Which college do I have the best chance at?

[luca2fish]

@collegemom3717

you can get an idea of the relative weight of standardized test scores by looking at the common data set (section C7). For example, for Macalaster, test scores are ‘Important’ (v Very Important, Considered or Not Considered).

But: heed @Groundwork2022’s advice: be sure that any college you ED is where you really belong. It is a binding commitment, and these schools are more different than you might think- if you haven’t visited them I strongly advise against an ED. I have heard first hand accounts of students who barely walked onto several of these campuses before telling their parents they wouldn’t apply there- it just felt wrong (including from my own collegekids).

Finally, although there are schools where ED make a big difference (where a high % of the class is admitted ED), for most schools it’s a tip more than a boost- as @wisteria100 points out, you have to be in range. These schools all have more than enough fully competitive applicants that they are going to have to say ‘no’ to. I actually have more faith in AdComms than many on CC do- ime, they are pretty good at recognizing a good fit. IMO, you will get more of a boost by figuring out where you are genuinely a good fit & applying there than from ED.

I am currently visiting all of the colleges on my list. I am leaning towards Vassar for ED1 and Macalester for ed2.