<p>Reach sounds like it would mean unlikely, but this chart that I posted explains what the terms really mean:</p>
<p>Safety: >95% chance
Low Match: 80-95% chance
Match: 65-80% chance
High Match: 50-65% chance
Low Reach: 35-50% chance
Reach: 20-35% chance
High Reach: 5-20% chance
Out of reach: <5% chance</p>
<p>If they are around 50/50, they are high matches/low reaches. Also, if your school does not have Naviance, you should plug your stats into Parchment and it will give you a percentage chance of admission to any school you want. College Node also has a similar tool.</p>
<p>Don’t rely on Parchment… it is not a scientifically valid sample AT ALL. Assuming College Node is similarly unreliable. You can look it up “for fun”, but they are not statistically valid… not a complete set of data, nor is there any check on whether what people are putting in is truthful.</p>
<p>Just FYI, Amherst is going to be a high reach. Just because most years it is the #1 ranked LAC in the country…nothing wrong with applying to a couple of high reaches, but just in case you are thinking about it. :)</p>
<p>OK if you are the top student at your school and your teachers are going to say that it helps a lot. You can put UCB and UCLA into match, matches aren’t for sure anyway. Put Chicago in reach acceptance rate is tiny. Prob Northwestern too. I also think you could get a good merit offer at Scripps, so that may help with the expensive private costs. Ditto Mt. Holyoke, maybe Smith. I knew a guy at Hampshire who took classes at Smith and UMass. Though the Amherst consortium isn’t right across the street like the Claremont’s are with dorms with men as close. Look up on a map.</p>
<p>Just put a few super reaches in where you really love the college, it is worth it. But focus on your reach/matches and visits for now. And where you might get good merit to really make it feasible. </p>
<p>Reserve some time to walk around the Claremont ‘Village’ right next to the colleges. There is the old original part, then across Indian Hill Blvd is the new part. </p>
<p>Yes, Brown so hard to get into, but they love great essays and unique people and that can help you too. </p>
<p>One of the biggest senses of Community is at Davidson, though it is not near any of her preferred cities. Also, schools with big sports will have a community around that.</p>
<p>sally305, have you read OP’s responses? This is not an applicant who’s afraid of hand-to-hand combat–nor of highly competitive programs. So I’m taking what OP says in 2 and 3 with a grain of salt and allow OP to decide what is too competitive and what is too little fun.</p>
<p>OP, the merit that BrownParent mentions at Scripps, Holysmoke, and Smith is in the 20K category. That still leaves you with 35K for the family. It really doesn’t amount to much that you couldn’t get in grant money. Those scholarships are for people who want to say my daughter got a 20K scholarship! It means little to the bottom line at those schools unless you’re family is bringing down 180K or more and your not qualifying for any grant aid. </p>
<p>I think a lot of the suggestions she has gotten match this. This is actually typically a strength of most women’s colleges, too – Scripps, Mt. Holyoke, and Bryn Mawr in particular are all going to fit this, I think. Pomona is going to be more intense, but it isn’t a pressure cooker, IMHO. I think someone might have mentioned U of Chicago, which IS competitive and intense. My opinion is that Darwinian would be a better description than “collaborative” in that particular case. Which is great for some students, but not sure that is what the OP is looking for.</p>
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<p>$20K still isn’t anything to sneeze at. For one of my kids a scholarship of that size made it much more possible for her to attend. But I agree that OP needs to understand the size of the typical merit scholarship, and $15-20K probably is about right.</p>
<p>After some research, I’ve ruled out Amherst. Sexual assault is a big problem on the campus, and some of the remarks made by the dean and admin. in regards to this is baffling. I understand that other schools have this problem, but the administration’s response, in this case, was particularly offensive.</p>
<p>@jkeil911 Haha why do you think I’m competitive? I like some competition, but I don’t want something too intense. I’m actually a very calm person… I think this whole process is just stressing me out.</p>
<p>Unfortunately… I think our income is approx 200k so merit is my only shot! </p>
<p>I’ve heard of UofChicago is quite intense… is it too much so to actually have a fun time in college? </p>
<p>It is intense… honestly, some majors more than others. You should visit there if you can before making a final decision. It probably depends on your idea of fun. One of my kids was admitted there, but her idea of fun is Quiz Bowl practice on Friday night (seriously, that is what she does at her current college!). But she did have some hard-partying hosts at accepted student days at U of Chicago… they found time for it.</p>
<p>HAHAAH I would love that to be honest. I actually almost got to compete on Jeopardy once. I was the highest scorer on the online test, but once we arrived at the studio and went through the process, I wasn’t chosen. Regardless, Jeopardy is actually my favorite show and this is going to show up on my apps, no matter how silly it sounds :)</p>
<p>I really need to party. It is necessary This is a reason I’m really liking USC. I feel that there’s a great balance. And it’s beautiful!</p>
<p>and this from the applicant who thinks Amherst is unsafe?! USC is a beautiful campus that is very safe until you step outside of it, including for some student housing. The neighborhood is nasty, but my niece swears the campus is safe. </p>
<p>not competitive because you’re calm, OP? some of the greatest competitors are absolutely serene when they’re competing. Just the way you come back at me is one indication that you like to give at least as well as you take, that you like a challenge(ing environment). The more I think about Pomona, the more I think it could be right for you, not because those students are über-challenging but because they seem to have many talents and interests. I’ve been reading the data records of the students on CC who’ve been accepted. And it strikes me that even the ones who are really good at something are also good at a couple other things. But I’m not sure you have the GPA and ACT yet to make it likely you’d get in. </p>
<p>As far as academic life intensity goes, you’ll be able to find partiers on any campus, but to go to any of these schools and expect to everyone partying Wednesday night thru Saturday night is a mistake. More like party every other Thursday night, something social and fairly innocent Friday night, then party Saturday night. USC might be the exception here, according to my niece.</p>
<p>Some of the suggestions here include Stanford, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, and Princeton. My only experience of the above is from Northwestern and (through close friends) University of Chicago. They both fall into the “competitive rather than collaborative” category. The others surely do too. If people are actually saying these schools are not “competitive,” which ones are?</p>
<p>Also I really don’t know how someone can say “take these posts from the OP with a grain of salt” and ascribe wholly different attributes to her than she has to herself. Saying she is comfortable with “hand-to-hand combat”? Really, jkeil?</p>
<p>It’s not that Amherst is necessarily more not safe, but that the admin. has reacted in this sort of nonchalant way. </p>
<p>I’m sorry, I kind of took the competitive thing as an insult… yeah I really like Pomona. I get that my ACT score can be higher, but kind of confused about the GPA comment. I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA and have taken the most rigorous courses available to me (school is somewhat restrictive). I’m aiming to get a 34, though I doubt a 33 would make or break me.</p>
<p>I don’t want a party every night that’d be awful The description you gave below sounds perfect. Thanks for your insight !</p>
<p>I’m not a competitive person, and community is important, but I don’t mind vigor. I truly don’t know how else to put it. I’ve visited JHU and it was frightening how intense the atmosphere was.</p>
<p>@sally305 do you have suggestions?
Also, what is your take on the ACT situation?</p>
<p>I think a 33 is totally “in the zone” for merit scholarships. How badly do you want/need one? Your parents are relatively high income, but CA is expensive…how much are they willing to spend each year?</p>
<p>For some reason I think you would like some of the strong midwestern LACs, which tend to have a collaborative vibe yet are full of smart kids. Look at Carleton, Macalester, and Grinnell. They’re not where you have family but they are all great schools and I think you’d fit in well.</p>
<p>If you come back and say you really need merit aid, I will offer more suggestions.</p>
<p>I don’t. I would like it if possible, but it’s not a deciding factor :). It is so ridiculously expensive where I live. Even though we’re high income I live in a itty bitty apartment where my parents can’t even share a room. </p>
<p>I’m wondering if my ACT is going to prevent me from getting into some of the schools like the Claremont schools, UCLA, UCB, USC, etc. jkeil911 got me paranoid about it. However, jkeil911 also said my GPA is low and I don’t think it is… I have all A’s (not even a minus!). Oh well :/</p>
<p>I am talking to a girl right now who attends Macalester, and she’s telling me ALL about it! It sounds great. Going to take a look at the location, weather, and surrounding areas Thanks for suggestions</p>
<p>sorry, OP, the GPA reference was my mistake. after responding to a lot of posts I get a little loose about who has what or what gender anyone is. I think you’ll find kids you like at Pomona, quirky, ambitious, multitalented, but generally nice people. There may be some competitive people there but from my contact with faculty I’ve heard that students work together and help each other out. I apologize for supposing you are competitive. I’ll go read a book and try again tomorrow.</p>
<p>These schools generally would not be safeties for anyone (due to holistic consideration of essays and such), although they may be considered matches (or low match for UCSD) for someone of your stats.</p>
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<p>A 33 ACT is like getting 730 on each SAT section or 2190 total. With a 4.0 unweighted GPA and lots of honors/AP courses (UC weighted GPA of 4.3 to 4.4), you are in the range where admission would have a good chance at even UCB and UCLA. USC is probably very slightly less selective on average, but also less predictable.</p>
I’m actually a very calm person… I think this whole process is just stressing me out.</p>
The description you gave below sounds perfect. Thanks for your insight !</p>