<p>my d is a rising senior at a very competitive h.s. and she is looking to start her search and of course mom is trying to help. </p>
<p>she has some parimeters concerning colleges and I have told her that she might have to make some changes i.e. not more than 4 - 5 hours from home in CT ; not smaller than her h.s. (approx. 2000 students); not in the middle of "no where" and some type of rowing program(pref. not Div.I)</p>
<p>Her stats are as follows:</p>
<p>38/488
4.165 WGPA
SAT - 2000 (M640 R700 W660)
AP Bio 5
SAT II - Lit 650 & Bio 700</p>
<p>Has taken mostly honors/Level 1 classes with 4 AP classes
(Bio, Spanish, Prob & Stats, U.S. History)</p>
<p>Doing a scientific research mentorship as her science this coming year</p>
<p>Brown Book Award
National Honor Society
National Science Hone Society</p>
<p>Her ECs are limited:</p>
<p>Crew Team (has rowed 6 seasons and will do so again this coming year)</p>
<p>Archery</p>
<p>Trombone (since 4th grade) and in select Wind Ensemble group</p>
<p>Big Brother/Big Sister High School Mentorship</p>
<p>She is also working part time (15-20 hrs per week)</p>
<p>Cut the leash and let her look where ever as to size......why does that matter to you? She has nice numbers and nice interests so why would she not look at all schools of interest?</p>
<p>Exactly what hazmat said. I'll bet her limits will vary as she starts to look. </p>
<p>I'd suggest you buy a BIG THICK book of colleges that lists stuff like average stats of incoming freshmen, most popular majors, offered facilities, available organization, etc. and go through it page by page. That's what I did and it formed the basis of my college list. =)</p>
<p>As I said the h.s. she attends is very competitive and she is in the top 8% of her class. I believe her SAT score could be a bit better and she is working on that this summer.</p>
<p>I admit that she could have more ECs but with her sport (crew) having two seasons and winter training (which she is dedicated too) plus working 10-15 hours a week it left little time for involvement in meaningful ECs.</p>
<p>My niece is a GC at a h.s. and she seems to think that my d has a shot at half way decent colleges. </p>
<p>This is a tough set of parameters to work with... she does have the chances for, as you put it, "half way decent colleges". Her GPA looks very strong; however, her SAT scores present a less competitive set of numbers than other applicants at the most elite colleges. If she can boost her test scores, it will help tremendously. Her EC's and application essays for private colleges can offset her comparatively weaker SAT scores.</p>
<p>The colleges that come to mind for women's crew include Wellesley (all women's), Colby, Ithaca, and Williams. Obviously Wellsesley is all-women in its makeup, but there is a lot of cross-pollination socially with other Boston area schools, i.e., MIT. It's got a gorgeous campus, the best dorms and an outstanding crew team. Colby is very competitive in crew (Div. III championship), but it's small and out in the boondocks of Maine. Ithaca College is a good school but lacking the prestige of the others. Ithaca is a great college town and not too far from NYC, easily accessible via regular shuttles. I like Williams College, a top-ranked liberal arts college (LAC) that has a strong program in Division III athletics, including women's crew. The problem with Williams is that it's a bit out in the middle of nowhere. It's actually closer to Albany, NY than Boston, MA, even though it's in Western MA. It has about 2,000 students.</p>
<p>How good is your daughter in crew? If she's particularly distinguished, she might be able to leverage into a quality Div. I program. I think it's worthwhile to look at Brown University, but as you know it is becoming increasingly competitive to get in. Have your daughter contact the crew coach. Their women's rowing team is highly-ranked. Another possibility, less prestigious, would be Boston University (Div. I). Situated in Boston and able to possibly offer a scholarship.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. Those are some great suggestions. One school she was considering which would be a reach is Vassar. She loved the campus, it has Div. III crew, excellant academics. As I said a reach but she is an excellent writer and if she did a killer essay maybe ???.</p>
<p>I actually think your daughter is a MATCH for Vassar. GPA is comparatively high, and her SAT is just below the mean. They admit close to 30% of applicants.</p>