Wesleyan, Tufts, and Reed (and other schools)

[Anonymous]

DC applied ED2 to Wesleyan and was accepted with a 3.7 (top private) and 2200 SAT (when that was a thing). Loved it. Other kid applied ED 2 to Pomona and also loves it (4.0 from private, 35 SAT). She also received significant merit aid from Grinnell (the same day she was admitted to Pomona). I would also consider Vassar and Oberlin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In Portland, I think of Lewis and Clark as a more serious school than Reed.

I am not sure why you would think that. I'm the PP who attended Reed and considered, but did not apply to, L&C. Granted, this was in the 1990s, but when I visited L&C as a high school junior, the English class I sat in on was discussing the same novel that we had recently been reading in my HS English class-- and the discussion level was about the same as in my HS class. That made a real impression on me and was one reason I did not apply to L&C. I'm sure it's a lovely school, but I can't think of anyone who would describe it as "more serious" (academically) than Reed.

[Anonymous]

Your child will likely get good merit at Lewis and Clark. Mine had similar stats from a competitive private. Got 50% merit grant. Would have ended up being way cheaper than high school.😢.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

Yes, assuming it is a private known for its rigor, which not all are. I have kids that went to 2 different private HS. One was super rigorous and the other was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Liberal/progressive student, loves music and songwriting. Likely English major. 35 ACT and ~3.6uw/3.73w GPA (increased each year with all A's 11th/12th grade so good trend). Possibly considering ED for one of the top choices and has preference for open curriculum.

Top choices in order:
Brown (will still apply but knows it is too much of a reach so not considering it a serious contender; bypassed ED to get ACT scores/grades from 1st term; ACT went up so worth the wait)
Wesleyan (1st choice after Brown; very worried that Middletown will be boring - would more access to different music venues/events)
Tufts (not quite as liberal as others)
Reed (is it as rigorous as described with students studying all the time? and is it more/less rigorous than other choices listed?)

Also considering Pitzer, Occidental, Lewis/Clark, Macalester, maybe Pitt, and a few state universities: Oregon, Vermont, and UCSB. DC loves NYU but afraid it is too large... Yeah, quite the range, but each has its own virtues that DC finds appealing.

Any insights, especially those with firsthand knowledge? Open to other recommendations. TIA.

Agree that Wesleyan is the best in your list after Brown. More prestigious and nice students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

In Portland, I think of Lewis and Clark as a more serious school than Reed.

I am not sure why you would think that. I'm the PP who attended Reed and considered, but did not apply to, L&C. Granted, this was in the 1990s, but when I visited L&C as a high school junior, the English class I sat in on was discussing the same novel that we had recently been reading in my HS English class-- and the discussion level was about the same as in my HS class. That made a real impression on me and was one reason I did not apply to L&C. I'm sure it's a lovely school, but I can't think of anyone who would describe it as "more serious" (academically) than Reed.

Yes, as the PP who attended Lewis & Clark, I would definitely not characterize it as more academically serious than Reed. I think the overall intellectual bent is just different. From my time there in the early 00's (and this is probably true of a lot of SLACs), it was as rigorous as you wanted to make it, but you could also just as easily seek out the path of least resistance. There wasn't a lot of hand-holding that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

FYI I’m the OP and that’s my response above.

Absolutely. A 3.6 at a Big 3 (especially with upward trend) is very good. (I've had kids in both public and private.) My DC graduated from a Big 3 last year and the counselor was very, very helpful in putting together a college list with DC.

Maybe look at Amherst too, as a reach. Lots of music kids there, the English department is great, it has a completely open curriculum, and its town is better than Middletown (although the kids I know at Wes don't complain about the town).

In lieu of being able to tour colleges, the Fiske College Guide is good for describing and comparing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied and got into Tufts and Wesleyan with 3.9 unweighted. Rejected from Brown. FYI. Your list is good, but your DC will need to be very happy with the schools that are less rigorous.

OP here: Where did your DC end up if you don’t mind sharing?

Haverford, for various reasons, including large merit scholarship. Wondering about that choice now, due to the recent strike!

[Anonymous]

You do realize that most ED applications are due this week, right? If your DC truly is at a Big3, you might be better off talking with your school's counselors than throwing things open to dcum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that most ED applications are due this week, right? If your DC truly is at a Big3, you might be better off talking with your school's counselors than throwing things open to dcum.

OP here. Yes Big 3 and we are well aware of 11/15 deadline. DC may pass on ED but still go EA. The counselors at the school refrain from being critical of colleges or suggesting one over the other or giving a more personal opinion beyond “here are colleges that may be a good fit for you”. DCUM offers something different and obviously more personal as folks may have attended a school or had a child or other family member/friend who did. That is more depth that the counselors can provide when they don’t have that level of knowledge for each and every college that students at their school consider.

If school counselors could answer all questions from every aspect then there wouldn’t be the need or desire for a forum like this where parents can reach out to other parents/families to get their experiences or insights. It offers supplemental and complementary info to what is given by the counselors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied and got into Tufts and Wesleyan with 3.9 unweighted. Rejected from Brown. FYI. Your list is good, but your DC will need to be very happy with the schools that are less rigorous.

OP here: Where did your DC end up if you don’t mind sharing?

Haverford, for various reasons, including large merit scholarship. Wondering about that choice now, due to the recent strike!

Haverford only gives need-based aid. From their website:

All of Haverford's financial aid is need-based; we do not offer aid based on merit, such as academic or athletic performance. We will meet 100% of your demonstrated need every year that you are at Haverford. ... Your aid award will be included with your offer of admission.

[Anonymous]

I feel like someone who thinks she can go to Brown or Wesleyan would be very underwhelmed by Univ of Puget Sound. That is more akin to Pitt or Clark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that most ED applications are due this week, right? If your DC truly is at a Big3, you might be better off talking with your school's counselors than throwing things open to dcum.

OP here. Yes Big 3 and we are well aware of 11/15 deadline. DC may pass on ED but still go EA. The counselors at the school refrain from being critical of colleges or suggesting one over the other or giving a more personal opinion beyond “here are colleges that may be a good fit for you”. DCUM offers something different and obviously more personal as folks may have attended a school or had a child or other family member/friend who did. That is more depth that the counselors can provide when they don’t have that level of knowledge for each and every college that students at their school consider.

If school counselors could answer all questions from every aspect then there wouldn’t be the need or desire for a forum like this where parents can reach out to other parents/families to get their experiences or insights. It offers supplemental and complementary info to what is given by the counselors.

Which big 3? It does not sound your DC's counselor is doing a good job. Hope not the big 3 my DC is at. He is a freshman, so we do not know if his school counselors are good or not yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

FYI I’m the OP and that’s my response above.

Absolutely. A 3.6 at a Big 3 (especially with upward trend) is very good. (I've had kids in both public and private.) My DC graduated from a Big 3 last year and the counselor was very, very helpful in putting together a college list with DC.

Maybe look at Amherst too, as a reach. Lots of music kids there, the English department is great, it has a completely open curriculum, and its town is better than Middletown (although the kids I know at Wes don't complain about the town).

In lieu of being able to tour colleges, the Fiske College Guide is good for describing and comparing schools.

Yes, there is less grade inflation at the big three privates than there is in most public high schools and most colleges realize that. However, your kid's private school GPA may be more impressive given less grade inflation, but colleges still don't love it because it affects their US news and other rankings. So admissions offices intellectually realize it's an impressive gpa, but they may or may not be willing to take the stats hit to accept your kid, depending on what else your kid brings to the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

FYI I’m the OP and that’s my response above.

Absolutely. A 3.6 at a Big 3 (especially with upward trend) is very good. (I've had kids in both public and private.) My DC graduated from a Big 3 last year and the counselor was very, very helpful in putting together a college list with DC.

Maybe look at Amherst too, as a reach. Lots of music kids there, the English department is great, it has a completely open curriculum, and its town is better than Middletown (although the kids I know at Wes don't complain about the town).

In lieu of being able to tour colleges, the Fiske College Guide is good for describing and comparing schools.

Yes, there is less grade inflation at the big three privates than there is in most public high schools and most colleges realize that. However, your kid's private school GPA may be more impressive given less grade inflation, but colleges still don't love it because it affects their US news and other rankings. So admissions offices intellectually realize it's an impressive gpa, but they may or may not be willing to take the stats hit to accept your kid, depending on what else your kid brings to the table.

You don't know what you're talking about.