<p>I'm a longtime reader, first-time poster, and a junior in high school on the side, finally asking for opinions regarding my rather large list of schools. Somehow, I think it's a bit excessive.</p>
<p>In case this information is needed, I will be applying to QuestBridge. I am a strong applicant on paper with decent ECs: shift manager at work, self-studying Latin, many community college classes taken during summer, newspaper internship, various small (regional/county) writing awards, and enough volunteer hours to feed many a small army (as experienced at the soup kitchen). Do NaNoWriMo and Rubik's cube involvement count? I'm kidding, mostly.</p>
<p>Anyway, before I digress further, here's the list:
-- Chicago (my uncontested first choice and [cue intense stare] dream school)
-- Rice
-- Brown
-- Swarthmore
-- Carleton
-- Wooster
-- Beloit
-- Rochester
-- Pomona
-- Yale
-- Kenyon
-- Amherst
-- Brandeis
-- Lawrence
-- Alabama (guaranteed financial safety & honors college acceptance)</p>
<p>As you may now behold, the beast is rather lengthy, and frankly, I don't feel that I could put my best foot forward with so many applications. Based on my confidence that I would be perfectly happy anywhere, which schools seem unnecessary or out of place? Thank you for your time.</p>
<p>It’s very hard to tell without stats. I don’t think 12-14 schools is too many. Just focus your essay attention on a few and the the others will follow. Chicago will post their essay topics in July, so you can get started! If you have very high scores, this list probably has too many back-ups and vice versa.</p>
<p>First of all, I applaud you for recognizing that you are a “limited resource” and trying to produce exceptional applications for 15 schools may be difficult. That said, beyond being dominated by small LACs, I’m struggling to find a theme to your list. Geographically you’re scattered from California to Minnesota to Massachusetts to Texas. You must have some preference. What about weather? Do you truly understand what winters are going to be like at Carleton versus Pomona or Rice? If you truly prefer warmer weather, Chicago will be nice in the fall and spring, but a bit tougher to love when marauding polar bears come in off Lake Michigan in January. What about urban versus rural; it’s hard to envision a bigger difference than Chicago vs. Wooster. Size of school - e.g., Alabama vs Beloit?</p>
<p>Finally, I think it’s great that you’re open to such a wide range of options, but if you truly “would be perfectly happy anywhere”, then anywhere will do. Running that logic to its conclusion would say only apply to Alabama and be done with it. For a start, answering the question I posed should help you cut down the list for yourself, after that the folks here at CC can weigh in on the merits of your remaining options. Good Luck.</p>
<p>Re: stats. I have a 2310 SAT, 290 PSAT, 3.9 unweighted GPA, ranked #3, etc. I’m completely unsure of what I want to major in – at this point, it could be anything from physics to anthropology to religion. I’m interested in everything. Grad school is a definite.</p>
<p>Re: massive variety. Well, honestly, although there seems to be no rhyme or reason, these schools all have aspects that I love and would ‘sacrifice’ for if I was accepted and offered a great finaid package (of course!). I have relatives spread out all over the country, so I’ve experienced both the harshness of MN winters and the blazing Texas summers. Weather and location are not important to me. I’m a very adaptable person, which leads to the next issue – although Alabama is not my first choice, I could acclimate fine and would find some degree of happiness. Not as much happiness as at, say, Chicago, but it would be fine. But I want to aim above fine (not to say Alabama is nothing to get excited about – in my particular case, there are just better fits, though 'Bama is an excellent school). Plus, I would be in the Honors College at Alabama.</p>
<p>That said, I do think Brandeis and Pomona can be tossed out. The only schools that I am completely sure are there to stay are Chicago, Rice, and Carleton. Lawrence, Beloit, and Wooster would all present opportunities for merit aid, but I think Lawrence and Beloit could be dropped…</p>
<p>– Chicago
– Rice
– Brown
– Swarthmore
– Carleton
– Wooster
– Rochester
– Yale
– Kenyon
– Amherst
– Alabama
…-- Reed
– Grinnell
I am very bad at the whole making-list-smaller thing.</p>
<p>If Chicago is your dream school (wise choice) then naturally you’ll want to exercise the EA option. So to reduce the list a little, identify any schools with admission/aid application deadlines later than Chicago’s probable EA notification date (Wooster? Alabama?). Hold off on applications to those schools. If the news from Chicago is disappointing (I don’t think it will be) then reassess and proceed with the other apps.</p>
<p>Also, Yale has become so ridiculously selective, it is hard to imagine you’d be accepted there and not to Chicago. So if you’d truly prefer Chicago, what’s the point of applying to Yale? The same perhaps could be said about Amherst or Swarthmore. Unless money is a big factor. In that case, maybe you should keep Yale as your financial safety to Chicago :)</p>