT scores, but he was as lazy as could be and teachers hated him).</p>
<p>I also know a girl who probably has worse/similar academic profile but got recruited into Princeton. (But she was top 40 in nation. But this person is going for D3, not D1, so I'd say he has a good chance.)</p>
<p>And not all tennis kids are smart. A lot of the girls at the academy I train at are as blonde as can be. And I only know of 1 boy who would be competitive at an Ivy.</p>